Bøger af Todd H. C. Fischer

The word "family" these days is almost invariably preceded by "dysfunctional." So it takes courage to write a novel about decent people who love each other. Rings, by Todd Fischer, is such a book. The overused "heartwarming" has to give way here to the more accurate "heartfelt." Author Ben Desmond is bent on solving one of those small mysteries that loom large in family lore. In this case, he wants to find out why his grandfather gave his grandmother a gold watch instead of a gold wedding ring. On a deeper level, he wants to connect with his dead father and his all-but-estranged brother Eric. Solving the mystery sends Ben, his wife Beth and Eric on a journey through space and time to winkle clues out of graveyard inscriptions, old photographs, yellowing letters and the fragile reminiscences of aging witnesses. Though an Author's Note reveals the story's roots in reality, it would not be a Todd Fischer book without a generous helping of gothic: a ghost who appears caked in the dirt of his grave and a barrier between past and present that proves more permeable than a lace curtain. Written in the tradition of Ray Bradbury, Rings warms and chills its reader in equal measure, then gets them safely home. K. D. MILLER, author of ALL SAINTS

From the works of the troubadours and trouvères of the 14th-century to those of the skalds and scops of the 6th, poetry has been written in Europe for a very long time. Within this volume Todd H. C. Fischer has gathered information on different poetic genres, forms and devices used across Europe during the early, medieval and Renaissance time periods. You may have heard of roundelays, madrigals, ballads, and-of course-sonnets in high school English class, but have you heard of hrynhent, leich, letrilla and zéjel? Mr. Fischer (who holds a double honours BA in English and Creative Writing) has made the study of medieval poetry a passion. He has scoured hundreds of volumes on medieval literature to here gather together information ranging from Anglo-Saxon versification to the obscure fatras of France. Most entries are illustrated by period examples, quoting works by Dante, Shakespeare, Marie de France, Raimbaut of Orange, and many others. Indices at the end of the volume allow easy cross referencing of entries by location and time period. Students of literature, lovers of poetry, and medieval re-creationists alike will find this volume essential.

In 2016, the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) celebrated its 50th anniversary. This medieval reenactment group has grown from a backyard party held in the 1960s to a worldwide club with tens of thousands of members. To mark this occasion, Todd H. C. Fischer (known in the SCA as the Honourable Laird Colyne Stewart) vowed to write fifty poems in the year leading up to the anniversary. Collected in this volume are all fifty of those poems, including footnotes and, when applicable, details about the medieval genres and/or forms the poems were written in. From skaldic verse of the Vikings, to the lieds of the Minniesingers, Colyne has herein captured several aspects of life within the SCA in as period a fashion as possible.

Within the Society for Creative Anachronism, Duke Nigel MacFarlane, KSCA, has reigned as king twice in the Kingdom of Ealdormere and has been a knight for over a decade. Originally from the Middle Kingdom he now dwells in the northlands with his lady, Duchess Adrielle Kerrec, OP, OL, surrounded by their household of Arrochar. In this volume, Sir Nigel expounds on the nature of chivalry, with his words on the subject being transcribed by his squire, TH Laird Colyne Stewart (also known as Todd H. C. Fischer). Within you can read his thoughts on the virtues, pilgramages, the taking of dependents, and more.