Hello to all. I have been listening to the Elder Sign and Gene Wolfe podcasts for a month or so, and really enjoy the conversation and ideas that the two of you bring to these works. I'm a Star Trek fan as well, but have not yet jumped in to the Trek podcasts.
I'm a big fan of weird fiction and pulps, having grown up reading R.E. Howard, then being introduced to Lovecraft, Chambers, Machen and Wolfe by a friend in college. Your podcast has challenged me to return to Wolfe - I read the Shadow of the Torturer trilogy in college and liked it, but Soldier of the Mist completely lost me. Wolfe is the most indirect storyteller I have ever read, and after the direct action of the Conan stories, I did not know what to do with Wolfe - I had a hard time understanding what was happening in his stories. This has not changed much, but with your help I am starting to understand what Wolfe may be doing when he writes them. I have started reading his short stories along with the podcast, and really appreciate what you tease out of them.
I've heard you talk about the monthly votes on stories to cover, but don't know where to go to nominate them, so here are a few of my favorites:
I'm also a big fan of Chambers' The King in Yellow, and appreciate your inclusion of these classics in the podcast. They are so influential, and not much talked about. Hopefully, you'll get to "The Yellow Sign," which, IMO has one of the best horror scenes in the collection.
Also, I'm hoping you'll cover "Pigeons From Hell," by R.E. Howard - in spite of the terrible title, it is really a great piece of horror. I heard you say something in a recent 'cast about Howard as one of the 'Weird Tales' group of authors that you haven't covered much, so check it out.
Another suggestion is Karl Edward Wagner - his Kane stories feel like REH characters with a more developed eldritch palette, and his stories "Sticks" and "The River of Night's Dreaming" are both fantastic journeys into the Mythos.
Keep up the great work, guys, you make all of my daily chores so much better!
Hi Chris! We're glad to have you along!
That's exciting to hear! Where are the polls?
Hi Chris and welcome!
Thank you so much for listening and especially for supporting us. We're glad you're enjoying the shows! The next regularly scheduled episode we're recording is a Conan Story, the first we'll do on Elder Sign (though you now have access to our episode on The Phoenix on the Sword) -- we're very excited for it. Reading Wolfe can be hard work, that's for sure. In one of his introductions he suggests reading in a comfortable chair with a bowl of potato chips nearby, but I need to be upright with a pot of coffee and a pen. If you haven't gotten to it yet, check out the short story "The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories." It's a love letter to the adventure stories Wolfe read as a child and it's a wonderful homage.
"Pigeons from Hell" is on the list!