The Cromcast: A Weird Fiction Podcast: November 2013

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Howard's Horrors: Sea Curse!

"Then the days grew shorter, the nights longer and darker, and the cold grey tides came sweeping along the bleak strands, bearing the rain and sleet of the sharp east breezes." - Robert E. Howard

Hey all, Luke here! Just finished another REH story, Sea Curse, before the Thanksgiving Weekend (and before I jump into Queen of the Black Coast). Have you read Sea Curse? If not, check it out for free on Project Gutenberg.

Here's Tim Seeley's interpretation of ol' Moll and her fair niece...

First published in Weird Tales (1928), this is a morality tale that drips with inevitability. The story is all plot; there's no dilly-dallying on any character. In short, there are actions and their are consequences. And good for that, as the main drive of the plot is to see exactly how Kulrek and Lie-Lip will meet their demise. Given this, Sea Curse bears little resemblance to the other horrific stories I've read by REH. There are no Lovecraftian draperies, nor evidence of heroism, just a horrible deed followed by a horrible curse. REH's prose bounces between colloquial sea-faring speech and almost lyrical punctuations of text setting the tone. For me, it was this unsettling tone that carried the story along.

Aside from the aforementioned comic adaptation by Seeley in Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword (by Dark Horse Comics), I've not found much in the way of commentary / criticism regarding this story. Which is a shame, as I heartily recommend this story... Especially if you are looking for a shorter weird tale to rip through. If you've read this story, what did you think? Sound off in the comments section below!

With that, I'll leave you with the cover art of an edition of The Saga of Faring Town (including Sea Curse) published by the REH Foundation back in 2009. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Monday, November 25, 2013

Episode 10 - Iron Shadows in the Moon (Or, Nothing Surprises Conan)

Art by Mark Shultz

"They were statues, apparently of iron, black and shining as if
continually polished. They were life-sized, depicting tall, lithely
powerful men, with cruel hawklike faces. They were naked, and every
swell, depression and contour of joint and sinew was represented with
incredible realism. But the most lifelike feature was their proud,
intolerant faces. These features were not cast in the same mold. Each
face possessed its own individual characteristics, though there was a
tribal likeness between them all. There was none of the monotonous
uniformity of decorative art, in the faces at least.

"They seem to be listening--and waiting!" whispered the girl uneasily..."

Time for adventure! The Cromcast is back, making our way down The Road of Kings! This week's tale is called Iron Shadows in the Moon (AKA Shadows in the Moonlight - Read it on Project Gutenberg Australia). If that alternate title made you expect a romantic comedy featuring Conan the Barbarian, we're sorry to disappoint you. This is a tale of revenge, island adventure, pirates, and more!

Our next story continues the pirate theme - Queen of the Black Coast! (Read it on Project Gutenberg Australia!) We're all very excited for this one! Let us know what you think of it!

Beginning theme: "Sudden Defeat" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Ending theme: Tuba of Crom! Anvil of Crom arranged for six tubas. Found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au-xtvEANWg. Arrangement of "Anvil of Crom" by Basil Poledouris, from the Conan the Barbarian: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Original Score: (c) 1982 Basil Poledouris; Original Album: (c) 2010 Prometheus Records. Used without permission.

Thanks for listening!

Questions? Comments? Curses? Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

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Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner! Or, check us out on iTunes!

Friday, November 15, 2013

Art Party Friday, Nov. 15th 2013

Hello Cromrades! It is I, Jon! I am here to show off some cool Howard inspired art I have found in my wanderings on the internet. If you have any art you wish to share, be you the creator or just an admirer, please do email us at thecromcrast@gmail.com with the image and source and we will try to feature it here on the blog! Also, please visit one or all of the sites for these talented folks. You can always find art for purchase, prints, or even coffee mugs to buy!

Conan by Bill Sienkiewicz

http://www.billsienkiewiczart.com/

Red Sonja by Jenny Frison

http://www.jennyfrison.com/

Steve Costigan and Mike the Bulldog by Andy Taylor

http://andyetaylor.daportfolio.com/

Bran Mak Morn, King of the Picts by Gary Gianni

http://www.garygianni.com/

Dark Agnes de Chastillon by Francesco Francovilla

http://www.francescofrancavilla.com/

Conan #29 Cover: The Toad by Mike Mignola

http://www.artofmikemignola.com/

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Episode 0 - Secret Files and Origins of The Cromcast!

It was an age undreamed of...

Certainly no one who listens to our biweekly ramblings regarding Robert E. Howard and Conan the Cimmerian will wonder, "Jon, Josh, and Luke: why did you start The Cromcast?" The answer is evident to each of you - REH was a superlative author, and though he is credited for creating "sword and sorcery", his works spanned many genres. We three were fans of the mythos surrounding Conan, but had never delved into the source material! We are all fans of various podcasts and definitely appreciate the medium. However, while we are fans of the H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast, we were never able to find any other podcasts featuring Weird Tales author. This lack of an REH-centric literary podcast was surprising. We took this to mean that we should start one!

And so, one fateful night during the summer of 2013, we got together to discuss logistics and the practicality of filling this niche.

This episode features audio recorded that night. Download it here!

If you are interested in having an inside look at the genesis of The Cromcast Project, our development as podcasters during the past few months of producing episodes, or are curious about how ignorant of Robert E. Howard and his characters we truly were before embarking on this quest, have a listen.

Next time, we'll be back on our quest to battle our way through to the end of the Road of Kings, with Iron Shadows In The Moon (or, Shadows in the Moonlight - read it on Project Gutenberg Australia.)

Plus, we have a major announcement that we can't wait to share with you guys! Stay tuned!

Beginning theme: "Sudden Defeat" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Transition theme: "Double 8Bit Remix - Conan The Barbarian Theme & Prologue". Found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr9cde0dQEg. Arrangement of "Anvil of Crom" by Basil Poledouris, from the Conan the Barbarian: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Original Score: (c) 1982 Basil Poledouris; Original Album: (c) 2010 Prometheus Records. Used without permission.

Thanks for listening!

Questions? Comments? Curses? Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner! Or, check us out on iTunes!

Saturday, November 9, 2013

The Road of Kings (Redux)

When I was a fighting man, the kettle-drums they beat.

The people scattered gold dust before my horse's feet.

But now I am a great king; the people hound my track,

With poison in my wine cup, and daggers at my back.

Hello, friends and fellow REH fans! At long last here is the updated Road of Kings! This post contains links to all of our episodes to date. We're almost up to double digits!

The Phoenix on the Sword (Episode 01)
The Scarlet Citadel (Episode 02)
The Tower of the Elephant (Episode 03)
Black Colossus (Episode 04)
Xuthal of the Dusk (Or, The Slithering Shadow: Episode 05)
The Pool of the Black One (Episode 06)
Rogues in the House (Episode 07)
Gods of the North (Or, The Frost Giant's Daughter: Episode 08)

(Interlude) Episode 09 - Howard's Horrors: The Haunter of the Ring and Pigeons from Hell

We've had a blast producing this show so far, and we still have a lot of work to do! Let us not forget the past as we look to the horizon! What do we see when we cast our gaze toward the future? We have ten more original Conan the Cimmerian stories to talk about! Here is the order in which we'll cover them, along with links to full texts of these stories from Project Gutenberg.

Iron Shadows in the Moon (Or, Shadows in the Moonlight: Full text)
Queen of the Black Coast (Full text)
The Devil in Iron (Full text)
The People of the Black Circle (Full text)
A Witch Shall be Born (Full text)
Jewels of Gwahlur (Full text)
Beyond the Black River (Full text)
Man-Eaters of Zamboula (Or, Shadows in Zamboula: Full text)
The Hour of the Dragon (Or, Conan the Conqueror: Full text)
Red Nails (Full text)

So there it is! Ten more Conan stories to go! We have some other surprises in store along the way, including a very special surprise episode in the next month! It will be an epic journey as we continue on our way down the Road of Kings. Steel yourselves!

-Josh, Jon, and Luke
The CROMCAST