Karavansara

East of Constantinople, West of Shanghai


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AMARNA, the Special Edition

I have just launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance the publishing of the Italian edition of AMARNA.

While the story is being serialized in English, the Italian readers will only get a one-volume edition, revised and corrected. I am offering different levels of pledge, and both digital and paper-bound editions of the book.

amarna book

Also, I am doing a Special Edition for the Italian readers – a deluxe paperback with photos, maps and about 100 pages of extra contents.
Only 12 copies of the Special Edition will be available in Italian.

And what about my long-suffering English-language readers?
Will they ever get the expanded and corrected edition of the story?
I am currently looking into the matter and I am getting the details about doing a deluxe paperback of the Special Edition on Amazon, via KDP.
For sure, all my Patreon supporters in the Ten Bucks Club will receive a digital copy of the Special Edition, in English, just as they have received each chapter of the serialized version.
It’s the least I can do for them.


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Night of the Demon (1957)

It has been written since the beginning of time, even unto these ancient stones, that evil supernatural creatures exist in a world of darkness. And it is also said man using the magic power of the ancient runic symbols can call forth these powers of darkness, the demons of Hell.

 

The real problem with Night of the Demon (aka Curse of the Demon, originally supposed to be called The Haunted) is, of course, the demon. Director Jacques Tourneur of Cat People fame was all against it, but the producer apparently ignored the director’s choice, and had the scenes with the demon that bookend the movie shot by a second unit.

The demon looks cheap and fake and borders on laugh-out-loud ridiculous, and it’s a pity, because without it Night of the Demon would be an otherwise impeccable horror movie.
As things stand, it’s still one of the best horror thrillers ever produced.
Continue reading →


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Four Against Darkness

I spent a few delightful hours, today, playing Four Against Darkness, a dungeon-delving solitaire game designed by my friend Andrea Sfiligoi.

four against darkness ebook cover

Andrea is one of Italy’s foremost independent game creators, and the game is published by his own Ganesha Games. Not exactly a roleplaying game, and neither a choose-your-own-adventure book, 4AD is a highly successful hybrid, the sort of fast and fun pastime an old player in exile might like.
And indeed, I like it. Continue reading →


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Through Europe on a Sleeper Train

An old friend of mine, back in university, used to say that a clear sign of encroaching middle age was the development of an interest for trains. The first step to becoming one of those sad and lonely old men that spend their days watching the trains running.
Youth can be so cruel.

train-station-652999_960_720

And yet, I find there’s a number of books on old railways here on my shelf, a clear sign that the abyss of old age awaits, with a bench at the station. Continue reading →


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Insomnia – Five Books

If you can’t beat them, join them.
Isn’t that what they say?
My insomnia rages on. I sleep (badly) by day and I am wide awake through the night.
I work, I write, I watch old movies, I read books, and wonder what will become of me. Who knows, maybe that last bit is the reason why I am suffering from insomnia, who knows.
But anyway, I thought about doing something about it, and I decided to write about it. Big surprise, uh?melatonin on the rocks

I’ll start with blog posts, and then see where that takes me. I could setup a minimalist blog on some ultralight platform. Or do a podcast. A small, minimalist podcast.
I’d call it Melatonin On the Rocks.
A podcast that goes on air only when I can’t sleep.
Or I could set-up a live hangout every time I can’t sleep.
Or something.
This post is sort of a prototype.
A test run. Continue reading →


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Corto Maltese in Manchuria

The Russo-Japanese war was a complicated affair. So complicated, in fact, that the Wikipedia entry on the subject is longer on political background than on the actual war.
In a nutshell: Japan was eager to flex some muscles and define its role as a modern imperial power in the East. Russia was eager to get a year-round port on the Pacific, and maybe acquire a large chunk of China. Russia was an enormous nation, which messed up logistics. Japan had better commanding officers.

The war lasted between 1904 and 1905, and was the first big conflict of the 20th century.

And Corto Maltese was in it, and so was his perpetual friend/adversary, Rasputin.
Because this is Corto Maltese, the Youth. Continue reading →