End of a (retro) era

*sigh*

This was announced in February, but I missed it.

Paizo's Planet Stories line is on hiatus.

If there are any of their great titles you were considering buying, you might want to do it soon before the supplies dry up.  I ordered the three Robert Silverberg titles (that finished out the line) last night from Amazon.

I didn't get a subscription and I didn't get every single title, but I bought a whole lot of them.  I'm glad they are on my shelf.

I hope they can still put out a few per year.  I was just commenting over at Grognardia that a collection of Gardner Fox's Niall of the Far Travels tales might have potential as a Planet Stories project.

recent read; Robots Have No Tails

Robots Have No Tails by Henry Kuttner

These stories were fun.  A breezy blend of whimsy and The Twilight Zone.  (I have to believe Rod Serling read one or two of these.)  This book collects the five tales of Gallegher, the drunken inventor whose brilliant work is created when he is blotto.  The sober, hungover Gallegher is formulaically stuck with problems, a hangover, creditors and mysteries left by his alcoholic alter ego.

The book opens with a foreword from F. Paul Wilson reminding us to leave our political correctness at the door.  Not that there is anything racist or sexist, but the character of Gallegher is a drunk and his drinking problem is played for laughs. These stories were possibly influenced by the Nick & Nora Charles Thin Man movies, where the main characters - while not outright drunks - were hardly ever seen without a drink in hand.

Ought update once in a while, eh?

Sorry you get about one post per month out of me.

This month has been busy with non-reading and non-writing related stuff. A lot of house rearrangement.

And my workplace company moved. Fortunately for me, it's ridiculously close to home. That was pure luck, I had no say in the choice of the new location.

I also got on a huge music kick and I have been acquiring archives for my vinyl - trying to go digital there and free some home space, too.

I read Planet Stories reissue of Piers Anthony's Steppe. Honestly, I thought it was a drag. I just couldn't suspend disbelief, the language was too informal (perhaps this was a y.a. title before they were classified as such?) and far too much exposition that was not only front-loaded but kept coming back.

I wanted to get behind Paizo for adding some newer titles to their classics, but Steppe just didn't move me. I don't know if it is representative of Anthony's writing or not. I believe it's the only title of his that I have read.

Not sure what I'll read next. I feel like I've neglected the Kindle, might be time for another eBook.

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep jamming!