Entropic State Report 15th February 2025

Bradford remains chiily and wet this February but all the more reason to muse upon interesting readings and rustle up more stupid names for ships for my Let’s Play Fucking D&D game (latest, Dish of Ploons).

I’ve also just managed to get another episode largely in the can as my mate John came back to look at another Trevor Hoyle B7 novelisation. One of the wonderful things about podcasting, other than yakking with like minds about how amazing Avon is, is the odd things that crop up.

On this occasion, Big Ron Tarr.

RIP Big Ron.

Big Ron Tarr (1936 – 1997)

Also awaiting editing, our first look at Luther Arkwright in the company of Tom Murphy and Bryan Talbot himself. We had a lovely conversation with Bryan last week about Arkwright, his work on Nemesis the Warlock and more, and it looks like it will be just the first of two or maybe even three appearances for the legendary author and artist over the coming year as we continue the journey through his work, including the further Luther stories but also Alice in Sunderland and Grandville. What a brilliant bloke.

We have a few other things lined up too of course, with Andy Derby returning to look at another of Mike’s 60s SF offerings, more Runestaff with Dave, the debut of some Jack Vance action on the podcast along with an all-new co-host and, for the first time, an Easter Special?!

No prizes for guessing what that is likely to be… But it’s probably high time we got to it.

And that’s before we’ve even had the chance to plan in a long requested bit of Zelazny (it’s coming Steve) and a look at the greatest Rock film ever made (and its novelisation).

I also heard from Ralph Lovegrove a day or two ago, and he’s revising his StormHack rules so we may have a chat about them at some point soon too. Those of you who’ve been around for the long haul will remember Ralph from an early RPG episode back in 2021.

If you missed it, I also appeared that year on Ralph’s Fictoplasm podcast talking about Roadside Picnic. Fictoplasm has been on a hiatus for a while but I hope it comes back soon.

I wish there were more hours in the day, there are so many more things I’d like to look at. That said, it looks like there may be redundancies on the horizon in the day job, so… who knows… I might have some time on my hands to do more fun things for a while?

Whilst being catapluted out of work again would be a pain in the arse on many levels, it’s not like I didn’t enjoy a few months watching Judge Judy in my pants last time round, so I’ll always look at the positives.

Besides, I need to finish The Journal of Gerard Arthur Connelly vol 3 and maybe even write vol 4. I’ve also have some other things gestating with Ian aka @biomassart for fucking yonks and it would be really nice to follow through.

Plus, AMBER, ROOFTOPCON, THE MOTE IN GOD’S EYE, VERMILLION SANDS, VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS, NEW WORLDS, JOHN BRUNNER, SHITLOADS MORE MOORCOCK…

Uuuuuurgh…

We’ll see.

Entropic Dice Report – Games and Grog

For the first time in several years I recently managed to make it to one of the UK’s premier RPG gatherings, GROGMEET, a joyous celebration of roleplaying games hosted by Dirk of The Grognard Files. And this time… I TOOK PHIL… so we decided, ‘what the fluff!’ and recorded our reflections on a cracking weekend and, into the bargain, I also gamed with Stormbringer RPG fan and GM Andrew Beck so I roped him in to reflect on gaming, whether Newcastle Brown is really beer and some other stuff. Mostly gaming though.

Join us!

That re-bound Stormbringer RPG we talked about, put together from a knackered GW 3rd edition:

Complete with misaligned spine text…

 But that binding will outlast me.

The Coming of the Terraphiles Part Three

It’s 2025, but we’re tying up some 2024 business with Miles and finally rampaging to the potentially multiverse-shattering conclusion of Moorcock’s Doctor Who novel The Coming of the Terraphiles.

They came. They went. The hat mystery was solved and the multiverse saved, and we still don’t really get what went down.

But HATS!

Entropic State Report 7th January 2025

Welcome friends… to 2025!

The festive period here at Derry & Toms (Bradford branch) has been a funny one, punctuated by hospital visits to the awd fella, lifted in the middle by a boozy visit from Loz (see Episode 101), and then run down to a gooey conclusion by a heroic dose of lurgy that Phil and I are still trying to shake off. But that has given us ample opportunities to sit in a heap and catch up on some movies, not least of which was The Keep. I first came across this oddity in the mid-80s as a video rental and was instantly captivated by its unique style and atmosphere. I read the novel a few years later and was largely disappointed by it, but have come to appreciate it on its own terms on subsequent re-reads over the years (in fact I’m just in the middle of it once again).

The film has remained a staple part of my top 10 all time loves though, so imagine how delighted I was that, despite never even having had a blu ray release and not even adecent DVD release outside of Australia, it got released in a gorgeous 4k UHD format by Vinegar Syndrome last month.

Bonzer!

It’s probably inevitable now that we will cover it at some point in 2025 because it fits right into that 80s sweet spot where the core of my love of genre fiction was formed.

I’ve also had the chance to take a look at some of the groovy presents I got and in terms of podcast fodder, this brace sits atop the pile:

My old bud Yarky knows what makes me tick, and both of these items tie nicely into a conversation I had a while back with Dave about potentially looking at a bit more Conan but, rather than covering more RE Howard, taking a look at some of the inferior but still of value L Sprague de Camp stories including the novelisation of the John Milius film. That Sphere edition of Conan the Freebooter is a nice replacement for the one I got from Pops back in the day, now long lost to time and incident.

And the Subotai figure is fucking cool too.

These are ideas for the coming year, but what do we have in store in terms of firm itinerary?

First up for 2025 will be the conclusion of some 2024 activity as we conclude our Doctor Who reportage with The Coming of the Terraphiles Part Three.

We’ll be headed back to the Tragic Millennium to pick up the efforts of Hawkmoon and D’Averc to finally defeat the evil empire of Granbretan…

After a couple of years mulling it over, we’re going Moorcock adjacent with the adventures of Luther Arkwright…

And then we’re going back to the 60s MM SF well with The Shores of Death…

And that’s just for starters.

So stay safe, keep warm and continue to tune in pards!

EPISODE 101

We’re back for our last show of 2024 and it’s dropping in that weird ‘between time’ when I’m sick of festive food and just craving a tin of beans, but also wondering how much Yorkshire pud I can fit on my plate when my NYE appetite returns. And because Episode 101 has emerged through a haze of mince pies and sherry and our 18th viewing of Krampus, it’s a lazy, boozy one that features a hastily conceived, tenuous theme.

It also goes on for about three days.

JOIN US!

The Book Lovers – a conversation with Steve Aylett

Steve Aylett, Moorcock’s favourite modern absurdist and one-man genre, drops by Derry and Toms to talk about his work, satire and his latest novel The Book Lovers (available Dec 2nd 2024).

This was a real treat for me as I’ve been a fan of Steve’s since happening across Lint in a King’s Cross bookshop nearly 20 years ago. Since then he’s continued to amuse and alarm with a whole range of writings and claims.

In his own words:

“My writing has been described as dreampunk, slipstream, bizarro, cyberpunk, new weird.  I call it satire.  I’m an aspie, a synaesthete and, despite all I’ve done, miraculously invisible.  I love books. I’m very interested in permaculture, perennial veg and ecobuilds. I’m tall and resemble some sort of hen.” 

Warhounds and Witch Hammers (MM & RPGs VIII maybe?)

For this almost-delve into Moorcock’s dark and inspired quest fantasy The Warhound and the World’s Pain, I’m joined by author, playwright and Games Master David Griffiths. Inevitably, we ended up going down various routes in a wide-ranging conversation including Target Books (again), Moorcock and other inspirations, roleplaying games and, eventually, The Warhound and the World’s Pain, which is getting a fresh coat of paint thanks to Joe Monti and Saga Press and their brand-new hardcover Von Bek collection (releasing in December). We will follow up on this in the next few weeks with a deeper delve.

We also discuss Dave’s latest play, inspired by the events that led an under-sexed weirdo to produce the infamous Malleus Maleficarum, The Hammer and Helena.

This is the latest of Dave’s plays to be staged by Arts Groupie, a Liverpool-based Community Interest Company. Check out their website for more details, including Dave’s take on the Dickens classic ghost story, The Signalman.