Rating: 
Summary: Robert Howard's Conan is an American masterpiece.
Review: After reading and analyzing five of Howard's Conan series, it is apparent that the author is a master of English prose. His word choice is amazing, his syntax is rich and diverse, his knowledge of rhetoric is comparable to any of the great story tellers of the past. In addition, his ability to plot and to create fascinating settings puts him in the forefront of imaginative authors. To a reader who wants to be entertained artfully, there is no better work or author to be found -- anywhere or anytime.
Rating:
Summary: The Voice of a Cimmerian
Review: Besides Robert E. Howard's suicide at the age of 30, the greatest tragedy of this brutally talented writer is that his work has not enjoyed the literary praise and societal acceptance that it so clearly deserves. Howard is one of the most overlooked authors of the last century, in part due to academia's refusal to seriously study the Fantasy genre. Conan, Howard's greatest character, lives, prowls, "wenches", boozes, adventures, and cajoles among the paperback pages of this first Conan book, due entirely to Howard's distinct narrative voice.
The reader feels the flexing muscle and sinew, the weathered and tanned skin, the animal reflexes, the very strength in Conan's mercenary grip when they read these short stories - beyond Howard's brilliance at character creation, the very narrative voice is written in the tune of savage ruthlessness. No matter your sex, you can't help but boil with testosterone and reel in the wicked pleasure of cleaving cut-throats with a broadsword, because the simple and powerfully persuasive narrative voice places you in Conan's world. Howard's delicate and meticulous word choice not only provide the uniqueness of his voice - a style rich with texture, details, and cinematic imagery - but it also provides the barbarian lens by which we view his world.
The stories are often dripping with blood, but the imagery is so vivid and artistic it in no way diminishes the quality of the text. The knocked out teeth and the crimson sprays seem natural, because they're natural to Conan. Few authors have ever displayed such a profound ability at placing the reader into a character's blood, brain, and hormones. Conan, after all, is not the stereotypical Hollywood action hero - he is a character designed with his own unique combination of strength and flaws. Flaws found in all humanity. He may be built and wired like a Siberian tiger, but he is plagued with a deeply embedded fear of the supernatural. His temper often gets the better of him. When times are good and the riches spill from his saddlebags, he's a boastful braggart that earns the unforeseen whack at the end of a dark alley. When times are tough, he hits the goblet. He's everything we want to be and one of us when we need him to be.
Howard's voice and style make all of this possible. This first book in the Conan series displays that voice of reluctant role model as good as any other. Finding a copy may be difficult, but for the reader that enjoys Fantasy written at the depth and quality of literary genre fiction, the search and the expenditure will yield a bountiful harvest.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a perfect collection, but still a must-read.
Review: CONAN is the first of over a dozen "numbered" Conan volumes from Ace. Though this is the book that launched a thousand love affairs with the writing of Robert E. Howard, hardcore sword and sorcery fans often look askance at the material behind the striking Frazetta cover. The controversy begins with the authors' credited; CONAN is written by Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague De Camp and Lin Carter. Though Howard was originator of the Conan tales, he only receives sole credit for four of the eight pieces in the book, and even those four are edited, sometimes heavily, by his "co-authors." The other four stories are either posthumous collaborations, or outright pastiches.This doesn't mean that CONAN isn't a terrific read. It says a great deal about the strength of Howard's writing that it's still powerful even when passed through an editorial filter. The stories built on fragments and outlines left behind by Howard also possess some measure of his literary spirit. The Ace volumes are an attempt to organize the saga of the barbarian hero Conan's life into chronological order, filling in the gaps left after Howard's untimely death, and as such are a worthy endeavor, regardless of what the naysayers declare. CONAN begins with the first part of an excellent "historical" essay by Howard, "The Hyborian Age," in which he lays out in great detail the development of Conan's contemporary world, casting back thousands of years and working his way forward. Like J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft, who created meticulous pseudo-histories to fuel their imaginations, Howard created a foundation of the fantastic elements in his Conan stories. As a result, the world through which Conan moves - beginning with his escape from slavers in "The Thing in the Crypt," and followed by his first adventure as a self-taught thief in the classic short story, "The Tower of the Elephant" - seems as real as any true historical period. This goes a long way toward helping the reader understand why the Conan tales have endured. For those who only know the character of Conan through the Arnold Schwarzenegger film, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, the literary Conan may be something of a shock. Howard's Conan has none of the Nietzschean baggage of the filmic character, but is instead a rough-hewn warrior lad (Conan is not even twenty-one by the conclusion of CONAN) with a moral compass forged in the straightforward traditions of his Cimmerian kinsman. Conan acts as need or desire directs him, and though he can often be counted upon to do the right thing, he's also short-tempered, violent and downright bloodthirsty. Whether his enemies are noblemen, wizards or hideous creatures, Conan does what's best for Conan, and this frequently means blood will spill. Once again, the purists may discourage anyone from reading these altered versions of Howard's stories, but in truth only the most discerning eye will notice the shift from original and pastiche and back again. Rather, one's attention is squarely on the barbarian hero at the center of these lusty, combat-fueled adventures. Conan leaps to life from the printed page, no matter who put the words in place, and regardless of complaints, CONAN is still a great place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Not a perfect collection, but still a must-read.
Review: CONAN is the first of over a dozen "numbered" Conan volumes from Ace. Though this is the book that launched a thousand love affairs with the writing of Robert E. Howard, hardcore sword and sorcery fans often look askance at the material behind the striking Frazetta cover. The controversy begins with the authors' credited; CONAN is written by Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague De Camp and Lin Carter. Though Howard was originator of the Conan tales, he only receives sole credit for four of the eight pieces in the book, and even those four are edited, sometimes heavily, by his "co-authors." The other four stories are either posthumous collaborations, or outright pastiches. This doesn't mean that CONAN isn't a terrific read. It says a great deal about the strength of Howard's writing that it's still powerful even when passed through an editorial filter. The stories built on fragments and outlines left behind by Howard also possess some measure of his literary spirit. The Ace volumes are an attempt to organize the saga of the barbarian hero Conan's life into chronological order, filling in the gaps left after Howard's untimely death, and as such are a worthy endeavor, regardless of what the naysayers declare. CONAN begins with the first part of an excellent "historical" essay by Howard, "The Hyborian Age," in which he lays out in great detail the development of Conan's contemporary world, casting back thousands of years and working his way forward. Like J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft, who created meticulous pseudo-histories to fuel their imaginations, Howard created a foundation of the fantastic elements in his Conan stories. As a result, the world through which Conan moves - beginning with his escape from slavers in "The Thing in the Crypt," and followed by his first adventure as a self-taught thief in the classic short story, "The Tower of the Elephant" - seems as real as any true historical period. This goes a long way toward helping the reader understand why the Conan tales have endured. For those who only know the character of Conan through the Arnold Schwarzenegger film, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, the literary Conan may be something of a shock. Howard's Conan has none of the Nietzschean baggage of the filmic character, but is instead a rough-hewn warrior lad (Conan is not even twenty-one by the conclusion of CONAN) with a moral compass forged in the straightforward traditions of his Cimmerian kinsman. Conan acts as need or desire directs him, and though he can often be counted upon to do the right thing, he's also short-tempered, violent and downright bloodthirsty. Whether his enemies are noblemen, wizards or hideous creatures, Conan does what's best for Conan, and this frequently means blood will spill. Once again, the purists may discourage anyone from reading these altered versions of Howard's stories, but in truth only the most discerning eye will notice the shift from original and pastiche and back again. Rather, one's attention is squarely on the barbarian hero at the center of these lusty, combat-fueled adventures. Conan leaps to life from the printed page, no matter who put the words in place, and regardless of complaints, CONAN is still a great place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Conan, a runaway slave, is new to civilization
Review: Conan, a runaway slave, is new to civilization and has to turn to a life of crime. Ultimately, he becomes a pirate, a mercenary soldier in the various Hyborean kingdoms, and finally the king of Aquilonia, when he kills the depraved King Numedes. Conspirators plot to overthrow and kill him. He's taken prisoner twice and has to win back his throne from the usurper Valerius. On his wedding day, his bride's stolen by a Khitan wizard, and he searches the world for her. He tracks the wizard Thoth-Amon to his hideout in Sytgia, and defeats him. He visits Epimetreus the Sage for one last time and he tells him to abdicate in favor of his son, Prince Conn, and head out to stop the Red Shadows. That was his last adventure. Blair Colquhoun @cybertours.com
Rating:
Summary: BOUND ANTHOLOGY NEEDED
Review: Howard is a master story teller and his Conan series and extended series by Jordan, Lin, and others, are a testiment to Sword & Sorcery. He has few equals in this genre. I have been looking for years for a bound anthology of his early & mid-year Conan works but there are non to be found. Even most of the paper back versions are currently out of print. Possibly the PB's will not produce the revenue needed for a reprint, but I am willing to bet a comprehensive anthology would have a large following and would be a sure thing for the lucky publisher that took a chance on it.
Rating:
Summary: Cleave those Skulls!!!
Review: I have always loved Conan series. Robert E Howard is a true master of storytelling and adventure. He introduced me to sword and sorcery, and I have not found any better. I wish some publisher would rerelease these in a complete bound edition with the incredible Frazetta pictures as an insert. I don't have my dog eared editions from my youth anymore and I want to read them again.
Rating:
Summary: Conan needs reprinting
Review: I have always loved Conan series. Robert E Howard is a true master of storytelling and adventure. He introduced me to sword and sorcery, and I have not found any better. I wish some publisher would rerelease these in a complete bound edition with the incredible Frazetta pictures as an insert. I don't have my dog eared editions from my youth anymore and I want to read them again.
Rating:
Summary: i have the rest but not this one any more
Review: i read this series back when i was like 10. im now 21 and i havent found many other authors that could write such a compelling stories that cause you to finish them one after the another, until youve read all 16. i cant say enough about them and i wish i could find this one to replace the one i lost so long ago. the idea of somone taking it upon themselves and reissuing them is outstanding, and has my support.
Rating:
Summary: Cleave those Skulls!!!
Review: If you enjoy fast-paced, imaginative stories with skull after skull cloven like a ripe melon, then this series is for you.
|
