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Welcome to RichardPurtill.com
Fantasy&Fiction
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New
for 2012: Now for Kindle
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Philosophy to
Fantasy: Bellingham Philosophy Professor Turns Sci-fi Writer
Interview
by Michelle Nolan
Reprinted courtesy of
the BELLINGHAM HERALD, Bellingham, WA, 24 October, 2008
edition.
Bellingham
fantasy novelist Richard Purtill's eyes lit up when he was
handed what amounted to a pulp paper "time machine." When a
visitor
showed him a 1943 copy of Startling
Stories, he was 12 years old again for a few moments. "That's
it, the very
first science fiction story I ever read," he said with a grin.
"'Pirates of the Time Trail.'"
Q: Tell me about your writing career. A: I started by writing textbooks, with my first appearing in 1971. My first novel, The Golden Gryphon Feather, was published in 1979 as a paperback original in the long-running DAW science-fiction series. I've also written three books about Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I think I've done 10 textbooks and nine novels, making it 22 books in all. I've also published a few short stories. Q: Is it true that you don't type? A:
I just never
learned to type in high school. If I had known I would become an
author, I would have taken typing. I've always been able to get help
from people who can read my handwriting. I still write my novels that
way -- by hand.
Q: Why are your stories so influenced by Greek culture? A:
I've made 28 trips
to Greece. I've just been fascinated by all things Greek. In my novels,
the Greek gods really exist.
Q:
In your novel Murdercon
(1982), about murder at a
science-fiction convention, the protagonist is a female version of
yourself, right?
A:
I've always been
able to write from both the male and female points of view in my
novels. My stories are about one-half archaeology and one-half fantasy.
Q: Since science-fiction was a relatively unrespected branch of fiction when you started reading it, how did you get involved? A:
My dad brought
home that issue of Startling Stories
because he thought I would like it. I couldn't afford the 15-cent or
25-cent prices, so from that point on I haunted the used-book stores in
Chicago for science fiction magazines. I could get them for a nickel
apiece.
Q: How did you get into teaching philosophy? A: I'm interested in
logic, ethics and metaphysics, really pretty much all aspects of
philosophy. I would always be willing to teach courses that no one else
wanted to.
Q: Where were you educated? A: I obtained my
bachelor's, master's and doctorate from the University of Chicago. I
also spent a lot of time studying at UCLA. It was while I was there
that I saw an ad for professors placed by James Jarret, who was then
president of WWU. I came to Bellingham to teach in 1962, and I had
never seen the town. But I've loved it ever since.
copyright
2008, Michelle Nolan, reprinted by permission.
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adventure
awaits you in kaphtu
the kaphtu trilogy and the lost tales new to
kaphtu? you can start with
any book.
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"With a scholar's grasp of the period and its mythology, and an unerring eye for character, Richard Purtill brings a gripping reality. As real as today's news--and vastly more enjoyable." -F.M. Busby, author, The Demu Trilogy |
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the golden gryphon feather
Chryseis' adventures take her to the legendary isle of Kaphtu, where she enters an ancient world of Bull Leapers, gods and half-gods. "A magical patching together of
fact and myth and sorceries, until what comes clear is not of stone and
timbers, but the soul of the place...It's a book I wish I had written.
It has magic; there are gods and mortals, and the kind of golden haze
about it all which belongs to that age." -C.J. Cherryh
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the stolen goddess
Ducalion finds the road to Hades is paved with bad intentions when he must venture to the deathlands in search of a kidnapped goddess. "Purtill's tales of
ancient Crete bring myth to life with exciting action, colorful detail,
and magic. Don't miss
the Bull Leapers!" -Sara Stamey, author,
Islands.
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the mirror of helen The story of Helen of Troy is one of the greatest classics of all time....Here is Helen as a child, kidnapped and held hostage. Here is Helen as a woman, captive in an alien city, while the civilized world sought for her, fought for her. Told as by one who had seen the events, who knew her, who knew the gods who pulled the world's strings, this is a novel that brings it all back in the vivid reflections of the mirror of divine judgement. -Donald A. Wolheim, founder, DAW Books. "Good
writing, good story, good mythology."
The Green
Man Review-Rebecca Scott, |
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the gryphon seal Vicki Marsden, an orphan in Edwardian England, little dreams that she will encounter the eminent figures of the day: King Edward the Seventh, archeologist Arthur Evans, suffragette Christobel Pankhurst, and journalist G. K. Chesterton. But her adventures are just beginning, as she must travel through time to discover the secret of The Gryphon Seal. "Richard Purtill has
an ease about
his storytelling. His characters are instantly likeable, and the flow
of the action is swift. The Lost Tales are a wonderful re-immersion
into the soothing waters of Purtill's mythos."
-Baryon Reviews,
Baryon-online.com.
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the eleusinian gate Two women: one an Olympian goddess, one a mortal human being. Two quests. When their quests become one, they must work together to avert a titanic war. On the eve of battle, all roads lead to a mysterious nexus of worlds, the Eleusinian Gate. "These pages bring our gods and mythological creatures back to us." -Baryon-online.com |
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letter to nausicaa After the Trojan War came the perilous voyage home. Letter to Nausicaa takes up where the Kaphtu trilogy left off, as Odysseus begins his journey back to Ithaca in an adventure fraught with danger. "Richard Purtill is both a clear and commonsensical philosopher and an accomplished fantasy writer." -Peter Kreeft, author The Philosophy of Tolkien. |
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Other Books |
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| enchantment at Delphi "Purtill constructs a
vivid fantasy around his extensive knowledge of, and fascination with,
the ancient Greeks. Alice Grant is an independent college freshman
doing research at the ruins of Delphi. Drawn repeatedly into the past
by the gods Dionysus, Apollo and Athena, she eagerly helps them fight
the forces of the dark. Alice's freedom, her adventures in the country
whose customs we come to know something about, and her romance with the
young Greek Nikos give the story plenty of fascinating action. The
gods, too, and the various scenes in which they appear with her are
convincingly drawn." -Publishers'
Weekly.
"A
tightly woven story, combining elements of classical mythology with
classic contemporary fantasy and time travel fiction, plus a healthy
dose of romance." -Susan Harding, Mesquite North Branch Library, Tex.
Copyright
1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. |
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| Murdercon "Purtill penned three fantasy
novels drawn from his annual trips to Greece for philosophy conventions
and his love of and interest in Greek mythology. In this mystery, he
again reworked his experiences into novelistic form: in this case a
murder takes place at a fantasy convention. Reviewers of this book
(which only appeared in hardback) almost always seized on the con
atmosphere which, as anyone who has attended one knows, begs for
fictional treatment, but the strength of the book lies in Purtill's
philosopher heroine, Athena Pierce, and readers of Murdercon have long clamored for a
sequel." -Amazon review.
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