Meteor House's New Edition of IRONCASTLE

I submitted my afterword, "Surprising Embellishments," yesterday for the new edition of IRONCASTLE by J.-H. Rosny aîné and Philip José Farmer. The new limited edition hardcover, as well as softcover edition, is coming soon from Meteor House.

I'm in good company with essayists Brian Stableford and Christopher Paul Carey!

US $23 tpb/$65 hc
5.5×8.5, 204 pages
Trade Paperback
Limited Edition of 200 Hardcover copies

Somewhere in the unexplored heart of Africa, a part of this Earth had been taken over by an intelligence from outer space. Such was the message that reached the explorer Hareton Ironcastle, member of the famous Baltimore Gun Club. In that hidden and transformed valley would now be found monsters and pre-humans not to be seen anywhere else. Such a challenge could not be ignored…

The account of Ironcastle’s expedition of daring but inexperienced amateurs became one of the classic novels of the French writer, J.-H. Rosny aîné, who was a contemporary of Verne, Wells, and Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Philip José Farmer, Hugo winner and chronicler of the adventures of Tarzan and Doc Savage, translated and retold Rosny’s 1922 novel, L’étonnant voyage de Hareton Ironcastle, making it a marvelous adventure novel to stand alongside the works of Burroughs, Haggard, and Farmer himself. Farmer’s 1976 version, published in paperback only, followed Rosny judiciously, while adding certain surprising embellishments of his own.

This handsome new edition boasts the same stunning cover art and six interior illustrations as the original paperback—by the legendary Roy G. Krenkel!

Curiously, the 1976 edition featured only a tiny sample of Krenkel’s painting, making this the first edition to feature the entire magnificent cover art. Honoring Krenkel’s original art, the Meteor House limited edition hardcover is presented unadorned—that is, no title and byline will cover any portion of Krenkel’s stunning artwork.

Bonus Features:

• Brian Stableford, a prolific British science fiction author who has in recent years translated many of Rosny’s works from French to English for Black Coat Press, has provided an introduction to this edition of Ironcastle.
• Published with Ironcastle for the first time is the short story sequel, “Iron and Bronze: A Hareton Ironcastle and Doc Ardan Adventure,” by Farmer and pulp-lit experts Christopher Paul Carey and Win Scott Eckert.

Taduki-inspired visions draw an intrepid adventurer and a madman to a lost African outpost of Atlantis where they must confront an ancient mystery from the stars… Drawing on diverse sources such as Jules Verne’s The Barsac Misison, H. Rider Haggard’s She and Allan, Guy d’Armen’s Doc Ardan (who has been called the “French Doc Savage”), J.-H. Rosny âiné’s L’étonnant voyage de Hareton Ironcastle, Pierre Benoit’s L’Atlantide (The Queen of Atlantis), and Philip José Farmer’s own “monomyth,” “Iron and Bronze” hearkens back the classic SF adventure pulps of the 1920s and ’30s.

Also in this edition, Christopher Paul Carey pens an insightful foreword explaining how IRONCASTLE ties into the "Farmerian Monomyth," and Win Scott Eckert provides a short afterword covering Farmer’s “surprising embellishments” related to the Wold Newton Family.

This book is available in a Trade Paperback and Signed Hardcover Limited Editions (signed by Stableford, Carey, and Eckert). The hardcover features a leatherette cover with gold foil stamping and custom printed color end papers—a high quality collectible in the tradition of Meteor House’s prior limited edition hardcovers. We’re taking preorders now and both editions will ship in June 2022.

• The trade paperback edition is $23 (plus shipping).
• The signed hardcover limited edition is $65 (plus shipping).
• Or you can buy them together for only $83 (plus a further discount with combined shipping)!

Merci beaucoup to Fabrice Mundzik at the J.-H. Rosny blog for promoting our new forthcoming edition of IRONCASTLE!

“This translation (or rather 'retold', sometimes even the term 'embellishment' is used) by P.-J. Farmer deserves to be... translated into French! I haven't changed my mind, this version of Philip José Farmer is simply excellent!!!"

"In addition to the novel by J.-H. Rosny, Meteor House has the good sense to add an introduction by Brian Stableford, 'Iron and Bronze: A Hareton Ironcastle and Doc Ardan Adventure', by Christopher Paul Carey and Win Scott Eckert, as well as an afterword by Win Scott Eckert.... 'De Fer et de bronze' ('Iron and Bronze') is in my Top 10 of the best literary tributes to J.-H. Rosny!"

The Evil in Pemberley House on sale!

From publisher Meteor House:

Our sixth biweekly sale is a discount usually only available to dealers: 40% off on one of our bestselling books — The Evil in Pemberley House, by Philip José Farmer & Win Scott Eckert. 

Pemberley is a darkly erotic novel with broad appeal to readers of pulp and popular literature, particularly followers of Doc Savage, Sherlockians, and fans of Farmer’s own celebrated Wold Newton Family.

This is our $20 trade paperback edition, which you can get for only $12 (+shipping). 

As always, please be sure to select the correct shipping option in the PayPal button below and do note that quantities are limited.

Everything Is Connected: The Wold Newton Cycle of Win Scott Eckert

While I would prefer that readers discover on their own the deeply interconnected nature of my seemingly unrelated tales, I’ve come to realize that this is not the wisest marketing strategy in terms of enticing new readers to take a chance on my stories, so I’ve created an outline illustrating how my tales are linked, both to each other and to the works of Philip José Farmer (I’ve noted the latter to avoid confusion). 

It should go without saying that all are connected in varying degrees to Farmer’s Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, but there you go, I’ve said it anyway.

Publication info is available on my site’s bibliography.

I’ve tried to keep this relatively spoiler free, but in identifying the connective tissue, there’s no avoiding mild spoilers. The vast majority of readers are not picking up on the links anyway, so really, what do I have to lose by disclosing some high-level spoilers?

Each and every crossover is not listed. That’s what my Crossovers, Volumes 1 & 2, and Sean Lee Levin’s Crossovers Expanded, Volumes 1 & 2, are for.

Following are recurring antagonists and the aliases used in various stories (if a character is unlicensed, aliases or descriptive hints are used):

·         XauXaz / Wolf Larsen / Baron Ulf von Waldman / Baron von Hessel / Doctor Karl Walden  / Doctor Karl Stipier

·         Doctor Natas / Doctor Shan Ming Fu (Doctor Fu Manchu)

·         Lili Bugov, the Countess Idivzhopu / “The Countess” / Lilya Zarov

·         Madame Inga (Fah Lo Suee)

·         Dame Sinestre (Sumuru)

_________________________________

2070–12,000 BCE–2140

Time’s Last Gift (Farmer)

Protagonist: John Gribardsun

Other: time travel

Approximately 10,000 BCE

The Khokarsa/Ancient Opar cycle by Farmer and Christopher Paul Carey. I won’t recap all the tales here, since Carey has already created a handy checklist.

1795

“Is He in Hell?”

Protagonist: The Scarlet Pimpernel (Sir Percy Blakeney)

Antagonist: Leonox

Other: Eridaneans; the Heart of Ahriman

“Nadine’s Invitation”

Protagonists: the first generation of the Wold Newton Family

Antagonist: Countess Nadine Carody

“The Wild Huntsman”

Protagonist: John Gribardsun

Antagonist: XauXaz

Other: the first generation of the Wold Newton Family; the Eridaneans and Capelleans; distorters; time travel; the Secrets of the Nine series

1798

“Marguerite’s Tears”

Protagonists: Doctor Siger Holmes and the first generation of the Wold Newton Family

Antagonist: Countess Nadine Carody

1815

“Violet’s Lament”

Protagonists: Doctor Siger Holmes and Violet Blakeney

Antagonist: Countess Nadine Carody

1820

“Zorro’s Rival”

Protagonist: Zorro (Don Diego de la Vega)

Antagonist: El Halcón (Violette Durand aka Violet Blakeney)

1872

The Other Log of Phileas Fogg (Farmer)

Protagonist: Phileas Fogg

Antagonist: Captain Nemo/Professor Moriarty

Other: the Eridaneans and Capelleans; distorters

“Being an Account of the Delay in Green River, Wyoming of Phileas Fogg, World Traveler”

Protagonists: Phileas Fogg and the Lone Ranger

Antagonist: Doctor Shan Ming Fu

1893
The Sea Wolf (Jack London)
Antagonist: Wolf Larsen


1895

“The Problem of the Sore Bridge—Among Others” (Farmer)

Protagonists: A. J. Raffles and Harry “Bunny” Manders

Antagonist: alien shapeshifter (“a worm unknown to science”)

1899

“No Ghosts Need Apply”

Protagonists: The Phantom; Barker and Nash

Antagonist: Colonel Sebastian Moran

Other: John Gribardsun

1916

The Adventure of the Peerless Peer (Farmer)

Protagonists: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson

Antagonist: Von Bork

1917

“The Adventure of the Fallen Stone”

Protagonists: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson

Antagonists: Von Bork and Baron Ulf von Waldman

1918

Escape from Loki: Doc Savage’s First Adventure (Farmer)

Protagonist: Clark Savage (James Clarke Wildman)

Antagonists: Baron von Hessel and Lili Bugov, the Countess Idivzhopu

Other: “a worm unknown to science”

Tarzan and the Dark Heart of Time (Farmer)

Protagonist: Tarzan

Antagonists: Jelke Helmson and James D. Stonecraft

Other: The Crystal Tree; time travel

1920–1921

Ironcastle (J.-H. Rosny and Farmer)

Protagonist: Hareton Ironcastle

1929

“Iron and Bronze” (with Christopher Paul Carey)

Protagonists: Doc Ardan (Doctor James Clarke Wildman) and Hareton Ironcastle

Antagonists: Harry Killer and Antinea

1937

“Captain Midnight at Ultima Thule”

Protagonist: Captain Midnight
Antagonists: Sun Koh and Madame Inga

1939

Tarzan and the Castaways (Edgar Rice Burroughs)
Antagonist?: Captain Larsen

1941

“Shadows Over Kunlun”

Protagonist: Lance Star
Antagonist: Doctor Natas
Other: Madame Inga

1944

“The Glass Lady”

Protagonists: Richard Benson (The Avenger) and the Domino Lady (Ellen Patrick)

Antagonists: Werner Conrad, the Iron Skull, and the Iron Skull’s daughter, Lenni Blau-Montag

“Death and the Countess”

Protagonist: Richard Benson (The Avenger)

Antagonist: The Countess

1945

“Happy Death Men”

Protagonist: The Avenger (Richard Benson) and the Domino Lady (Ellen Patrick)

Antagonists: Doctor Karl Walden and the Countess (aka Lilya Zarov)

“According to Plan of a One-Eyed Trickster”

Protagonist: The Avenger (Richard Benson) and the Domino Lady (Ellen Patrick)

Antagonists: Doctor Karl Walden and the Countess (aka Lilya Zarov)

Other: alien shapeshifter/human hybrid (see “Sore Bridge”)

1946

“Toil and Trouble”

Protagonist: The Avenger (Richard Benson) and the Domino Lady (Ellen Patrick)

Antagonists: The Iron Skull, Lenni Blau-Montag, and Doctor Karl Walden

“The Eye of Oran”

Protagonists: Doc Ardan (Doctor James Clarke Wildman), “Shrinking” Violet Holmes, and Adélaïde Lupin

Antagonist: Doctor Natas

“Les Levres Rouges”

Protagonist: Doc Ardan (Doctor James Clarke Wildman) and Adélaïde Lupin

Antagonist: Madame Elisabeth (Countess Erzsébet Báthory)

1948

“Dame Sinestre”

Protagonists: The Green Ghost (George Chance) and the Domino Lady (Ellen Patrick)

Antagonists: Leonox and Dame Sinestre

Other: the Heart of Ahriman

1949

“The Vanishing Devil”

Protagonist: Doc Ardan (Doctor James Clarke Wildman)

Antagonist: Doctor Natas

1964

“Fang and Sting”

Protagonists: The Green Hornet and Kato

Antagonists: Doctor Shan Ming Fu and his granddaughter, Doctor Isabella Fang

1965

“The Atomos Affair”

Protagonists: Alexander Waverly, Napoleon Solo, and Illya Kuryakin (hinted, not named)

Antagonist: Mme. Atomos

1967

A Girl and Her Cat (with Matthew Baugh)

Protagonists: Honey West and T.H.E. Cat

Antagonists: Shan Ming Fu, Isabella Fang, and Doctor Karl Stipier

Other: Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin (hinted, not named); distorters

1973

“Progress”

Protagonists: The Green Hornet and Kato

Antagonists: Shan Ming Fu and Isabella Fang

 

1973

The Evil in Pemberley House (Farmer and Eckert)

Protagonist: Patricia Wildman

Antagonists: The Dowager Duchess of Greystoke, Doctor Augustus Moran, other family members

Other: Doctor James Clarke Wildman and Adélaïde Lupin Wildman; Violet Holmes; Helen Benson; Jelke Helmson

1974

The Scarlet Jaguar

Protagonists: Pat Wildman, Parker, and Helen Benson

Antagonist: The Scarlet Jaguar

Other: Doc Wildman and Adélaïde Wildman; Violet Holmes; Doctor von Hessel

A New Year

2015 was a slow year for me from a writing productivity perspective. The move to a new city, getting our new house in order, and starting a new job have all led to a major disruption in my output. 


Too, when I did find a spot of free time, it was consumed by necessary editing and publishing tasks to which I had already been obligated.

I had hoped to see a few more pieces out in 2015, but despite meeting submission deadlines, they weren't published as planned. Hopefully they are well on their way for 2016.

Thus, I only have one publication in 2015, a short story in the benefit anthology Legends of New Pulp Fiction. I was very pleased and honored to be included in this, and hopefully readers will enjoy my Green Ghost story, "Chance of a Ghost." Even more importantly, I hope the book helps fellow publisher Tommy Hancock and his family in this time of need. (And check out that awesome cover by the talented Doug Klauba!)

I was also glad to see a few prior works out in ebook, new editions, or in new collections.

• The Evil in Pemberley House (with Philip José Farmer), Meteor House, July 2014 
• eBook Kindle | Nook

• The Scarlet Jaguar, Meteor House, December 2015 (limited edition hardcover)
• eBook Kindle | Nook

• The connected tales "Nadine's Invitation," "Marguerite's Tears," and "Violet's Lament" were republished in The Vampire Almanac, Volume 2 by Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier (eds.) (Black Coat Press, May 2015) | Amazon

• "Les Levres Rouges" was republished in The Vampire Almanac, Volume 1 by Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier (eds.) (Black Coat Press, February 2015) | Amazon
• eBook Kindle  | Nook 

Significantly, December 13, 2015 saw the launch of Wold Newton Family.com, with much appreciated help from fellow Wold Newton fans and experts Christopher Paul Carey and Jason Aiken. The site is dedicated to providing "accurate and factual information on the canonical Wold Newton Family as created and envisioned by Philip José Farmer, and on deuterocanonical works authorized by Mr. Farmer or his estate."

There is a new article posted there today, Philip José Farmer's "The Arms of Tarzan."

2016 should see the publication of one already-written non-fiction pop culture piece and two already-written short stories—one of which has been waiting in the wings for six long years. The latter is either coming out this year or it will have to move along to a new home.

I'm hunkering down to whip out an Avenger novel, after which comes intensive research, rereading, worldbuilding, outlining, and finishing the Doc Caliban novel The Monster on Hold (begun by Philip José Farmer in the late 1970s and early 1980s). Monster is slated for a summer 2017 release.

Onward!

Via Meteor House: The Scarlet Jaguar hardcover going to print!

Via Meteor House:

"We’re ordering a proof of The Scarlet Jaguar hardcover early this coming week and baring any corrections we should print the books by the end of the following week.

As of today the print run will only be 100 copies (we love making rare collectibles!) bringing the total print run for this title to 325 signed copies—225 paperbacks and 100 hardcovers.

But, that number could go up if we get a bunch of last minute orders in over the next week or so.

Remember, we only print a small number of books beyond the preorders, and we don’t expect these hardcovers to last past the end of the year.  So, if you missed out on the long-out-of-print paperback edition, get your order in asap!"

Shreve Memorial Library's 2015 Author Fair / Comic Fest

The Shreve Memorial Library's 2015 Author Fair / Comic Fest was held on June 20, but this is the first time I've had a chance to post about it.

My pal Chuck Loridans and I shared a table. I hawked Meteor House books, Philip José Farmer books published by Titan, and my own books from various publishers. Chuck represented the Renzi Education and Art Center, where he tirelessly volunteers teaching kids the art of creating comics and movies.

It was a small event, but the traffic was very good and I got to meet some other local creators. Sold a decent number of books, too. The highlight was our panel presentation.

CREATIVE MYTHOGRAPHY:

Shared Universes from the Perspective of Pulp Fiction and Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton Family

Our panel was intended to run from 2 to 3 pm (3 pm being the end of the Author Fair), but by the end time we had only covered about 2/3 of the material. We took a vote and the audience very enthusiastically wanted to stay through the compete presentation, which was flattering. Chuck was great and charmed the audience, as always.

It occurred to me that our presentation serves as a good primer to Wold-Newtonry, as well as a brief overview of what Farmerian books are available today and from what publishers.

The PDF is huge, so I've uploaded it here.

I hope you enjoy.

The Evil in Pemberley House--back on sale!!

After the summer 2014 publication of the Meteor House edition of The Evil in Pemberley House, the Duchess of Greystoke—Pat Wildman herself!—wrote to me pointing out three minor errors, text which was missing from the original hardcover edition. This was mortifying, to say the least.

Due to major life events occurring at the same time--a relocation to another state for a new job--I was unable to give this situation the attention it deserved until recently. Consequently, I and Meteor House decided to stop selling the edition until we had a solid plan for correcting the errors.

I'm pleased to say that the book is now back on sale!

Meteor House will include an errata sheet, signed by me, with every new order of this first printing. For customers who already bought the book, Meteor House will include the errata sheet in the shipment of any of their latest books. For anyone not covered by this plan, Meteor House will make separate arrangements to send the signed errata sheet. Contact information for Meteor House is on their site: http://meteorhousepress.com/

I and Meteor House regret the error. The corrections will be incorporated into the book’s second printing and the ebook. And yes, we are actively planning to release the ebook soon (for both Kindle and Nook)!

Again, we apologize for the error and appreciate your loyal readership.

Viva Pat Wildman!

Happy Wold Newton Day!

I am still living in the land of unpacking boxes, so I can't devote much to today's celebration of
the 219th anniversary of the Wold Cottage meteor's fall and irradiation of a group of very special people.

Fortunately, friends and fellow fans are here to fill the gap.

• The Official Philip José Farmer Web Page: Philip José Farmer's Estate Sale. Every item for sale from the Estate is 60% off today through December 24th!
• The Crossover Universe: Sean Levin discusses "A Massive Crossover Endeavour!
• Pulp Crazy: Jason Aiken discusses Howard Chaykin's Shadow miniseries, Midnight in Moscow, which contains the first overt reference to Farmer's Wold Newton Family in comics!
• Although it was announced a few months ago, it's worth celebrating today the return of the Ancient Opar series in Christopher Paul Carey's capable hands!
• And finally, although I have been much too busy with moving and starting a new job to blog about it here, it was announced at PulpFest 2014 / FarmerCon IX that I will be completing Philip José Farmer's Doc Caliban novel, The Monster on Hold, which is the fourth book in the Secrets of the Nine series. This is certainly something that I'm celebrating today!

The Evil in Pemberley House - new edition

The Memoirs of Pat Wildman, Vol. I: The Evil in Pemberley House (a Wold Newton novel)

Preorder before June 30 and I'll sign your copy when I'm at PulpFest 2014 / FarmerCon IX! Your copy will then ship immediately thereafter! 

If you loved Pat Wildman Vol. II: The Scarlet Jaguar, but haven't read Pemberley House, this is your chance to catch up! 

Or, if you missed out on the bonus materials which only came with the super-pricey "numbered edition" hardcover in 2009--again, this is your chance to catch up! 

Preorder from now from Meteor House

New Pulp Awards - The Scarlet Jaguar

The 2014 New Pulp Awards have been announced and I would like to sincerely thank everyone who voted for The Scarlet Jaguar for Best Novella. I'm honored and humbled.

Mark Sparacio also won Best Cover for The Scarlet Jaguar. Mark, thank you. You were so open to my suggestions for the cover, and it turned out the way we both envisioned it. Thank you for bringing Pat Wildman to life!

Thanks also to my friends at Meteor House. You guys rock!

Finally, congratulations to all the other deserving nominees and winners! I hope to see some of you at PulpFest this coming summer.