In a couple months we'll release ELAK OF ATLANTIS, a collection of action-packed fantasy adventures foundational to the development of sword and sorcery as its own genre. H.P. Lovecraft himself introduced Henry Kuttner to his wife, C.L. Moore, whose own foundational fantasy tales comprise BLACK GOD'S KISS, our October release.

I'm currently about three quarters of the way through a Startling Stories novel called LORD OF THE STORM, which Kuttner wrote under a pseudonym in the late 1940s. It's never been republished, and I'm considering bringing it back to light. We'll see how it ends.

I'm also strongly considering Kuttner's THE DARK WORLD, a simply wonderful short fantasy novelette last published about 20 years ago. If you haven't read it you're missing out, which is why I'd like to give the story a little more modern exposure.

Another of Kuttner's novels, FURY, is near the top of my to-read pile.

Anyone else have a Henry Kuttner experience to share?

--Erik

Haven't read any Kuttner yet, however last week I bought a bunch of used paperback fantasy collections, and I believe there are at least 2 Kuttner stories in there.
I'll try to give 'em a read tomorrow (sitting around, waiting for my wife to go into labor). I'm pretty excited about trying his work out, as I have heard great stuff so far.

Hi!
I only have two words to offer....

GRAVEYARD RATS!!!!

Take care.
Doug

Erik,

I am almost done with Elak of Atlantis. I have really enjoyed it. I am very happy with what you have done with Planet Stories. I am glad I subscribed and look forward to reading all the planet goodness.

Since this thread began, we have signed two more Henry Kuttner books. The first, in November, is "The Dark World," a really neat story about a man who travels between our own world and a world of magic, without knowing who he truly is.

The second book, which is in the contract phase right now so I can't say what it is yet, is one of the best books I've read in the last two years.

Stay tuned!

Looking forward to the new Kuttner books! I thoroughly enjoyed Elak. Just some great meat n' potatoes fantasy adventuring. Love it.

Anyone else have a Henry Kuttner experience to share?

I've only read his "Baldy" stories collected as Mutant. It was a fun read and I really wished he had written more stories in that setting.

It HAD to have been a major inspiration for Marvel's X-Men and Moondragon.

Since this thread began, we have signed two more Henry Kuttner books. The first, in November, is "The Dark World," a really neat story about a man who travels between our own world and a world of magic, without knowing who he truly is.

I still have an old pb copy of "The Dark World" around. Erik is right--it's a fine book, although I have to wonder about its strong resemblance to A. Merritt's "Dwellers in the Mirage." (I think Kuttner was the better overall writer, though.)

I haven't read Dwellers in the Mirage yet, but if I were to compare Merritt's "The Ship of Ishtar" to what I have read of Kuttner, I'm not sure I'd say Kuttner is a better writer. He's a better craftsman, to be sure, and he's less likely to disappear up his own butt, but when Merritt is at the top of his game, he's untouchable.

The Dark World was reprinted in an issue of Amberzine magazine which was my first exposure to Kuttner.

Just a bloody excellent piece of work all around.

I haven't read Dwellers in the Mirage yet, but if I were to compare Merritt's "The Ship of Ishtar" to what I have read of Kuttner, I'm not sure I'd say Kuttner is a better writer. He's a better craftsman, to be sure, and he's less likely to disappear up his own butt, but when Merritt is at the top of his game, he's untouchable.

Merritt's descriptive writing and handling of epic scale is incredible [1], but Kuttner's characters were (to me, at least) more believable, and he had more range [2]. All IMHO, of course.

[1] The scene in "The Ship of Ishtar" where the protagonist climbs the temple (accompanied by the narrating voice of the god of wisdom) is pure magic.

[2] Kuttner could do one to ten pretty competently, but Merritt seemed to be stuck on eleven.

I agree with your analysis. And I think you pegged one of the absolute best scenes of "The Ship of Ishtar." I also really like the scene where the main character meets the king of the port city, and all of his bowmen guards repeat his sayings as they hold their drawn bows at the visitors. Excellent, excellent, excellent.

And it doesn't hurt to almost always have Virgil Finlay illustrating your stuff, either.

So, I really like Merritt.

But Kuttner is a writer of a different school and a different time, and he's a superstar in his own right. The next book we will announce by him is so incredibly awesome (and so un-Merritt in nature) that I almost want to blab about it now.

But I must wait until the contract ink is dry!

My first experience with Kuttner was a book of Lovecraftian short stories. Off hand, I don't remember what his contribution was, but I do remember being impressed enought to buy Elak of Atalntis and the Dark World through Planet Stories. Any more of his work's getting published would be definite orders for me.

"Earth's Last Citadel" is also an excellent story.
It was one of his collaberations with C.L. Moore.
A group of WWII participants in the Sahara find an object resembeling a huge gemstone and get transported millions and millions of years into the furture.
Back when I first read it in the 1970's I was very impressed with the whole concept.
I guess I'm just a sucker for stories where the sun has become a Red Giant! LOL

Take care.
Doug

You must love The Dying Earth, then.

As you should. :)

You must love The Dying Earth, then.

As you should. :)

"Dying Earth" stories by Jack Vance

Wiki Link....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun

Take care.
Doug

The next book we will announce by him is so incredibly awesome (and so un-Merritt in nature) that I almost want to blab about it now.

But I must wait until the contract ink is dry!

Hey, is that ink dry yet?

Almost.

"To the north thin smoke made a column against the darkening sky. Again I felt the unreasoning fear, the impulse toward nightmare flight that had been with me for a long time now. I knew it was without reason. There was only smoke, rising from the swamps of the tangled Limberlost country, not fifty miles from Chicago, where man has outlawed superstition with strong bonds of steel and concrete."

--The Dark World

What a brilliant opening, and I'll be reading it in in a copy that is not falling apart from age and use! I absolutely can't wait.

Yeah, the Dark World is great. I've got about a half-dozen pulps on my desk right now featuring Kuttner novels that have never been printed in book form, and I'm tinkering with a project to remedy that situation.

He was a great writer.

I was first introduced to Kuttner when I picked up Chaosiums Book of Iod.

The story "The eater of of souls" captured my imgination and I stole the reptilian Gorlaks for my first 3e d&d campaign. The charcters had to travel across the desert on these things fighting sand-tuskers (trolls)and then enter the dead city of Khut-N'hah,as H.P.Lovecraft dubbed him. Good times.

One of the things Id like to see in Planet stories if possible is background notes that preface the book and the individual stories like the Chaosium collections have. Its interesting to see insight on the author and their works.

...One of the things Id like to see in Planet stories if possible is background notes that preface the book and the individual stories like the Chaosium collections have. Its interesting to see insight on the author and their works.

Right. Often, I've got all the stories in one form or another, so it's Rob Price's lengthy intros that really sell the books. I'm very interested, like everyone else, in an author's background, his life's story, the creation of particular tales, but I'm even more interested in how a story acts as social commentary, or how it developed out of events, or a literary deconstruction of the work, so on.

In a couple months we'll release ELAK OF ATLANTIS, a collection of action-packed fantasy adventures foundational to the development of sword and sorcery as its own genre. H.P. Lovecraft himself introduced Henry Kuttner to his wife, C.L. Moore, whose own foundational fantasy tales comprise BLACK GOD'S KISS, our October release.

I'm currently about three quarters of the way through a Startling Stories novel called LORD OF THE STORM, which Kuttner wrote under a pseudonym in the late 1940s. It's never been republished, and I'm considering bringing it back to light. We'll see how it ends.

I'm also strongly considering Kuttner's THE DARK WORLD, a simply wonderful short fantasy novelette last published about 20 years ago. If you haven't read it you're missing out, which is why I'd like to give the story a little more modern exposure.

Another of Kuttner's novels, FURY, is near the top of my to-read pile.

Anyone else have a Henry Kuttner experience to share?

--Erik

fury is great!...it's the sequel to 'clash by night' which i was much less impressed with...i'm totally biased towards c.l.moore but my theory is all their collaborations that i've liked were probably 90% moore...'earth's last citadel' is definitely my favourite book with kuttner's name on it...also the elak ones were cool and prince raynor is good but not as good as howard...i can live without all that stuff they did for astounding in the 40's...you know the robots and baldy and all that...also kuttner's 'fantasy' stuff in unknown...it's all sort of too clever for it's own good...it was kind of fun but not my thing...i'd love to read 'the dark world' and 'lords of the storm'

Erik Mona wrote:

I'm also strongly considering Kuttner's THE DARK WORLD, a simply wonderful short fantasy novelette last published about 20 years ago. If you haven't read it you're missing out, which is why I'd like to give the story a little more modern exposure.

-- Is this a novella, given you are doing it standalone, or is there other stuff going to be in that book?

Another of Kuttner's novels, FURY, is near the top of my to-read pile.

Anyone else have a Henry Kuttner experience to share?

-- Sure, Mutant was really cool when I read it the first time - around when I got to Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human, I think.

--Erik

fury is great!...it's the sequel to 'clash by night' which i was much less impressed with...QUOTE]

Clash By Night is decent, you think Fury is better, interesting.

I just started a series on my personal blog in which I plan to post a synopsis and review of every Kuttner story I have in my collection. The first is 1938's "When the Earth Lived," which looks to me to be only Kuttner's second science fiction story, and his 12th story ever published.

I enjoyed it, and posted enough snippets of Kuttner's writing that you can get a sense of the story, I think, without having to track down the $40 pulp in which I first read it.

Here's the link to the story overview.

And here's a link to the post outlining the whole project.

Please note that this is my personal blog, so it's not all Paizo-related.

Hi!

I only have two words to offer....

GRAVEYARD RATS!!!!

Take care.
Doug

That story rocks.

I've read his Cthulhu Mythos fiction, the old hardcover BEST OF KUTTNER book, and some of his short humorous fantasy like 'A Gnome There Was'. The man was a great, great writer.