Saturday, February 7, 2009

Cimmerian sighting: Mourning the loss of print fantasy pubs

I'm thrilled to report that I've been asked to write occasional blog posts over at one of my most frequented cyberspace stops, The Cimmerian. It's a site dedicated to the life and writings of one of my favorite authors, Robert E. Howard. Recently The Cimmerian made the decision to widen its scope to include more broad-based fantasy and horror news, reviews, and analysis.

When I post there, my plan will be to include the first few paragraphs here, and then post a link to The Cimmerian if you want to read on.

Here's my first (and hopefully not last) contribution to The Cimmerian.
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So far 2009 has been a lousy year for fantasy fans who like the feel of good old-fashioned print publications in their hands. For starters, we’ve lost the award-winning Robert E. Howard journal The Cimmerian. Elsewhere, long-running fantasy fiction and reviews magazine Realms of Fantasy is closing up shop, ending its 15-year run with the April 2009 issue. And, to top off the bad news, The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, a well-regarded “best-of” anthology that spanned 21 years, has also been discontinued.

I’m not about to indulge in hyperbole and declare that print is dead, but there’s no doubt that the void left by these losses feels like, to quote J.R.R. Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey, “another piece of Mordor.”

To read the rest, click here.
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6 comments:

  1. Sham aka DaveFebruary 7, 2009 at 10:06 AM

    Congratulations, Brian. That's very good news. I read your post at The Cimmerian before coming back here to see the announcement.

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  2. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2009 at 1:57 PM

    Wow. Pretty sweet deal to land a gig doing stuff for The Cimmerian. Congrats.

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  3. James MaliszewskiFebruary 7, 2009 at 8:26 PM

    I am envious.

    Congratulations.

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  4. Mr BaronFebruary 8, 2009 at 9:16 AM

    Congrats!

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  5. Brian MurphyFebruary 8, 2009 at 12:14 PM

    Thanks guys! Please note that in no way am I claiming to be a Robert E. Howard scholar (or pretending to be one on television). The Cimmerian--now described as "a website and shieldwall for Robert E. Howard, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Best in Heroic Fantasy, Horror, and Historical Adventure" has expanded its focus to include additional authors and broader posts on the fantasy genre, which is where I come in.

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  6. James MaliszewskiFebruary 8, 2009 at 12:50 PM

    I'm still envious :)

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