The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian: The Original Adventures of the Greatest Sword and Sorcery Hero of All Time! by Robert E. Howard Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian: The Original Adventures of the Greatest Sword and Sorcery Hero of All Time!
Book Review: A must have for fantasy fans
Summary: 5 Stars
I will not bore you with a lenghty review, considering that there are plenty of reviews for you to read. Suffice it to say that if you are a fan of fantasy and are wondering whether this is truely a 5 star book, then think no more an buy it, because it is 5 stars!
Book Review: AOC & Conan (also this book)
Summary: 5 Stars
always loved graphic novels,Savage sword,Red Sonja.the new Age of Conan MMO has rejuvenated me,I bought the game but haven't played it yet,first going back & learning about Conan & ofcorse R.E.Howard,when I was young it was more about just the superficial content?. just received my copy of Born on the Battlefield & WOW!,so happy to have re-discovered such amazing work.Book Review: An American genius, betrayed and finally resurrected!
Summary: 5 Stars
In the name of god, buy this edition of the Conan stories, and no other. Pay no attention to the fact that you can get a version of these stories cheaper in old paperbacks, because, believe me, I made that mistake myself. The effect of reading the paperbacks isn't half of the effect of reading the original versions of these stories, and in the correct order. And the illustrations in these trade papers aren't bad, either.
The depths of de Camp's betrayal of the works of Robert E. Howard are obvious at last. It takes a great deal of arrogance to think that one can "improve" the works of another artist, let alone one whose talent level is ten notches above your own. What were that two-bit hack and his publishers thinking? Surely Crom is tormenting their souls even as we speak...or at least we can hope.
Howard's supposed "flaws" are, in fact, some of his greatest strengths; they are part of his philosophy, which is a limited but a very true one. His storytelling skills, while on occasion conforming a bit too much to the commerical necessities of the pulps for which he was writing, are as good as anyone's, anywhere, ever. While at times his work is a little rushed (he was doing this for a living, after all), at his best he is extraordinary. He is always compulsively readable, with a breathtaking rhythm to his words, but at the same time he possesses a real poetic flair, as well as an almost unique ability to create very powerful atmospheres and solid characterizations seemingly effortlessly, with a minimum of suggestion. I do not overstate the case. Raymond Chandler wasn't appreciated for a long time, either. And when he was "on", which is ninety percent of the time, Howard was every bit as good at what he did as Chandler was in his arena.
Indeed, Howard's talent level must have been truly prodigious, considering he was doing this stuff in his twenties! In that sense he is the Mozart of fantasy writers, but in tone he is certainly the Richard Wagner. Don't let little minds and today's limp-wristed, egalitarian pop culture tell you what is good or bad or form your opinions of the Conan stories.
I mean, seriously: Lay me odds that anybody will be reading Thomas Pynchon or John Updike or that kind of thing a century from now, against odds they'll be reading Conan. I'll take that bet anytime. After all, Howard possesses two very important features that writers of that ilk lack completely, and in Howard's case they're made of brass, as well...
Book Review: Arrived on time.
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this for my brother for Christmas, since that's what he wanted. I dunno if he liked it or not, but it arrived on time and in perfect condition, and the price was good.Book Review: At LAST! Pure REH!
Summary: 5 Stars
At last a volume of Conan tales untainted by overlording editors and PC sensitivity. For pulp realism and ripping ytarns, these are great. TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT and DEVIL IN IRON...so many good ones here, plus outlines and extras....a great read!