Tuesday, June 23, 2026
AIRSHIP 27 PODCAST (JUNE '26): A NEW PULP FLIGHT
Ron Fortier and Rob Davis have taken to Airship 27's symbolic sky once again, with an exciting, June podcast.
For this episode, we're introduced to Sinbad: the New Voyages, Vol 9, which contains two novellas, "The Devil Ahead, the Devil Behind," by Fred Adams Jr, and "Sinbad and the Forbidden City," by Richard C. Wright; Barry Baskerville, Vol #10: The Rare Coin by Richard L. Kellogg; and the late Jaime Ramos' ambitious, horror-suspense creation, Streets of Golgotha, to which he contributed, along with Nancy Hansen, Teel James Glenn, Lee Houston Jr, Wayne Carey and Bobby Nash.
In addition, our hosts graze what's on the Airship horizon, including Harding McFadden's sequel to Edgar Rice Burroughs' Beyond 30 and new volumes for The Musketeers, Sherlock Holmes, Bass Reeves and The Purple Scar.
Tune in at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8Iwr91I4QY
Monday, June 22, 2026
ROBIN HOOD BREAKS BAD (AN EXTENDED ASSESSMENT)
Someone told me that, in her humble opinion, Robin betrayed his pitch at redemptive sincerity during the end of Michael Sarnoski's The Death of Robin Hood. He did this, she claimed, when he informed Little Margaret how he and her father, Little John, met. Now, it's up to interpretation whether this sentimental encounter (carried by popular myth) even occurred in the context of the movie's reality, but it's clear that Hugh Jackman's bandit-bowman wanted the lass to embrace the uplifting account. Whether it's true doesn't matter since, by simple implication, it's designed to inspire her to make proper pacts and do righteous deeds, in the manner of Robin's accepted legend.
I don't have a problem with that, since the traditional tale (popularized ever further by writer/illustrator Howard Pyle) defines right from wrong, good from bad. (It doesn't switch the variables for some nefarious ruse.) What irks me are those lurking within Sarnoski's movie who might know the unsavory truth but find it fine as it stands.
The Death of Robin Hood, therefore, mirrors the modern practice of elevating miscreants to an ungodly fault. With this comparative observation, the movie acts as a warning, thanks to its flipside characterization.
By habit, pompous pundits tend to blur the lines regarding bad acts, but even that practice is growing less common. Bad is bad, and that's good, or so the cretins proclaim, which again, I must stress, is the point of Sarnoski's experimental revision. (And I might add, this precise point, whether spurred by accident or plan, goes against the muddy perceptions of The Boys, Gen V and Preacher, which make it seem there's little or no distinction between the extremes: utter malarkey if ever there was. At least The Death of Robin Hood has the damn decency to draw a line in the sand.)
Some stories are open for interpretation. The Death of Robin Hood is one, and I've offered my estimation of its goal. I do believe my assessment is sound, based on the movie's pensive progression and the examples (the entitled brutality) it presents. Robin's recollection of Little John, as relayed to Little Margaret, doesn't contradict or ignore this; if anything, it reinforces (rather than merges) the great divide. Feel free to disagree, but until someone can convince me otherwise, I see no cause to purge my view.
SUMMER READING RECOMMENDATIONS: EIGHTH TOWER DARK FICTION
I've two more suggestions for your 2026, reading list. These Eighth Tower, Dark Fiction anthologies feature stories I wrote, so do pardon my shameless self promotion, but shucks, here it comes all the same.
One edition is new: Night Falls: Stories inspired by David Lynch's Twin Peaks. Like the saga that inspired it, the curation is, to say the least, unconventional.
Its stories, along with the one I composed ("The Greater Goo"), were written by J. Edwin Buja, Chris McAuley (who also performed as the volume's editor), Nora B. Peevy, RDJ Armstrong, Niyyah Ruscher-Haqq, Erica Ruppert and Carri Wiggins. Each tale commemorates a facet of the writer/director's titular saga, which he formed with filmmaker/novelist Mark Frost. There are also sprinkles of other Lynch creations throughout the volume to heighten its offbeat blend.
The Black Stone: Stories For Lovecraftian Summonings (the first in Eighth Towers' Dark Fiction series and now the first to appear in a revised edition) pulls from Robert E. Howard's tale of the same name, which the Conan author penned in honor of his kindred correspondent, H.P. Lovecraft.
The curation's stories are from Ramsey Campbell, Brian M. Sammons, Glynn Owen Barras, Lucy A. Snyder. E.A. Black, Chris Kelso, Andrew Coulthard, Stephen Mark Rainey, Kevin Lewis, Richard Alan Scott, Richard Alan Scott, Russell Smeaton, J. Edwin Buja, Made in DNA, David Argranoff, Pete Rawlik, Brian C. Short, John Chadwick, David Voyles, Konstantine Paradias, Love Kolle, Edward Morris, Parry Milton, Phil Breach, Garret Cook, Andrew Freudenberg, Sarah Walker and of course (once more), yours truly. (In this case, my fable is called "Tentacled" and was based on an earlier tale called "Space Monster," which was included in my long-ago endeavor, Wonderful, Magical, Literary Elixirs.)
I believe that each edition will grant ample escape. Give one or the other (better yet both) a whirl. They're inclined to haunt your summer, but if you've a penchant for the strange, such should be most welcome.
Night Falls:
Sunday, June 21, 2026
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