In this section of QUICKSILVER we get a close look at the Royal Society in the mid-1660s. Neal Stephenson has great fun characterizing people like Oldenburg, Hooke, Wilkins, and (the fictional) Daniel Waterhouse.

I am excited to present part 1 (of 24) of my examination of THE BAROQUE CYCLE by Neal Stephenson. In this part we meet Daniel Waterhouse and the eternal wizard Enoch Root while getting a sense of the numerous themes in the series.

In this story written by Hazel Heald and H. P. Lovecraft (mostly ghostwritten by HPL), we explore an amazing wax museum with a horrible special exhibit. One of the most delightful of the Lovecraft collaborations.

The final episode in my series on William Wells Brown explores the second half of MY SOUTHERN HOME, the author's second memoir.

Next up, a special series on Neal Stephenson's BAROQUE CYCLE.

MY SOUTHERN HOME is a memoir by William Wells Brown written toward the end of his life. It rehashed much from his earlier writers, but from the perspective of a more sober old man.

In another of Lovecraft's Hazel Heald revisions (ghostwriting)--WINGED DEATH--we get a fascinating tale of science, empire, and revenge. Like THE MAN OF STONE, we get most of the story from the villain' point of view.

The first of five collaborations between H. P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald. In this story, a wizard uses black magic to punish his adulterous wife. Through a framed narrative our authors give us a window into the mind of the villain.

In 1862, William Wells Brown wrote a series of short biographies of black activists, politicians, scientists, and artists in an attempt to prove black people's capacity for self-rule in the context of the Emancipation Proclamation. It begins with a great philosophical essay.

The final by-line publication by H. P. Lovecraft during his life was THE HAUNTER IN THE DARK. I explore this story in this episode, finishing up the formal read through of his works.

In this episode I look at a play by William Wells Brown called THE ESCAPE. It is an effective look at the horrors of slavery and the necessity of resistance.