Rodney Matthews, Michael Moorcock, and Fantasy Illustration in the 1970s

Rodney Matthews, Michael Moorcock, and Fantasy Illustration in the 1970s

The UK artist Rodney Matthews (b. 1945) emerged as a prominent commercial artist in the early 1970s when the Big O poster company began issuing posters based on his fantasy paintings.

At his blog, Matthews has an entertaining series of posts about how, in 1975, he initiated a collaboration with author Michael Moorcock about providing illustrations for the 'Elric' franchise. The collaboration is still going strong - as prints and NFTS - as of 2021. Matthews's posts also provide some interesting insights into the financial realities of being a commercial artist in the UK in the 70s and 80s.

Book Review: The Fog

Book Review: 'The Fog' by James Herbert

Signet paperback, US, 1975

New English Library paperback, 1975, UK

un-used cover artwork by Tim White for the 1975 New English Library edition, UK

5 / 5 Stars

If you read horror fiction at all during the 70s, then it's highly likely that at some point during that time you encountered a James Herbert novel, and it's also likely that none grabbed your attention quite the way The Fog did.......

I remember being intrigued by the Signet paperback copy of this book (275 pp) when it first was published in December 1975. 

I was then a sophomore in high school, and The Fog wound up being passed hand to hand among most of the kids in my class. It was like 'literary crack'.

The book's uncredited cover artist provided a masterpiece of lurid, eye-catching illustration........all you needed to see was the nude bodies smeared with blood, and the faces gleaming with Depraved Intent, to know that this was no 'traditional' 70s horror novel like The Other, Carrie, Julia, Burnt Offerings, or The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane. Mannered books, devoid of much in the way of explicit horror or violence.

The Fog, as is now quite clear, was - along with Herbert's 1974 novel The Rats - a primordial Splatterpunk novel. Even today, nearly 50 years later, both of Herbert's novels still retain their offbeat and provocative nature.

Steve Crisp's cover art for the 1988 New English Library edition, UK

I won't offer a full synopsis of The Fog, mainly because there are plenty of in-depth reviews available online. 

I will say the plot is relatively straightforward: a freak earthquake takes place near a small village located close to the Salisbury Plain in southern Britain. A strange gas escapes from the newly opened fissure in the ground, and begins to spread over the countryside. All people and animals exposed to the Fog undergo a rapid loss of their inhibitions, and revert into a crazed fugue state, one that sees them overly prone to carry out violent acts with no hesitation or remorse.

John Holman, a square-jawed, no-nonsense Department of the Environment employee, has survived a firsthand encounter with the Fog, and quickly becomes the lead actor in the government's efforts to locate, and counter, the phenomenon. 

But for Holman and the UK, time is running out. For the Fog is heading for London....... !

The main plot thread centers on the adventures of John Holman and his mission to defeat the Fog. 

This is interspersed with vignettes gleefully depicting the various acts of mayhem and gory atrocities that the Fog-crazed denizens of the British countryside and city are wont to indulge in. Throughout his novel, Herbert relies on a detached prose style that lends itself well to recounting the increasingly gruesome toll taken by the psychotic victims of the Fog.

And, Herbert avoids the obvious cop-out in making the Fog an occult or supernatural menace; there is a sf subtext to the plot that, in my opinion, gives the book an edge over his related work, The Dark (1980). In this regard, The Fog acquires the sort of quasi-documentary style that is typified by Michael Crichton novels.

Summing up..........if you haven't read The Fog (or for that matter, The Rats) then it should be on your reading list. 

It's by no means a triumph of 'literary achievement' (as such things might be counted), but it's a seminal novel in the birth of 'modern' horror.

Before there was Clive Barker, Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back, Book of the Dead, and Jerry's Kids Meet Wormboy - there was James Herbert and The Fog. 

At the Library Sale October 2021

At the Library Sale 
October 2021

Time once again for the local library's Fall 2021 Used Book Sale. As always, I elbowed my way past the predatory Dealers who tote cardboard boxes and scan titles with apps on their smartphones, and carefully examined the sci-fi section. 

Amidst the predictable surfeit of books from Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Mercedes Lackey, James Blish, and David Webber, I was able to find some nice vintage paperbacks (above) for a buck each.

I also picked up a couple of hardcovers; one is a trilogy of 'Riddlemaster of Hed' novels by Patricia McKillip, the other, an anthology of Leigh Brackett short stories.

 

Always good to visit the Library Sale. You can find some offbeat little treasures.....

Graveyard Ghosts by Gilbert Shelton

Graveyard Ghosts
by Gilbert Shelton
from Zap Comix No. 13, 1994

Gilbert Shelton - best known for 'The Furry Freak Brothers' - was a skilled draftsman, as demonstrated in this black-and-white two-pager from a later issue of Zap Comix.

Book Review: The Architecture of Fear

Book Review: 'The Architecture of Fear' edited by Kathryn Cramer and Peter D. Pautz

2 / 5 Stars

'The Architecture of Fear' first was published in hardcover by Arbor House in October, 1987. This Avon Books paperback edition (278 pp.) was published in January, 1989. The cover artist is Tim O'Brien.  

Editor Cramer has assembled numerous anthologies in the horror, fantasy, and sf genres.

In his Introduction, editor Pautz, who takes himself very seriously, tells the reader that this anthology has a Purpose:

.......Always the stories. I hope they horrify you. I hope they awaken you, help you to do something about the horror. Call a cop, protect a child, vote, read another book. But do something !   

I'm afraid that for my part, with 'The Architecture of Fear', I simply was looking for some entertainment, not inspiration to take action against Social Injustice.............so call me brutish and uncaring, then.

My capsule reviews of the contents:

In the House of Gingerbread, by Gene Wolfe: Tina Heim's husband died of lung cancer, despite not being a smoker. The life insurance company sends an investigator to interview Tina about this peculiarity..........perhaps there is something in the house that was responsible ?

Wolfe's prose style is surprisingly accessible, and although the story ends on something of an oblique note, it does feature some convincing villains.

Ellen, In Her Time, by Charles L. Grant: in their Introduction to this entry, the editors announce that:

 

....Charles L. Grant is a pervasive presence in contemporary fantasy.....a successful author who reads human reaction like a country physician. He is a writer who knows the darker sides of love.

'Ellen' sees our protagonist, Tim Edding, trying to climb over the wall into a Winter-time cemetery.........most readers will see where this story is going well in advance. I can't say that I found this story to be a remarkable exploration of the 'darker sides of love'. Maybe someone else did.

Nesting Instinct, by Scott Baker: Paris, 1968, and innocent young American girl Tracy arrives at a peculiar apartment building. The communal first floor toilet smells horrible (this is France, after all) but soon she learns there are much stranger things going on further up the staircase.......a decent tale.

Endless Night, by Karl Edward Wagner: a plotless series of vignettes about someone's nightmares. The Editors assure us that Wagner's contribution is a powerful reminder of The Banality of Evil. For my part, I thought this story was an example of how Wagner would meet commitments to anthology editors by grabbing something from the Reject Pile and turning it around with minimal effort............

The Fetch, by Robert Aickman: I had no illusions about a novelette from Aickman, and 'The Fetch' didn't steer me wrong. The plot has something to do with a haunted house situated in a remote area of Scotland. There is a housekeeper named Cuddy, who says enigmatic things. There is a caretaker named Mason, who serves overcooked steaks. There is a maid named Aline, who finds the house disturbing. None of these make the story at all interesting. 

Aickman's prose style is wordy and tedious; more talented authors would have taken the thin plot of 'The Fetch' and easily bounded it within a six-page story. Readers will need to prepare to encounter the words 'meiosis' (understatement), 'maquillage' (cosmetics, makeup) and 'hereditament' (an item of inheritance).

Trust Me, by Joseph Lyons: a 2-pager about the Boogeyman, competently done.

Visitors, by Jack Dann: A young man named Charlie, who is suffering from peritonitis, is in the hospital. He Sees Dead People. An effective story with an ending that avoids contrivance.

Gentlemen, by John Skipp and Craig Spector: what are the Splatterpunks doing in this anthology ?! 'Gentlemen' is about first-person narrator Dave, a Sensitive Guy who finds himself obliged to visit a Manhattan dive bar in order to comfort a girl he long has pined for. By the story's end, Dave has become a Real Man.

This story tries oh-so-hard to say something Important about misogyny and the corrupting nature of traditional masculinity, but comes across as preachy. It's saved by a stomach-churning description of the worst Bar and Grill men's room ever to be presented in a work of fiction.......... 

Down in the Darkness, by Dean R. Koontz: Jesus Gonzalez has purchased a very fine home in Laguna Beach, California. He discovers a door leading down to a basement. But the Realtor never mentioned anything about a basement.......didn't she ? One of the better stories in the anthology.

Haunted, by Joyce Carol Oates: Melissa and her friend Mary Lou like to visit the abandoned houses in their rural neighborhood. Someone should've told them to stay away from one house, in particular........I found this story to be a little too over-written (do we really need exhaustive descriptions of the interior contents of old houses ?) to be effective.

In the Memory Room, by Michael Bishop: while Gina Callan lies in her coffin, being viewed by her relatives in the funeral parlor (the eponymous 'memory room'), she has a telepathic conversation with the parlor hostess. More of a humor tale, certainly not horror or dark fantasy.

Tales from the Original Gothic, by John M. Ford: a team of paranormal researchers investigate the apparition of a haunted house. Things do not go well when a damsel seemingly in distress makes her appearance.

This is the worst entry in the anthology. I have no idea why editors Cramer and Pautz accepted it. Ford deploys a self-consciously 'metafictional' prose style that reads like something Philip Jose Farmer did in his New Wave stories, like 'Riders of the Purple Wage', back in the late 60s. 

If you can't work up a functioning plot and characters, then don't try and pass off stream-of-consciousness as coherence. Tell the editors 'sorry, I can't contribute', and let someone else get the call to contribute...........

The House that Knew No Hate, by Jessica Amanda Salmonson: middle-aged couple Nona and Donald move into the latter's childhood home. Soon Donald is seeing ghosts from the past.....or are they hallucinations ? Salmonson invests considerable effort in building up mood and atmosphere, but the denouement is too vague to be effective. 

The verdict ? 'The Architecture of Fear' is like the majority of horror anthologies that saw print in the 1980s: a surfeit of unremarkable, phoned-in entrants, along with a few worthwhile tales. I can't give it more than a 2-star rating.

October 2021 is Spooky Stories Month

October 2021 is Spooky Stories Month at the PorPor Books Blog !

Traditionally here at the PorPor Books Blog we celebrate the month of October, and Halloween, by reviewing horror titles. 

For October 2021 we have a nice lineup of anthologies and novels..........look for reviews of these titles throughout the month !

Book Review: Hiero's Journey

Book Review: 'Hiero's Journey'
Hiero's Journey

The Unforsaken Hiero 
by Sterling Lanier

5 / 5 Stars

‘Hiero’s Journey’ first was published by Chilton books in hardcover in 1973. A Bantam paperback edition was released in 1973, and a Del Rey paperback in 1983. 

A sequel, ‘The Unforsaken Hiero’, was released in 1983 by Del Rey. 

[Apparently, Lanier had prepared a third manuscript, with the intention of completing a Hiero trilogy, but it never saw publication.] 

Both Del Rey versions had excellent cover art by Darrell Sweet.

All these editions, being long out of print, nowadays have ever-steeper asking prices. 

An omnibus edition of both novels, titled ‘Hiero Desteen’ (532 pp), was published by the Science Fiction Book Club / Doubleday in 1984 and while it, too, has high asking prices, it probably is the most economical way to obtain the series. I was able to find a rather beat-up copy at Wonder Book and Video in Frederick, MD, for under $5.

Sterling Lanier (1927 – 2007) was an American sci-fi and fantasy author who, during the 60s, 70s and 80s, wrote a number of short stories for the digests, including many entries in the so-called ‘Brigadier Ffellowes’ series. Along with the two novels in the ‘Hiero Desteen’ series, Lanier wrote ‘Menace Under Marswood’ (1983), another sc-fi novel, for Del Rey.

In addition to being a writer of science fiction, Lanier is remembered as an editor who made a momentous decision: in the mid-60s, while an editor for Chilton books, who mainly published manuals for automobiles, Lanier received the manuscript for 'Dune' and persuaded the company to publish the book in hardcover. 'Dune' of course became a publishing phenomenon, thanks to Lanier’s willingness to have Chilton take a chance and issue its first-ever fiction title.

I remember reading the Hiero novels back in the early 80s, and finding them quite entertaining. How do they stack up when re-read nearly fifty years later ? Quite well, all things considered.......... 

The novels are set in North America, some 5,000 years after the late 20th century and the advent of World War Three (referred to as ‘the Death’). Most of the continent is a wilderness inhabited by small outposts of civilization. Due to the effects of radiation, mutant animals of all types have evolved to roam the fields, swamps, and forests. Some are harmless, while others are ferocious predators that must be treated with respect - if not fear. 

The territory of Kanda (i.e., Canada) is governed by the Metz Republic, which in turn operates under the precepts of the Kandan Universal Church, a kind of post-apocalyptic manifestation of Catholicism. The titular Hiero Desteen is a priest in the Church, and, despite his youth, an experienced woodsman and explorer.

Technology in North America is at a 19th-century level, but the absence of communications infrastructure is compensated for by the telepathic abilities of the priestly class of the Metz Republic. Hiero Desteen’s telepathy is powerful enough to enable him to befriend a sentient moose, named Klootz, and an intelligent bear named Gorm. 

These animals accompany Hiero on his eponymous Journey south from Kanda into the vast wilderness of what once was known as the United States. Hiero’s mission ? Find and recover a lost technology that will aid the Metz Republic in its clandestine war against the Dark Brotherhood, a coalition of fanatics who seek to empower themselves by reviving the destructive forces of the pre-apocalyptic era.

In his adventures in 'Hiero's Journey' and 'The Unforsaken Hiero', Hiero will encounter all manner of deadly adversaries, such as a psychic vampire who plucks its victims as they trudge though the marshes; S'duna, the malevolent leader of the Brotherhood who oversees a specialized torture chamber; and a mutated slime mold capable of absorbing and digesting grown men. 

But Hiero will benefit from the company of both human and animal allies in his struggle with the forces of evil. And the ultimate conflict to decide the future of Kanda will be decided by the clash of armies on the shores of the Lake of Weeping............

I mused long and hard as to whether or not the Hiero novels deserved a four star or a five star score. In the end, I settled on a five star score. 

While it's true that in the second volume the narrative begins to get a bit repetitive, it's also true that author Lanier's prose style throughout the series is clear and devoid of New Wave era self-indulgence. The books include an interesting collection of memorable characters and villains. The books impart their overarching theme of eco-awareness, and the benefits of a Return to Nature, in a subtle manner that avoids belaboring the reader with a 'message'. And the second volume culminates in a well-crafted battle scene that, although providing a predictable ending, does so in a suspenseful manner.

And finally, 'Hiero's Journey' and 'The Unforsaken Hiero' are, first and foremost, fun. They don't take themselves too seriously (a sin made by many New Wave era novels), and they provide a very readable, modernized interpretation of the Planetary Romance genre. Accordingly, I'm comfortable with a five-star rating for the Hiero novels.

More Old School treasures

 More Old School Treasures

Poking around in the boxes in the back of the store continues to yield some nice Vintage Treasures, at affordable prices. Recent acquisitions include:

Conan the Barbarian: The Skull of Set: A Marvel Graphic Novel from 1989. Some great artwork by Paul Gulacy.

Hard-Boiled Defective Stories: an oversize compilation of Burns's 'El Borbah' comics from 1983 - 1988. 

Turbo Jones: Pathfinder : a 1991 compilation of the black-and-white sci-fi comic that first appeared in the UK magazine Wildcat (1988 - 1989).

And then we have..........

Daddy Cool: this 1984 graphic novel is a real rarity. It was issued by 'Melrose Square', an imprint of L.A. - based paperback publisher Holloway House. It didn't do well despite the fact that Holloway simultaneously released the book in paperback format (below). Which is a shame, because Daddy Cool features outstanding artwork by the talented Filipino artist Alfredo Alcala.

So, let the fanboys gather around the front of the store holding their 30 Pulls for the month, I'll head to the back........... where the good stuff resides.

Magic Man by Herb Alpert

'Magic Man'
by Herb Alpert

September, 1981

September, 1981, and on the radio one can hear the latest single from Herb Alpert, a smooth jazz instrumental titled 'Magic Man', a track from the eponymous album.

The song would peak at number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in mid-September.

Book Review: Nightrider

Book Review: 'Nightrider' by David Mace

0 / 5 Stars

‘Nightrider’ (304 pp.) was published by Panther / Granada (UK) in April 1985. The cover illustration is uncredited, but attributed to Chris Foss. The novel was published in the US in 1987 by Ace Books.

I have reviewed two other novels by UK author Mace; ‘Demon-4’ and ‘’Fire Lance’, which also mingle sci-fi with technothriller stylings and a determinedly mordant worldview. 

However, ‘Nightrider’ is much worse than those two titles. It’s so awful I gave up around page 70. I couldn't take it anymore.........

The plot has something to do with the eponymous spaceship being dispatched to find a rebellious colony located in ‘Hades’, a desolate region of space outside the boundaries of the solar system. Along with a multiethnic crew of six, Nightrider is equipped with the latest in AI and advanced weaponry. Once the rebel base is found, then Nightrider and its crew are expected to destroy the base and its inhabitants.

This sounds like a decent enough premise for a sci-fi action novel, but Mace’s prose in ‘Nightrider’ is an exemplar of how to not write a narrative. 

Routine shipboard maneuvers are ponderously related, as if being transcribed from an accompanying technical manual (an account of how much better it is to eat Chinese food, as opposed to other types of cuisine, in a higher gee environment takes up three-quarters of a page). 

And dialogue between crewmembers goes beyond wooden in its presentation, as this excerpt from an early chapter, where crewmembers Kim and Sandra are having a conversation, shows:

‘Well, let’s say it’s got most of the chaos back under control. It’s a principle of pragmatic rationalism not to underestimate the problem by exaggerating your achievements. Of course I like it. It works and it’s honest. Take us. It’s a much more intelligent procedure to co-opt and assign the right individuals to fill your requirements than to condition people to volunteer on grounds of national or political or religious chauvinism. How can you target that kind of conditioning to be sure that exactly the right people happen to volunteer ? If there’s a job to be done that’s evaluated as necessary for the Earth, then whatever the job is, do it right.’

‘You don’t have qualificationist sympathies, then ? Sometimes you almost talk as if you do.’

‘Ah, that’s just my flippant style. I wouldn’t question the reasons for necessity evaluation. Think of the economic load that Nightrider represents. We wouldn’t be here if there weren’t reasons enough. No, no – I’d just be interested in the reasons if they happen to be available. I just look at things that way. Maybe it’s the political instability in Westamerica during my formative years. Not as serene as Serenity.’ 

I'm not sure what 'qualificationist sympathies' refers to.........but by this point in the novel, I was too bored to care.

The verdict ? If you absolutely have to read a David Mace book from the 1980s, then 'Demon-4' and 'Firelance' are much better reads than 'Nightrider'.