uburoi
4th Level Troll
Rarr 'n' stuff.
Posts: 486
|
Post by uburoi on Dec 16, 2018 14:31:59 GMT -5
Scott, formerly of the Huge Ruined Pile blog, has new digs over at Wordpress called Cyclopeana, and he wrote a post a while back about an ad for the book The Glass Harmonica by Barbara Ninde Byfield, and, given I trust his word, I fortunately located a copy at the city library and read the whole thing yesterday. It's awesome. As Scott points out, it's very traditional fantasy, of a piece with Dunsany and Bellamy and like that there more than the LOTR clones that we're up to our eyeballs in these days. It's a kind of encyclopedia, with short essays on various aspects of fantasy from Arms to Castles to Wizards, accompanied by illustrations done my the author herself. It was first published in 1967, so it's entirely possible that the Founding Fathers of RPG's read it, and I'm specifically wondering if Ken St. Andre did, as there's something about the book that just has a very T&T vibe to it. Anyway, I recommend it - it's a fun read and inspiring.
|
|
dungeondevil
3rd Level Troll
Give me grain and I'll give you guns!
Posts: 174
|
Post by dungeondevil on Dec 16, 2018 17:02:44 GMT -5
I've heard about this on Dragonsfoot a few years back, but have yet to locate a copy. What, in your mind, is strongly T&T about the book?
|
|
|
Post by ProfGremlin on Dec 17, 2018 7:37:34 GMT -5
Hmm... I'll have to look into this. As a quick public service, here's the entry on Good Reads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/370119.The_Glass_Harmonica. Aside from local libraries, I'd suggest used book shops, sure, Amazon has an entry but the prices are a little on the high side. Two that I have done business with personally, and physically, would be Powell's Books in Portland, OR and Chamblin's Bookmine in Jacksonville, FL. Having the opportunity to visit either of these locations is like spending the day in a bibliophile's theme park.
|
|
uburoi
4th Level Troll
Rarr 'n' stuff.
Posts: 486
|
Post by uburoi on Dec 23, 2018 16:09:40 GMT -5
What, in your mind, is strongly T&T about the book? A fair question, and one I've thought about in the last few days. 1. Whimsy - This isn't a dry examination of fantasy; it's got a sense of humor! Dwarves visiting Niagara Falls, you shouldn't invite a Herald to a picnic, caverns are "one to two room dwellings". Very dry humor, admittedly, but that's what I love. And the illustrations, done by the author herself - the basilisk with sunglasses,the Inquisitor glaring at a worm in his apple, the witch and warlock glaring at each other, the witch's familiar asleep next to her shoes in one of those things that you hang on the back of doors and store shoes in. Example: "[Dwarves] have neither time or inclination to pose for likenesses, run tea shoppes, give directions, or otherwise provide local color for visitors." 2. A cheerful sense of anachronism - the aforementioned reference to Niagara Falls, the diagram of the "modest town house" with an Astronomer in the attic complete with telescope, a Republican (French post-Revolution) Calendar, the humbug "with a roll of blueprints". It's a world unconnected from a Medieval realm, more like a Renaissance world, really like the world from Bellair's The Face In The Frost if you've ever read that (and you should!). 3. The specific mention of Berserkers chewing their shields, which I don't think I've seen elsewhere but I can see Ken writing the berserk rules for T&T and marking that as something that definitely needed being included.
|
|
dungeondevil
3rd Level Troll
Give me grain and I'll give you guns!
Posts: 174
|
Post by dungeondevil on Jan 12, 2019 9:20:26 GMT -5
Just got a copy. Will be putting up a review in the next week or two. Really digging the illustrations and the humour.
|
|