Gorman-Piccirilli; Edmond Hamilton

Ed here:That fine writer James Reasoner was nice enough to review the novella that Tom Piccirilli and I did. If you like adventure stories, give this one a try. I think you'll enjoy it. Thanks, James.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2011

Cast in Dark Waters - Ed Gorman and Tom Piccirilli
How long has it been since you read a good, old-fashioned, swashbuckling pirate yarn? Well, neighbor, that’s too long, as they used to say on the Wolf Brand Chili commercials. What you need to do is read CAST IN DARK WATERS by Ed Gorman and Tom Piccirilli, which is a pirate yarn . . . and more.

Gorman and Piccirilli have come up with a fine protagonist in the young woman known as Crimson, a beautiful, redheaded female pirate in the Caribbean sometime in the late 17th or early 18th century. She’s hired by a tobacco planter from Virginia and the man’s wife to retrieve the couple’s daughter, who has run off with a pirate who makes his headquarters on an island that’s supposed to be cursed.

Because this is as much a horror tale as it is a pirate story, you know things aren’t going to go particularly well on this mission, and sure enough, they don’t. But there’s plenty of pulpish goodness along the way, including swordfights. You know I love me some swordfights.

Gorman and Piccirilli have done a great job on this novella, which was originally published as a limited edition hardcover. I missed out on that edition and have wanted to read it ever since, so as soon as it became available as a very affordable e-book, I grabbed a copy. It’s available at all the usual outlets, including the publisher’s website, and if you enjoy high adventure yarns with more than a touch of creepiness and some fine characters, I highly recommend CAST IN DARK WATERS.


----------------THE UNIVERSE WRECKERS BY EDMOND HAMILTON



Ed here: I was raving about Edmond Hamilton's science fiction last night. What's cool about this volume is that it also includes some of his horror stories which are spectacular.

The Universe Wreckers
The Collected Edmond Hamilton,
Volume Three
Edmond Hamilton
Introduction by Eric Leif Davin
Illustrated by H.W. "Wesso" Wessolowski, Frank R. Paul, Hugh Rankin, C.C. Senf, J. Fleming Gould, and Leo Morey
ISBN 9781893887411
$40.00
784 pp. Hardcover
Description
Less than a year after the release of first two volumes of THE COLLECTED EDMOND HAMILTON (Vol. One: The Metal Giants and Others and Vol. Two: The Star Stealers: The Complete Tales of the Interstellar Patrol) Haffner Press lets no grass grow under our feet as we announce the next volume of collected stories from one of the godfathers of Space Opera.

This volume sees Hamilton established not only as a regular contributor to Weird Tales, but also to Amazing Stories, Hugo Gernback's new magazine Air Wonder Stories, and the young upstart publication, Astounding Stories. Eight of these stories are reprinted for the first time, including two novels: "Cities in the Air" and "The Universe Wreckers."

Hamilton's as-yet-unrecognized talent for the short horror story gets a work-out with "The Plant Revol," "Pigmy Island," and "The Life-Masters."

As with previous volumes in this series, an appendix showcasing the original pulp magazine illustrations also bulks large with obscura including reader's letters from the vintage magazines commenting on these stories, along with editorial correspondence between Hamilton and his editors.

University of Pittsburgh professor Dr. Eric Leif Davin (and author of Pioneers of Wonder: Conversations with the Founders of Science Fiction and Partners in Wonder: Women and the Birth of Science Fiction, 1926-1965) provides a lengthy introduction placing these Hamilton stories in historical context and shares a wealth of information on the editorial policies of the commissioning editors. His website is: http://ericleifdavin.vpweb.com/

Table of Contents
Reviews
Excerpts

Related Books
The Vampire Master
Stark and the Star Kings
The Metal Giants and Others
The Star Stealers
Captain Future - Volume One
Captain Future - Volume Two

Table of Contents
Introduction by Eric Leif Davin
"Cities in the Air" (Air Wonder Stories Nov, Dec ’29)
"The Life-Masters" (Weird Tales, Jan ’30)
"The Space Visitors" (Air Wonder Stories, Mar ’30)
"Evans of the Earth Guard" (Air Wonder Stories, Apr ’30)
"The Plant Revolt" (Weird Tales, Apr ’30)
"The Universe Wreckers" (Amazing Stories May, Jun, Jul ’30)
"The Death Lord" (Weird Tales, Jul ’30)
"Pigmy Island" (Weird Tales, Aug ’30)
"Second Satellite" (Astounding Stories, Aug ’30)
"World Atavism" (Amazing Stories, Aug ’30)
"The Man Who Saw the Future" (Amazing Stories, Aug ’30)

Appendix
• Original Pulp Illustrations
• Readers' Letters from Original Magazines
• Correspondence between Hamilton and the SF Luminaries of the Day