#fred saberhagen

[vintagerpg]

Something a little more in the vein of D&D today, Fred Saberhagen’s Empire of the East trilogy — The Broken Lands (1968), The Black Mountains (1971) and Changeling Earth (1973). They concern a resistance by the West against the forces of the sorcerous, demon-sworn East. Despite its sword and sorcery feel, the series is post-apocalyptic, and there is a lot of tech that is recognizable by readers, but not by the protagonists. The first novel is mainly concerned with the retrieval of the “Elephant,” an atomic tank, by the West. The second chronicles their army’s push into the East, against the forces of Som the Dead, his bound demons and a giant mutant dog that uses healing technology to revive dead soldiers. That volume is probably my favorite, because Som is a creepy villain (and maybe inspiration for a death knight? The dog mutant sure looks like an owl bear on the cover).

The third novel sees the final conflict between East and West, and reveals the big twist. In our near future, nuclear war was triggered, but a failsafe, the super computer ARDNEH, stopped the destruction of the world by effectively neutralizing science and replacing it with magic. The nukes in flight changed into demons. Their chief, Orcus, was bound by the East, who then took over the world. To defeat the East, ARDNEH wants them to release Orcus so he can destroy the computer, and undo the Change, remaking the world once again, into a synthesis of science and magic. It’s very strange to explain, but the story is rip-roaring — Saberhagen was a hell of a writer. They’re also full of energy that was clearly an inspiration to D&D, Gamma World and a whole host of other early RPGs.

Check ‘em out — I read the single novels, but the single-volume collection — Empire of the East (1979) — apparently has substantial revisions by Saberhagen. I enjoyed the singles just fine, but the collection might be smoother.

[toomuchhorrorfiction]

[thenightling]

I think Tim Burton wants to do Dracula

For a long time both Guillermo del Toro and Tim Burton were obsessed with Frankenstein. Guillermo made little references to it in the Hellboy movies and even his Pinocchio. Tim Burton created Frankenweenie (Live action and stop motion). Sally in Nightmare before Christmas is a rag doll / Frankenstein creation. Even Delores in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice resembles something stitched together even though she used staplers. But more recently I've seen Tim Burton drifting toward vampires, one in particular, Dracula. (there will be some minor Wednesday and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice spoilers ahead). Back in Nightmare before Christmas you had the Dracula-esque vampire quartet. In Frankenweenie (the stop motion version) there was a cat version of Dracula. And there was a clip of Christopher Lee's Dracula in Frankenweenie. Christopher Lee played Dracula several times for Hammer horror and even some other companies. Since Sleepy Hollow Christopher Lee had been in several of Tim Burton's movies up until his passing. Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Alice in wonderland and Dark Shadows. Dark Shadows was... a thing... (as a fan of the original show I was disappointed). And more recently there are vampires in Wednesday since essentially the plot is The Addams Family do Monster High (I'm not complaining, it's a fun combo). And they filmed in Romania. Wednesday's fencing coach is named Vlad. (I suspect he'll eventually be revealed as Dracula, by the way). In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice there is a montage at the end where Astrid falls for a boy dressed as Dracula outside Bran Castle (the so-called Dracula's castle used for tourists in Romania. The one where the real, historic Dracula actually lived is the now very ruined and dangerous Poenari Castle). In the end credits that boy is listed as Vlad. Astrid fell for a boy dressed as Dracula outside Castle Dracula (the tourist version) and he happens to be named Vlad. (I hope Lydia's invested in garlic! Note: before I forget, there's also an episode of the Beetlejuice animated series where a vampire has the hots for Delia). So that's two recent things with Jenna Ortega where there's an ambiguous Romanian who MIGHT be a vampire, and happens to be named Vlad. One of which was literally dressed as Dracula outside Castle Dracula. ...Someone just have Tim Burton do a Dracula film already! Here's an idea, someone pitch to him Fred Saberhagen's The Dracula tape (Dracula retold from Dracula's point of view) and have Jenna Ortega play Mina. That would be glorious!

[sublightdrive]

Turning the spaceship from the cover of an old sci-fi novel into a real model

More of my stuff

[thehauntedrocket]

Vintage Paperback - Berserkers Planet by Fred Saberhagen

Art by Boris Vallejo

Ace (1982)

[fitsofgloom]

Following the big '60s Monster Boom, there was a neat little literary micro-trend back in the '70s and '80s that had Famous Monsters either cast in alternative sympathetic lights or posited them as living figures setting the records straight by dictating their own autobiographies à la "Interview With The Vampire."

[smbhax]

Cover illustrations by Ed Emshwiller (The Golden People) and Jack Gaughan (Exile from Xanadu)

(Published in the Ace Double series' tête-bêche format: the two texts are bound together in one volume, back-to-back and rotated 180 degrees from each other)

[nelc]

Michael Whelan, for Fred Saberhagen's The Ultimate Enemy

[marvelousmop]

Having flashbacks to that one bit in Fred Saberhagen's Novelisation of Bram Stoker's Dracula where he explains the Bloofer Lady bit by having one child see Lucy in an alley and say (and I'm quoting directly here) "Coo... wot a Bloofer Lady..."

It feels like the joke answer I'd put if I was asked in an English class to gather quotes about the Bloofer Lady

[transistoradio]

Fred Saberhagen, “Changeling Earth” (DAW, 1973), with cover art by Tim Kirk.

[dreams-of-mutiny]

[vintagerpg]

So wait, demons are nukes? Apparently! At least as far as Fred Saberhagen is concerned. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out the classic science fantasy trilogy, Empire of the East. The last volume, Changeling Earth, got name-checked in Appendix N, but all three provided plenty of clear inspiration for Dungeons & Dragons. And they’re pretty great reads on their own!

[travelingcryptologist]

A cover by Michael Whelan for Fred Saberhagen's novel Brother Assassin, Ace Books Publishing (1979).

[thenightling]

Happy Birthday to the late Fred Saberhagen, who wrote my favorite vampire book series of all time. Fred Saberhagen's Dracula books are woefully underrated. If you can find them I highly recommend them. The entire series is available on audible read by Robin Bloodworth (it sounds like a Dracula alias!)

Shameless plug: I wrote the introduction for the Saberhagen vampire Tales short story collection.

I strongly recommend Fred Saberhagen's Dracula books.

The first is The Dracula Tape which retells Dracula from Dracula's point of view.

The third book in the series is one of my favorites. An Old Friend of the Family, which is a bit like Taken if Dracula was in Lian Neeson's role. My other favorite is the sixth book, A Matter of Taste which is kind of a direct sequel to An Old Friend of the Family.

Besides the ten novels there are three short stories. Box Number 50 is my favorite short story of all-time. It's a mid-quel to The Dracula Tape. Some homeless children protect Dracula during the events of the original novel and Dracula rewards them with money and the death of those that would do them harm.

There are only two books in the series I'm not thrilled with. Dominion and Question of Time but both are easy to skip while the rest of the series is enjoyable. Thorn (book 4) is kind of... Meh but not terrible either.

The order is:

The Dracula Tape The Holmes-Dracula File An Old Friend of the Family Thorn Dominion A Matter of Taste A Question of Time Séance for a vampire A Sharpness on the Neck A Coldness in the Blood

I LOVE the way this man portrays Dracula as both a protagonist and a bit of a dishonest narrator. He's just so much fun.

[el-ffej]

Oh yeah... I read the 1st Fred Saberhagen book, The Holmes Dracula File in the 70s; I always thought the rendition of Dracula on the cover resembled Frank Langella, who played the role in the 1979 film of Dracula.

IMO, I've always thought Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula by Loren Estleman was the best of the bunch. It basically intertwines with the events in Stoker's book that occur in England. Well done; Estleman's one of the best of the modern Holmes pastiche writers, particularly in capturing Doyle's writing style. (YMMV, of course.)

til Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula, written 1978, was considered by the British Fantsy Society to be “one of the better” Dracula/Holmes crossovers. i was not previously aware this was a genre

[famousdeaths]

Fred Thomas Saberhagen was an American science fiction and fantasy author most famous for his Berserker series of science fiction short stories and novels.

Link: Fred Saberhagen