Robert McCammon was a prolific horror writer before he turned to historical fiction. His Speaks the Nightbird is set in 1699, squeezing it just barely into the century of my greatest interest. In essence, this is a "Who did it?" type of mystery novel set in the Carolinas, in a small town called Fount Royal.
Although the novel is set in my favourite era (c. 17th century) I got my hands on this book mainly because of the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie that was "suggested" by this book. Admittedly, I was intrigued when I learned that "On Stranger Tides" also likely inspired the "The Secret of Monkey Island" and other Monkey Island adventure games in the 1990's, which, in turn, inspired the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Quite a circuitous path of inspiration and influence, if you ask me, but the important thing is that they are all stories about pirates mixed with a bit of magic and voodoo.
Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four is the third part in the 1602 series begun by Neil Gaiman in Marvel 1602. Whereas the second instalment was a grave disappointment, Peter David's entry to the series actually manages to entertain.
The Hunter from the Woods is the long-awaited sequel to McCammon's The Wolf's Hour, which is - to date - the best werewolf novel I've ever read. However, pretty much the only reason why The Hunter from the Woods doesn't surpass it is the fact that it is an anthology of short stories and novellas rather than a novel.
Marvel 1602: New World is the first sequel to the 1602 by Neil Gaiman. And, unfortunately, you can readily see that Gaiman is no longer involved with the series.
This past month, The Cult of Me ran a short fiction competition with the theme of full moon on a night sky. This naturally evoked thoughts of werewolves and other night activities in my imagination and simply I had to send in an entry. I didn't win, but thought that I must share my rather silly story at least somewhere - this blog being the obvious victim.
The competition degrees that the stories must not exceed 500 words. I present to you here a slightly longer version. I hope you enjoy it at least a bit!
Graeme Reynold's High Moor was a bloody werewolf horror story, where the horror was mostly based on gruesome descriptions of werewolves killing and devouring children.
The second part of the trilogy continues directly from where the first one left off. The Pack works hard to hide the existence of the werewolves from humans, but that fight is proving more and more futile as the story continues.
Thomas Hoover’s Caribbee is a historical fiction novel set mainly in 1640’s Barbados. It presents an in-depth look at the island’s society, the introduction of sugar industry and the move away from indentured servants to slavery. There are many characters from different layers of society, including two strong female characters and the aim is clearly to show the reader what life in the Caribbean was like in the early 17th century.
Not exactly historical swordsmanship, but the three against many so clearly points towards the Three Musketeers that I simply have to share this one. The video shows three Olympic level fencers going up against fifty novices. Neither the masters nor the novices seem to have any training in how to fight as a team, but the masters use the crowd against itself very nicely.
George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman series consists of twelve novels, supposedly written by the hero himself, Harry Flashman. Set in the Victorian era, they show a protagonist who is set apart from the usual British hero formula of the period and shows that Brits can be bastards too.