Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Which of the announced Planet Stories book are you most looking forward to?
THE ANUBIS MURDERS
By Gary Gygax
Magic and mystery spanning the globe from Ancient Egypt to the British Isles!
CITY OF THE BEAST/WARRIORS OF MARS
By Michael Moorcock
The creator of Elric pays homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs with high adventure on the Red Planet!
BLACK GOD'S KISS
By C.L. Moore
Sword and sorcery's first female hero holds her own in the pulpy era of Conan the Barbarian!
ELAK OF ATLANTIS
By Henry Kuttner
The deposed prince of Ancient Atlantis battles the minions of Dagon and mad druids in six stories from a member of the Lovecraft Circle!
THE SECRET OF SINHARAT
By Leigh Brackett
Two novels of outlaws on Mars by the author of The Empire Strikes Back!
Which of these tales do you most want to read?
--Erik Mona
Publisher
Planet Stories
Contributor
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Many years ago I read Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett. I honestly don't remember many details, but I remember enjoying it. And I'm a big fan of pulp Mars stuff of any description. I keep hoping someone will do d20 Space 1889.
So I'm looking forward to Secret of Sinharat most.
But I'm looking forward to all of them.
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I'm most looking forward to the Kuttner novel. I'm very fond of his style with the Mythos stories, and even if I already have the six stories in other books, I'm excited to get them newly edited and in a fresh publication.
As an aside, I'm curious what Paizo went through to gather all these manuscripts. I've had a devil of a time over the years collecting out-of-print editions, and paid quite a considerable sum for several titles. Well, however it happened, I'm glad for it. I'm very excited about the whole Planet Stories line.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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It's been a quest to assemble all of these books and stories (to say nothing of getting them retyped), but the internet has been very helpful. I am very much hoping that this line is successful, for I have managed to acquire a sizable collection of candidate books and even vintage pulps with stuff that deserves to be republished.
I'm surprised you have all of the Elak and Prince Raynor stories. It must have cost a fortune to assemble the set. The last time the Elaks were collected between two covers (1985 or so) it was for a 500-print-run edition that now fetches more than $400.
--Erik
Dude,
I haven't read any of them. I'm more interested in Kuttner, Moore and Brackett because I've never read any of their novels.
Like most gamers my age, I finished having my way with Moorcock 20 years ago, having read everything and anything Moorcock to be found in a used bookstore during my teens. But hey, I've never opened City or Warriors.
Ka
I love the Barsoom novels. I have two editions of them from the Science Fiction Book Club. The Anibus Murders look intersting. I also have really enjoyed the Elric novels and some of the other Universal Hero (I think that is what they are called) stories.
Eternal Champion?
Most looking forward to Black God's Kiss, Followed closely by Elak and Almuric. Like most here, I am pretty excited to get all of them.
That said I am a little wary of the Moorcock. I loved the Elric books the first time I read them. Over the last few years I tried rereading Elric, and read for the first time the Corum and Hawkmoon stuff, and found I really don't care for Moorcock's writing. I love his ideas. There is so much cool imagery in his stories, but that man needs an editor. A merciless editor.
Didn't mean to get so vitriolic there. I am excited to see what he does with the sword and planet genre. And I am very excited to see what 2008 brings us from Planet Stories.
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It's been a quest to assemble all of these books and stories (to say nothing of getting them retyped), but the internet has been very helpful. I am very much hoping that this line is successful, for I have managed to acquire a sizable collection of candidate books and even vintage pulps with stuff that deserves to be republished.
I'm surprised you have all of the Elak and Prince Raynor stories. It must have cost a fortune to assemble the set. The last time the Elaks were collected between two covers (1985 or so) it was for a 500-print-run edition that now fetches more than $400.
--Erik
Over the last 15 years I have made a hobby of being a bit antiquarian, and, yes, this is an expensive undertaking, but we all have our eccentricities. All told, just collecting originals of Weird Tales has run me into the thousands of dollars. I have the June 1938 Weird Tales, which contains the second half of "Thunder in the Dawn," so I'll be looking forward to finally reading the complete story; and I have the October 1938 and January 1941 issues of Weird Tales, including "Beyond the Phoenix" and "Dragon Moon. " I have the Chaosium 1995 edition of The Book of Iod, which contains "The Spawn of Dagon" with a nice introduction by Rob Price. I have a chapbook from UNC-CH, Dark Dreams vol. XXXI, which includes "Cursed be the City," so I will definitely be looking forward to reading "The Citidel of Darkness" for the first time. I am very excited to see all these tales in one volume, under competent editing. Speaking of which, I also hope each book includes an introduction from you or Paizo, hopefully including some historical data, and literary insights.
EDIT:
If anyone owns the Gryphon 500-print run of the 74pp Prince Raynor stories, I'd be happy to negotiate a price... ;-)
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Here's who we've got for intros so far:
ANUBIS MURDERS: Erik Mona
ALMURIC: Joe R. Lansdale
CITY OF THE BEAST: Kim Mohan
BLACK GOD'S KISS: Suzy McKee Charnas
ELAK OF ATLANTIS: Joe R. Lansdale
We also have intros by Michael Moorcock and Ben Bova for two unannounced books.
--Erik
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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EDIT:
If anyone owns the Gryphon 500-print run of the 74pp Prince Raynor stories, I'd be happy to negotiate a price... ;-)
You can find them online for $15-30 if you look hard enough. I picked up mine at a store (!!!) last Christmas for $10, brand new.
Your quest for "competent, well edited" versions won't necessarily be fulfilled by getting this, but there's a nice Sprague DeCamp intro that puts the stories into historical perspective.
If you're a big Kuttner nut, it's probably worth tracking down (or you can just get them as a free bonus in our Elak compilation).
Sounds like you've got quite a pulp collection. I'm envious, as I'm only just starting my foray into what I'm guessing will eventually become a large collection. I have several of the Girasol reprints of early Weird Tales issues, a half-dozen Argosys, and a couple issues of Thrilling Wonder Stories, mostly containing stories by Otis Adelbert Kline, who I've been obsessed with for about a year.
My current forgotten SF writer obsession is Edmond Hamilton, which has led me to picking up three vintage Captain Future issues, including one that just arrived this afternoon.
I wish it were viable to publish a pulp-style fiction magazine in the current environment, but I'll settle (for now) for a line of trade paperbacks. :)
--Erik
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Yes, the Eternal Champion.
Now would probably be a good time to mention that Kane, the protagonist of "City of the Beast," in an incarnation of the Eternal Champion. :)
--Erik
Yes, the Eternal Champion. Different incarnations on different worlds. Elric, Kane, Count Brass (or something like that), Hawkmoon (?), there were several of them...
Erik - I think we have a lot in common when it comes to our fiction...
I have already ordered all the books after you started this thread - except CL Moore's. I tried to read something of his many years ago and just could not get through it. I believe it was a collection of short stories. I also loved EE Doc Smith. Now their is vintage science fiction.
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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C.L. Moore is actually Catherine Louise Moore, and her Jirel of Joiry stories are absolutely brilliant. I can see how the florid language might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think the stories are great.
Even greater are her Northwest Smith stories, which we'll be reprinting in January.
--Erik
After reading the above copy (and having recently graduated with my Master's in physics), I'm definitely the most excited for this one. In addition, I've never read any of Moorcock's work, so this should be a treat.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Which of the announced Planet Stories book are you most looking forward to?
THE ANUBIS MURDERS
By Gary Gygax
Magic and mystery spanning the globe from Ancient Egypt to the British Isles!
I am a bit of a fan of Ancient Egyptian Culture, so I am most looking forward to this one (and The Samarkand Solution as well). As soon as the Pathfinder Player's Guide is available my order will ship and I will have it in my hot little hands =)
Black God's Kiss. I'm looking forward to it, though I suspect I may have a few prose-related criticisms (not proper/too modern/etc)...but we'll see.
C.L. Moore is actually Catherine Louise Moore, and her Jirel of Joiry stories are absolutely brilliant. I can see how the florid language might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think the stories are great.
Even greater are her Northwest Smith stories, which we'll be reprinting in January.
--Erik
My senior thesis was in 18th century British lit., so I reckon I'll take to it pretty easily.
=)
I would love to read these books, but it's very hard for me to put down 13 dollars on a 120 page book.
Would be nice if they were released in mass market paperbacks, as I like to read books, not collect them.
Over the last 15 years I have made a hobby of being a bit antiquarian, and, yes, this is an expensive undertaking, but we all have our eccentricities. All told, just collecting originals of Weird Tales has run me into the thousands of dollars. I have the June 1938 Weird Tales, which contains the second half of "Thunder in the Dawn," so I'll be looking forward to finally reading the complete story; and I have the October 1938 and January 1941 issues of Weird Tales, including "Beyond the Phoenix" and "Dragon Moon. " I have the Chaosium 1995 edition of The Book of Iod, which contains "The Spawn of Dagon" with a nice introduction by Rob Price. I have a chapbook from UNC-CH, Dark Dreams vol. XXXI, which includes "Cursed be the City," so I will definitely be looking forward to reading "The Citidel of Darkness" for the first time. I am very excited to see all these tales in one volume, under competent editing. Speaking of which, I also hope each book includes an introduction from you or Paizo, hopefully including some historical data, and literary insights.EDIT:
If anyone owns the Gryphon 500-print run of the 74pp Prince Raynor stories, I'd be happy to negotiate a price... ;-)
You can find both "Cursed Be the City" and "The Citadel of Darkness" in Echoes of Valor III edited by Karl Edward Wagner. There are also stories by Robert E. Howard, Manly Wade Wellman, Jack Williamson, and Nictzin Dyalhis in that anthology. I also reccomend the second book in that three volume set because it has stories by Robert E. Howard, C.L. Moore, Leigh Brackett and Ray Bradbury, and Manly Wade Wellman. the first book in the set isn't as good because it only has three stories by three writers - Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, and Henry Kuttner - whereas the other books have nine stories apiece. Which is not to say that you shouldn't buy Elak of Atlantis. I know I will just as soon as I can afford to.
Personally, the books I'm looking forward to are Almuric by Robert E. Howard and The Swordsman of Mars by Otis Adelbert Kline. Partially because they're two of my favorite writers and partially because I ordered them both earlier this week and haven't been able to check the mail yet. I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve. :)
As for the books listed, I'm most interested in Black God's Kiss and Elak of Atlantis. After Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft, I think C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner are the best of the Weird Tales writers. The first time I read "Black God's Kiss" I was in a daze because it was one of the best things I'd read since discovering REH. The same goes for the rest of the Jirel stories and the two aforementioned stories by Kuttner. After that I'd say The Secret of Sinharat. I've been a huge Leigh Brackett fan after reading an old copy of The Best of Leigh Brackett. She writes Mars just as well as Moore and maybe better than Kline or Burroughs. I'm going to pass on the other two as I'm not much a fan of Moorcock or Gygax.
What I would like to see next is all of Manly Wade Wellman's Hok of Atlantis stories in one book.
I would love to read these books, but it's very hard for me to put down 13 dollars on a 120 page book.
Would be nice if they were released in mass market paperbacks, as I like to read books, not collect them.
You'll have to round up another 10000 friends to buy some for that to happen, probably. ;-)
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Indeed, mass market size and pricing eludes us for the moment. I just cannot justify the necessary print runs based on sales so far.
I'd like to point out, in the interest of fairness, that Planet Stories has NEVER printed a 120-page book.
The shortest so far have been the Michael Moorcock "Kane of Old Mars" novels, which clock in around 150-160 pages each.
The "average" for the line is between 200 and 300 pages.
We've published two "monster" books: C. L. Moore's "Northwest of Earth" which clocks in at 380 pages (and is still $12.99) and the multi-author "Worlds of their Own" compilation, which comes in at 364 pages.
--Erik
Ok.
Thank you! I Love You! In a totally platonic way, of course. :)
Yes, the Eternal Champion.
Now would probably be a good time to mention that Kane, the protagonist of "City of the Beast," in an incarnation of the Eternal Champion. :)
--Erik
Yes, the Eternal Champion. Different incarnations on different worlds. Elric, Kane, Count Brass (or something like that), Hawkmoon (?), there were several of them...
Erik - I think we have a lot in common when it comes to our fiction...
I have already ordered all the books after you started this thread - except CL Moore's. I tried to read something of his many years ago and just could not get through it. I believe it was a collection of short stories. I also loved EE Doc Smith. Now their is vintage science fiction.
yes in fact just about ALL of moorcock's protagonists are manifestations of 'the eternal champion',elric,hawkmoon,jerry cornelius,corum,von bek,count brass,jherek carnelian etc etc etc