Review – The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche by Peter S. Beagle

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The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances by Peter S. Beagle, Tachyon Publications, 1997

My first acquaintance with Peter Beagle’s work, like a lot of other people’s, was the classic The Last Unicorn. I was hooked, and sought out everything else I could find, which at that time was I See By My Outfit and A Fine and Private Place, a non-fiction account of a cross-country trip on a motor scooter and Beagle’s first novel, respectively. I didn’t even know that he did any work at less than novel length until I stumbled upon the one-two pairing of “Come Lady Death” and “Lila the Werewolf” in The Fantasy Worlds of Peter Beagle back in 1978.

The Tachyon collection came along a good deal later, in 1997, and even though it also included the above two stories, I snapped it up for what else was there, including the title story which I had managed to miss in its first print appearance, plus “The Naga” (likewise) and a story original to this volume, “Julie’s Unicorn.”

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Another Such Weekend and I Am Undone

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Bill Eakin at Yuletide Souls Fest

My social and business calendars were pretty much filled this weekend, though on Saturday it was hard to tell where business ended and social began, since it was such a mixture of both. My primary event on Saturday was the Yuletide Souls Fest at the Vicksburg Public Library. Besides the locals, William R.(Bill) Eakin had come down from Arkansas. He’s the author of Redgunk Tales and another frequent contributor to Realms of Fantasy. I hadn’t seen Bill in years and we had to mourn a bit together for magazines past. Continue reading →

Scenes From a Marriage

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Spouse is enamored of sappy holiday movies this time of year. One was on the tube as I passed by.

Me: Oh, yeah…. Stuart Pankin’s in this movie.

She: I saw his name in the opening credits.

Me: Haven’t seen him for a while…actually, the last time was when he was being the voice of “Earl” in Dinosaurs, so I didn’t see him then. I miss that show.

She: Me too, but I still haven’t seen him.

Me: What do you mean?

She: I know he’s in this movie, but it’s nearly half over and I haven’t seen him yet. Maybe it was a little part and I missed him.

Me: Uh, that’s him right there.

She: There? Where?

Me: Right there. In the shorts and weird shirt.

She (frowning): You mean the old guy??

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Yuletide Souls Fest of Vicksburg

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In one of my rare personal appearances (I’m not reclusive. Just scarce) I’ll be at the Vicksburg, MS, Library this Saturday, December 3rd, as part of the Yuletide Souls Fest of Vicksburg. There will be artists, mystics, and other authors, of course. This is Mississippi. You can’t kick a can without hitting a writer. Just for the record, I blame Bill Faulkner and Miz Eudora equally for that.
If you’re in the area, stop by. There will be books, entertainment, and a raffle to benefit the local chapter of CAP (Child Abuse Prevention).  Last time there were even cookies. No promises, though.

Here’s a link to the Facebook Event Page. If you’re in the area, stop by and say hi.

Muse and Writer Dialogues #3

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FADE IN

A room that passes for an office. There are bookshelves on one wall, a motley assortment of carvings, signed storyboards, and framed magazine covers on the free wall space. On the far wall is a medieval-style heraldic display of a cockatrice with a motto in bad Latin that reads “Pullus non Est.” Horizontal files sit beneath the window , and on top of those a free-standing rack holds three Japanese swords. The computer desk is on the wall nearest the door, facing away from the window. Beside that is a printer on a stand. In the base of that is a PS3 and an Xbox on a lower shelf. Neither is in use.

Enter the WRITER, who finds the MUSE sitting in a rocking chair staring at what looks like a smartphone. He’s a slob. She looks like a statuesque Greek goddess most of the time, but her appearance keeps changing.

WRITER: What are you doing?
MUSE: What does it look like? I’m playing “Angry Birds.” Not that you care. What do you want?
WRITER: You have to ask, after that stunt you pulled?

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