The Silver Key

"Wonder had gone away, and he had forgotten that all life is only a set of pictures in the brain, among which there is no difference betwixt those born of real things and those born of inward dreamings, and no cause to value the one above the other." --H.P. Lovecraft, The Silver Key

Friday, August 15, 2025

"Mystification," Manilla Road

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Dialing up a bit of Manilla Road this Metal Friday, one of the most swordly-and-sorcerous metal bands ever.  I love the atmosphere of "...
Tuesday, August 12, 2025

White Noise by Don DeLillo, a review

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At the time Don DeLillo wrote White Noise (1985) computers were still a discrete object and something that you engaged with on an occasiona...
4 comments:
Sunday, August 3, 2025

Sword of the Gael by Andrew J. Offutt, a review

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Sword-and-sorcery typically works better in the short form than the novel, and I think I know why. It’s a lot harder to sustain breakneck ac...
4 comments:
Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Metal, and the Ozzman, on my mind

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For many reasons I have metal on my mind these days. I mean, it’s never far—I’m a confirmed metalhead, lifelong—but my enthusiasm waxes and ...
2 comments:
Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Godspeed to a lighthearted Prince of Darkness

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Unreal, less than three weeks after “Back to the Beginning,” the end of the road for a once in a generation frontman. Farewell Ozzy Osbourne...
8 comments:
Tuesday, July 22, 2025

A sorely needed, swordly-and-sorcerous week off

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It's 5 o'clock somewhere ... My grandfather had fabulous foresight. After WW2 he and his buddy bought a piece of property in the lak...
Tuesday, July 15, 2025

I am Werewolf Boy

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Written storytelling has a unique and curious aspect. If a story has a great enough impact on you as a child or young adult, re-reading it c...
4 comments:
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About Me

Brian Murphy
Marketing professional by day; skald in the Hall of Fire by night; and member of the S.H.I.E.L.D.W.A.L.L. Author of Flame and Crimson: A History of Sword-and-Sorcery (2020, Pulp Hero Press). Essayist and reviewer for numerous web and print-based fantasy and sword-and-sorcery publications, including The Cimmerian, Black Gate, Tales from the Magician's Skull, Mythprint, REH: Two-Gun Raconteur, The Dark Man, DMR Blog, Skelos, and SFFaudio.com. Two-time Robert E. Howard Foundation award winner: The Atlantean (Outstanding Achievement/Book for Flame and Crimson) and The Venarium (emerging scholar in REH studies).
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