Season 8, Episode 6: The Soul of a Turk by Achmed Abdullah

Welcome, Cromrades! This week, we take on pulp author and screenwriter Achmed Abdullah, and his story "The Soul of a Turk." (Read it in the collection 'Alien Souls' on Archive.org).

Achmed himself, too cool for school.

We discuss this charismatic author's history, and debate over the veracity of his biography before digging into the story. Was Abdullah a member of the Russian aristocracy? Was he a soldier, a spy, an international man of intrigue? Certainly he had a gift with words, and the fact that we spent nearly an hour discussing a 7 page story by Abdullah is a testament to this story's heft! What did you think of "The Soul of a Turk"? Where does it fit in our sampler of Eastern Adventure Tales?

One Things

Jon: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch. 

Josh: Pandemic - The Board Game, plus Exploding Kittens. 

Luke: Olias of Sunhillow, a prog rock album by Jon Anderson of Yes. 

Next time: One last ride with El Borak, in search of the fabled "Blood of the Gods"!

Questions? Comments? Curses?

Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

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Finally.... Call us! (859) 429-CROM!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. 

Outro: "Machine Gun Man" by Zakk Wylde's Pride & Glory.  All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 8, Episode 5: The Man Who Would Be King

Welcome back to The Cromcast! As we continue down the Road to the East, we have come to our traditional film episode. In this edition, we tackle "The Man Who Would Be King"! 

This is an adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling story of the same name and is directed by John Huston with the starring roles played by Sean Connery and Michael Caine. 

It's a tale of brotherhood, friendship, and about knowing when to stop a good con. 

Tune in!

One Things
Jon: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. If you like history, book stores, libraries, and vampires-pick it up!
Josh: Dracul by Dacre Stoker. Dracula fiction from the descendant of Bram Stoker!
Luke: True Detective Season 3. There aren't vampires (yet!) but luke heartily endorses this latest iteration. 

Next time: We find the "Soul of a Turk" with the help of mysterious author Achmed Abdullah.

Questions? Comments? Curses?

Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

You know you want to follow us on Twitter!
Did you know that we're on Facebook?
We're posting photos on the Instagrams!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner!
Or, check us out on iTunes!
We're also on Stitcher Radio and Google Play!
Finally.... Call us! (859) 429-CROM!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. 

Outro: "The Man Who Would Be King" by Iron Maiden. All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out a

Season 8, Episode 4: Meet Khlit the Cossack

Welcome back, Cromrades! We are hitting our stride on The Road East, and just in time! This week, we travel with a dangerous old wolf who does not abide weakness or foolishness on a journey. Khlit the Cossack is a character from the imagination of Harold Lamb, noted pulp author and historian. We covered the two earliest Khlit stories, both originally published in Adventure. First up is the eponymous "Khlit" from 1917, followed up by "Wolf's War" from 1918. You can read both of these stories in the collection "The Mighty Manslayer" which is available to check out from The Internet Archive. You can also buy the entire series of Harold Lamb's Cossack tales from Bison Books.

Artist unknown.

Check out this article that delves into Khlit and his place in the pantheon of pulp heroes!

One Things
Jon: The Immortal Hulk, written by Al Ewing and drawn by Joe Bennett.
Josh: The 2016 Power Man and Iron Fist revival, written by David F. Walker and illustrated by Sanford Greene. (Check it!)
Luke: (Super fresh and so dope!) An album from Wishbone Ash titled Argus. Add it to your vinyl collection, or stream it from the link above!

Next time: We go to the theater for a viewing of The Man Who Would Be King, based on the Rudyard Kipling story of the same name, directed by John Huston and starring Michael Caine and Sean Connery!

Questions? Comments? Curses?

Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

You know you want to follow us on Twitter!
Did you know that we're on Facebook?
We're posting photos on the Instagrams!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner!
Or, check us out on iTunes!
We're also on Stitcher Radio and Google Play!
Finally.... Call us! (859) 429-CROM!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Hip-hop beats provided by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, with "Nuthin' But a G Thang". All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!