Excerpt… Gaza, November, 1323 The good captain had his mast re-stepped and re-rigged four days following the arrival of Johanna and company, after which they were forced to wait two interminable weeks for a favorable wind. His pilgrims, thoroughly bored with the delights of Gaza’s bazaars and women, were impatient to depart. They said so,…
For the rag-tag-and-bobtail amateur historian, intent only on cherry-picking those tiny details that will spark an idea for a plot or flesh out a scene set two thousand years before, there is no greater gift than a good index. Here is one such. In preparation for writing the fourth Eye of Isis novel I went…
Excerpt… Gaza, October 1323 IN BAGHDAD, AN astute Firas arranged for them to leave with a caravan en route for the port of Gaza. He explained, not unreasonably, that he didn’t want the Baghdadian euphoria over North Wind’s month-long winning streak to erode into ennui and jealousy, which could lead to attempts at retaliation by…
A graphic retelling of the iconic novel. It hits all the highlights of Richard Adams’ narrative, and my one wish is that it will drive readers to the full novel, if only so they can enjoy the deep richness of the humor in the latter “Ees finish Meester Voundvort, ya?”“Ya,” replied Hazel. as well as…
Read more Who can think of a car as anything other than a “hrududu” ever again?
Sec. 08.62.157. Duties of licensed pilots. (a) A person licensed under this chapter has a primary duty to safely navigate vessels under the pilot’s direction and control and to protect life and property and the marine environment while engaged in the provision of pilot services. —Alaska Statutes May 25, Nikiski THE 590-FOOT TANKER Pacific Polaris…
Excerpt… October, 1324, the Holy Land THE CONVULSING WOMAN screamed again. She had a painfully loud and piercing scream which the rock walls of the cave only enhanced. Everyone in earshot cringed. Some cursed. And there were those who looked as if they would as soon murder the woman out of hand than endure another…
The General again ropes Bruno into the world of spies, including Dular, a Russian who can pass for Alaskan (grin), with the requisite beautiful women in peril (all of whom fall in love with Bruno, of course) and a shoot-em-up at the end. Balzac is okay, thank goodness. The description of the St. Denis Saturday…
IN NOME, THEY FISH FOR KING CRAB from snow machines. Local resident Carl Emmons has a pet reindeer who hops in back of his pickup and rides around in it like a dog. After the holidays Nomeites stick their Christmas trees in the frozen surface of Norton Sound and put up a sign that reads…
Excerpt… On the road to Damascus, late summer, 1323 TEN DAYS OUT of Kerman their caravan was hit by raiders, a group of some thirty or forty men, a number equal to or out-numbering their own troops of guards. They struck in the hour before dawn, just after Rambahadur Raj had sent out scouts to…
Read more He tried frantically to stuff a rope of shining entrails back into his belly.
Man, I never knew there was this much data in the world. Or that it could be organized into that many graphs, or that there were that many different kinds of graphs. As to the story Bump tells–it turns out that I am part of a gigantic pig that has been swallowed whole by a…
