Robert E Howard - Conan and Friends!

[Pedro Del Mar]

Hi all,

I've just picked up two "tomes"!!

The Complete Chronicles of Conan
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0575077662/?tag=brite-21

Conan's Brethren: The Complete Collection
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0575089873/?tag=brite-21

I have to say I'm really looking forward to reading both these collections. They're both huge volumes so should take me quite some time to get through them but the reviews seem to be excellent and I think it will be interesting to read some classic Sci-Fi/Fantasy fiction.

Anyone yet had the pleasure and what did you think?

Cheers
Crooksy

 

[GOLLUM]

Yep.

You will find quite a few who have read Howard's work here including Conan and are definitely fans!

I know both of those books and they provide a reasonable introduction to Howard's S&S (I'm using that very loosely here) ouevre. The books published by Del Rey (not your publisher who is also good) are to my way of thinking beautiful productions of a lot of Howard's work if you want to pursue things further.

I wrote a biography on Howard at one stage here and detailed notes on various editions/variations over the years. Basically the most comprehensive and 'true' Conan collection is from Wandering Star but they are very expensive and likely out of print now.

I have to skedaddle but there will be heaps of people who can reply to this thread.

Hope you enjoy.

Cheers.

 

[Fried Egg]

I own a copy of "The Complete Chronicles of Conan" which I haven't read through yet although I've read most of the stories in other collections in the past. Generally these stories are all excellent. Howard was one of the best action writers around.

I notice the other collection contains many of the Solomon Kane stores which are also very good indeed. I've not read most of the other stories in the book but I'm sure they're undoubtedly of a similar high standard.

Have you read any Robert Howard before?

 

[Pedro Del Mar]

Thanks for the recommendations chaps. Making me anticipate reading these even more.

No Freid Egg, completely new to Howard's work. Just going on recommendation and the type of fiction I'm interested in

 

[Connavar]

Howard is one of the best adventure,fantasy,horror,historical writers i have read. He is a big favourite of mine.

I have read most of Conan stories but i also like reading Kane,Bran Mak Morn,Borak and most of his other series.

Start with Conan but dont stop there if you like his stories. He is much more than Conan.

 

[Bugg]

I've been looking at that Complete Chronicles on and off for a while and still haven't taken the plunge, mainly because I was torn between that and the version(s) available on the Kindle (there's a 'complete' Kindle version available on Amazon.co.uk for £2.14). Is there any artwork (or maps) in the book that would make it advantageous to have the hardback rather than the ebook?

The only other Howard I've read was a couple of the Solomon Kane stories.

 

[thatollie]

Hmm, I have those two collections. They're very good.

 

[jchris]

Did anyone read the old comic books? I thought those were cool.

By the way, I'm excited about the movie, but I don't expect it to be very good...

 

[woodsman]

I read Howard because of Conn (cheers buddy!) and his discussions with various people on here.

He could actually write a complete story in less than 400 pages . A great command of language and really does capture action very well. I think both Conan and Kane are well worth a good look. haven't read much beyond that personally.

I think we need a return to quality fantasy of his ilk and fewer doorstop trilogies which seem to have flooded and by-and-large, drowned the market.

 

[Connavar]

I read Howard because of Conn (cheers buddy!) and his discussions with various people on here.

He could actually write a complete story in less than 400 pages . A great command of language and really does capture action very well. I think both Conan and Kane are well worth a good look. haven't read much beyond that personally.

I think we need a return to quality fantasy of his ilk and fewer doorstop trilogies which seem to have flooded and by-and-large, drowned the market.

That makes my day in this rainy summer hell much brighter REH is one of my few literary heroes. He is the best i have read when it comes strong characters, action scenes in genre fiction.

When Gemmell was alive we had REH of sorts but now it feels terrible there is no one like him. There are only Charles. R Saunders Imaro books and Paul Kearney who keep REH like S&S still going.

By the way read El Borak he has passed Conan and Kane as my fav Howard hero. His adventure stories has break neck vivid action that surpass even the S&S stories.

 

[Pedro Del Mar]

Well Connavar you're making me drool now in anticipation of reading these!

Quick question, how do you promounce......
Cimmeria

Is it "sy-me-ria" or "Ky-me-ria" or "Kim-er-ria"? I'm guessing it's "Kim-er-ria"

Cheers
Crooksy

 

[Fried Egg]

I always pronounced it to myself as "sim-air-ria" but I wouldn't be suprised if I've got that wrong...

 

[Connavar]

Its with a K like "Kim-er-ria" according to Howard scholars who knows what they are talking about.

Hehe speaking about Conan recently i sent buy in suggestion to the library for Conan collection by Del Rey. I was annoyed they had only Robert Jordan pastiche book of Conan. I sent them along with a message saying Conan is popular culture icon written by a classic fantasy writer who made S&S/Heroic fantasy a popular subgenre. Conan has new film, comics, games but they dont have the book.

 

[Extollager]

I always pronounced it to myself as "sim-air-ria" but I wouldn't be suprised if I've got that wrong...

When I was a lot younger than I am now, I envisioned a parody about a wandering taker of people's wealth (I think he sold defective vacuum cleaners), Conman of Some Area....

 

[Extollager]

Which Conan stories do folks think come closest to transcending the limitations of mere pulp entertainment? It's a while since I read very many of them. My impression is that "Tower of the Elephant" is one, and "Beyond the Black River" another -- stories that are more than mere exercises in pulp exploitation. Conversely, "The Slithering Shadow" is just that. It really is trash.

 

[woodsman]

That makes my day in this rainy summer hell much brighter REH is one of my few literary heroes. He is the best i have read when it comes strong characters, action scenes in genre fiction.

When Gemmell was alive we had REH of sorts but now it feels terrible there is no one like him. There are only Charles. R Saunders Imaro books and Paul Kearney who keep REH like S&S still going.

By the way read El Borak he has passed Conan and Kane as my fav Howard hero. His adventure stories has break neck vivid action that surpass even the S&S stories.

I did enjoy Gemmell but I don't think he really had the literary skill of Howard. He could spin a great yarn of the heroic type but I seem to enjoy reading howard more.

Actually, if it's still raining you got me into some of the classic authors I read - Dunsany, Hodgson, Howard probably a few more... directly and indirectly I've been trying to read more classics of the genre.

 

[Connavar]

I did enjoy Gemmell but I don't think he really had the literary skill of Howard. He could spin a great yarn of the heroic type but I seem to enjoy reading howard more.

Actually, if it's still raining you got me into some of the classic authors I read - Dunsany, Hodgson, Howard probably a few more... directly and indirectly I've been trying to read more classics of the genre.

Lord Dunsany is my fav nr.2 author after Vance as i have ranked my top 10 authors in Goodreads. Nice i recommended him too. He is the best author i have read prose wise. If he didnt write fantasy he would worshipped by the mainstream like Poe and co.

Yeah Gemmell is not quite the level of Howard but he was rightly called the king of heroic fantasy. He was more the contemporary Howard in the place he had in the subgenre.

Im classic reader too mostly. Hodgson i would have read so much if his complete collections by Nightshade wasnt so expensive. I have been saving money for them. Classic fantasy, classic horror, classic general fiction. It seems like there were more interesting writers in 1700-1900s. History roots out the bad apples writing wise.

 

[J Harker]

Hi all, i'm new here so please bare with. I'm trying to flesh out my Howard collection but frankly don't know which editions/ collections to go for. What can you good people suggest i pick up to cover the bulk of his work without too much overlapping? Thanks.

 

[Vertigo]

I recently picked up second hand the three Del Rey books:

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian
The Phoenix on the Sword
The Frost-Giant’s Daughter
The God in the Bowl
The Tower of the Elephant
The Scarlet Citadel
Queen of the Black Coast
Black Colossus
Iron Shadows in the Moon
Xuthal of the Dusk
The Pool of the Black One
Rogues in the House
The Vale of Lost Women
The Devil in Iron

The Bloody Crown of Conan
The People of the Black Circle
The Hour of the Dragon
A Witch Shall Be Born

The Conquering Sword of Conan
The Servants of Bit-Yakin
Beyond the Black River
The Black Stranger
The Man-Eaters of Zamboula
Red Nails

They each have a number of other essays, poems and other notes.

I've read the first three and I'm looking forward to working my way through the whole lot. I read these sufficiently long ago (around 40 years) that to all intents and purposes I am reading them for the first time again.

 

[J Harker]

I picked up the complete conan chronicles the big black gollancz edition last year. Also got the Wordsworth edition of the Solomon Kane stories. Plus the Wordsworth collection of Howards horror stories. Trying to a good coverage of everything else. Particularly some of the less well known characters he created. Does anyone know what the wildside press collections are like? The contents seem to be quite random and feature a lot of the stuff ive already got.