tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post5188787798176192940..comments2024-03-28T21:13:53.845+00:00Comments on Fabled Lands: Wyndham - or hot air?Dave Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-49184290273621802202017-03-17T19:57:41.428+00:002017-03-17T19:57:41.428+00:00Rather late to this, forgive me...
I was going to...Rather late to this, forgive me...<br /><br />I was going to respond specifically to "as for his attitudes to women..." It's been a number of years since I read some of his books, but one specific thing I remember is being surprised by his positive depiction to women, despite the strong air of the 1950's middle-class. Notably in Trouble and in a particularly significant twist in Kraken.<br /><br />Rather than make the case based on memories approaching 20 years old, I'll leave it to a woman who can do a better job than I:<br /><br />https://katemacdonald.net/2015/03/30/john-wyndhams-trouble-with-lichen/<br /><br />This is also quite interesting:<br /><br />https://callumhonoursproject.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/review-consider-her-ways-john-wyndham/<br /><br />I'm not suggesting these prove anything, but I think there is more to his attitudes than you appear to suggest in your final line.<br />Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00905701310536696005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-42751799742066947942017-02-25T11:25:44.746+00:002017-02-25T11:25:44.746+00:00Hi Jamie, many thanks for the link ! Have been wan...Hi Jamie, many thanks for the link ! Have been wandering elsewhere on the internet for a few days and only just came back into this room. Funnily enough we are planing a trip to Berlin later this year so might get James the German version to work on his vocab ! John Haganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16249152658906641154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-53630478947349967912017-02-23T20:05:24.145+00:002017-02-23T20:05:24.145+00:00Saw it again recently. Of course, that's Good ...Saw it again recently. Of course, that's Good Sean Connery -- times two.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-20930324459141426262017-02-23T20:02:31.658+00:002017-02-23T20:02:31.658+00:00I'll go for with Life Of Brian and Time Bandit...I'll go for with Life Of Brian and Time Bandits, if only because of the Sean Connery connection.Andy Fletcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07735277481108984596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-52251190478725890352017-02-22T23:40:07.549+00:002017-02-22T23:40:07.549+00:00I haven't seen it in far too long. Could be ab...I haven't seen it in far too long. Could be about time for a triple bill with Life of Brian and Jabberwocky.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-58604211522166148952017-02-22T23:33:43.831+00:002017-02-22T23:33:43.831+00:00I couldn't put my finger on what was missing f...I couldn't put my finger on what was missing from the new Star Wars film until you said that! Your John Cleese analogy has also got me in Grail mood. One of the few films that couldn't possibly be improved.Andy Fletcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07735277481108984596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-82961415747167143932017-02-22T22:33:21.085+00:002017-02-22T22:33:21.085+00:00Just thinking.. A lot of movies could have been im...Just thinking.. A lot of movies could have been improved by having Bad Sean Connery as the villain.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-47026041419765618412017-02-22T18:28:18.551+00:002017-02-22T18:28:18.551+00:00Well, its on the order list now. I'll be chec...Well, its on the order list now. I'll be checking out the audiobooks for use in a year or two. In the meantime my son will have to make do with Daddy's limited vocal range performances of the Mr Men. Dull monotone (narrator), deep (Mr Uppity), squeaky (goblin), bad Sean Connery (king of the goblins). Andy Fletcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07735277481108984596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-9363669303174908042017-02-22T08:33:21.398+00:002017-02-22T08:33:21.398+00:00Oh yes... What happened there is we've been wa...Oh yes... What happened there is we've been waiting so long for the 4th Dirk Lloyd book to come out (publishing takes forever) that it took us by surprise when it finally arrived. Like that scene in Holy Grail when John Cleese comes charging up to the castle. But there's plenty to say about the book so I'll whip the post-writing slaves right now.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-40152746525515801602017-02-21T23:15:11.687+00:002017-02-21T23:15:11.687+00:00I've just stumbled across Headmaster Of Doom o...I've just stumbled across Headmaster Of Doom on Amazon. Wunderbar (not Ten Pole Tudor). Have I missed a post?! Are your marketing men on the right pills, Morris? Maybe I should execute their editor!Andy Fletcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07735277481108984596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-10223284248567446692017-02-21T20:54:15.437+00:002017-02-21T20:54:15.437+00:00The first BBC series of The Tripods was rather ted...The first BBC series of The Tripods was rather tedious but the second was much better; it's a pity they never made the third. The first John Christopher I read was the Sword of the Spirits trilogy, and that was very good.Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787043511154360299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-25860288520287651452017-02-21T13:54:40.291+00:002017-02-21T13:54:40.291+00:00Hi John, You can get the audio book here in fact, ...Hi John, You can get the audio book here in fact, but only the first two books. Well, unless your German is excellent, as there are German audiobooks for them all! For some reason the Germans love comedy books about an Evil Overlord, it seems They do better in Germany than they do in the UK! Anyway, here's the link. http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Children/Dark-Lord-The-Teenage-Years-Audiobook/B00E5UJLM4/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1487683423&sr=1-1Jamie Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08899124425912889707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-89067781348364612172017-02-21T11:22:45.819+00:002017-02-21T11:22:45.819+00:00Sounds good ! Thanks DaveSounds good ! Thanks DaveJohn Haganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16249152658906641154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-45590902381357155892017-02-20T17:59:19.250+00:002017-02-20T17:59:19.250+00:00Excellent. The gamebook that Dick Francis never w...Excellent. The gamebook that Dick Francis never wrote. I had been thinking more just remove the "The" from the title as Ian did, but your idea is much better. Hope the meeting was productive.Andy Fletcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07735277481108984596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-24455396030882086752017-02-20T13:32:58.314+00:002017-02-20T13:32:58.314+00:00I really recommend the audiobooks, John, if you ca...I really recommend the audiobooks, John, if you can find them. They're narrated by Jamie so score even higher on crazed humour.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-84162934586400926112017-02-20T09:20:13.102+00:002017-02-20T09:20:13.102+00:00Count me in if you launch a kickstarter for Blood ...Count me in if you launch a kickstarter for Blood Sword, Dave. The set up for Oliver's novel sounds great - will look out for it. Also, my son is about to start Jamie's Dark Lord trilogy - he wants to read it himself but I am offering to read it to him as I fancy sharing it ! John Haganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16249152658906641154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-1011135917740961302017-02-20T08:27:46.079+00:002017-02-20T08:27:46.079+00:00I'll take a look at that one. I'm not sure...I'll take a look at that one. I'm not sure why he had the urge in those early novels to underwhelm his own rather brilliant ideas. For me it's the flattening of excitement rather than cosiness that weakens Triffids and Cuckoos. Maybe he was just embarrassed to be writing SF at first. As for his attitudes to women... best that we draw a veil over that.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-26187613074216090392017-02-20T08:03:15.445+00:002017-02-20T08:03:15.445+00:00I like John Wyndham very much; the short stories i...I like John Wyndham very much; the short stories in particular. He would get on very well with Bill Maher! He makes some beautiful and gentle asides such as "Economies would collapse if women didn't have disposable income". And the short story Consider Her Ways is anything but "cosy and middle class".Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02058348741174768164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-85487564118238039372017-02-19T23:17:02.928+00:002017-02-19T23:17:02.928+00:00That would only be fair, seeing as Ian did an Eye ...That would only be fair, seeing as Ian did an Eye of the Dragon. Maybe we'll call it the Forelock of Wiretap Mountain.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-90562234524913620782017-02-19T21:20:03.390+00:002017-02-19T21:20:03.390+00:00If you call it Warlock Of Firetop Mountain, I'...If you call it Warlock Of Firetop Mountain, I'll put £300 in.Andy Fletcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07735277481108984596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-60297482478027958012017-02-19T20:25:21.030+00:002017-02-19T20:25:21.030+00:00I'm going over to Somerset to see Leo Hartas n...I'm going over to Somerset to see Leo Hartas next month, and if he agrees to do the maps then a new Legend-set gamebook is a definite possibility. I'm not sure if I or the readers would want that to use Blood Sword rules, though! And Jamie and I are meeting up tomorrow to talk about another new gamebook -- something very, very different from anything we've ever tried before. If it goes ahead you'll hear it here first :-)Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-68084519393310043182017-02-19T19:18:05.076+00:002017-02-19T19:18:05.076+00:00Could you tie it in with the new gamebook you were...Could you tie it in with the new gamebook you were considering, Dave? I'm assuming you wouldn't just release BS5 as is, warts and all? I'm sure others may disagree, but for me it's more about completing the collection again than anything else. If it's too hard, illogical or even impossible to complete, it doesn't really bother me. Then at the start of book 6, you could have the Enchanter come out of the shower and discover book 5 was just a bad dream. Count me in for £50 if you do the full rewrite, a few quid more if you write a new one and a quid more than that if you sign my Golden Dragons!:)Andy Fletcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07735277481108984596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-82207420505031063322017-02-19T18:13:36.413+00:002017-02-19T18:13:36.413+00:00I did think about a complete rebuild of Walls of S...I did think about a complete rebuild of Walls of Spyte, John, but that's a big project in its own right. As I started editing it, back when I reissued books 1-4, I began making notes on how to make it a better fit with the preceding four books. That could be done as a Kickstarter, I suppose -- though does Blood Sword have enough fans to make a KS work?<br /><br />Oliver's novel is a splendidly Gothic tale set in a startling different world, so truly fantastic as to be almost magic realist. A lone tower in the middle of a city smashed flat years ago by a sorcerous tidal wave, occupied by survivors who live under a brutally repressive theocratic regime. The style is like Gormenghast, full of baroque beauty. The themes: hope, alchemy, betrayal, dominance.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-4130334075497865902017-02-19T13:51:16.273+00:002017-02-19T13:51:16.273+00:00Hi Dave, would it be quicker just to 'knock d...Hi Dave, would it be quicker just to 'knock down' the Walls of Spyte and start afresh ? Also can you give us a teaser trailer for Oliver's novel ? It sounds intriguing John Haganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16249152658906641154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-86213483353117272442017-02-19T10:23:21.051+00:002017-02-19T10:23:21.051+00:00Oliver's book, which I read in manuscript as T...Oliver's book, which I read in manuscript as The Knight of the Fields but which may get retitled for publication, is now with a top US literary agent and getting a lot of interest. A year ago publishers deemed it too dark, but now the zeitgeist has caught up. <br /><br />Meanwhile Roz is still crafting her novel, but recently put it aside temporarily while she worked on a Bill Bryson style travelogue. Expect that later in the year, and the novel hopefully soon after that.<br /><br />As for Walls of Spyte... I did have a look at it the other day, but there is so much that needs fixing. Sections that need flow charting, fights that are impossibly hard, clues with no payoff. It's quite a mess. I know I should dive in and fix it, but I need a spare month to work on it full-time. Even after that, it's no Doomwalk!Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.com