Karavansara

East of Constantinople, West of Shanghai


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Merian Cooper’s “She”

Sometimes we look for something and we find something different – maybe something better.
Two nights ago I was talking with my friend Franco Pezzini about the Hammer version of H. Rider Haggard’s She – the one featuring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Ursula Andress.
It’s a very unfaithful adaptation, but a fun movie.
So I decided I’ll watch it again, and do a post or two on it.
But while I was looking for the old Hammer flick, I stumbled on something even older, something I did not know existed – the Merian C. Cooper production of H. Rider-Haggard’s She, dating from 1935.

she2

The movie was considered lost for decades, it was found in Buster Keaton’s garage, restored by Ray Harryhausen, and right now you can find it on Youtube, of all places – in a rather decent , if sadly colorized, copy. Continue reading →


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Visit the Mediterranean

mediterranean cruiseWhen I started writing The Corsair, the idea of setting the stories in the Mediterranean area was one of the main premises of the series.
I wanted the glamour, exoticism and variety of the Mediterranean coast, along which three continents meet.

As part of the research for the series, I collected a number of travel posters from the 1930s (the era in which I originally planned to set the series) and the 1950s.
The posters were useful both in determining the main tourist destinations in the area in those years, and in defining a certain atmosphere and style.
Here’s a very small selection.
Enjoy!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA


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Republic Day with the Tiger Woman

Today is the 70th anniversary of the Italian Republic… because you see, we were a Kingdom, before.

So, how celebrate the Day of the Republic?
Me, I’ll have a light lunch and then I’ll spend a few hours reading for leisure, maybe out on one of the benches under the trees. And yes, I’ll give a spin to House of Cthulhu – because one can’t spend his whole life worrying.

In the meanwhile… Republic Day… Republic Serials?
Why not?
Here’s the first chapter of Tiger Woman (with gorgeous Linda Stirling) for you to enjoy!


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Forgotten Cthulhu

HOCToday the postman delivered a book that – due to the events of the last month – I had completely forgotten I had ordered.

But now I am a happy owner of a perfect library-dismissed second-hand copy of Brian Lumley’s The House of Cthulhu, the Tor hardback with the beautiful Bob Eggleton cover.

I remember I was pretty excited the day I found a good copy of the book listed for real cheap on Amazon, and ordered it for my collection.
This is Lovecraft-inspired sword & sorcery, with an eye to Bob Howard and C.A. Smith, and so it fits my tastes quite nicely. Continue reading →


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Writing for money and other sins

A little rant, if you please…
Two days ago I was hanging out with some writers – better writers than me, by far.
The Club Villa Diodati first meeting was very exciting – lots of ideas, lots of anecdotes, and fun
And sadness, too – because giving an objective look at the genre and its health in our country is somewhat depressing sometimes.
But meeting and comparing horror stories with colleagues is good, is healthy – it helps a lot.
And then I heard this one.
One of the writers on the panel – great all-arounder, the sort that can do kids’ comics, and thrillers, and historical novels, and the lot – told us that she had been described, a few days ago, as…

a writer that writes for money

Like it was the ultimate damnation.
Writing for money, what horrid lack of class, isn’t it? Continue reading →


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Other People’s Pulp: The Villa Diodati Club

Yesterday I spent a wonderful afternoon with the other members of the Club Villa Diodati, a professional organization of writers and fantasists.

Villa Diodati

Here, in a shot caught by the esteemed Paolo Cavazza, I share the stage with (from left to right): Franco Pezzini, Danilo Arona, Cristiana Astori, Anna Berra & Massimo Soumaré.

And yes, I’m the only ugly one.
I’ll have to deal with it.