Leigh Brackett

[clovis-man]

Originally Posted by j. d. worthington

By the way, Connavar: As a reader of Chandler, you may be interested to know that she co-wrote the screenplay for the adaptation of The Big Sleep (1946). Her co-writers were Jules Furthman and -- William Faulkner....

Leigh Brackett

One of the last times I watched this movie (and I've done it many times) I actually read the credits and had a "Say what?!" moment when I saw those two names.

As alluded to by others, the name of Leigh Brackett evinces a great deal of space opera nostalgia for me.

[jowolf359]

She also was screen writer on Hatari.

If they had left her version of The Empire Strikes back alone it would have been a better movie. But then I dislike the whole series since I found out the inspiration for Star Wars was Akira Kurasawa's The Hidden Fortress. An excellent movie, Lucas should have credited where he stole his ideas from. Just because he took the setting from Japan and placed it in space does not change the setting: what is going on and how it will turn out.

[Fried Egg]

I've just started reading the FM Masterworks edition of "Sea Kings of Mars and Otherworldly stories" and so far completed the first two stories.

I can definitely see the similarities with Edgar Rice Burroughs and whilst I am quite enjoying the stories and I am as yet unsure how as to whether I will really love them. Whilst the characters are more realistic and her settings/stories more imaginative, so far I've found the plotting itself less driven by that relentless energy that Burroughs was able to inject his stories with.

Anyway, early days yet so...

[Connavar]

Is this your first work of her ? Her rep as queen of sword and planet type Science fantasy story is built on Stark books,novellas. I prefer her easily over ERB. Her Stark series is more timeless than John Carter.

You reminded me to get more books of her.

[Fried Egg]

This is my first time reading Leigh Brackett. Like I said, I've only read two stories so far so it's early days...

[J-Sun]

Originally Posted by Fried Egg

I've just started reading the FM Masterworks edition of "Sea Kings of Mars and Otherworldly stories" and so far completed the first two stories.

I can definitely see the similarities with Edgar Rice Burroughs and whilst I am quite enjoying the stories and I am as yet unsure how as to whether I will really love them. Whilst the characters are more realistic and her settings/stories more imaginative, so far I've found the plotting itself less driven by that relentless energy that Burroughs was able to inject his stories with.

I wouldn't hold that against her unless it just really the cardinal thing for you with these stories. She's influenced by ERB, but not trying to be him - I basically agree with your comparison and it's just a trade-off.

[Fried Egg]

I just read a rather good story called "The Moon that Vanished" that is the best in the collection so far.

I must admit that I'm finding many of these stories somewhat underwhelming, such as her collaboration with Ray Bradbury in "Lorelei of the Red Mist".

Next up though is the novel length story "Sea-Kings of Mars".

[clovis-man]

Originally Posted by Fried Egg

I just read a rather good story called "The Moon that Vanished" that is the best in the collection so far.

I must admit that I'm finding many of these stories somewhat underwhelming, such as her collaboration with Ray Bradbury in "Lorelei of the Red Mist".

Next up though is the novel length story "Sea-Kings of Mars".

You're way ahead of me. I've only read "The Sorcerer of Rhiannon" and then got sidetracked with a host of other reading projects. I was struck with the burroughs-like nature of that one. I do plan to go on.

[Fried Egg]

I just finished the title story, more like a novella really, "The Sea Kings of Mars". Very entertaining, a bit like a cross between "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" it seemed to me...

[Connavar]

Originally Posted by Fried Egg

I just finished the title story, more like a novella really, "The Sea Kings of Mars". Very entertaining, a bit like a cross between "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" it seemed to me...

Heh it sounds like a fun cross between Star Wars and Indiana Jones. But then again the stories i have read makes me think her as Science fantasy adventure as author first. Have not read her earth, more standard SFF stories of hers.

If i didnt feel guilty about my to read pile being big i would want to buy her first two Erik John Stark books. I think of that series, the stories i have read as REH style S&S in space which makes her very appealing to me

[Fried Egg]

Almost finished the collection now and I've really been enjoying the Eric John Stark stories. However, I just read "The Tweener" which was very different, more a kind of psycological horror and set on Earth rather than Mars (although it does feature a martian creature) and it had a nice, ambiguous ending.

One more story to go now and then I'm done.

[Connavar]

Heh i knew you would like Eric John Stark, my first story of his made me respect LB so much more

[Vertigo]

The latest Phoenix Picks free book of the month is her book The Big Jump. I don't think I've read her works before (though maybe in my early reading days) so it'll be interesting to try this one out.

[Extollager]

http://www.kirkcenter.org/index.php/...icle/red-mist/

[Randy M.]

Originally Posted by jowolf359

She also was screen writer on Hatari.

[...]

Also script writer for Rio Bravo, one of John Wayne's better Westerns, and was also involved in what were essentially remakes of that movie, El Dorado and Rio Grande. In fact, note that Brackett was a screen writer for several movies by Howard Hawks, as was William Faulkner. Hawks was a man's-man kind of director -- maybe best known in these parts as the producer (and probably director) of The Thing (From Another World) and I kind of equate his status to the movies of the time with Heinlein's status to the s.f. of the time. Hawks was known for homing in on the talent that he felt was competent to do what he wanted done and returning to those actors/writers/etc. again and again.

I would love to know what Brackett and Faulkner talked about, if indeed they ever shared the same room while writing. Brackett also wrote some mysteries in her time, which might have been a fruitful topic for discussion -- besides a series of short stories featuring Gavin Stevens, of which one was a mystery and rest used mysteries as an entry to other kinds of stories, Faulkner wrote one mystery novel, Intruder in the Dust.


Randy M.