After a few false starts, this week I finished the fantastic The Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett (an Appendix N author). I highly recommend it to everyone here. It's in the Sword & Planet genre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_and_planet), but is close to being straight fantasy due to a plot twist I won't reveal. It's set on a pre-Space Age conception of Mars - influenced by Burroughs, but she owns her version. Thanks to Chris Holmes for giving me a copy of the Ace Double with this story at #ntrpgcon a few years ago. This was the first Brackett I've read, but I also have a copy of her best short stories so I'll continue with that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Rhiannon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Rhiannon
It was the second fantasy story I ever read after the LotR, and it is really the one that has left a mark on me. Great, great stuff.
ReplyDeleteBe sure to check out the Book of Skaith if you like Brackett! Our protagonist, Eric John Stark, battles his way across a dying world under the Ginger Star with sword, fey hound, and starships.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to seek out the Sword of Rhiannon myself ...
amazon.com - The Book of Skaith: The Adventures of Eric John Stark: Leigh Brackett: Amazon.com: Books
Cullen Also highly recommended. It is an obscure science-fantasy gem.
ReplyDeleteSword of Rhiannon also has a gritty wild west feel which is not surprising when you read of her famous screen plays.
ReplyDeleteNot to be confused with the Sword of Rihanna
ReplyDeletehttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tbFIxfYLobvXGiYr4dF_fJfQsGCCjEE4PdmrZ7NVBcK3Gt66eROCjPyP7Y64MjN3cP153-dgLTgjYa5loeRdrTtX3Q9OgsjVv2w=s0
Funny,
ReplyDeleteI like Brackett a lot.
ReplyDeleteShe's got that post-war angst thing going on, like Rod Serling's writing, for one, which I just dig.