Cromtober 2018 Part Two: Dorothy Quick's "The Witch's Mark"

Welcome, Cromrades! It's our favorite time of the year, the season of Cromtober! This year, we focus on the witch in pulp stories and in this episode we discuss Dorothy Quick's "The Witch's Mark," originally appearing in Weird Tales in January of 1938. Misc. sources from this episode include:

Phil Ford and J.F. Martel's podcast, Weird Studies

Terence Handley's blog, Tellers of Weird Tales

One Things
Jon: Eric Von Danikan's "Chariots of the Gods"
Josh: Benito Cereno and Chris Sims's biblical podcast, Apocrypals
Luke: Henry Mazzeo's "Hauntings: Tales of the Supernatural"

Questions? Comments? Curses?
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Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Opening material is "Follow the Goat" from The VVitch OST. Ending theme is "Season of the Witch" by Vanilla Fudge. All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 2 Episode 7: Finale to the Road of Queens!

Greetings, adventurers!!! Here we are, at another crossroad. What have we learned on the Road of Queens? What did you have to say? We tie things together here for the stunning conclusion of Season 2! We discuss some of the women in Robert E. Howard's work and life, and get into a deep mailbag. A BIG THANKS to everyone for your comments! We will undoubtedly return and tread the paths that we discovered branching from the Road of Queens someday. But for now, we must move along yet another road toward other adventures...

Random 'One Things' for this episode:

Jon: Space Ghost Coast to Coast

Josh: Leslie Klinger's The New Annotated Dracula

Luke: John Scalzi's Old Man's War

Other web-resources you may find helpful:

Check out Skulls in the Stars' essay on Robert E. Howard's correspondence regarding his views on women in history (and women in general). 

Jessica Amanda Salmonson's Amazons and Amazons II!

Jeanne D'Angelo's art can be found on her Instagram account and also on her blog!

Chris Hutson's art can be found on his blog. Here's his art inspired by Conan story, "People of the Black Circle!"

Matt Smith's Barbarian Lord and other art can be found on his website(s)!

Terence Handley's Tellers of Weird Tales is an amazing resource for the creators of the weird pulps! 

Finally, check out the Averoigne inspiration (from Clark Ashton Smith) for the Dungeons & Dragons module, Castle Amber, back in the day! (Thanks for the voicemail, Matt!)

And, what do we have in store for Season 3?

Art by Tim Truman

SOLOMON KANE - The Avenging Puritan himself! Get into it! Much of the original Kane content is available in the public domain, or you can check out a more comprehensive collection released by Del Rey! We'll be using the Del Rey as our authoritative text which has the stories listed in order of completion, not publication. We'll be starting with Skulls in the Stars, which you can read on Project Gutenberg Australia.

Final bits:

Don't forget that you can support The Cromcast by signing up for your free trial of Audible at audibletrial.com/thecromcast. We recommend trying out one of their THOUSANDS of titles!

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

Beginning theme: "Sudden Defeat" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. 

Our epic closer is a portion of Kvelertak's Evig Vandrar, or, The Eternal Wanderer, from their second album, Meir. These Norwegian guys turn it up to ELEVEN. And we're pretty sure they broke the knobs off the amps.... 'Cause they keep that eneit there. Check out both their first and second albums... If you like the metal, you won't be disappointed. All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Questions? Comments? Curses? Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

Leave us a voice mail! (859) 429-CROM! (That's 859-429-2766)

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Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner! Or, check us out on iTunes! Don't forget Stitcher!

Season 2 Episode 6:The Cromcast versus Red Sonja 1985 (or, The She-Devil with a Mullet)

This week, your loyal Cromcasters get into movie critique mode and direct their gaze toward the Brigitte Nielsen/Arnold Schwarzenegger sword and sorcery film Red Sonja from 1985.

Does this film capture the essence of the strong female sword and sorcery character in the same way as the Howard and Moore stories we've discussed so far this season? Do you enjoy this film? Let us know!

This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning theme: "Sudden Defeat" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Ending theme: "Redhead Walking"; R.E.M, album: Accelerate. Used without permission.

Questions? Comments? Curses? Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)
Leave us a voice mail! (859) 429-CROM! (That's 859-429-2766)
Follow us on Twitter! Or on Facebook!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner! Or, check us out on iTunes! Don't forget Stitcher!

The music included in this episode's discussion is used without the permission of the creators. All music was obtained legally. We hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase their work. Support the artists!

Season 2 Episode 5: The Black God's Kiss by C.L. Moore

Greetings and well met, fellow Cromrades! Are you prepared for a journey to a surreal land of light and darkness, where your worst nightmares dwell, in order to wreak terrible vengeance upon a tormentor? If so, you'll enjoy our story this week! In our latest episode, we discussed CL Moore's first Jirel of Joiry tale, "The Black God's Kiss"! It marks the first time we've covered a story not originally written by Robert E. Howard, and the first time we three had read a CLM story! It's great, and if you haven't read it, please do so and let us know what you think!

If we have whetted your palate for more CL Moore, we recommend reading up on her interesting life story. You can start by checking out Kirkus Review's excellent blog post on Moore, then head over to IO9, and maybe end with her entry in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Then get started picking through her catalog of tales.

If you want to learn more about real-life warrior women you should check out the new research on how involved Viking women were in the invasions of Eastern England. Thanks to Cromrade Mike for the tip!

If you want to learn more about the Green River Killer and the depths of human evil check out the graphic novel that Jon mentions as his One Thing or hit this Radio Lab episode up: http://www.radiolab.org/story/180166-why-be-bad/

Luke's one thing was Dale Bailey's "The End of The End of Everything." Bleak, and awesome.

Josh talked up the wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. Try it if you need a break from the mainstream!

Check out the artwork of Chris Hutson! http://chrishutsonart.com/

Dissecting Worlds - Matt and Kehaar break down topics pertaining to the social sciences in fantasy settings. It's worth your time! http://dissectingworlds.wordpress.com/

Don't forget that you can support The Cromcast (we need to eat too) by signing up for your free trial of Audible at audibletrial.com/thecromcast. We recommend trying out their rendition of Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser! (Thanks for the question, Matt!)

Are you a Luddite hoarder VHS collector like Josh? You should check out El Goro's discussion of VHS Collecting on Talk Without Rhythm Podcast! http://tworpodcast.blogspot.com/2014/05/tworp-aside-adjust-your-tracking-untold.html

So. Much. Content!

This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning theme: "Sudden Defeat" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Ending theme: "Jirel of Joiry" by Leslie Fish from the album Magic, Moondust & Melancholy. Used without permission.

Questions? Comments? Curses? Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)
Leave us a voice mail! (859) 429-CROM! (That's 859-429-2766)
Follow us on Twitter! Or on Facebook!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner! Or, check us out on iTunes! Don't forget Stitcher!

The music included in this episode's discussion is used without the permission of the creators. All music was obtained legally. We hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase their work. Support the artists!

Season 2 Episode 4: The Shadow of the Vulture (Or, Suleiman's Big Day Out)

   

 

It was a woman, dressed as von Kalmbach had not even seen the dandies of France dressed. She was tall, splendidly shaped, but lithe. From under a steel cap escaped rebellious tresses that rippled red-gold in the sun over her compact shoulders. High boots of Cordovan leather came to her mid-thighs, which were cased in baggy breeches. She wore a shirt of Turkish mesh-mail tucked into her breeches. Her supple waist was confined by a flowing sash of green silk, into which were thrust a brace of pistols and a dagger, and from which depended a long Hungarian sabre. Over all was carelessly thrown a scarlet cloak.

This surprising figure was bending over the cannon, sighting it, in a manner betokening more than a passing familiarity, at a group of Turks who were wheeling a carriage-gun just within range.

“Eh, Red Sonya!” shouted a man-at-arms, waving his pike. “Give ‘em hell, my lass!”


And thus are we introduced to a new character along the Road of Queens, Red Sonya! While she may not be the She-Devil with a Sword that is popular in contemporary culture, she is the most compelling character in our story for the week, “The Shadow of the Vulture.”

So, grab your favorite liquor and join us as we venture back to the days when the Ottoman Empire flourished under the steady hand of Suleiman the Magnificent and the days of Christian Europe appear to be numbered! Let Howard paint for you a picture of the bloody Stand of Vienna, albeit peppered with the fictional but dastardly Mikhal Oglu, the drunken Gottfried von Kalmbach, and the deadly Red Sonya of Rogatino.

You can read the story here: The Shadow of the Vulture

Or you could enjoy it as part of the Del Rey collection, Sword Woman and Other historical Adventures!

Next time, we journey into territory undreamed of! What happens when the Robert E. Howard podcast reads and discusses a story by another author? That is precisely what will happen next time, when The Cromcast covers the first Jirel of Joiry tale by C.L. Moore, "The Black God's Kiss!" Join us!
 

This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/



Beginning theme: "Sudden Defeat" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0


Ending theme: "Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants. Used without permission.

Questions? Comments? Curses? Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)



Leave us a voice mail! (859) 429-CROM!



Follow us on Twitter! Or on Facebook!



Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner! Or, check us out on iTunes!



The music included in this episode's discussion is used without the permission of the creators. All music was obtained legally. We hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase their work. Support the artists!

Season 2, Episode 3: Blades for France (Or, The Cromcast Apologizes to the Nation of France)

I found myself in a small chamber, without visible doors or windows, though there must have been some subtle system of ventilation. A hooded lanthorn lit the room with a vague and ghostly light. Nine figures huddled against the walls on settles – nine figures wrapped closely in dark cloaks, feathered hats or black morions pulled low to meet the black masks which hid their faces. Only their eyes burned through the holes in the masks. None moved nor spake. It was like a conclave of the damned.

Jehan did not speak, but motioned me to take my place on a settle, and then he glided across the chamber and drew back another panel. Through this opening stalked another figure, masked and cloaked like the rest, but with a subtly different bearing. He strode like a man accustomed to command, and even in his disguise, there was something faintly familiar to me about him. 

He stalked to the center of the small chamber, and Jehan motioned toward us on the settles, as if to say that all was in readiness. The tall stranger nodded and said: “You received your instructions before you came here. You know, all of you, that you have but to follow me, and obey my commands. Ask no questions; you are being well paid; that is sufficient for you to know. Speak as little as possible. You do not know me, and I do not know you. The less each man knows of his mates, the better for all. As soon as our task is completed, we scatter, each man for himself. Is that understood?”

 

 

Cromrades, we have returned yet again to provide the insightful discussion, poor French pronunciation, and delightful non sequitur you've come to expect! This time, your three humble sword arms bring you Blades for France! No open source copy this time, but you can find this story in a few collections, including the Del Rey Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures.

 

There is a kiss that happens during this story, and we ponder the significance of this scene. Read, listen, and let us know what you think!

 

Next time, we will journey to Istanbul and Vienne with Red Sonya of Rogatino. It's Shadow of the Vulture (Read it on Project Gutenberg Austrailia) on the next episode of The Cromcast. Join us, won't you?

This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning theme: "Sudden Defeat" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Ending theme: "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Suede. Used without permission. Purchase their album here!

Questions? Comments? Curses? Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

Call us! (859) 429-CROM!

Follow us on Twitter! Or on Facebook!

Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner! Or, check us out on iTunes!

The music included in this episode's discussion is used without the permission of the creators. All music was obtained legally. We hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase their work. Support the artists!

SEASON TWO: THE ROAD OF QUEENS

Hile, adventurers! Here we stand, with a new path before us!

Season Two of The Cromcast will cover many of the heroic women of Robert E. Howard. Will you join us on this adventure? If so, tighten your belt, adjust your cutlass, and be of stout heart! The stories we'll cover are as follows....

Helen Tavrel, Swashbuckling Pirate of the Caribbean!
The Isle of Pirate's Doom

Dark Agnes de Chastillon, the French Heroine that Meets Out Death with a Sword!
The Sword Woman
Blades for France

Red Sonya, the Sword and Pistol-Wielding Princess!
The Shadow of the Vulture

Beyond that, we'll return to some discussion of our favorite Heroines of the Conan Stories. We'll also cover the Red Sonja character that is so well-known from comics and film, and we'll of course have some talk regarding Novalyne Price Ellis! Will you join us?