|
Richard L. Tierney is what most of us
in the fantasy field would like to be: a fan who made good. Others have made it
bigger, granted, but the publication of several articles and short stories,
eight novels (several of them collaborations) and a volume of poetry is nothing
to sneeze at. In recent "R'lyeh Review" columns we have eulogized
Tierney's stories and poems more than once. You have seen his articles in these
pages, but until now you may have had to take our word for the quality of his
fiction and verse.
"The
Seed of the Star-God" is the latest installment in the ongoing saga of
Simon of Gitta, his seventh appearance to date. In fact, this tale is a direct
sequel to the most recent to appear, "The Fire of Mazda" (Orion's
Child #1). Chronologically, Simon has not always been so lucky. "The
Howler in the Dark" is a draft written in 1957 and has never appeared
in print before. For Tierney's other short horror tales you will have to search
out old copies of Eldritch Tales #s 2 and 4 ("The Creatures",
"The Eggs of Pawa"), Fantasy Crossroads #10/11 ("The Wrath
of Tupan"), and Kirby McCauley's 1975 anthology Night Chills
("From Beyond the Stars"). Both "The Seed of the Star-God"
and "The Howler in the Dark" ought to prove of interest to Cthulhu
Mythos buffs. And to those hardy souls ever laboring to update the
Weinberg-Berglund Mythos bibliography, we can only say "Stop the
presses".
As is customary in our writer's profile
issues, we include some samples of the author's verse as well as an informative
interview. Finally, we have reprinted Tierney's important essay "The
Derleth Mythos", which first appeared in Penny and Meade Frierson's HPL
(1972). This article was truly pivotal for the course of Lovecraft scholarship,
as it indicated the need for peeling away the Derlethian interpretations of
Lovecraft's work. The influence of "The Derleth Mythos" is evident in
Dirk W. Mosig's brilliant essay "H. P. Lovecraft: Myth-Maker" and much
subsequent work in the field. Now you can read it for yourself.
Robert M. Price, Editor
|