Karavansara

East of Constantinople, West of Shanghai

Category Archives: Books


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Valancourt Books and the future disaster of my finances

401260Toghether with my friends Lucy and Claire we spent a few moments cursing against an unfair universe, a few nights back. The blame, of course, goes to Black Gate, one of the best sources out there for fantasy and sword & sorcery, and one of the main reasons my finances are shaky.
Last week they did a piece on Valancourt Books.
And this led us to sigh and despair for the safety of our bank accounts.

Valancourt Books describe itself as “an independent small press specializing in the rediscovery of rare, neglected and out-of-print fiction”.
And their catalog is just plain terrific. Continue reading →


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Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant

5140EdKTZDL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_I mentioned a few weeks back the graphic novel Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, written and drawn by Tony Cliff (NOT the Trotskiist activist of the same name).
I was planning on getting me a copy as a celebration award for completing my novel, but a friend beat me and gave me a copy as a gift.
I read the book on my way back from Lucca (and this made me one of the few men to come home from a comic fair holding a comic that was not on sale at the fair), and then again last week, just because it’s too good a story.

And I must confirm my first impression – this work is an utter delight. Continue reading →


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Within Wet Walls: A (short) Review

www-cover-3-frontI was invited to the launch party for Lily Childs’ Within Wet Walls, yesterday, and on my way there, I got me a copy of the ebook.

I love ghost stories, I read a lot of them in the winter (the atmosphere is right) and this one was presented as the sort of gothic delight I was looking for.

Later last night I read it in one sitting, and I was so completely fascinated that I decided a short review here on my blog was in order.
Here goes. Continue reading →


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E. Hoffmann Price

n19191As I explained a few days back, I set myself a series of rewards for completing various chunks of my story – sort of a bait to force me pour more words on the page.
It’s easy, innocuous, inexpensive – and it seems to work.

Having reached the 50.000 word mark, I awarded myself an ebook – the Wildside Press ebook edition of E. Hoffmann Price‘s The Jade Enchantress.
The book was originally published by Balantine/Del Rey (and you see the cover here on the right). Continue reading →


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Traveling with Indiana Jones

467243405This week I’ll be spending 52 hours in Lucca, a Medieval city crowded with cosplayers, comic book fans, roleplayers and assorted geeks.
To spend these 2 days and spare change in Lucca, I’ll have to spend 11 hours on different trains.

And while I might certainly slip my old Kindle reader in my bag, I think I’ll go for the old school solution, and pocket a big, fat paperback. Continue reading →


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The House of Ka

51-HCjLLpWLTwo nights back I felt like celebrating a small personal victory, so I treated myself to a one buck ebook, and I got me The House of Ka, by Walter Bosley.

I was intrigued by the cover – and then of course the author runs the Lost Continent Library blog, so I was pretty sure I picked a winner.

The House of Ka is a 120 pages novella, and I read it in two sittings.
And very good it was. Continue reading →


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The Shanghai Illusion

hl08Who were Maurine Karns and Pat Patterson?
I don’t have much information on this strange duo, but the fact that in 1936 they published a guide to Shanghai that’s one of the most cherished (and fun) pieces in my collection.

The book (which was reprinted a few years ago by always reliable Earnshaw Books) is called Shanghai – High Lights, Low Lights, Tael Lights.
And it is absolutely outrageous.
In a good way, mind you! Continue reading →