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

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

The Call of Halloween

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Carved Sunday, ready to light up the night... Halloween always has been and still remains my favorite holiday. Christmas gives it a hell of ...
5 comments:
Friday, October 24, 2025

Strange Ways, Ace Frehley

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Easy choice this week ... in honor of the eternal memory of Ace Frehley, buried this week in Brooklyn. "Strange Ways" appeared on ...
2 comments:
Wednesday, October 22, 2025

We need tastemakers

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When I first started getting into sword-and-sorcery fiction, the internet was a fledgling, creaky, place. Charming, but impractical. Think b...
10 comments:
Thursday, October 16, 2025

Of Black Sabbath (film) and Ace Frehley

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With the Halloween season upon us I had the urge last night to settle in and watch some horror. I spent the better part of 10 minutes scroll...
11 comments:
Friday, October 10, 2025

The 70s were weird, man: Darrell Schweitzer’s We Are All Legends

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Sometimes the 1970s seem not so far away. Photos from my childhood confirm I was there; my old albums and books are a tangible affirmation. ...
7 comments:
Thursday, October 2, 2025

A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap

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Tap crossed that line... which way? There is a picture of me going to see KISS on their hotly anticipated, sold out 1996 reunion tour. In it...
Saturday, September 27, 2025

Atom and Evil, Black Sabbath*

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A day late on Metal Friday but today a close look at Ronnie James Dio’s lyrics for “Atom and Evil,” the opening track off The Devil You Know...
2 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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