Some notes on Crime and Punishment

I just finished Crime and Punishment (Bantam Books 1958 edition, translated by Constance Garnett), and its story of Raskolnikov, an idealistic, poverty-stricken young man wracked with guilt after murdering a pawnbroker for what he believes to be a justified, if selfish, cause.

Here’s a few impressions/notes.

***

Among its lessons: Mere theory cannot survive life, and we cannot live by philosophy alone. 

Utilitarianism (permitting acts however terrible if they lead to a greater good, under the rubric that ends justify the means) is seductive but pernicious; placing one’s own ego at the center of your existence (I’m more important/smarter/ideologically pure than my fellow man, and therefore my actions justified) is an error. Our attempts to try to implement constructed, top-down, logically sound societies like communism fail because they cannot account for human irrationality. Humans will be filed off to fit, or marched to the pit for the greater good.

People who set out to be Napoleon and stop at nothing to achieve greatness are not to be admired. When you view those who don’t share your grand visions as lice or vermin, you’ve erred.

We are romantic and irrational creatures; ignore human nature at your peril. It will push up through your theory and crack its very foundations.

Nihilism is seductive but ultimately an error. Life has incredible riches to offer, but we must surrender to it. Commit to this life, and to a higher power. Which even if you don’t believe in God means you must surrender to something beyond you. To love, of another being. To seeing another person for who they are, not as a means to an end.

When you turn the last page on this book you will be shaken … and uplifted. The suffering of the protagonist and his agonizing path to confession is like the interminable wait of the condemned man of Iron Maiden’s “Hallowed be thy Name.” It’s a story of claustrophobia and suffering but with great relief only expiation can bring, and the beginnings of renewal.

Crime and Punishment is a reminder that redemption is possible, even from the most grievous of sins. 

We’ve all made terrible mistakes. I am sorry to those against whom I’ve sinned or been unjust. I accept the unjustness inflicted on me. Through suffering we can reach higher levels of consciousness.

***

I read outside of fantasy and this book gets added to my list of recent recommendations. But you certainly don’t need me to tell you to read what is acknowledged as one of the greatest novels of all time.

The super, super-secret history of sword-and-sorcery is hidden in plain sight

The super, super- secret history of sword-and-sorcery is that there isn’t a secret at all.

Sword-and-sorcery, like all genres, was created with a series of small steps and missteps, right in public view.

It wasn’t heralded in 1929 with "The Shadow Kingdom" like Athena from the head of Zeus. It wasn’t conjured into being in 1961 in the pages of Amra/Ancalagon. It wasn’t animated with L. Sprague de Camp’s Swords & Sorcery anthology, or Lin Carter’s Flashing Swords.

It was assembled, slowly, over decades. 

When I say in public, there is something interesting about the subgenre, hidden right in plain view.

More than any other genre of which I’m aware, sword-and-sorcery is defined by a visual aesthetic as much as literary. Art, particularly the work of Frank Frazetta, helped to define what we think of it today. In fact, if you want the easiest way to define S&S to someone brand-new to the genre, your best bet might be showing them a picture of Death Dealer or Conan the Adventurer. Its fans love the comics for a reason. The art of sword-and-sorcery takes a backseat to no other genre, save perhaps horror.

The term “sword-and-sorcery” was coined in the 60s, but the real work began in the 70s/80s/90s/00s, when fans began sifting through piles of pop culture detritus. Zebra paperbacks, Warren magazines, pinball machines, van art, RPGs, cartoons, and music. 

It was kicked around in genre histories, specialty journals, websites, forums, YouTube videos and podcasts. 

And eventually given form, of a sort.

Sword-and-sorcery is malleable and its boundaries, permeable. That doesn’t make it not a thing; that makes it an amorphous thing (or Thog). Just like every other genre. Even older, seemingly more defined and mined genres like horror or mystery begin to lose shape and fall apart or morph once you begin to probe at them too much. 

Try to categorize Cormac McCarthy’s The Road or Stephen King’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon … I dare you.

The term sword-and-sorcery is a helpful signpost pointing not to a destination, but a vicinity. 

This is OK, really. Sometimes there are no easy answers—or any answers at all. We all like a good internet debate/fight once in a while, but in the end (as Kurt Vonnegut once said) we’re putting on armor to attack a hot fudge sundae or banana split. Be wary of those who shout the loudest.

Uncertainty and permeable borders are OK. This is art, not engineering. I think this uncertainty is feature, not a bug. It helps the genre grow and remain vital. Borders give form and structure, no borders is shapeless void. But malleable borders give form and structure while leaving room for expansion. 

This is the healthiest type of genre. It keeps the conversation going instead of closing it off.

And I think sword-and-sorcery is healthier now than it has been in a long time. Just as sword-and-sorcery was growing in new directions in the 60s and 70s it continues to grow today. Verses and chapters continue to be added, edge cases debated. 

Secretly, right in public.

If you want more of my musings on the genre see here.

"Mountains," Manowar. RIP Ross the Boss

RIP Ross the Boss/Ross Friedman, co-founder and ex-guitarist of the mighty Manowar. Ross played on Manowar's classic first six albums, Battle Hymns through Kings of Metal.

The news hit today that he has passed into Valhalla, age 72. He was diagnosed with ALS last month.

In honor of his mighty legacy, "Mountains," from Sign of the Hammer.

The lyrics for this one are particularly on point.

Like a man is a mountainside

Greatness waits for those who try

None can teach you, it's all inside

Just climb

I am in the ground, I am in the air

I am all, I live in the hearts of men

I am the call to greatness, not all can hear

I awaken the creator in those who dare

And the day will come when we all must die

And enter the mountainside

Ross climbed the mountain and experienced life at its very peak.

He is where eagles fly, and will live on in the hearts of men.

The votes have been cast. The 1000th post shall be...

And the 1000th post on The Silver Key shall be (actually the 1001st, as this post is technically no. 1000):

The Super, Super-Secret History of Sword-and-Sorcery

By a landslide. Here’s the voting by percentage.

The super, super-secret history of sword-and-sorcery:     60%

What I’ve learned after 1,000 posts:             17%

Another unhinged rant against grunge:             7%

A return guest post by Scott:                     7%

Something about Iron Maiden:             7%

Other:                     3%

An overdue farewell and then delete the blog:     0% (I live another day)

Given how most find their way here this is no surprise. Readers of this blog like S&S. Good thing I do too.

Sorry Scott, you’ll have to wait the full 16 years for the next guest post. And I’ve probably said plenty about Iron Maiden and grunge. For now…

Only one “other” vote” was a surprise, but it led to a pretty good suggestion: Thoughts on what you consider the best yet most obscure S&S film - can be animated or live action.

The other mild surprise was receiving more votes for “what I’ve learned after 1,000 posts” than anticipated. I think I will tackle that topic, and the “other” suggestion, after writing the super, super-secret history of sword-and-sorcery. 

The only problem is, there isn’t one, and I was being a bit cheeky with that option… but hey there’s always more to say about S&S. I’m a man of my word.

This is my 999th post on The Silver Key …

What should I write about for post number 1000?

To make it more fun I’ve added a poll. Click here to take it. Screenshot at right so you can see what options you have to choose from. But your original ideas are welcome below ... the weirder the better.

I’ll try to accommodate the top request.

Deathstalker 2025: Unfortunately not my cuppa

One of the best and certainly the most fun podcasts I’ve ever been a part of is a Rogues in the House episode in which we tackle Deathstalker 2. If the first Deathstalker (1983) is rather trash I unabashedly love its 1987 sequel, and we laughed as the microphones started rolling and never stopped.

When I heard the Deathstalker franchise was being revived for a 2025 release, I was in.

This film should have landed squarely with me, its target audience. It did not, sadly. I don’t consider it a bust, just off the mark, it pains me to say. Mildly entertaining when I was hoping for another Deathstalker 2 or perhaps another Army of Darkness. The Dreadites-- blood-red, spiky, skeletal warriors serving the evil sorcerer Nekromemnon—echo the Deadites of the latter film, but Deathstalker isn’t close to Army of Darkness or Evil Dead 2 for comedic value. 

In the end I think Deathstalker fails because it lacks a comedic lead to pull it off. Daniel Bernhardt is very serviceable, certainly better than a lot of the thuddingly poor S&S leads of the 80s, but he’s not believable in the role of humorous hero, and not a John Terlesky or a Bruce Campbell.

So Deathstalker 2025 is in the end a semi-serious, semi-slapstick blend. If it doesn’t fail at both it doesn’t succeed at either, creating an uneven viewing experience—never rousing, never laugh out loud funny.

It’s far from the worst film I’ve seen. Entertaining in places, certainly better than a lot of the 80s S&S schlock I’ve watched over the years. It’s heart was in the right place… but I should have enjoyed this more than I did. It was not as good as I hoped. But of course YMMV.

What I did like:

• The genre self-awareness. A dude unironically named Deathstalker doesn’t belong in a  serious film. Deathstalker 2025 is entirely tongue-in-cheek which is refreshing. I mean, it has a four-bladed sword, because it just had to beat The Sword and the Sorcerer’s three-bladed sword.
• The real props. No AI slop or clunky CGI, mostly what appears to be physical props and rubber suits and masks. Loved this aspect of the film.
• Old school practical special effects including stop motion skeletons like something out of the old Sinbad movies. Clunky but charming and it adds to the overall 80s vibe.
• The ridiculous bloodshed. Buckets of blood, heads split in half, limbs lopped off. Fun.
• Callbacks to the original. The use of the original theme song, the melodrama, the cheesy entrances, are all there.
• The soundtrack. As I note repeatedly heavy metal and S&S are bedfellows and there is some solid metal backing here including guitar solos from GNR’s Slash.

What I didn’t like

• Jokes that largely fell flat. As noted it felt like it wanted to be Deathstalker 2 but it didn’t come close. Clunky and cheesy humor, nothing memorable.
• An irritating sidekick. Doodad (that is its name) is a friendly impish spellcasting demon-thing that looks like an extra out of Tom Cruise’s Legend. He largely stands around shouting from the sidelines or gets carried around on Deathstalker’s back from place to place, and his incompetence evokes echoes of Malek, though mercifully not as annoying.
• No nudity. Strangely and incongruously conservative in this regard. S&S is a subgenre that isn’t afraid to show a little skin but you won’t find any in Deathstalker 2025.
• Too epic in feel. It has grit and the action never stops, but the ubiquitous magic swords and demons and amulets and healing rocks, main characters dying and brought back to life, destinies fulfilled and never-ending reigns of darkness averted, etc. don’t feel very S&S to me. The plot itself is clunky and rather needlessly convoluted.
• The acting is not particularly great. I did not expect a whole here and it was fine, workmanlike, but many of the lines were rushed or delivered flat.

TL;DR

Deathstalker 2025 has its charms and is probably something hardcore S&S fans and genre completionists will seek out regardless. Many seem to like it. There are certainly worse ways to pass a Saturday afternoon. For me it was a disappointing “meh” and a missed opportunity. 

The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune, Arkham Witch

There comes, even to kings, the time of great weariness. Then the gold of the throne is brass, the silk of the palace becomes drab. The gems in the diadem and upon the fingers of the women sparkle drearily like the ice of the white seas; the speech of men is as the empty rattle of a jester’s bell and the feel comes of things unreal; even the sun is copper in the sky and the breath of the green ocean is no longer fresh.

–Robert E. Howard, "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune”

I love that quote (who doesn't?) from Robert E. Howard's Kull ... and I really dig this obscure but fun metal take from Arkham Witch.

Not exactly an artistic marvel of a song as the main riff overindulges in repetition ... but damn if I don't love it anyway. Great groove, gets the head banging. A boozy, dreamy, loose vibe to the whole thing that pairs well with the original hallucinogenic tale and its examination of philosophical questions regarding reality, identity, and existence.

Am I Kull?

This awesome little band wears its Weird Tales influences proudly. With songs like "The Lord of R'lyeh," "Dagon's Bell," "Crom's Mountain," and "Kult of Kutulu" you know what you're getting here. 

Are these guys still a band? Last album, Demos from the Deep, seems to be from 2014 but let's hope so.

Happy Metal Friday.

What the phantom that stands before

A formless substance I claim no more

O shadowed soul, O ghost of me

I repent this philosophy

Am I Kull? Or his reflection dim

A shadow cast of that distant king

A strange whim of lesser form

A far flung dream on moonbeams born