Michael Swanwick

Still reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel.

Ch. XXXIV:

The gossip in the English College is wonderfully convincing in the way that prose can be when the writer knows much more than he commits to the page but restrains himself.

Ch. XXXV:

Kisses in the dark. Nuff said.

I continue reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel, the third volume in his Rhymer trilogy. I hope these chapter-by-chapter snippets whet your interest in what I consider a major work of fantasy.

Ch. XXXII:

And another character runs away not with but from the elves.

Ch. XXXIII:

With the advantage of hindsight, it's clear that confiding in Kit has shortened the man's life—though Frost, never heavy-handed, leaves that insight for the reader to discover on their own.

And it's not True Thomas.

Still reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel.

Ch. XXX:

“The key to the drunk man's lock on the front door still remained behind a stone in the garden wall.”

I looked this up. A drunk man's lock is designed so that someone fumbling in the dark could find the keyhole.

Ch. XXXI:

“Were either of you aware that the city of London allows no more than forty taverns? Yet there's no limit to the number of churches. I believe I am outraged.”

Only one man in England would dare to blaspheme so casually.

Oreos Combined With Reese’s? Inside the Manhattan Project of Snacks. The combination of two of America’s favorite treats sounded simple. It wasn’t.

How Oreos--the Self-Hating Cookie--taught Reese's Peanut Butter Cup to become the Self-Hating Candy.

www.wsj.com/arts-culture...

Still reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel.

Ch. XXVIII

An unexpected surprise and one I've been waiting for a long, long time. (Can the unexpected be awaited, you ask? Yes, it can—if you know it must exist but don't know what it is.)

Ch. XXIX:

In which much is now explained, and much withheld.

Still reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel.

Ch. XXI:

Zhanedd has stuff. In an alternate world, a perverse one, Frost might have made her the novel's protagonist.

Ch. XXVII

True Thomas, that wariest of men, makes a false move.

@tachyonpub

Habeamus Pubdate! .  At last it can be told! I have a new collection of my short fiction coming out from  Tachyon Publications  in 2026. The Universe Box  co...

There have been rumors. There have been leaked images of the cover. But now there is a pubdate for THE UNIVERSE BOX, my newest and possibly best Tachyon Publications collection ever. Let the angels rejoice.

floggingbabel.blogspot.com/2025/08/habe...

Still reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel.

Ch. XIX:

Patrick O'Brien meets John Le Carré : “The English embassy leaks like a pudding.”

Ch. XX:

It's a little disillusioning how outclassed the elvish court is by the traitors in their midst.

Still reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel.

Ch. XVII:

Sealed letters!

Ch. XVIII:

The Duke of Exeter's Daughter makes her debut. I am confident we will see her again. (Those in the know are currently wincing.)

No, it's unusual for a story to not sell on first submission.

I've just sold "Tomas the Castaway" to the first place I sent it to. It will come out, I am told, late in 2026.

Still reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: He.

Ch. XV:

Frost has researched deep into the period, shown in light asides: a reference to the game of Irish (a predecessor to backgammon), a taverner's offering of four fried pastries: “Sparrow,” he said. “Very good with our wine, m'sieur.”

Ch. XVI:

"An hour later, having passed the time in a tavern and stew..." A stew is a brothel. So this is how an immortal deals with the fact that his true love died centuries ago. I admire how Frost devotes but two words to this. Everything in this novel is wonderfully, quietly concise.

Reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel.

Ch. XIII:

Amid all the plot, I am caught by an offhand reference to “the burning pit,” where the corpses of plague victims are purged and purified. A lesser writer would have dwelt on it. Greg gave it a fraction of a sentence.

Ch. XIV:

London Bridge is a charming locale for a harrowing escape.

Still reading Gregory Frost'd quite wonderful Rhymer: Hel.

Ch. XI:

“An astute observation” was all Thomas could think to reply; all other imagined comments ended with You must be mad, sir.

Ch. XII:

A clearer—and intriguing—glimpse of the workings of and under Ailfion. I would love to ask Frost about all he knows about the workings of the þagelwood and whether it's truly sentient or not.

Sunflowers of Little Narnia.

Reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel....

Ch. IX:

True Thomas, who through the first two books was ever the leader and chief, now finds himself an underling.

Ch. X:

An act of mercy. A meeting with the queen. Thomas' discovery that he is bait.

Reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel.

Ch. XIII:

Amid all the plot, I am caught by an offhand reference to “the burning pit,” where the corpses of plague victims are purged and purified. A lesser writer would have wallowed in it.

Ch. XIV:

London Bridge is a charming locale for a harrowing escape.

Rhymer by Gregory Frost (A Review) .     Today, I'm posting a straightforward book review of a fantasy novel I admire a great deal...    Rhymer by Grego...

Here's my review of the first volume:

floggingbabel.blogspot.com/2024/07/rhym...

Still reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel, the third volume in his Rhymer trilogy:

Ch. XI:

“An astute observation” was all Thomas could think to reply; all other imagined comments ended with You must be mad, sir.

Ch. XII:

A clearer—and intriguing—glimpse of the workings of and under Ailfion. I would love to ask Frost about all he knows about the workings of the þagelwood and whether it's truly sentient or not.

Chris Edwards at Confluence.

Still reading Gregory Frost's Rhymer: Hel. Next chapters

Ch. IX:

True Thomas, who through the first two books was ever the leader and chief, now finds himself an underling.

Ch. X:

An act of mercy. A meeting with the queen. Thomas' discovery that he is bait.

In a thrift shop: friendly little animal people you can EAT.