Eshbach - The Land Beyond the Gate

The Land Beyond the Gate. Loyd Arthur Eshbach. Ballantine Books. 1984. Book one of his four volume Fantasy epic. A series for fans of Celtic Fantasy, featuring the Tuatha de Danann of Celtic myth, though gods of Sumerian and Indian mthos also appear in major roles, and some Christian elements also, including Lucifer's lieutenant Ahriman. A Scottish-American travels into the Scottish highlands in 1990. Things both good and bad happen to him. But he does not leave the highlands. Next chapter: a year later, his brother, our main character, enters the highlands to search for him. He finds the brother, a magic sword, a magic armlet, a scroll, and four magical gates leading to other worlds. In these worlds he encounters the above characters, plus Formores, Vikings, Trolls, Druids, Romans, and other dangers and surprises. What adventures await? What is Ahriman's (and Lucifer's) plan? What is the secret of the scroll? This series was written by one of the early pioneers of fantasy fiction. Esbach ran Fantasy Press in the fifties, and published many of the early sf and fantasy greats. He was twice guest of honor at the world fantasy convention. After his retirement he returned to writing and gave us this four volume epic fantasy. Book two is Armlet of the Gods, 1986. Book three is The Sorceress of Scath, 1988. Book four is The Scroll of Lucifer, 1990.

Hemingway - A Moveable Feast

A Moveable Feast. Ernest Hemingway. Bantam Books,1964. It was once remarked that Hemingway had written about Michigan, about Spain, Africa, and Cuba, but never (except for the first part of The Sun Also Rises) about Paris, the city which had been so important to him and his early career. Hemingway decided to cover this lack by writing A Moveable Feast. Each chapter in this collection of stories is a vivid peek inside Hemingway's experience of Paris in the 20's. Each story is a perfect gem, not a word wasted. These stories are Hemingway at his best. He refers to real events, and usually the participants are mentioned by their actual names. His portraits are not always kind, but remember Hemingway is not intending biography here; we need not, for example, believe Fitzgerald was exactly as Hemingway portrays him. But always in these stories is a great affection for the people, the times, and especially for Paris.
Hemingway began this collection in 1957, and worked on it intermittently until his death in 1961. In 1954, while in Africa, he was severely injured in a plane crash. The rescue plane then crashed en route to hospital. While undergoing treatment, he suffered kidney and liver infections. While still in hospital, there was a brush fire nearby. Hemingway left his bed to help fight the fire. But he collapsed and suffered smoke inhalation damage, and aggravated his other injuries. Hemingway never completely recovered from this ordeal. His health would continue to decline over the years. It was under these conditions that his mind turned to the past, to his years in Paris, his first marriage, the early struggle to write, the cafes, the sports, the curious events, and his friends of those days.