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Post by deuce on Dec 19, 2017 14:07:02 GMT -5
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2017 15:10:34 GMT -5
Sounds interesting.
Unfortunately I cannot access the Blackgate website with my ancient laptop.
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Post by thedarkman on Dec 19, 2017 15:45:35 GMT -5
This sounds like something I’ve been hoping for since, well, since the demise of the Age of Conan books. I hope that Hocking’s book finally sees the light of day. I think there are more than a few quality writers out there who ‘get’ Howard, and could write some quality fiction. I also like that the emphasis is not placed on Conan alone. There are so many great characters created by Howard, along with secondary characters with tales untold, that years of releases could be ahead of us. Personally, I hope they gather together a collection of short stories as well. This could be fun, if it’s done right; hire on some Howard scholars to edit, and writers who love Howard.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Dec 19, 2017 18:50:13 GMT -5
Something tells me their seeing what ERB Inc is doing and decided to get in on the action.
I'm down but these definitely need to be in the right hands.
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Post by Von K on Dec 19, 2017 19:52:33 GMT -5
Sounds interesting. Unfortunately I cannot access the Blackgate website with my ancient laptop. Hun, I sent you a PM, something I lassoed with my Uurga...
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Post by Von K on Dec 19, 2017 20:31:46 GMT -5
Keen to see what develops here. Look forward to those future updates...
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Post by darthgall on Dec 20, 2017 21:30:00 GMT -5
+1 hoping for more Hocking.
But also:
Always loved Conan and always loved pirates, and thought his pirating days woefully under-explored. This could fix that!
Consider Chris A. Jackson, writer of a couple of maritime fantasies like Scimitar Moon and some Pathfinder tales!
Mick
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Post by almuric on Dec 21, 2017 8:32:36 GMT -5
Well, it's certainly been a long time since Conan of Venarium (O book of bitter memory) came out. I'm happy that it's not just Conan who's getting the pastiche treatment. While there's many, many pitfalls, I hope this line produces a few decent books.
Any chance they might reprint some of the better pastiches from the past, like Conan and the Emerald Lotus, or Legion From the Shadows?
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Post by deuce on Dec 21, 2017 10:02:51 GMT -5
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Post by lordyam on Dec 21, 2017 21:37:38 GMT -5
Aaron Dembski Bowden of Warhammer fame would be a good choice for a writer
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Post by buxom9sorceress on Dec 22, 2017 6:12:34 GMT -5
'Heroic Signatures' - licensing new lines of REH-related tales. ==== I welcome any attempts at new REH pastiches [ about Conan, or sol kane ][ or about similar NEW characters set in the wide world of conan? [ but the other reh creations do not interest me] BUT, they should begin with books collections of SHORT STORIES [ from about 20 to 30 pages [pp] each tale [ although some tales could be as long as 40 or 50 pp. [ i would welcome a book which had 4 or 5 new conan tales [ each 40 pp or so ]
>>>> they MUST include the recent very good new conan tale [ 40pp] by CHRIS ADAMS to get them off to a good new start. [atlas of the serpent men] [ i'm sure Chris could produce more good conan tales if he was actually getting paid on a contract ]
after book 1 of conan tales, they could do book 2 which included 2 conan tales + some other tales introducing other characters in conans world? [ by including 2 new conan tales that ensures that conan fans will buy it] if they sell well, then do book 3 of conan+ and then maybe a book 1 of sol kane short tales? by using this very exciting reader friendly short story format they could publish 1 or 2 new books [of conan related tales] per year. >>>> Intense SHORT STORIES are the key to success. [just like the exciting pulp tales format which all REH fans adore] [ f#ck novels, and ban trilogies: they are too watered down and filled out with dull slop ] [the age of conan books failed because they were forced long trilogies - of stretched out messy ideas. no intensity, and hopeless line editing ]
NB. [ if they produce novels -- i will NOT be buying any! [ a lot of the tor books were weakened/ruined by the writers being forced to pad out to 240pp novel length ] they need to hire a good LINE EDITOR - an experienced good conan writer, who knows lot of reh lore. Hocking or JMRoberts would be great [ if they will still do it? or at least hire them to write a few new shorts? ] Producing books of new SHORT STORIES will interest many more writers. And short tales provide endless variety of intense entertainment for fans. [Scott Oden is already willing to write short or novel. Great. Hire him now! ] We have been asking for collections of new short stories set in conans world, since about 2003 ! Which publishers have got the new license? who do writers get in touch with? ---
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Post by Von K on Dec 22, 2017 17:52:12 GMT -5
The closest we have to an official pronouncement states the curating of ‘a line of carefully picked novels.’
Maybe a line of independent novels of about the 80-120k words range?
Carefully picked also suggests perhaps we’re more likely this time to see writers specifically familiar with REH’s worlds and characters being chosen, with editorial input from one or more of the leading REH scholars like Patrice, Mark or Jeff.
I’m only guessing, of course.
Hopefully not too long before we find out more.
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Post by thedarkman on Dec 23, 2017 22:02:05 GMT -5
I don’t have a problem with novels with ‘carefully selected ‘ authors’, but I am also in favor of some short story/novella length anthology collections as well. But if it’s just novels for now, I will most certainly buy them.
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Post by Von K on Dec 30, 2017 12:57:35 GMT -5
As far as I know, short story collections are great for core niche audiences but unfortunately not as popular or as commercially viable in the mainstream genre markets. Not much has changed in that regard it seems since back in REH’s time when he sent a collection of Conan short stories to Dennis Archer in the UK and was asked for a novel.
Why this is? Steven King says short stories are not as popular because mainstream genre readers are lazy. He says they don’t want to reacquaint themselves with a new character, setting and premise with each new yarn. But for more adventurous readers that’s all part of the fun, of course.
So novels, and more specifically series of novels are the most popular and commercially viable. Always considered they are published regularly and to a consistently good standard. If the initial novels sell well it may be more likely a short story collection or two might be considered somewhere down the line. That’s more guesswork from me there.
As for intensity, I see that as being influenced more by the individual writer, style, and mood at time of writing rather than form or length. Plus intensity differs for different writers. REH’s intensity was different from HPL’s which was itself different from CAS’s etc. REH’s Hour of the Dragon is fast moving and intense and that clocks in at around 75,000 to 80,000 words. So it’s possible to get both, it just ain’t easy. Look at how hard REH worked on that yarn only to get knocked back when the publisher went under.
I’ve read in a fair few places now that novella length is best for S+S. That seemed like a cogent observation to me, but I’d add that the overall gamut of REH’s S+S fiction covers quite a broad spectrum in terms of today’s genre markets. Not only S+S but Heroic Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Dark Historical Fantasy, Gothic Horror, Lovecraftian Horror etc. That may perhaps be a controversial point to some, fit for discussion in a thread dedicated to defining or redefining S+S as a genre.
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Post by thedarkman on Dec 30, 2017 15:38:36 GMT -5
I agree that novels make the most sense from a sales perspective, and hopefully at least one short story anthology. I also believe a more restrained, careful publishing schedule will result in a better product reaching the bookshelves. And remember, not all will be Conan books, so we won’t be flooded by dozens of second rate, rushed books. Just waiting on further announcements from the powers that be...
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