Rest in Peace, Rick Lai

[Jason Aiken]

I'm fairly certain a good many of you guys knew him through his writing, whether it be pulp, Wold Newton, or weird fiction-related.

Rick had a mind that was like a steel trap and a filing cabinet all in one. He was a meticulous researcher and a great guy. I got to meet him over a handful of times at PulpFests and it always made my day when he commented on my Pulp Crazy videos.

I'll post more about him later, but may he rest in peace.



lovecraftzine.com/2024/04/30/our-dear-friend-rick-lai-passed-away-in-his-sleep-last-night/

[johnnypt]

Rest in peace, I always enjoyed reading his work.

[Jason Aiken]

From what I have been able to tell, Rick got his start writing for pulp fanzines in the 80's and 90's.

Here are some articles courtesy of the Pulp Superfan on some of the fanzines Rick was published in.

thepulp.net/pulpsuperfan/2021/02/05/fanzine-focus-echoes-10-16/

thepulp.net/pulpsuperfan/2024/02/23/fanzine-focus-echoes-17-35/

thepulp.net/pulpsuperfan/2024/03/08/fanzine-focus-echoes-35-50/

thepulp.net/pulpsuperfan/2024/03/22/fanzine-focus-echoes-51-80/

thepulp.net/pulpsuperfan/2023/11/17/fanzine-focus-echoes-81-90/

thepulp.net/pulpsuperfan/2022/09/28/fanzine-focus-doc-savage-quarterly-shadow-doc-savage-quest/

thepulp.net/pulpsuperfan/2019/11/27/fanzine-focus-nemesis-inc/

thepulp.net/pulpsuperfan/2018/10/17/fanzine-focus-pulp-vault/

thepulp.net/pulpsuperfan/2018/10/03/fanzine-focus-pulp-collector/

[bobbyderie]

Damn shame. I got to give him a lift the last time he came to Howard Days (he took home an award that year), and we got to talk for a bit. Incredibly knowledgeable, nice guy.

[Jason Aiken]

Here are the four books of Rick's excellent pulp-related output. I was always hoping for a third Secret Histories that delved into his weird fiction research that he seemed to gravitate to this last decade or so.

All are excellent and a must for every pulp fan.

The Revised Complete Chronology of Bronze (Doc Savage Chronology): amzn.to/3UjAWFe

Chronology of Shadows: A Timeline of the Shadow's Exploits: amzn.to/3WqcWTA

Rick Lai's Secret Histories: Daring Adventurers: amzn.to/3Uunj6e

Rick Lai's Secret Histories: Criminal Masterminds: amzn.to/3WqQdqL

[Jason Aiken]

Our latest issue of FarmerFan features remembrances of Rick Lai for those interested. Like all issues, free to download here:

farmerfan.com/