Hal Johnson was my counselor at an arts camp in Connecticut, where he once referred to me as “Orson Scott Weber” (I took this as a compliment; he meant it in a more nuanced way) and once mused “I know Matt Weber’s really got you annoyed, but remember if you kill him then you’ll be unemployed” (if you pronounce “Weber” in the proper German accent and have a passing familiarity with some of Weird Al’s deep cuts you’ll get the joke).
With a sensibility like this, you can see why I’d want to keep in touch, and so I’ve been keeping tabs on Hal (and buying his books) ever since his first book, IMMORTAL LYCANTHROPES, came out in 2012. It was through Goodreads that I learned what an incredibly omnivorous reader he was; but, reader, it’s 2023, and Hal has taken his erudition global with his Substack. He’s a much more regular emailer than me, and on a much wider array of topics, but I’ve particularly appreciated his “garland of quotations” series, from which this post gets its title. How anyone can read and remember enough to call to mind quotes from throughout the centuries, on a theme no less, to say nothing of finding the time to put them all together and email them out every couple of days, is in every sense beyond me; I’m doing a Vlad Taltos reread and I’ve discovered I barely remember the plot of any of the twelve books after TECKLA.
Hal’s new book is IMPOSSIBLE HISTORIES, but if your children are anything like mine, they’ll enjoy FEARSOME CREATURES OF THE LUMBERWOODS. Favorites around the house are the Hoop Snake and the Wapaloosie, although my personal affections lie with the Slide-Rock Bolter. I haven’t yet read about the Soviet Republic of Alaska, but I’m looking forward to it.
Currently reading: STILLWATER vol. 3, by Chip Zdarsky, Ramon Perez, and Mike Spicer.
If you’re enjoying my writing, you can get some of my short fiction on your e-reader for the low, low cost of $0. Remembered Air is a collection of six poems and short stories not available anywhere else. Download it here.
These garlands of quotations are the most fun things I write, and I am so besotted with them, and they garner few clicks or interest, and so let me tell you that I am over the moon to learn someone is actually reading them! Thanks, Matt! Happy father’s day!
Because I’m terrible at blogging, I only just saw this comment in my queue. Happy belated Father’s Day to you as well!