Category Archives: books

Of Men and Mollusks

Posted on December 30, 2025 by JE

Came across this choice bit of abuse this afternoon: πλεύμονα αὐτὸν ἐκάλει καὶ ἀγράμματον καὶ ἀπατεῶνα καὶ πόρνον.—Diogenes Laertius 10.8 I render this as: “He <Epicurus> calls him <Democritus> a mollusk and an illiterate and a cheat and a whore.” … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, Adventures in the Public Domain, books, history, language, words | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Of Men and Mollusks

Et Thew, Brute?

Posted on November 7, 2025 by JE

Some discussion of thews and thewbilation in the Sword and Sorcery Tavern on Discord made me curious about the etymology of thew. I consulted my friend, the democratic AHD, and it hit me in the face with this. Did not … Continue reading →

Posted in books, fantasy, language, Myth & Legend, sff, sword-and-sorcery, words | Tagged | Comments Off on Et Thew, Brute?

October 23: The Day of Might

Posted on October 23, 2025 by JE

At the Fortress of Engitude, we’re celebrating the Day of Might, proclaimed by the late, unceasingly great Howard Jones as a day for celebrating sword and sorcery, heroic fantasy, and heroic fiction generally.

Posted in books, fantasy, fantasy art, music, Myth & Legend, review or meta-review, sff | Tagged , , | Comments Off on October 23: The Day of Might

Joys of Analogue Media

Posted on October 17, 2025 by JE

One of the long-lost pleasures of vinyl that I’m recently recovering is going through stacks of used LPs at record stores. These are thinner on the ground than they were in the 20th C, but when I find one I … Continue reading →

Posted in books, fantasy art, Morlock, music, sff | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Joys of Analogue Media

This Means Snore: THE WAR OF THE ROSES by William Adler

Posted on September 3, 2025 by JE

I’ve never seen the Danny De Vito film The War of the Roses (1989). It came out during the first Christmas season that I celebrated with my first wife and my first child. I had lots of things to occupy … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Myth & Legend, review or meta-review | 1 Comment

Deus Ex Homine: Brackett’s THE SWORD OF RHIANNON and Zelazny’s ISLE OF THE DEAD

Posted on August 10, 2025 by JE

I’ve been following with interest Steven Silver’s great series of reviews of the Tor Double books at the Black Gate. His latest, scrupulously fair, review of Brackett’s The Sword of Rhiannon+de Camp’s Divide and Conquer reminded me of one of … Continue reading →

Posted in art, books, fantasy, fantasy art, magic, Myth & Legend, review or meta-review, sff, sword-and-sorcery, words, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Deus Ex Homine: Brackett’s THE SWORD OF RHIANNON and Zelazny’s ISLE OF THE DEAD

Two Duds: WAS IT MURDER? by James Hilton and A QUESTION OF PROOF by Nicholas Blake

Posted on August 9, 2025 by JE

Fiction set at upper-class British schools was a popular genre in the 19th and early 20th C, and murder mysteries were the dominant form of popular fiction in the early and mid-20th century, so it’s only natural that cross-pollination would … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, books, mystery, review or meta-review | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Two Duds: WAS IT MURDER? by James Hilton and A QUESTION OF PROOF by Nicholas Blake

This Way to the Egress: IMMORTALITY, INC. by Robert Sheckley

Posted on July 8, 2025 by JE

Executive summary: Immortality, Inc., Sheckley’s first novel, is a fast-moving tour of wonders and horrors, well worth reading, even if its individual parts are greater than the novel as a whole. The novel goes by a number of different names. … Continue reading →

Posted in art, books, review or meta-review, sff, sword-and-sorcery, werewolves | Tagged | Comments Off on This Way to the Egress: IMMORTALITY, INC. by Robert Sheckley

Where Ignorance Is Blish: PLANET STORIES, July 1951

Posted on July 4, 2025 by JE

If an evil fate cast me back in time to the late 1930s, and I were compelled to join one of the factions emerging in the tempest-filled teapot of early sf fandom, I would probably side with the Futurians. They … Continue reading →

Posted in art, books, fantasy, fantasy art, review or meta-review, sff | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bookalanche!

Posted on July 2, 2025 by JE

Past Me is sometimes a deadly enemy. For instance, he only left me two pieces of pizza from the other night so that I could celebrate the first day of True Summer with the Breakfast of Champions–cold pizza and hot … Continue reading →

Posted in art, books, fantasy, fantasy art, magic, Myth & Legend, sff, sword-and-sorcery | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments