I'm not worried about serious and devoted writers of fiction being replaced by AI.
Category: sword-and-sorcery
Not All Adventure Stories Need A Transformational Arc
Not all stories need a transformation. Certain genres, like sword-and-sorcery, were built around characters who are who they are.
Role-Playing Games Do Not Emulate Genres
A phrase commonly used in conversations about role-playing games is "genre emulation." One might say that Call of Cthulu emulates Lovecraftian cosmic horror or Feng Shui emulates Hong Kong martial arts action films. Role-playing games do not emulate a genre. Role-playing games are one of many mediums that makes up a genre. A RPG is …
Tolkien’s Elves, Dwarves, and Hobbits Don’t Belong in Dungeons & Dragons
I don't like elves, dwarves, and halflings in Dungeons & Dragons. We all know the way they look and feel in D&D was lifted out of Lord of the Rings. The inclusion of elves, dwarves, hobbits, orcs, ents, and balrogs (don't get me started on balrogs) into Dungeons & Dragons was a design mistake in …
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Book Recommendation: Laughing Shall I Die: Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings
Tom Shippey's Laughing Shall I Die is an examination of the viking attitudes about death and how they lived knowing that they would almost certainly come to a violent end. It's a book worth reading if you are interested in the vikings or how the stories about vikings influenced the sword-and-sorcery genre. Tom Shippey has …
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Music Recommendation: Glass Future by Howling Giant
Glass Future by Howling Giant is one of my favorite new albums of 2023. I was also fortunate to see them live at a local venue.
I’m Looking Forward To A Glut of Sword-And-Sorcery
Recently, two writers that I admire, Jason Carney and Brian Murphy, have posted essays on their respective blogs that there is more sword-and-sorcery fiction being published than they can keep up with. The crux of the discussion is that we may have a glut. My opinion is that there is no glut. Not yet. There …
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