tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post5440183455562203009..comments2024-03-28T01:53:34.870-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Pulp Fantasy Library: Damnation AlleyJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-2411100190354681352011-05-18T15:10:36.282-04:002011-05-18T15:10:36.282-04:00I'm a big fan of Vehicular Combat stories (whi...I'm a big fan of Vehicular Combat stories (which sometimes overlap with Post-Apocalyptic but not always) so I have a soft spot for Damnation Alley.<br /><br />Also, as an old Car Wars and Dark Future Fan this, along with Alan Dean Foster's "Why Johnny Can't Speed" are two of the best (IMHO) prose representatives of the feel of those games.Osskorreihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14408780872015323307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-33087439958533536162011-05-17T18:10:47.468-04:002011-05-17T18:10:47.468-04:00Damnation Alley is a film I love with all of my li...Damnation Alley is a film I love with all of my little, mutant heart. Atomic cockroaches!Tetsubohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00339621610619347842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-71477931917549054252011-05-17T13:40:12.119-04:002011-05-17T13:40:12.119-04:00I remember the corny movie, and after that had rea...I remember the corny movie, and after that had read the story. To me, it was unrelentingly grim. Also, I remember a dedication, I think, by Michael Moorcock to Roger Zelazny, "for letting me play in his Alley." To this day I'm not sure what it means. <br /><br />@ClawCarver: Yes! I love that song (and Quark, Strangeness and Charm)!<br /><br />@Roger the GS: I remember that game. Many hours of frustration and glory!Eric R. Wirsinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04632409261940844934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-21518781901744191282011-05-17T02:05:56.091-04:002011-05-17T02:05:56.091-04:00I recall reading one of Zelazny's short story ...I recall reading one of Zelazny's short story collections which included the original short story version of the novel. In his introduction Zelazny seemed to feel this short version was superior to the novel which seemed to be stretching a premise beyond what it needed to be.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15271590915482399360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-41170225116476622152011-05-17T00:54:56.986-04:002011-05-17T00:54:56.986-04:00It was supposed to be an Iditarod race? Delivering...It was supposed to be an Iditarod race? Delivering medicine to the Yukon?<br /><br />Wow, I guess I never did see the start of that movie. Or they changed it a LOT.Bansheehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12594214770417497135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-16906435441545352992011-05-16T17:12:01.768-04:002011-05-16T17:12:01.768-04:00The novel also directly inspired the 1977 Hawkwind...The novel also directly inspired the 1977 Hawkwind song of the same name, and would be worth celebrating for that alone.ClawCarverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07236809815213343281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-49987710687892602352011-05-16T17:00:40.744-04:002011-05-16T17:00:40.744-04:00It may not be one of Zelazny's best works, but...It may not be one of Zelazny's best works, but I have found it to be more accessible than much of his other books. Sure, Damnation Alley may not be scientifically accurate, but it has been a great inspiration for my Morrow Project and Aftermath games.<br /><br />@kelvingreen - Surely you mean the Cursed Earth saga? Definitely based on Damnation Alley, but it went a lot further. Unfortunately, you will never rbe able to read that story in its full glory unless you get hold of the original comics. The Burger Wars and the Jolly Green Giant stories can't be published again.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14011319464542156037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-50437700068871553912011-05-16T16:25:41.213-04:002011-05-16T16:25:41.213-04:00Man, that vehicle description totally reminds me o...Man, that vehicle description totally reminds me of many days speccing out ridiculous Car Wars creations. Good times...Sir Yobgod Ababua the Handlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01880522667399635154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-85342384566916697982011-05-16T15:26:07.162-04:002011-05-16T15:26:07.162-04:00I must respectfully disagree with your comment abo...I must respectfully disagree with your comment about pulp fantasy. Any fiction is technically a fantasy, and the pulps were an era where there was a lot of cross-fertilization, mainly because the genre catagories in SF and fantasy were blurred. Are L. Sprague de Camp's Vishnu series science fiction or fantasy?<br /><br />Clarke's maxim is well observed. Anything with a sense of magic/wonder can be considered fantasy (or science fiction). They are marketing catagories for publishers which tell bookstores where to stock the book on their shelves. [In Oz, fantasy and horror weren't considered separate genres from SF until the 70's. And now we have the development of the paranormal genre, which has started getting it's own section of the bookstore.]<br /><br />It's a reasonably modern and very artificial invention, especially given the fiction you are in fact examining.<br /><br />[Then again, for me, <i>Star Wars</i> isn't science fiction. It's action-adventure with science-fiction tropes. You can tell the same story by changing the tropes, without having much of an effect on the storyline. (Most SF films these days are not SF, as they don't require some element of SF in the plot for the plot to work. Examples that are SF include <i>Gattaca</i>, <i>Moon</i>, and <i>Source Code</i>. But it's interesting to note how the mainstream doesn't consider them to be true SF, because they lack the blasters, spaceships, and giant squids of "real SF." If watched by an audience trained to expect this sort of SF they can be very unsatisfying.]<br /><br />YMWV, of course. <i><grin></i>Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-1433642434610174572011-05-16T15:07:20.700-04:002011-05-16T15:07:20.700-04:00Now I want to see a new Damnation Ålley movie that...Now I want to see a new Damnation Ålley movie that ties in closer to the book.JDJarvishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07691101939920824546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-79654004283276312011-05-16T14:20:26.172-04:002011-05-16T14:20:26.172-04:00Certainly reminiscent of Road War 2000, the old PC...Certainly reminiscent of Road War 2000, the old PC game with the plague mcguffin.Roger G-Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08594440701279968693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-79055383408479505382011-05-16T12:17:23.200-04:002011-05-16T12:17:23.200-04:00There's no doubt in my mind that Escape From N...There's no doubt in my mind that Escape From New York was heavily inspired by the original story.<br /><br />I thought the novel was enjoyable but nothing special as I just didn't feel Zelazny was putting much effort into it. I recently made the acquaintance of someone that used to know Zelazny and he claimed that a lot of Zelazny's lesser works, including Damnation Alley, were often done when he was in need of some quick cash; e.g., he never would have written the later Amber novels if he hadn't been having financial troubles beforehand.Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14624614486574035692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-52072509009565605312011-05-16T06:26:43.920-04:002011-05-16T06:26:43.920-04:00The idea was also borrowed -- quite successfully -...The idea was also borrowed -- quite successfully -- for a classic Judge Dredd story in <i>2000AD</i>. It's probably one of the better homages.thekelvingreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01928260185408072124noreply@blogger.com