The five Swords Against Darkness anthologies edited by Andrew Offutt between 1977 and 1979 have gained a special, almost legendary status among fantasy readers: and they do deserve their spot in the light, because they collect several great stories by renowned writers in the genre. These books are both a result of the sword and… Continue reading Andrew J. Offutt – Swords Against Darkness 1-5
Tag: Reviews in English
Ramsey Campbell – Ryre the Mercenary
I know what I’m about to state sounds like heresy to many but, truth be told, I found the four Ryre stories by Ramsey Campbell dull. As in boring, bland, tiresome, uninteresting, and definitely flat: they’re just long pages of nothing happening over and over, of roaming words upon words, of slow flourishing descriptions; and… Continue reading Ramsey Campbell – Ryre the Mercenary
Robert Cham Gilman – The Rebel of Rhada
The Middle Ages in space: now this is a theme that never fails to deliver, no matter how worn-out and hackneyed it may have become nowadays. But when this setup first appeared, with Alfred Coppel’s 1950 story «The Rebel of Valkyr» (here’s the review I wrote in Italian last year), it was still fresh: as… Continue reading Robert Cham Gilman – The Rebel of Rhada
Robert F. Young – Starfinder
Ouch, this book stinks: even though it has everything it takes to shine, in the end «Starfinder» by Robert F. Young (1980) wastes it all to tell a pointless story of ill-used time travel, suspiciously morbid love and all the other small things that nobody really cares about. So, you have a space whale: that… Continue reading Robert F. Young – Starfinder