So if you've been reading along, you've probably noticed by now that every post has "Platypus" in the title. Why is this? Does James really think he's a small, aquatic, poisonous mammal? In point of fact, no. He might wish he was a platypus from time to time, but he is quite human. The Platypus is a different thing altogether. This site pays homage to the noble Platypus, the Platypus of Truth. He is ever in opposition to the Poodle of Lies and has no part in the Hippo of Shame. When the Platypus speaks, many are they who listen. The Platypus, of course, is much too modest to say such things himself. Besides, he finds it hard to type with webbed paws...
I needed a break from A Treasury of Modern Fantasy (too many authors and too many styles coming in too fast) so I decided to turn back to an author whose work I've enjoyed exploring: Robert E. Howard. This time, however, I decided to skip over Howard's famous Conan yarns and instead take a look at one of his earlier creations, Solomon Kane. The idea of a puritan occult detective was too intriguing to pass up. I have the whole collection of Kane's tales and I do intend to blog them all. Right now, my little literary detour has only encompassed the first two short stories so I'm going to record my thoughts on them right away and get back to the rest as I have time. Skulls in the Stars Solomon Kane makes his debut with this classic bit of English Gothic including a haunted moor, a vengeful ghost, and a solitary miser. Howard's Kane fits the portrait of the archetypal puritan: grim, principled, metaphysical, with an iron sense of right and wrong. I h...
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