Zach's "what is your appendix N" meme is making the rounds, asking people to list their version of Gygax's Appendix N: Inspirational and Educational Reading in the AD&D Dungeon Master Guide. I decided that I wanted in on that action, especially since I think doing the exercise will help me think about my influences and directions for Athanor:
Books
Burroughs, Edgar Rice: the Barsoom and Pellucidar novels
Herbert, Frank: the Dune trilogy
Howard, Robert E. : Almuric, the Solomon Kane stories
Leiber, Fritz: the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series
Lovecraft, H.P.: the Cthulhu mythos
Wolfe, Gene: Book of the New Sun
Comics
Dahm, Evan: Rice Boy
Foglio, Phil and Kaja: Girl Genius
Grell, Mike: Warlord
Mignola, Mike: Hellboy
TV & Movies
Thundarr the Barbarian
Pirates of Darkwater
"Gene Wolfe..."
ReplyDelete(*thinks, sit in stunned amazement that he's never actually read any Gene Wolfe*)
This is getting to be an expensive month on the book front. :)
Oh man, I haven't thought of Darkwater for years. That was one awesome cartoon. So unique with the alien world and it's creatures. Hanna Barbara production, right?
ReplyDeleteAnd the ocean slowly turning into Black Pudding. Love it! They really still need to do a live action movie.
Chris: Wolfe's weird mix of out-there science fiction viewed by the native narrator as if it were fantastic rather than scientific is a real mood-setter for Athanor.
ReplyDeleteBrunomac: Yes, PoD was a Hanna-Barbera production. The weird alien-ness of the setting, the pirates, and the swashbuckling elements all appeal to me. Monkey-birds, though, not so much. The strange Lovecraftian menace of Dark Water and the monstrous cast of Bloth and his crew, that stuff is pure T.V. gold.