FRITZ LEIBER’S FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER

We’re going to stray from horror this time in favor of some sword and sorcery tales by the great Fritz Leiber (1910-1992). He wrote in multiple genres including science fiction and horror (some of which were covered here: https://horrordelve.com/2014/05/17/fritz-leiber-horror-stories/), but for now we will look at a few of his Fafhrd (the Barbarian) and The […]

Good Bye, Lawrence.

Very saddened to learn that Lawrence Santoro passed away last night. I never met him in person but was able to interact with him when my short stories was accepted to be read on the Tales To Terrify podcast he hosted. He was so kind and friendly during all our interactions that I felt I’d […]

QUIET HOUSES BY SIMON KURT UNSWORTH

So many stories from Simon Kurt Unsworth’s first collection LOST PLACES (2010) (https://horrordelve.com/2013/12/14/lost-places-by-simon-kurt-unsworth/) stuck with me; it made my decision to buy his new book, QUIET HOUSES, an easy one. QUIET HOUSES (2011) follows paranormal investigator Richard Nakata as he investigates a series of haunted locations after taking out an ad asking for people who’ve […]

Abraham Merritt

Abraham Merritt worked as an editor for The American Weekly magazine, making enough money to travel the world, bringing back weapons and artifacts from exotic locals. He wrote fiction on the side, producing short stories and novels in the fantasy, science-fiction and horror genres. His stories were adventurous, mysterious and the strange. Two of his […]

13 Haunting Tales by E.F. Benson

Edward Frederic Benson, the son the Archbishop of Canterbury, was born in 1867, in Wokingham, Berkshire. He attended Marlborough and King’s College, Cambridge and spent three years studying archeology abroad in Greece and Egypt. He enjoyed immediate success with his first society novel, DODO (1893) and ended up writing over a hundred published pieces in […]

UNEARTHED TREASURES: GOODWILL FINDS

A quick stop in at our local Goodwill paid off tonight with a couple of late 1960’s horror anthologies. 1. THE OCCULT WORLD OF JOHN PENDRAGON Edited by Brad Steiger (1968 Ace Star Book) contains “predictions, experiences, and tape-recorded dialogues by and about England’s most celebrated clairvoyant and prophet.” I don’t know about the accuracy […]

PANDORA BY JOANNA PARYPINSKI

I first became aware of Joanna Parypinski when we shared space in the anthology INDIANA SCIENCE FICTION 2011. I was impressed by her work, so when I heard her first novel was coming out I picked up a copy. I’m glad I did. PANDORA (2012) is a great read. Joanna has populated her fictional town […]

L.P. HARTLEY

Leslie Poles Hartley (a favorite of mine) was born in Whittlesea, Cambridge in the United Kingdom in 1895. He joined the British Army in 1919, but was sent home after a short stint due to medical problems. He started his writing career as a fiction reviewer for several magazines, continuing at it for thirty years. […]

GUY DE MAUPASSANT

Guy de Maupassant was born in France in 1850. He studied under French novelist Gustave Flaubert before enlisting in the military during The Franco-Prussian War. He wrote numerous short stories during his life and is widely regarded as a master of the form. In his twenties, he began suffering from syphilis. Years of dealing with […]

WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON

William Hope Hodgson was born in Blackmore End, Essex in 1877. He ran away from boarding school at the age of thirteen to work at sea, eventually becoming a lieutenant in the merchant marine. Being a short man, Hodgson began a rigorous workout regiment in order to protect himself from bullying by other sailors. He […]