NICHOLAS COURTNEY 1929 - 2011

Recent news reports the death of the actor Nicholas Courtney, probably best known to genre fans for his portrayal of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in Dr Who.

A regular in the series during the 1970's and 1980's he also made appearances in such fantasy television shows as The Avengers, The Champions and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) as well as playing many other roles in a variety of television, radio and film.

The very epitome of the unflappable English officer, his portrayal of The Brigadier was, for me, one of the highlights of the Jon Pertwee years and I still shudder ever so slightly whenever I pass a shop window filled with mannequins, half expecting them to come to life a la the Autons.

WITH MANY SHADES UPDATED

For those of you who are interested in such things, I've just updated by other blog, With Many Shades. The updates include new issues of Beneath Ceaseless Skies, The Absent Willow Review, Ray Gun Revival, EDF & Daily Science Fiction.

http://withmanyshades.blogspot.com/

The Unsinkable HPL

News of a new online zine of Lovecraftian fiction - The Lovecraft Ezine.

Issue one is currently available online and features new fiction from Bruce L. Priddy, William Meikle, John Prescott and Bruce Durham.

With both this and the excellent Innsmouth Free Press (new issue available soon), it seems that the influence of H.P Lovecraft and appetite for Mythos fiction is continuing on apace. From pulpster to literary giant... not bad going.

As HPL himself wrote: “That is not dead which can eternal lie, yet with stranger aeons, even Death may die.”

You can find out more about The Lovecraft Ezine here http://lovecraftzine.wordpress.com/ and Innsmouth Free Press here: http://www.innsmouthfreepress.com/