Audiobook Showcase: Conan The Barbarian

Director John Milius’ Conan The Barbarian (1982) is my favourite Sword & Sorcery film of all-time. It’s an epic movie and while taking its own spin on the character, it embodies the spirit of Robert E. Howard’s beloved Conan. The novelization penned by the duo of L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter was published forty years ago to coincide with the film’s release, but it’s not until now that we’ve been able to enjoy it as an audiobook. By Crom, Blackstone Publishing and Titan Books have seen fit to grant us our wish and have published this classic piece of literature on Audible (and reissued it as a paperback/Kindle) two weeks ago, on Halloween day, to be precise. The audiobook is read by Bradford Hastings and has a length of six hours and fifty-two minutes. Here is the official synopsis:

“Two of the most famous contributors to the Conan legend present the official novel of Conan the Barbarian, the seminal fantasy film written by John Milius and Oliver Stone.

In the novel by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, the Cimmerian youth Conan witnesses the death of his parents at the hands of Thulsa Doom, a priest of Set. Enslaved, he is trained as a gladiator. Gaining his freedom, he allies with Subotai, a Hyrkanian archer, and a skilled swordswoman thief named Valeria. Together they raid the Tower of the Serpent, and then Conan breaks away to seek the cult of Doom—and revenge on the sorcerer who leads it.”

Let’s get one thing out of the way: I love this book! It’s superbly written by Sprague de Camp and Carter and it felt like an extension of Howard’s Conan writings. As good movie tie-ins often do, it goes in greater detail in some aspects of the story and as a fan of the film, I appreciate that a lot. One of the cool things is that while listening to it, I hardly ever pictured Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan but rather the character himself, which made me enjoy the adventure in a different way than on a viewing of the movie. Maybe it’s because of the Conan Marvel Comics of the ‘70s/’80s I grew up with by the fantastic duo of writer/artist Roy Thomas and John Buscema or the gorgeous Frank Frazetta book covers, and more recently, the exquisite pairing of writer Jim Zub and artist Rob De La Torre, but that’s the Conan I pictured in my head while listening to this book.

Rob De La Torre's Conan

Bradford Hastings who also narrated last year’s Conan: Blood of the Serpent handles reading duties once more and he is absolutely perfect for the task. He gives Conan a unique voice that is different from his narration and the other characters of the book. He really makes the Barbarian his own and you don’t think of Arnold when you hear him speak (which is a good thing in my opinion). I hope he continues to provide narration for future Conan books (and that Blackstone publishes an audiobook of John C. Hocking’s upcoming Conan in the City of the Dead next year).

Valeria, Conan, and Subotai

Whether you’ve seen the movie a hundred times like I have or even if you’ve never had a chance to watch it, if you’re a fan of Conan or Sword & Sorcery, you’ll have a grand ole time with this audiobook. It’s a short listen and it’s engaging from beginning to end. It also serves as a perfect introduction to Conan if you’re new to the genre and haven’t read any of Robert E. Howard’s legendary Conan tales. Listen to this and then move on to Howard’s stories. I can’t help but give Conan The Barbarian my highest possible recommendation.

Rating: Five stars out of five

Get your copy on Audible 

Musings: Ripple Music - Burn on the Bayou

The mighty Ripple Music will unleash a mammoth double LP celebrating the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival, better known as CCR, titled Burn on the Bayou on December 8^th. This massive project had been in the works for years as I seem to remember first hearing echoes of it and even glimpsing the cover art back on Ripple’s Twitter account as far back as early 2021. It’s finally come to fruition, and man, was it ever worth the wait!

Featuring a stellar cast of Ripple Music’s stable of bands, we have a little something for all tastes here, from heavy rock, classic rock, stoner, heavy psych, doom, and almost everything in between. Every important CCR song is covered and the renditions are terrific for the most part. It’s pretty impressive when you put together a compilation of 32 songs and only a handful of them end up being less than good—and that’s always very subjective as mileage can vary depending on your musical inclinations. Needless to say, Burn on the Bayou has well exceeded my expectations. This album is just as strong as Ripple Music’s Blue Oyster Cult tribute from last year, Dominance and Submission, which I deemed one of the very best covers albums of all-time.

Some highlights for me are “Suzie Q” by Cities of Mars with their haunting rendition of that classic track. “Nighttime is the Right Time” from the Hazytones captures the vibe of CCR while giving it their own spin. Tony Reed’s band Hot Spring Water delivers the goods aplenty on the seminal “Born on the Bayou”. La Chinga bring us “Sweet Hitchhiker”, a tune from CCR that I was unfamiliar with but really dig. War Cloud’s treatment of “Working Man” is a blast and sounds full of energy. Bone Church decided to expand on “Fortunate Son” and it’s a great song, but I must confess that I enjoy Ozone Mama’s version of it a tad more. That brings me to a minor gripe I have and which I have every time this happens on albums: repeat songs. There are four songs repeated here, including two versions of “Cotton Fields” by Great Electric Quest! With such a large repertoire of songs, you’d think every band would agree to each cover a different song. That being said, I’m just nitpicking here, but I don’t like repeats when I listen to an album, be it a live version of a song tacked on as a bonus track or an alternate take or what have you.

Burn on the Bayou is a phenomenal tribute album that fans of Creedence Clearwater Revival are sure to love. And for those a little younger who aren’t too familiar with those legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll, well, you’re in for a treat! It showcases just how deep Ripple Music’s roster of bands is and it’s really a star-studded affair. And to top it off, the digital album is priced at a bargain $7, as per usual Ripple Music regular album releases, but you get a double LP and over two and a half hours of music. That’s gotta be the best music deal of the year.  

Ripple Music’s Bandcamp Page for Burn on the Bayou: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/burn-on-the-bayou-a-heavy-underground-tribute-to-creedence-clearwater-revival 

Short Story Time: Hershell’s Motel

Good morning, good day, good evening! It's the first Saturday of the month so it's time for another FREE short story! For the occasion, I've selected a strange little story about a strange little motel. It's titled "Hershell's Motel" and that's all I'll say about it to keep the mystery. It was originally published in the Bonded by Blood anthology in 2008. The tale was later reprinted in my first short story collection in 2010, The Bitternest Chronicles. You can download it as a PDF right here.

In case you missed them, you can download the previous entries in Short Story Time below, starting with a coming of age Halloween tale. Do you believe in the bogeyman? Do you believe in the Rattling Man? Find out who or what he is in “The Rattling Man”!

“Crimson Nightmares” is my take on the “Halloween” movie series. Written and initially published digitally back in 2011, this 106-page novella picks up 33 years after the events of the second "Halloween" film from 1981, the night when Michael Myers terrorized Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and the residents of Haddonfield, Illinois. It follows little Lindsey Wallace, the little girl Laurie Strode babysat in the first “Halloween” (1978) film, who is all grown-up now and bears the scars of that terrible night to this day. She has moved to my fictitious town of Bitternest, Louisiana to get away from her past and has been leading a quiet life, that is until something inside Michael Myers snaps and he comes looking for her on Halloween. Add to that a killer clown with an agenda of his own and it’s a Halloween you won’t soon forget. It’ll be a showdown for the ages when Michael Myers comes to the eerie city of Bitternest.

“The Bypassed Mind”, a romantic suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel Bid Time Return also adapted as the film "Somewhere in Time".

“Breaking and Entering”, the story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing anything, just to see what goes on behind close doors. One day he’ll stumble upon something that will change his life forever…

“Scapegoat”, a tale about the Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with mystery is sure to entertain you.

Last but not least, fans of Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right here. 

Grey Skies Ring in Bandcamp Friday in November!

It’s the penultimate Bandcamp Friday of 2023! You know the drill: Bandcamp waives its revenue share and all the money goes directly to the artists and labels for a full 24 hours. As is tradition, here are my Top Five picks to help you find some great tunes for the month. Since we’re on the heels of Halloween and October was such a strong month for new music, I decided to focus on a handful of those releases.

First, in keeping with the spirit of Halloween, L.A. quartet Vitskär Süden give us a superbly sinister rendition of Michael Jackson’s classic “Thriller”. This came out of nowhere and filled me with joy! You need this song in your life. Give it a listen and pick up the track right here.

Second, while on the topic of cover songs, Sister Midnight is a terrific and often-overlooked band, covering all kinds of lesser-known ‘70s horror movie scores and dark tunes that go hand-in-hand with Halloween. For the Friday the 13^th in October, they did a splendid cover of Nazareth’s "Sold My Soul". Go listen to it and check out the rest of their catalogue if you’re new to them right over here.

Third, what is bound to end up on many AOTY lists come year’s end, Spain’s Angelus Apatrida unleashed their 8^th album, Aftermath, two weeks ago and it’s a thrash metal fan’s dream. You can read my praises of it here and get yourself a copy right here.

Fourth, the mighty Ripple Music released supergroup Blood Lightning’s first album two weeks ago. The band comprises members from GOZU, Sam Black Church, Worshipper, and We're All Gonna Die. These four Boston metal dudes sure know how to make an old school hard rock/heavy metal record. Their self-titled debut kicks ass and takes names and you should get it right here.

Fifth but not least, Dying Victims Productions put out another tasty speed metal album two weeks ago, that of the highly anticipated debut of Bogota, Colombia’s RECKLESS, titled Sharp Magick Steel. Fans of late ‘80s speed and heavy metal will dig it a lot. You can get it right here.

That’s it, folks! Find something to your liking and open your wallets to support those hard-working bands and labels. I’ll see you all again next month for the final Bandcamp Friday of the year and in between for some articles and musings on all kinds of stuff. 

Audiobook Showcase: Weird Tales - 100 Years of Weird

Weird Tales Magazine has been in our universe for one hundred years. That’s no small feat and quite an accomplishment. This special issue is over 18 hours long as an audiobook and 500 pages in length in print, a gorgeous hardcover that is also available on Kindle. It features stories of cosmic horror, sword & sorcery, and everything that falls under the weird umbrella. There are also essays, articles, flash fiction, and poetry. Here is the table of contents for what’s included in this massive tome:

 “The Eyrie” By Jonathan Maberry

“The Third Guy” By Scott Sigler

“Weird Tales at 100: A Century of Weird”—an Essay - By Lisa Morton

“The Game” By Marge Simon

“Disappear Donna” By R. L. Stine

“Up from Slavery”—a Reprint - By Victor LaValle

“The Call of Cthulhu”—a Classic Reprint - By H.P. Lovecraft

“The Circle: Shared Worlds”—an Essay - By Lisa Diane Kastner

“Worms of The Earth”—a Classic Reprint - By Robert E. Howard

“Swords and Sorcery: Weird Tales and Beyond”—a Reprinted Essay - By Charles R. Rutledge

“Cosmic Horror”—an Essay - By James A. Moore

“Arched Bridges”—Blackout Poetry - By Jessica McHugh

“Black God’s Kiss”—a Classic Reprint - By C.L. Moore

“Legal Rites”—a Classic Reprint - By Isaac Asimov and Frederick Pohl

“The Scythe”—a Classic Reprint - By Ray Bradbury

“Who Ya Gonna Call? The Evolution of Occult Detective Fiction”—an Essay - By Henry Herz

“Blood Moon” By Owl Goingback

“The Vengeance of Nitocris”—a Classic Reprint - By Tennessee Williams

“Dead Jack and The Case of the Bloody Fairy” By James Aquilone

“Slaughter House”—a Classic Reprint - By Richard Matheson

“The World Breaker” By Blake Northcott

“Scratch-off Universe” By Hailey Piper

“Church at the Bottom of the Sea” By Michael A. Arnzen

“Prezzo” By Keith DeCandido

“How to Make the Animal Perfect?” By Linda D. Addison

“Jagannath”—a Reprint - By Karin Tidbeck (Curated by former Weird Tales editor Ann VanderMeer)

“Bait” By Dana Fredsti

“The Damp Man”—a Classic Reprint - By Allison V. Harding

“NecronomiCommedia: Dante, Doré, and the Root of Lovecraftian Horror”—an Essay - By Jacopo della Quercia and Christopher Neuman

“Lady Cataract Comes to the Mosque” By Usman T. Malik

“Cupid is a Knavish Lad” By Laurell K. Hamilton

“Vampire Chaser” By Anne Walsh Miller

As you can glimpse from the table of contents, it’s an eclectic mix of classic and newer tales. All the articles/essays are top-notch, informative, and compelling. The selection of tales for the most part is excellent, but as in all anthologies/collections, a handful of them are underwhelming, but different readers may feel differently. My only gripe is the omission of tales from Robert Bloch and Clark Ashton Smith. Sure, it’s impossible to include every legendary Weird Tales writer, but Smith’s influence is huge and deserved to have a spot here. Not including Bloch is even more of a travesty since he is mentioned countless times in the various articles and essays and specifically for his tale “Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper”, which is quintessential to the genre and has appeared in Weird Tales in the July 1943 issue. On a personal level, this is one of the handful of tales that made me want to become a horror writer many eons ago, so I’m really scratching my head as to why it wasn’t included here.

Anyhow, nitpicks aside, the selection of classic and more modern tales is terrific. On the classic side, I discovered Allison V. Harding’s “The Damp Man” from the July 1947 issue, about a large, mysterious figure dressed in black. It was an engaging listen/read from beginning to end. As for the modern side of things, Victor LaValle’s “Up from Slavery”, a Lovecraftian tale, absolutely blew me away. And to close things off, I’m glad the flash fiction/poetry portion was kept to a minimum as I really don’t care for that type of prose. Every tale, article, prose is read by a who’s who of professional narrators. As an Audible addict, I was familiar with the vast majority of the readers and was pleased to have them inject their magic into it. Here’s the full list of narrators: Scott Brick, Bronson Pinchot, Richard Brewer, Natalie Naudus, Joe Hempel, Dion Graham, Neil Hellegers, Zura Johnson, Simon Vance, Peter Berkrot, James Patrick Cronin, Gabrielle de Cuir, Grover Gardner, James Anderson Foster, Ramiz Monsef, Eric G. Dove, Hillary Huber, Stefan Rudnicki, Edoardo Ballerini, Robin Miles, Kirsten Potter, Vikas Adam, and Kimberly Alexis.

If you’re looking for some reading/listening material for the Halloween weekend and fall season, then look no further, Weird Tales has got you covered and then some! This is a veritable treasure trove of strange tales to be cherished for decades to come. The Audible audiobook is nothing short of fantastic and the collectible hardcover will enliven your bookshelves.

Rating: Four stars out of five

Get your copy on Audible

Weird Tales’ Official Website: https://www.weirdtales.com/ 

Rapid Fire Reviews: Angelus Apatrida

Spain’s thrash metal quartet Angelus Apatrida continues their world takeover with their eighth LP, Aftermath. A follow-up to their 2021 self-titled release, the band has gained legions of fans and toured the world since then and Aftermath is one of the most anticipated metal albums of the year. Was it worth the wait?

I first became aware of Angelus Apatrida this past summer thanks to an email from Century Media Records. It had a link to a YouTube documentary on the band as well as links to listen to the singles off of their 2021 record. I also noticed that they were coming to my hometown of Montreal a few weeks later so my curiosity was piqued. I sampled their music, watched the doc, and decided to pick up their latest LP to get ready to welcome Aftermath in the fall. They were borderline too extreme in the vocals department at times for my taste, but overall, I really dug their sound and thought it was a solid album.

Now Aftermath has arrived and in my humble opinion, it’s a superior album to its predecessor in every way. This LP is more accessible, the songs are more melodic, to my ears the tunes are also a lot catchier, and the guitar solos are better. But most of all, this album is a lot more diverse and complex. Aftermath also features a bunch of cool guest stars and that’s always fun. The standout tracks for me are the catchy “Cold”, the epic Slayer-esque “To Whom It May Concern”, the melodic “Gernika” which may very well be my fave track, “What Kills Us All” featuring Spanish Rap Star Sho-Hai, and last but not least, “Vultures and Butterflies” featuring Queensrÿche vocalist Todd La Torre. As a bonus on top of the ten songs, there are two live tracks recorded during their most recent tour.

Angelus Apatrida will only get bigger and better if Aftermath is any indication. This is a crop of songs that metal fans will have on repeat for months to come. It just cracked my Top Albums of the Year list and I believe that it’s one of the best thrash metal records of the past few years. If you’re new to this band, this is a perfect entry point. Not a dud on here, only killer tunes. If you’re into old school thrash metal à la Slayer and Overkill, Aftermath will be right up your alley.

Century Media Records’ Bandcamp page for Angelus Apatrida: https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/album/aftermath 

Rapid Fire Reviews: Savage

Formed in 2019 in Bavaria, Germany, New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWOTHM) band Savage follows up their self-titled debut EP from 2022 with their much-anticipated first album, Glory Riders. Now signed to boutique metal label Dying Victims Productions, this old school metal band delivers on their cool album cover’s promise of kick-ass metal.

Before I get into the album, I must address an issue. I love the Dying Victims Productions label; they release some of today’s best heavy metal and if you’re into ‘80s type metal, they are probably the best indie label out there. BUT they keep screwing up on release dates on Bandcamp. At the time of writing this, Savage’s Glory Riders is still stuck on Pre-Order on Bandcamp. We’re October 22^nd and the album was supposed to have been released on the 20^th. This has happened a lot with their releases and as someone who doesn’t do Spotify or Apple Music, it’s incredibly frustrating. I no longer have faith in them to pre-order any of their releases and I know many fans share my exasperation. It’s pretty crappy to have to go on YouTube and listen to an album upload from a third-party just to be able to hear the entire album when it should already be released. What is the label doing? Why not schedule automatic releases on the day of on Bandcamp? Why aren’t bands pushing back on this? Anyway, I digress, end of rant.

On to Glory Riders. This set of eight fist-pumping metal songs is a glorious affair. Man, how I love this kind of music and this LP absolutely hits the spot! It’s so much fun from beginning to end. The band does have more of a garage sound with a little less polish, but what it lacks in the production values department, it more than makes up for with sheer passion. These guys love making metal music and wear their influences on their sleeves. At times Glory Riders feels like a love letter to early ‘80s metal. Fans of W.A.S.P., Twisted Sister, and Motley Crüe will particularly get a kick out of this gem of a record. Savage offers us plenty of great guitar solos, pounding rhythms, and Blackie Lawless-inspired vocals to satisfy metal fans of all ages. Eight head-banging tunes, no filler, and if you dug any of the three singles, you’re gonna love every bit of the remainder of the album. Glory Riders is heading straight into my Top Ten Albums of the Year list, folks. Give it a spin, or two or three, but get in on the action for the glory of metal!

Dying Victims Productions’ Bandcamp page for Savage: https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/glory-riders 

Short Story Time: Halloween - Crimson Nightmares

Happy Saturday! As I promised last week, I have a little treat for you to celebrate the month of October leading up to Halloween. Here’s my take on the “Halloween” movie series; a novella titled Halloween: Crimson Nightmares. Written and initially published digitally back in 2011, this 106-page novella picks up 33 years after the events of the second "Halloween" film from 1981, the night when Michael Myers terrorized Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and the residents of Haddonfield, Illinois. It follows little Lindsey Wallace, the little girl Laurie Strode babysat in the first “Halloween” (1978) film, who is all grown-up now and bears the scars of that terrible night to this day. She has moved to my fictitious town of Bitternest, Louisiana to get away from her past and has been leading a quiet life, that is until something inside Michael Myers snaps and he comes looking for her on Halloween. Add to that a killer clown with an agenda of his own and it’s a Halloween you won’t soon forget. It’ll be a showdown for the ages when Michael Myers comes to the eerie city of Bitternest.

You can download the FREE PDF of Crimson Nightmares right here. Since I don’t own the rights to the “Halloween" franchise, this one falls under “fan fiction” and it’s actually the only fan fiction I’ve ever written. "Halloween" is my favourite film of all-time so it’s fitting. I’m very proud of this tale as I believe it represents some of my very best writing. Enjoy!

If you haven’t already, you can also download the previous free tales from Short Story Time, starting with last week’s “The Rattling Man”, a coming of age Halloween story. Do you believe in the bogeyman? Do you believe in the Rattling Man? Find out who or what is the Rattling Man!

“The Bypassed Mind”, a romantic suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel Bid Time Return also adapted as the film "Somewhere in Time".

“Breaking and Entering”, the story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing anything, just to see what goes on behind closed doors. One day he’ll stumble upon something that will change his life forever…

“Scapegoat”, a tale about the Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with mystery is sure to entertain you.

Last but not least, fans of Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right here. 

Short Story Time: The Rattling Man

Greetings everyone! It's the first Saturday of the month so it's time for another FREE short story from yours truly! October is the month of Halloween, my favourite holiday of the year. For the occasion, I have the perfect coming of age Halloween tale for you. Do you believe in the bogeyman? Do you believe in the Rattling Man? Find out who or what he is in “The Rattling Man”! You can download the free PDF right here.

I'll see you again next week on October 14^th for another special treat. Until next time, enjoy “The Rattling Man” and visit the links below for the previous months’ free tales.

“The Bypassed Mind”, a romantic suspense/fantasy story with some hypnosis thrown in for good measure that was directly inspired by the late, great Richard Matheson's novel Bid Time Return also adapted as the film "Somewhere in Time".

“Breaking and Entering”, the story of a man who enters people’s homes just for kicks, never stealing anything, just to see what goes on behind closed doors. One day he’ll stumble upon something that will change his life forever…

“Scapegoat”, a tale about the Curse of the Cubs, the love of baseball, some time travel, and a whole lot of nostalgia. Even if you're not into baseball, this fantasy tale filled with mystery is sure to entertain you.

Last but not least, fans of Conan and Dungeons & Dragons can also download a PDF of the first two tales of the ongoing adventures of my Sword & Sorcery character AMOK right here. 

October Chills Usher in Bandcamp Friday!

It’s the first Friday of October, so that means it’s Bandcamp Friday! You know the drill: Bandcamp waives its revenue share and all the money goes directly to the artists and labels for a full 24 hours. As usual, here are my Top Five picks to help music aficionados find some great songs for the month.

First, coming out today and just in time for Halloween, Horror Master John Carpenter, whose movie scores are just as legendary as he is, releases his second film score collection: Anthology II: Movie Themes 1976​-​1988. This volume focusses on deeper cuts from classic films from Carpenter’s most prolific period, re-recorded with his musical collaborators Daniel Davies and Cody Carpenter. You can purchase this awesome soundtrack right here.

Second, also out today, Canuck power trio La Chinga’s fourth album, Primal Forces. It’s certainly their most accomplished record yet and it’s one hell of a hard rock album. You can read what I thought of it here and pick it up right here.

Third, last week, Titanosaur unleashed his new album, Echoes, in our universe. It’s heavy, it’s powerful, and it may just be his best one yet! Fans of sludge metal, Motorhead, and AC/DC will dig it a lot. Read my thoughts on it here and go grab it over here.

Fourth, also out last week, former Judas Priest axeman K.K. Downing joined forces again with former Priest frontman Tim “Ripper” Owens to bring us KK’s Priest’s sophomore album, The Sinner Rides Again. An even stronger effort than their debut LP, in my opinion—all killer, no filler, just balls-to-the-wall metal. You can get that bad boy right here.

Fifth but not least, in two weeks time, one of my most anticipated albums of the season will be released courtesy of Bavarian old school heavy metal band Savage with their LP Glory Riders. Signed to the stellar metal boutique label Dying Victims Productions, expect this record to kick your ass. For fans of Motley Crüe and Twisted Sister, and heavy metal in general. You can pre-order it here.

There you have it, folks! Show your love to all those bands and labels that continue to make our lives better with their offerings of great music. Enjoy the month of October and stay tuned to the blog for some Halloween-centric fiction from yours truly in the days and weeks to come.