This is the 68th in my series of Forgotten Books.

I love the work of Henry Kuttner and always delight when I see a collection that I do not have. Recently at the World Horror Convention I got the Henry Kuttner Centipede [Read it all...]]]> FORGOTTEN BOOK: SECRET OF THE EARTH STAR by Henry Kuttner, Starmont House, 1991

This is the 68th in my series of Forgotten Books.

I love the work of Henry Kuttner and always delight when I see a collection that I do not have. Recently at the World Horror Convention I got the Henry Kuttner Centipede Press collection MASTER OF THE WEIRD TALE which I will be reviewing at some point. It is big beautiful and expensive. And there are the Haffner Press reprints of Kuttner. Seems like there may be a Renaissance in Kuttner going on.

And while I was in cross Plains for Robert E. Howard Days just a few weeks later, I ran across this week’s title SECRET OF THE EARTH STAR AND OTHERS which was part of the Starmont Facsimile Fiction series reproducing old pulp stories as they initially appeared. Editor Sheldon Jaffrey collected seven Kuttner stories, most of which had never been reprinted. It is interesting that the cover proclaims “Seven Great Stories compiled by Sheldon Jaffrey”. There are eight stories in the book. I wonder which one was not considered “Great”.

The title piece is great Kuttner and pure pulp. The Earth star is an extremely rare form of carbon based gem, like a diamond only much more compressed and harder. The only known one is being surreptitiously sold to a corrupt Rajah when it is stolen by a masked criminal called The Merlin. During the robbery, The Merlin’s mask is ripped off and one of the victims identifies him as “Martell”. The problem is that there are four Martells – Seth, an international businessman and philanthropist and his three sons – Tony, Phil and Jimmy. Seth is not under consideration as The Merlin but the three sons are. Collectively they decide to vanish so that the connection cannot be proven and they join the Foreign Legion under assumed names. There they are assigned to a potential revolt in the Sub-Sahara where the Copts, underground dwellers who are descendants of lost Atlantis, are threatening death and destruction. There is action, betrayal and secrets revealed during the story, though the big secret should be readily apparent to the casual reader

All the stories have something to recommend them, though I really liked “I, The Vampire from Weird Tales in 1937 was a lot of fun. “The Elixir of Invisibility” and “The Uncanny Power of Peter Cobalt” (under the pseudonym Noel Gardner) are both from the same issue of Fantastic Adventures in 1940. “Elixir” has a little of the Gallagher wackiness from ROBOTS HAVE NO TAILS while Peter Cobalt delves into the nature of a shifting reality. I also liked “Under Your Spell”, another Weird Tales piece from 1940 is quite a neat tale with a magic shop owner getting into business (reluctantly) with a god. “Dragon Moon” an Elak of Atlantis novelette that shows Kuttner could have been a master fantasist had he decided to write more in that vein. The other two stories: “What Hath Me?” and “World Without Air” are both interesting but not quite as good.

This collection is not quite as good as the Best of retrospectives, but how could it be? It does show a great writer in a variety of story styles. This is worth getting if you don’t have it. As I write this there are six copies on ABE, but only one less than $50; there are two on Bookfinder under $50, and one on eBay. The book had simultaneous hard and trade editions. The trade is the cheaper edition but not by much. Most entries list this as RARE. So, it is going to be somewhat tough to acquire.

Series organizer Patti Abbott hosts more Friday Forgotten Book reviews at her own blog, and posts a complete list of participating blogs.

First up is the World Horror Convention in Austin running from April 28th through May 1st, 2011. This con pulls together professionals in the horror industry; publishers, authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, dealers and, of course, horror fans. WHC serves as both an industry insider’s [Read it all...]]]> Lots to do this weekend including two fantastic conventions you should consider.

First up is the World Horror Convention in Austin running from April 28th through May 1st, 2011. This con pulls together professionals in the horror industry; publishers, authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, dealers and, of course, horror fans. WHC serves as both an industry insider’s networking event and a chance for fans of the genre to get together, meet some of the creative talents in the field, and generally spend a weekend celebrating the world of horror.

Guests include Jack Ketchum (Off Season, The Box, Gone, Peaceable Kingdom, Closing Time, The Lost, The Girl Next Door, Red, Offspring, and The Woman), Steve Niles (comic book series 30 Days of Night, 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, Wake the Dead, City of Others, and Freaks of the Heartland), Joe Hill (Heart-Shaped Box, Locke & Key), Sarah Langan (The Keeper, The Missing, Audrey’s Door), Vinny Chong (www.vincentchong-art.co.uk and vincentchongart.wordpress.com), Brett Alexander Savory (ChiZine: Treatments of Light and Shade in Words, The Distance Traveled, In and Down, No Further Messages, Lake of Spaces, Wood of Nothing) and Sandra Kasturi (ChiZine: Treatments of Light and Shade in Words, The Stars As Seen from this Particular Angle of Night, The Animal Bridegroom).

Registration for the full weekend is $150 with daily rates of $75 for Friday or Saturday and $40 on Sunday. You can find out more about this event at the World Horror Convention 2011 web site.

Next on the agenda is Aetherfest, Texas’ first and currently only three-day steampunk convention and festival! Aetherfest will be full of panels, workshops, musical events, vendors and wonderful people from the Steampunk community all gathered in one of San Antonio’s most historic hotels, the St. Anthony.

Special guests include Hipnautica, Marquis de Vaudeville, Cracked Monocle, Airship Isabella, Antarctic Press, Chris Holm (Steam Pets), Beyond Victoriana, O.M. Grey (Avalon Revisited), Master Bone Jangles and the Red Fork Empire.

Aetherfest runs April 29th through May 1st, 2011. A three-day pass is only $40 and one-day passes are also available at the door.

And, if you want to range further, you can drive up to Dallas for the Texas Frightmare Weekend featuring guests like Clive Barker, Roger Corman, Robert Englund, Cary Elwes (in his first ever convention appearance) and many more.

Looks like South/Central Texas horror creators and fans have cause to celebrate. (This breaking news courtesy of JOE MCKINNEY.)

The WORLD HORROR SOCIETY has named Austin, Texas, as the location for the 2011 WORLD HORROR CONVENTION. The international gathering of horror’s brightest talents and their fans will take place from April 28 [Read it all...]]]>

Sarah Langan

Looks like South/Central Texas horror creators and fans have cause to celebrate. (This breaking news courtesy of JOE MCKINNEY.)

The WORLD HORROR SOCIETY has named Austin, Texas, as the location for the 2011 WORLD HORROR CONVENTION. The international gathering of horror’s brightest talents and their fans will take place from April 28 through May 1, 2011.

Austin, Texas was chosen for its unique style and rich genre history. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was filmed near the city, and the remakes of both Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13^th were filmed in town. Austin also serves as home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, and at sunset 1.5 million bats fly over the city, truly marking it as a horror locale.

“Texas has a long history of strange fiction, serving as home to such luminaries as ROBERT E. HOWARD, MICHAEL MOORCOCK and JOE R. LANSDALE,” says Convention Co-Chair NATE SOUTHARD. “Bringing the World Horror Convention to Austin is a natural. It’s a vibrant city with a taste for the eccentric and a love of the arts. Further, its central, southern location makes it convenient for travelers throughout the US, and visitors from abroad will have no trouble reaching us either.”

Known as both the Capital of Texas and the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin provides the entertainment and cultural draws of a large city with the intimacy of a small town. This smaller size translates to ease of transportation in and around the city with many opportunities for convention attendees to absorb what Austin has to offer.

Convention Chairs, Southard and LEE THOMAS, promise to bring the convention back to the US in style. Focusing on literary horror’s newest stars, WHC 2011 has already confirmed author SARAH LANGAN as its first Guest of Honor.

“We couldn’t be more pleased,” Thomas said. “Sarah was at the top of our list, and her enthusiastic agreement to attend really set the tone for what we hope to achieve with this convention. We’ll be inviting additional industry luminaries, and we’ll make announcements when those folks are confirmed.”

Ms. Langan’s first novel, The Keeper, was named a New York Times editor’s choice. Her second novel, The Missing, won the Bram Stoker Award for outstanding novel and earned an American Library Association Award. Her third novel, Audrey’s Door, will be released in late 2009 and has already been optioned by the Weinstein Company for film.

Additional Guests of Honor, registration information, and hotel information will be forthcoming. A website featuring convention information is currently in development.

The World Horror Convention is an annual gathering of professionals in the horror industry; publishers, authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers, dealers and, of course, horror fans. WHC serves as both an industry insider’s networking event and a chance for fans of the genre to get together, meet some of the creative talents in the field, and generally spend a weekend celebrating All Things Scary.