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Post by MDG on Aug 2, 2016 10:20:49 GMT -5
I don't recall if I ever read any of the Conan novels--a couple short pieces. But, try as I might, I couldn't get into the whole barbarian thing of the early 70s, though it was all over conventions and fanzines.
I did pick up a collection of Solomon Kane stories (with a Jeff Jones cover) that I enjoyed, as well as a collection of REH stories in other genres. And I've been buying some of those 99-cent kindle megapacks of pulp stories, and read the REH stories in the "occult detective" set. They tend to be better than most.
I will say this: Pigeons from Hell is one of the creepiest stories I ever read.
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Post by berkley on Aug 2, 2016 16:12:23 GMT -5
My experience was very similar to several others here, first encountering REH characters like Conan and Kull in the pages of Marvel Comics, then in paperback anthologies. Specifically, in my case: Conan the Barbarian #2  Kull the Conqueror #1  |
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Post by berkley on Aug 2, 2016 16:19:16 GMT -5
and these books, among others:  (the Sphere paperback on the right with the black background)   |
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Post by Red Oak Kid on Aug 2, 2016 16:30:34 GMT -5
I always thought Dark Valley Destiny was the definitive bio of Howard. Is there a better one?
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 2, 2016 19:12:50 GMT -5
I always thought Dark Valley Destiny was the definitive bio of Howard. Is there a better one? Oh, yes. Post oaks and sand roughs is an almost autobiographical book by Howard himself, so it's worth tracking if only to see how the man saw himself. It's alas pretty rare. One who walked alone, by Novalyne Price, is a memoir by Howard's only known girlfriend. She doesn't indulge in De Camp's amateurish psychoanalysis. Blood and thunder : the life and art of Robert E. Howard, by Mark Finn, is the best I've read to date. It emphasizes the impact Howard's environment (Texas in the 1920s and 30s) had on his writing. The REH foundation also has a nice short bio of Howard. |
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Post by foxley on Aug 2, 2016 19:45:19 GMT -5
My first exposure to REH was a reprint of "The Song of Red Sonja" from Conan the Barbarian #24 that appeared as back-up story in a hardcover Avengers annual from the UK. Truly glorious.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2016 22:29:15 GMT -5
 Kinda short on the bio part, but if you want to get a feel for the range of Howard's work, this is a great place to start. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2016 22:52:24 GMT -5
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Post by Prince Hal on Aug 3, 2016 10:15:42 GMT -5
Love this collection, which includes a story adapted for part of the Tarim saga ("Shadow of the Vulture")  (you know what's in that box, right?)  |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 3, 2016 10:55:45 GMT -5
Spices (among other things)!
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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 3, 2016 10:57:58 GMT -5
For those of you who haven't read these editions, I highly recommend them. Even if you've read most of the old paperbacks, these books are 100% Howard with some stories being restored from drafts by Howard scholars.  |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Aug 3, 2016 11:13:06 GMT -5
It's a very good thing that the modifications of Howard's original are now relegated to the dustbins of history. There was just no ground to mess with another writer's work the way De Camp did.
Apart from making a quick buck, that is, and appropriating the Howard legacy.
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Post by brutalis on Aug 3, 2016 11:14:37 GMT -5
For those of you who haven't read these additions, I highly recommend them. Even if you've read most of the old paperbacks, these books are 100% Howard with some stories being restored from drafts by Howard scholars. 100% agree. I have all of these, plus The Solomon Kane, Kull and BranMak Morn. all are superb editions and very enjoyable! |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 3, 2016 11:38:05 GMT -5
It's a very good thing that the modifications of Howard's original are now relegated to the dustbins of history. There was just no ground to mess with another writer's work the way De Camp did. Apart from making a quick buck, that is, and appropriating the Howard legacy. Totally agree. I'm glad that the editors and scholars righted that wrong. Pastiches in general are just unappealing to me. It's one thing when Hollywood mucks with a creators vision, but there is just something so fundamentally wrong with another writer doing that to another writers work. |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 3, 2016 11:42:12 GMT -5
For those of you who haven't read these additions, I highly recommend them. Even if you've read most of the old paperbacks, these books are 100% Howard with some stories being restored from drafts by Howard scholars. 100% agree. I have all of these, plus The Solomon Kane, Kull and BranMak Morn. all are superb editions and very enjoyable! The only ones I don't have are the El Borak and horror collections. My only quibble with the best of volumes is that they repeat stories from Conan and Solomon Kane. I get why they did that, for casual readers, but for someone who followed the series...I just made little asterisks by the stories that I've already read in the previous volumes. |
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