Category Archives: sff

Two Loners: ZATOICHI’S REVENGE (1965) and PERSONAL SHOPPER (2016)

Posted on June 29, 2026 by JE

I watched these two movies last night back-to-back and found that, oddly, they had a lot in common—although maybe the main thing they had in common was the guy watching them. Both involve solitary characters who face off against monsters. … Continue reading →

Posted in dream, fantasy, history, magic, movie review, review or meta-review, sff, sword-and-sorcery | Tagged | 2 Comments

A Spell Against Tedium: in conversation with Cynthia Ward’s “Bored of the Swords”

Posted on June 24, 2026 by JE

It’s natural not to name names in a general broadside like this, but I also think that it may be a mistake; one is as likely to wound friend as foe. However, since I’ve been writing for decades about an … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, books, fantasy, fantasy art, magic, Morlock, review or meta-review, sff, sword-and-sorcery, writing | 1 Comment

“Ixnay on the Ocodilecray!” Lucian Against the Paradoctors

Posted on June 1, 2026 by JE

I’ve been reading a lot of Lucian lately, for reasons that are difficult to explain; maybe I’ll write something about that when I figure it out. But I am finding that he reads better in Greek than he does in … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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.

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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 →

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The SF/F Watcher’s Lament

Posted on August 11, 2025 by JE

Of all sad words of tongue or pen,the saddest are “Prequel again?”

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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 →

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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 →

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Of Eeels and Miracles

Posted on July 6, 2025 by JE

The Surprised Eel on their Patreon gives us a very nice piece of writing that usefully complicates some over-simplified worldmaking advice. One thing that leapt out at me was this: “Of course, your fantasy world doesn’t have to work like … Continue reading →

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