The Riddle of Iron Part 10: Sword and Sorcery in Unexpected Places #2: Goblin Slayer

I believe we’re closing in on the answer to the Riddle of Iron. Let’s see what else we can figure out for the glory of the #IronAge!  Part 1. (What is Sword & Sorcery?) Sword and Sorcery in Unexpected Places #2: Goblin Slayer I’m going to talk about the first season of the anime here. Not theContinue reading “The Riddle of Iron Part 10: Sword and Sorcery in Unexpected Places #2: Goblin Slayer”

The Riddle of Iron Part 9: Sword and Sorcery in Unexpected Places #1: The Maxx

I believe we’re narrowing down the answer to the Riddle of Iron. Let’s see what else we can figure out for the glory of the #IronAge!  Part 1. (What is Sword & Sorcery?) Part 2. (The Tower of the Elephant) Part 3. (Jirel of Joiry) Part 4. (The Historic Riddle of Steel) Part 5. (The meaning behind the Riddle of Steel inContinue reading “The Riddle of Iron Part 9: Sword and Sorcery in Unexpected Places #1: The Maxx”

The Riddle of Iron Part 8: Newpulp, and “Tales from the Magician’s Skull” (issue 11)

Join me as I try to answer “The Riddle of Iron” in a continued journey to help move the great genre of Sword and Sorcery forward, for the glory of the #IronAge.  Part 1. (What is Sword & Sorcery?) Part 2. (The Tower of the Elephant) Part 3. (Jirel of Joiry) Part 4. (The Historic Riddle of Steel) Part 5. (The meaning behind theContinue reading “The Riddle of Iron Part 8: Newpulp, and “Tales from the Magician’s Skull” (issue 11)”

The Riddle of Iron Part 7: What exactly IS the Iron Age?

Part 1. (What is Sword & Sorcery?) Part 2. (The Tower of the Elephant) Part 3. (Jirel of Joiry) Part 4. (The Historic Riddle of Steel) Part 5. (The meaning behind the Riddle of Steel in the ‘Conan the Barbarian’ motion picture) Part 6. (The Importance of “Appendix N”) Join me as I try to answer “The Riddle of Iron” in a continuedContinue reading “The Riddle of Iron Part 7: What exactly IS the Iron Age?”

The Riddle of Iron Part 6: On the Importance of “Appendix N”

Part 1. (What is Sword & Sorcery?) Part 2. (The Tower of the Elephant) Part 3. (Jirel of Joiry) Part 4. (The Historic Riddle of Steel) Part 5. (The meaning behind the Riddle of Steel in the ‘Conan the Barbarian’ motion picture) Join me as I try to answer “The Riddle of Iron” in a continued journey to help move theContinue reading “The Riddle of Iron Part 6: On the Importance of “Appendix N””

The Riddle of Iron Part 4: The Historic Riddle of Steel

Part 1. (What is Sword & Sorcery?) Part 2. (The Tower of the Elephant) Part 3. (Jirel of Joiry) Join me as I try to answer “The Riddle of Iron” in a continued journey to help move the great genre of Sword and Sorcery forward, for the glory of the #IronAge.  Exhibit C: The Riddle of Steel The featured imageContinue reading “The Riddle of Iron Part 4: The Historic Riddle of Steel”

The Riddle of Iron Part 3: Jirel of Joiry

Part 1 here. Part 2 here. Hail! This is a continued exploration to help move the great genre of Sword and Sorcery forward to the #IronAge.  Exhibit B: The Black God’s Kiss (October 1934) Just one year after Robert E. Howard’s The Tower of the Elephant comes an interesting offering from author C.L. Moore. The Black God’s Kiss’ lead characterContinue reading “The Riddle of Iron Part 3: Jirel of Joiry”

The Riddle of Iron Part 2: The Tower of the Elephant

Part 1 here. This is a continued exploration to help move the great genre of Sword and Sorcery forward to the #IronAge. In our effort, it’s probably a good idea to look back to the genre’s past. Exhibit A: The Tower of the Elephant (1933) Easily my favorite of the Robert E. Howard Conan yarns.Continue reading “The Riddle of Iron Part 2: The Tower of the Elephant”

The Riddle of Iron: How to move Sword & Sorcery forward to a new era

I came away from GenCon 2023 with a realization: No one seems to know how to move the Sword & Sorcery genre forward. To me, this is the new “Riddle of Steel”. A riddle for the #IronAge. A tough nut I want to crack. I believe Robert E. Howard was already showing us the wayContinue reading “The Riddle of Iron: How to move Sword & Sorcery forward to a new era”

The Iron Age is Upon Us

I’ve made no secret of my disdain toward the mainstream entertainment industry. In fact, I’ve only been to the movie theater a handful of times since 2011, I don’t own any current gen video game consoles (though I admit my children own a Nintendo Switch), and, call me crazy, I vastly prefer owning physical mediaContinue reading “The Iron Age is Upon Us”