TRIAPA #8 Response: Cave Scrawl

I am really enjoying Neither Beg Nor Yield. I am taking my time with it. During the semester, I tend to read more canonical literature. It usually starts this way: I'll read a short story by a canonical author I've assigned to my students. Enjoying it, I then order a novel or anthology by the same author from the library or AbeBooks. With one week left in classes as I write this, Neither Beg Nor Yield is on the docket. I really enjoyed C.L. Werner's Shintaro Oba story.

Howard Andrew Jones' Lord of a Shattered Land is excellent. I have the sequel, but I haven't cracked it open yet.

I would like to read Crimson Quill Quarterly. I am always surprised when magazines audaciously title themselves with a publishing schedule, e.g., Savage Realms Monthly. You're kind of branded to that schedule. They seem like a great group of people who are having fun.

I haven’t read any Erik Waag, but your comments on leadership in sword and sorcery are really interesting. I think you're going to enjoy Howard Andrew Jones' Lord of a Shattered Land.

My interest is piqued. I'll read Laurie's story as soon as possible. I love that Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is free.

I have heard great things about Martha Wells and the Murderbot series. I was teaching a science fiction course a couple of years ago, and my students couldn't stop talking about the first novel. It focused on artificial intelligence and the technological singularity. A thesis of the class was that there in pulp sci-fi with robots is a tension between utopia and dystopia: either robots are evil monsters that destroy humanity (Skynet, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream"), or they are faithful stewards who save it (Samantha from Her). They love us or hate us. They discussed the character in Wells' as uniquely holding the tension between these two extremes. I think I am remembering this conversation correctly, but I have never read Martha Wells.

I’m starting to get enthusiastic about space opera again because Waystation 1 is coming to its conclusion. The cover art by Geraldo Marinho is great.

Thanks for the excellent Market Watch. You should let me publish something like that on Spiral Tower Press's website as a regular column. If you're interested, let me know. It’s a great service.

TRIAPA #8: Response to 12 Leagues from Averoigne (Issue 8)

First, to echo my previous comments, this is an excellent interview series. It should be republished. In fact, I encourage you to submit it to The Dark Man: Journal of Robert E. Howard and Pulp Studies. I believe it would interest academics and deserves to be shared with anyone interested in studying Smith, as well as documentary filmmaking.

Regarding this part of the interview: there were several fascinating observations. You mentioned the Sacramento sunsets and how they might have influenced Smith's depictions of Zothique. It is truly fascinating how the environments that fantasy, science fiction, and horror writers inhabit permeate their work. When I first visited Cross Plains, driving around the town and the wider scrublands, I swear I could imagine Conan galloping on a steed, or envision a Stygian ritualistic sacrifice on the rock escarpment over there, or see the People of the Black Circle plotting in the shadowy distance. When I went to Providence for academic research and wandered around College Hill on Brown's campus, amidst all the colonial architecture, I got a sense of the claustrophobic, paranoid mystery mixed with elegance and beauty that is part of Lovecraft's horror and dream cycle stories. Also, from the heights of College Hill, you can look across the river and see Federal Hill, which, in the 1920s and 30s, would have showcased modern architecture. Much of Lovecraft's fiction is about timescapes colliding, and in this intersection of Providence--Colonial College Hill and Modern Federal Hill--you get a glimpse into something of what influenced the themes of the writer. I've been on tours of Richmond offered by the Poe Museum there, and although contemporary Richmond bears little resemblance to the antebellum Richmond of Poe's times, there are cobwebs here and there, leftovers that give you a sense of how that milieu influenced Poe. Anyway, your question stirred a lot of thinking about the relationship between authors, their environments, and their themes.

Regarding Darin Coelho Spring's narration in the documentary: I agree. He did a great job. His pensive, somewhat quiet voice really harmonized with the image of Smith as this secluded, unknown poet. I'm glad he felt courageous enough to undertake the narration.

I'm saddened that the city hasn't done more for the Smith cabin land. It's a shame. I am sure they will regret it in a few years. Smith's legacy has clearly taken hold, and the call for more memorials will not subside. There should at least be a plaque or installation there to detail Smith’s legacy. It’s a shame to think it is just a development now.

I didn't know Darin Coelho Spring owned a bookstore! The Bookery is a great name for a bookstore.

Again, thanks for the excellent interview series!

TRIAPA #8 Response: Tales from the Valley: Stone Special 1

Response to Tales from the Valley: Stone Special 1

This was a great Twine story; spoilers follow for those who haven’t read it.

Initially, I climbed the cliff and was slain by the bird. Subsequently, I opted to wait before my ascent. Having acquired the axe, I climbed once more, this time saying the bird. After, I made my way to the bloody altar, where I swiftly ended the suffering of my twin there. The events that unfolded after that left me somewhat confused. After dispatching my suffering twin, I was swept away by the ocean, only to awaken in my hut, having survived the ordeal.

This narrative was really engaging. I persisted despite my character's demise. It made me think of Genndy Tartakovsky's "Primal." For some reason I was imaging South Coast English beaches. 

Incidentally, my wife Nicole has a profound interest in Twine and Choose Your Own Adventure stories. Her dissertation actually focused on the form; it analyzed the now-defunct website that facilitated the collaborative crafting of Choose Your Own Adventures:  Protagonize.com. Despite its closure in 2017, the site remains a cherished memory. 

Here is more information (if interested): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protagonize

The prose within the story was excellent. Would love to read/navigate a longer narrative. I think that the prehistoric setting of sword and sorcery is supremely suited to the Choose Your Own Adventure/Twine format. The inherent tension of the survival genre--teetering on the precipice between life and death--is heightened by this interactive format.

TRIAPA #8 Response: Ink and Hatchet, Issue 7

I haven't read what I would define as "a lot" of Stephen King. I'm familiar with his work mostly through films. I own a lot of his books in Signet Paperbacks. The one's I'm referring to tend to have abstract, minimalist covers with a mostly black cover. I started buying those back in the 2010s because I thought I wanted to read more King. I read his first anthology of short stories, Night Shift, and really enjoyed that. I read Carrie was blown away. Then I tried to read Salem's Lot and his a wall. It really depressed me. There is something about the atmosphere in that novel that just really unsettles me. I should return to it though. Looking over at my shelf, I own the following Signet Paperbacks: Salem's Lot, Thinner, Cujo, Needful Things, The Dark Half, The Stand, Firestarter, The Dead Zone, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, The Tommyknockers, Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, and Carrie. I have an extra copy of the Signet Cujo and Thinner, if anyone wants to trade.

I haven't read a lot of Cordwainer Smith. I want to read Norstrillia. I need to buy a copy of that. I also want to read The Rediscovery of Man, one of his celebrated anthologies. Can anyone suggest if I should start with his short fiction first or his major novel? It's interesting he had a PhD in Political Science and went to Johns Hopkins.

I feel like I'm a broken record: I haven't read a lot of the Doc Savage stories. I need more. I know the character was highly influential on Siegal and Schuster, the creators of Superman. I find Lester Dent an interesting figure in the history of pulp fiction. I can't imagine writing 150+ novels about the same character. The ability of pulp writers to just churn out narrative is very impressive. 

I love Valheim. We might consider starting a TRIAPA Valheim server. My wife and I and friends around the states started a server and played for a long time. We played from the release of the game for about a year, so I know there has been a lot of development since then, i.e. different zones have been opened it. I often wish there was some sort of virtual zone where people can have avatars and hang out and related in some of artificial space. I think back to the late 90s and early 00s, when I played MMORPGs. It was a vaguely satisfying feeling, logging onto Ultima Online or World of Warcraft and "seeing people" gathered together. Seeing a bunch of clustered, busy avatars is a different feeling than seeing a list of names on Discord.

What sort of classic anime have you been watching? I've been watching some more recent anime. I'm currently watching Demon Slayers and Attack on Titan. Does Avatar count (it is a European animation company, right)? I was in grad school when Avatar was being watched by teenagers, so I never deigned to watch it. After several students insisted that I check it out, I must admit--I'm a man-child--I'm hooked. It has not business being that good.

Tom Baker is my favorite Dr. Who. It's easy for me to say that, because I am most familiar with his episodes. Before I can really get behind that statement, I need a baseline of comparison, and this would mean watching a lot of Dr. Who.

I enjoyed your process art. The two-colored array of circles is intriguing. I have a friend who is into "glitch" art, and processes photos in a similar way. It's a neat project.

TRIAPA #8

 

Fright Night and the Erotic Allure of 1980s Horror

Fright Night is one of my favorite horror movies. However, I hesitate to call it a horror movie, as it's not scary at all. Perhaps there are one or two scenes that are unsettling, but even then, these scenes are contextualized by a film that frames horror as fun, campy, and puerile (and not in a bad way). If the film has a message, it is that horror in the 1980s was a cultural form permeated by voyeuristic pleasure and unconscious eroticism (and no small amount of veiled homoeroticism). But does this view hold up when considering all the horror movies produced in the 1980s? I believe eroticism is a significant element of 1980s horror films, but there are exceptions. Some 1980s horror films are more concerned with escaping the ordinary (e.g., Nightmare on Elm Street, Dolls, Child's Play), rather than focusing on eroticism.

Fright Night is not one of those films. It is clearly focused on providing voyeuristic pleasure for its viewers, and director Tom Holland doesn't try to hide this at all. One of the first scenes in the film features a television screen showing a horror film, while the camera pans to two teenagers, Charley Brewster and Amy Peterson, making out on the floor. From the beginning, 1980s horror films are portrayed as quasi-pornographic, designed to arouse but through suggestion and association rather than explicit imagery.

Copyright Columbia Pictures 1985

Later, the film introduces the character of Jerry Dandrige, one of my favorite film vampires. Dandrige, played by Chris Sarandon, is a big part of what makes this film iconic. His portrayal of Dandrige is unique, as he is haughty and dangerous but also bizarrely sympathetic; Sarandon doesn't play a manic, psychopath vampire but instead renders a more human, calm exterior. Even though Dandrige is a murderous bloodsucking monster, when he appeals to Charley Brewster to leave him alone, the viewer may feel a slight bit of sympathy for his appeal. Why didn't Brewster take Dandrige up on his offer? If Dandrige is cursed with vampirism, he is forced to feed to survive, right? However, the film doesn't allow us to sympathize with Dandrige for very long. Through the amazing costume effects of Steven Johnson, we see Dandrige transformed into a monster after being wounded with a pencil by Charley Brewster.

Many scenes in this film involve people looking voyeuristically. Consider the scene where Charley Brewster first learns that Dandrige is a vampire. Using binoculars, Charley looks through his window into the window of Dandrige's house and spots him naked with another woman in a sexualized embrace. Dandrige reveals his vampire fangs just before biting his guest. The theme of looking upon horror and receiving some sort of erotic pleasure from it is woven throughout the film. Consider the scene after the vampire killer, Peter Vincent, slays the werewolf/vampire hybrid, Evil Ed Thompson. This is one of the coolest effect scenes in the film, showcasing the transformation from a wolf back into a human. Steven Johnson's practical effects genius is on full display. As the reverse transformation is happening, Peter Vincent's face is constantly shown; we see several emotions playing upon his features, and the strange pacing unsettles us. Why are we watching this man's face contort and emote so intensely? In other words, the pacing of the film slows down to get us to reflect on the nature of watching horror--a horror like a transforming beast--and the pleasures and pains associated with it.

I'm not trying to suggest that Tom Holland set out to encode some high-art message into this fun horror film about teenagers, vampires, and vampire killers. However, I am suggesting that, despite its quirkiness and silliness, the film artfully encourages us to consider the nature of horror films in the 1980s. There is a great scene in the middle of the film that captures the essence of this theme perfectly: Charley Brewster and Evil Ed Thompson are watching the news in a diner. Evil Ed then tells Charley that there were two recent murders in town, and, laughing hysterically, adds that the bodies had their heads cut off. Charley Brewster responds, "You're sick."

Are we all sick? Why do we take pleasure in the erotically charged spectacles often provided by 1980s horror films? This is one of the interesting questions posed by Fright Night. It's up to us to answer it.

Navigating Information Overload and the Importance of Slow Journalism

I've been grappling with the challenge of consuming too much news. How do you avoid the never-ending scroll of doom when we're witnessing significant world historical events unfold? How can you manage to read low-stakes books (e.g. fiction), engage in casual conversations, or fully immerse yourself in your work, all the while major events are taking place? It's challenging. Staying informed about current events has never been easier. And there's minimal friction in raising your figurative periscope to get a glimpse of the world.

That being said, I recognize the crucial reasons behind the need to limit your news intake. One significant concern is the negative news bias. Most news agencies tend to emphasize negative news, and given the vastness of our planet and the complexity of our society, there's a perpetual supply of such content. So, if you consume a lot of news, you're likely to be inundated with a barrage of negativity, which can significantly impact your mental well-being.

Another issue to consider is the increased risk of encountering biased or slanted news when you actively seek out information. In the age of an endless information flow, much like a buffet, you might find yourself naturally gravitating towards news that confirms your existing biases. By analogy, selecting a healthy dish from a limited restaurant menu is easier than resisting fried food and sweets at a sprawling buffet. The same principle applies to news consumption: when you broaden your news sources, you're more likely to construct an echo chamber for yourself. Of course, it's crucial to begin with reliable news sources, but that's becoming increasingly challenging in today's landscape.

Personally, I've turned to magazine news and long-form journalism as my solution. I won't specify particular titles I read because no matter what I mention, there will always be critics. However, I want to defend the merits of weekly or bi-weekly news magazines. Their slower pace forces you to take a step back, encouraging more deliberate thinking. Their longer-form articles demand sustained attention and potentially foster thoughtfulness.