Carl Sherrell

{{Short description|American artist and writer (1929–1990)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox writer | birth_name = Carl Sherrell | birth_date = {{birth date|1929|5|10}} | birth_place = Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States | death_date = {{death date and age|1990|2|7|1929|5|10}} | death_place = Kansas City, Kansas, United States | occupation = Writer, artist | genre = fantasy, sci-fi, horror }}

'''Carl Sherrell''' (May 10, 1929 – February 7, 1990) was an American artist, illustrator and author of pulp fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. He is most famous for the sword and sorcery trilogy started with ''Raum''.

==Life and work== Sherrell was a commercial artist for most of his life, occasionally working as a pulp illustrator for publications such as ''Fantasy Newsletter'' or even esoterical non-fiction works such as Frater Albertus's ''From "One" to "Ten"''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Frater Albertus |date=1998 |title=Praxis Spagyrica Philosophica, or Plain and Honest Directions on How to Make the Stone & From One to Ten |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oWj8AwAAQBAJ |location= York Beach, ME|publisher=Weiser Books |isbn=9781609258214 |author-link= }}</ref>

Starting in 1979, Sherrell began a career as a novelist in which he would try several genres. His first and most successful attempt was ''Raum'', a sword and sorcery fantasy starring an eponymous anti-hero, the demon Raum, who after being summoned by a wizard into an alternate history medieval Britain causes considerable mayhem before encountering King Arthur, Merlin, Morgan le Fay and other characters of Arthurian Legend who will eventually teach him about life here and inspire him human values.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sherrell, Carl|url=http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=sherrell_carl|accessdate=February 1, 2018}}</ref>

Despite his first novel's cliffhanger ending, Sherrell would abandon the character and the genre to try a more high fantasy-oriented style in ''Arcane'', starring a fool in a world governed by the rules of tarot. It would be followed by the space opera ''The Space Prodigal'' (1981). The sequel to ''Raum'', ''Skraelings'', would appear in 1987. In it, Raum chases a Viking prince who has stolen his great love, Lady Vivienne, from Iceland to Greenland and up to North America (''skrælingjar'' is how Norse Greenlanders called Native Americans).

The horror novel ''The Curse'' (1989) would be his last to be published in the English language due to his untimely death in 1990. However, his manuscript of a third book in the Raum series was translated to Spanish and published in Spain in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tercerafundacion.net/biblioteca/ver/contenido/16884 |title=The Dark Tournament |author= |date=May 10, 2014 |website=Tercera Fundación |access-date=February 2, 2018 |language=es}}</ref> The first two novels were also translated to German and French.

==Bibliography== ===Novels=== ====Raum trilogy==== *''Raum'' (Avon, 1977) *''Skraelings'' (Ace, 1987; second entry in the ''Raum'' trilogy) * ''The Dark Tournament'' (appeared in Spanish as ''El torneo sombrío'', Ed. Anaya, unpublished in English, 1995)

====Standalone==== *''Arcane'' (Jove, 1978) *''The Space Prodigal'' (Dell, 1981) *''The Curse'' (Pageant Books, 1989)

==References== {{Reflist}}

===Sources=== * {{cite web|url=http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/sherrell_carl |title=Carl Sherrell |website=The Science Fiction Encyclopedia |author= |accessdate = February 2, 2018}} * {{cite web|url=http://www.bibliotheka-phantastika.de/2014/05/10/zum-50-geburtstag-von-pauline-j-alama-und-zum-85-geburtstag-von-carl-sherrell/ |title=Zum 50. Geburtstag von Pauline J. Alama und zum 85. Geburtstag von Carl Sherrell |author= |date=May 10, 2014 |website=Bibliotheka Phantastika |publisher= |access-date=February 1, 2018 |language=de}} * {{cite web|url=http://www.lupadelcuento.org/index.php/entidades/autor/id/SHERRELL%2C+CARL |title=Escritor: Sherrell, Carl|author= |website=Lupa del Cuento |publisher= |access-date=February 1, 2018 |language=es}}

==External links== * {{isfdb name|id=1542|name=Carl Sherrell}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherrell, Carl}} Category:1929 births Category:1990 deaths Category:American fantasy writers Category:American horror writers Category:American science fiction writers Category:Pulp fiction writers