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| Robert Ervin (E.) Howard |
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| Weird Tales 1934 |
Robert E. Howard lived only 30 years, was born and died in Texas (1906 - 1936). From the age of nine he dreamed of writing adventure fiction but didn't have any success until the age of 23. From then on until his death by suicide at the age of 30, a great many of his writings were published in magazines and journals. His greatest success didn't arrive until after his death. The outlet for most of his writings before his death was the magazine Weird Tales.
Howard wrote in many genres; Fantasy (sword and sorcery), boxing stories, westerns, historical, etc. My focus will be on his fantasy, specifically those featuring that barbarian, Conan. He did write other fantasies; Kull the Conqueror (I have one of those books), Solomon Kane, etc.
Conan the Barbarian was probably his most famous character. Back in the 80's or maybe even earlier, I collected a complete series of Conan books, all based on Howard's works and often finished with the assistance of others, especially L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter. They were great adventures, a mix of sword fighting, adventure, sorcery, magic, just a great combination for those that like that genre of writing. Conan is a thief, a warrior (freebooter), a wanderer, etc. He's hard and dangerous, fearless when he has to be.
Below is the list of books I had and their synopses -
1. Conan (1932) -
"Seven of the most exciting and fantastic adventures ever created! The unforgettable tales of the mighty Conan.
Introduction / [L. Sprague] de Camp --
Letter from R.E. Howard to P.S. Miller --
The Hyborian age, Part 1 / [Robert E.] Howard --
The thing in the crypt / [Lin] Carter & [L. Sprague] de Camp --
The tower of the elephant / [Robert E.] Howard --
The hall of the dead / [Robert E.] Howard & [L. Sprague] de Camp --
The god in the bowl / [Robert E.] Howard --
Rogues in the house / [Robert E.] Howard --
The hand of Nergal / [Robert E.] Howard & [Lin] Carter --
The city of skulls / [Lin] Carter & [L. Sprague] de Camp."
"Conan is the gigantic barbarian from the Hyborian Age who brawls and battles his way across the prehistoric world to rise at last to the throne of a mighty realm.
Slave, thief and now a mercenary soldier in the armies of Turan, he embarks on his most hazardous adventures yet.
* Queen of the Black Coast
* The Curse of the Monolith
* The Bloodstained God
* The Frost Giant's Daughter
* The Lair of the Ice Worm
* The Vale of Lost Woman
* The Castle of Terror
* The Snout in the Dark"
"Heroic fantasy's mightiest adventurer fights his most savage battles in these five thrilling stories:
* Hawks Over Shem
* Black Colossus
* Shadows in the Moonlight
* The Road of the Eagles
* A Witch Shall be Born
Conan, the hero of all Howard's heroes, is the armoured swashbuckler, indestructible and irresistible, that we've all wanted to be at one time or another; the women, in appearance, manner, and costume (or lack of it), are the inmates of the sort of harem that harems ought to be but aren't; the villains are villainous as only perfect villains can be; the sorcerers are sorcerers in spades; and the apparitions they conjure up, or who appear under their own power, are (thank God!) out of this world."
"Contents:
9 · Introduction · L. Sprague de Camp · in
13 · Black Tears · L. Sprague de Camp & Lin Carter · *
46 · Shadows in Zamboula · Robert E. Howard · Weird Tales Nov ’35
85 · The Devil in Iron · Robert E. Howard · Weird Tales Aug ’34
124 · The Flame Knife · L. Sprague de Camp & Robert E. Howard · Tales of Conan, Gnome, 1955"
"Introducing Conan - heroic fantasy's mightiest adventurer from the wilds of Cimmeria
Thief, pirate, mercenary, warrior and general, he stands invincible - even when the full forces of the supernatural are unleashed against him.
Set in the imaginary Hyborian age between the sinking of Atlantis and the beginnings of recorded history, these four stories of the exploits of this larger-than-life hero are the ultimate in tales of swashbuckling adventure:
* The People of the Black Circle
* The Slithering Shadow
* The Pool of the Black One
* Drums of Tombalku"
"Of the 21 Conan the Barbarian tales that Robert E. Howard (1906-1936) completed in his all-too-brief lifetime, Hour of the Dragon was the only novel-length story. It may also be the very best of the series, crafted when the legendary pulp writer was working at the height of his powers. Conan is a huge swordsman fighting both natural and supernatural foes in a time-lost world known as the Hyborian Age. At this point in his bloody career, Conan is the middle-aged king of the ancient kingdom of Aquilonia. He must fight one final battle to save the known world from a resurrected sorcerer named Xaltotun. Only the fabled Heart of Ahriman can destroy Xaltotun, and Conan must embark on an epic quest to retrieve the Heart. Howard hammered out every word as if he had actually lived through it himself, and in doing so forged a crimson masterpiece of heroic fantasy. (This novel has also been published as part of the formal Conan series as Conan the Conqueror.)"
A collection of 3 short stories featuring Conan -
- Red Nails
- Jewels of Gwalhur
- Beyond the Black River
"Peace had reigned in Aquilonia, but when his beloved Queen Zenobia is stolen before his very eyes, Conan, the great barbarian king, cannot rest until he saves her. And so the most stupendous hero of fantasy-adventure returns to the battlefield, matching his savage strength against the most monstrous forces of evil and doom."
"Under a sentence of death for his part in the winning the war for Aquilonia, Conan escapes from the jealous king intent on killing him and plots his revenge."
"Mighty Conan returns - for an epic fight-to-the-death in the cruel lair of Thoth-Ammon!
Hunting the swift-running stag and the tusked boar in the gloomy forests of the Gunderland Marches, Conan loses his son Conn to Thoth-Ammon and the supremely evil wizards of the Black Ring.
His giant heart cries "VENGEANCE!" as the barbarian king hones the sword that has touched so many with the bitter kiss of death. Soon he is ready. Ready for a deadly pursuit to the very ends of the earth, for the final titanic battle with his greatest and most fiendish enemy!"
"As thief, pirate, mercenary, adventurer, chief of barbarous tribes, and general in the armies of kings, Conan had ventured far and known all that the world afforded of adventure and marvel. With his irresistible sword, the mighty Cimmerian had fought demons, dragons, and shambling horrors of the Elder Dark. A thousand foes had felt the bitter kiss of his whirling blade - bronze-mailed warriors, malevolent wizards, fierce barbarian chieftains, and haughty kings. Even the eternal gods had sometimes fled the fury of his slashing brand.
But the adventure that started here, in the royal Hall of Justice in Tarantia... was to be the strangest and most fantastic of all the many that thronged his far-famed and peril-filled career."
The last two stories were written by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, following the character made famous by Howard.
Kull the Conqueror - An Atlantean barbarian and King of Valusia in the ancient Thurian Age (predating Conan's Hyborian Age). I have one story yet to be read in this series.
"Contains:
Prologue
Exile of Atlantis
The Shadow Kingdom
The Altar and the Scorpion
Black Abyss
Delcardes' Cat
The Skull of Silence
Riders Beyond the Sunrise
By This Axe I Rule!
The Striking of the Gong
Swords of the Purple Kingdom
Wizard and Warrior
The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune
The King and the Oak
Epilogue"
I realize I've wandered away from your basic Sci-Fi novel with this topic. There are no space adventures, no great scientific inventions. But Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery add to the richness and expanse of Sci-Fi. Feel free to ignore this sub-genre if you can't accept it. Thanks for reading anyway.
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