“The Terrible Old Man” is so totally a Dunsany pastiche: although it’s set in the real world (or Kingsport at least), it’s exactly in the style of Lord Dunsany’s “bad fates that befall thieves” stories, including “The Probable Adventure of the Three Literary Men,” “The Distressing Tale of Thangobrind the Jeweler,” and “The Bird of the Difficult Eye.” Gary Myers would go on to write several more stories in this style. I sometimes wonder what inspired Dunsany to start the formula, and whether he himself was pastiching some earlier, fairy-tale plot.

Also, there’s a new page of The Deadliest P.R. Guy in the World over at King of RPGs!