Karavansara

East of Constantinople, West of Shanghai


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Two hours in another world

A few days back, a contact of mine posted on his Facebook a sign that read “Say no to fantasy”.
I wondered why, but I did not feel like starting a discussion that would be, ultimately, pointless. It’s certainly a fact that a lot of drivel is published in the fantasy genre, but there’s exactly the same amount of drivel published in any other field.
Theodore Sturgeon had something to say about that.

Anyway I’ve just spent two hours reading a beautiful fantasy novella – part of my shopping spree last Christmas. It’s called Thief of War, by Beth Bernobich, an author I had never read before, but that I will certainly read again. Great story, great sense of place, a poignant story without being saccharine. An intriguing world I’ll be happy to explore further in the future.

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I’m not Rick

The Karavansara Speakeasy is officially open on MeWe. I’ve set up a group for the readers and followers of this blog, and for all those that enjoy my books and games. I consider it a sort of looser version of my Patreon page, without the perks, but free. And better suited for chatting.
The place can be found here.

It is not the first time I start something without having a good idea of what I am doing, but hey, it’s all in the name of progress and evolution, right?

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Five books that got me started

Over at her place, my friend Jessica Bakkers posted a list of the six books that made her what she is, as a writer. Great idea. It’s fun, it’s easy to put together in the form of a post, and we are always ready to learn more about the writers we follow, and maybe find out a few new books to read.
So, why not steal Jessica’s idea?

Now, I actually already did something similar, a while back, listing the authors that had most influenced me. The ones I wish I was as good as. A shortened list, one that I could (and maybe will) expand.
But let’s look at this thing from another angle.

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The scholar first, the fictionist second

Today marks the 57th anniversary of the death of Harold Lamb, one of the patron saints of Karavansara.
He was a writer of pulp fiction – a lot of his works were published in Adventure – much admired by Robert E. Howard among others, that later became so famous as an author of biographies and historical novels that his lighter and more adventurous side was almost completely forgotten.
He did work with Cecil Be Demille on his The Crusades, as a historical consultant.
It is not the first time I mention him here on Karavansara, and I am sure WordPress will add links at the bottom of this page.

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Poetry Month

Turns out April is the Poetry Month. It must be the spring.
As a direct consequence of this, I received a list of 25 publishers that accept poetry this month, and I find myself thinking… hmmm, 50 bucks per page!
Yes, my poetic spirit sits very close to my wallet, these days.

But it’s not proper to be so cynic.
I never wrote poetry. This might be a good opportunity to try.
After all, wasn’t that the gist of the excellent guide to poetry by Stephen Fry I read a while back?
So, why not giving a try?

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The Fourth Bette Davis Blogathon: The Watcher in the Woods (1980)

My brain is a sieve, and I was almost forgetting today it’s the last day of the Fourth Bette Davis Blogathon, hosted by In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood.
I blame the spring. But all is not lost, and here is my late-night contribution.
Be sure to check out the link above to find a wealth of other posts on the movies of the woman that was called The First Lady of Hollywood.

But then come back here, because this late-night post is filled with things that go bump in the dark: we’ll be talking about Walt Disney’s horror The Watcher in the Woods, from 1980.
The film that was to be Disney’s response to The Exorcist.
I kid you not.

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Odds and Ends #13

I have just posted the thirteenth Odds and Ends for my patrons, and the first one in which I answered a request from one of them. So we got a wide selection of free writing software, collaborative mind-mapping and Roleplaing Game campaign management. Plus two short movies, a melancholy, award-winning cartoon and a ferocious comedy.
Because it is good to be my Patrons.