Karl Edward Wagner (4 December 1945 – 13 October 1994) was an American writer, editor and publisher of horror, science fiction, and heroic fantasy, who was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and originally trained as a psychiatrist. His disillusionment with the medical profession can be seen in the stories "The Fourth Seal" and "Into Whose Hands". He described his world view as nihilistic, anarchistic and absurdist, and claimed, not entirely seriously, to be related to "an opera composer named Richard". December 4 is the 338th day (339th on leap years) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle or horrify the reader. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy literature which chronicles the tales of heros and their conquests in imaginary lands. ... Nickname: The Marble City, K-Town, Big Orange Country, Knox Vegas Location Location within the U.S. State of Tennessee Coordinates , Government Cities in Tennessee Tennessee Mayor Bill Haslam (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 254. ... Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that studies and treats mental and emotional disorders (see mental illness). ... Nihilism is a philosophical position which argues that the world, and especially human existence, is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value. ... This article or section may contain inappropriate or misinterpreted citations. ... Absurdism is a philosophy, usually translated into different art forms, that holds that any attempt to understand the universe will fail. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 – February 13, 1883) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ...

Overview

While some of his work is set in Robert E. Howard's universe (featuring Conan and Bran Mak Morn), he also created his own mystical and pre-historical hero, Kane, whose name and background are based on traditional conceptions of the biblical Cain. A powerful, left-handed man with red hair and eyes which people find it difficult to meet (the Mark of Kane), the character was described by Wagner as one "who could master any situation intellectually, or rip heads off if push came to shove". Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was a writer of fantasy and historical adventure pulp stories published mainly in Weird Tales magazine in the 1930s. ... Conan is the anglicized version of the Gaelic male name Conán, which means little wolf or little hound, derived from cú (grammatically changed to con), meaning hound or wolf, and the diminutive suffix án. ... Bran Mak Morn is a hero of several pulp fiction short stories by Robert E. Howard. ... A literary character created by Karl Edward Wagner in a series of sword and sorcery novels and short stories between 1970 and 1985. ... In stories common to the Abrahamic religions, Cain or Káyin (קַיִן / קָיִן spear Standard Hebrew Qáyin, Tiberian Hebrew Qáyin / Qāyin; Arabic قايين Qāyīn in the Arabic Bible; قابيل Qābīl in Islam) is the eldest son of Adam and Eve, and the first man born in creation...

Besides the Kane books, Wagner wrote contemporary horror stories (some of which, like "At First Just Ghostly", also feature Kane). These were collected in the books In a Lonely Place (1983), Why Not You and I? (1987) and the posthumous Exorcisms and Ecstasies (1997). They range from the highly literate and allusive (such as "The River of Night's Dreaming", which refers to Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show and the myth of Carcosa used in the work of Ambrose Bierce and Robert W. Chambers), to the pulpy and parodic (such as "Plan Ten from Inner Space", a crazed homage to Edward D. Wood's magnum opus Plan 9 from Outer Space). Many of his later stories, such as "But You'll Never Follow Me" and "Silted In", are tormented and deeply personal; some deal explicitly with drug addiction (e.g. "More Sinned Against") and sexual subjects, including repression (e.g. "Brushed Away") and transsexualism (e.g. "Lacunae"). Richard OBrien Richard OBrien (born Richard Timothy Smith on March 25, 1942 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England) is a writer, actor, television presenter and theatre performer. ... The Rocky Horror Show is a long running stage musical (in London initially, on June 16, 1973) which inspired the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show. ... Carcosa is a fictional city in the Ambrose Bierce short story An Inhabitant of Carcosa (1891). ... Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842–1914?) was an American satirist, critic, poet, short story (horror) writer, editor, and journalist. ... Robert W. Chambers (May 26, 1865 - December 16, 1933) was an American artist and writer. ... Edward D. Wood, Jr. ... Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction/horror film written, produced and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. ... Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... Psychological repression, or simply repression, is the psychological act of excluding desires and impulses (wishes, fantasies or feelings) from ones consciousness and attempting to hold or subdue them in the subconscious. ... Look up Transsexualism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

With his friends Jim Groce and David Drake, Wagner formed the Carcosa Press publishing house to preserve the work of their favourite pulp writers in hard covers. Carcosa Press put out two substantial volumes of pulp horror tales, Murgunstrumm and Others by Hugh B. Cave and Worse Things Waiting by Manly Wade Wellman. Both books were edited by Wagner and profusely illustrated by Weird Tales artist Lee Brown Coye. Wagner collaborated with Drake on Killer, a science fiction horror novel set during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian. David Drake (born September 24, 1945) is a successful author of science fiction and fantasy literature. ... Carcosa is a fictional city in the Ambrose Bierce short story An Inhabitant of Carcosa (1891). ... Flynns Detective Fiction from 1941. ... Hugh Barnett Cave (July 11, 1910–June 27, 2004) was a writer of pulp fiction, contributing to Black Mask, Weird Tales, and similar publications. ... Manly Wade Wellman (May 21, 1903 - April 5, 1986) was an American writer of fiction and non-fiction. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... Lee Brown Coye Lee Brown Coye (1907-1981) was an American artist. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... This is a list of Roman Emperors with the dates they controlled the Roman Empire. ... Domitian bust in the Louvre Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October 51 – 18 September 96), commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman emperor of the gens Flavia. ...

Coye's macabre designs, incorporating mysterious lattices of twigs, were the inspiration for Wagner's British Fantasy Award-winning story "Sticks". In the mid-1980s, "Sticks" received a chilling audio adaptation on the radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz. The British Fantasy Awards are administered annually by the British Fantasy Society and were first awarded in 1971. ... Sticks is a short story by horror fiction writer Karl Edward Wagner, first published in the March 1974 issue of Whispers. ... The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz was a 1984-85 stereo radio series produced by Thomas Lopez and the ZBS Foundation. ...

A connoisseur of rare horror gems, Wagner edited many horror and fantasy anthologies; perhaps his greatest achievement in this area was the annual anthology series The Year's Best Horror Stories (DAW Books), which he edited from volume VIII (1980) until volume XXII (1994). The series was cancelled after Wagner's death from tick fever aggravated by the effects of prolonged alcoholism. An anthology is a collection of literary works, originally of poems, but in recent years its usage has broadened to be applied to collections of short stories and comic strips. ... Categories: Stub ... Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ...

Bibliography

Collections

• In a Lonely Place (1983)
• Why Not You and I? (1987)
• Unthreatened by the Morning Light (chapbook) (1989)
• Exorcisms and Ecstasies (1997)

Novel

• Killer (written with David Drake) (1985)

David Drake (born September 24, 1945) is a successful author of science fiction and fantasy literature. ...

Kane

• Darkness Weaves (novel) (published in abridged and altered form 1970; restored text 1978)
• Death Angel's Shadow (collection) (1973)
• Bloodstone (novel) (1975)
• Dark Crusade (novel) (1976)
• Night Winds (collection) (1978)
• The Book of Kane (collection) (1985)

Robert E. Howard pastiches

• Legion from the Shadows (Bran Mak Morn novel) (1976)
• The Road of Kings (Conan novel) (1979)

External links

• Bibliography Summary