**Alot of people are suprized when they discover that Robert E. Howard's career was, really, relatively short. Did u know he was a bookeeper by trade? Did u kno he lived in a funky little Texas town named Crossplains? Did u know that he bore a striking resemblance 2 Al Capone? Did u know that he killed himself in 1936 while his mother was in a coma? Whether u're a fan of Conan the Barbarian or not u have 2 admit that Howard really "beefed up" the world of Fantasy and went a VERY long way in jump-starting the "Sword and Sorcery" genre. It is evident that Howard's writings rubbed off on the likes of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Michael Moorcock and H. Rider Haggard--and I don't kno if he read the original "Sword and Sorcery" master, E. R. Edison, but I suspect he did. I don't kno if Howard had any effect on Tolkien, perhaps Tolkien iconifiles can clear this up, but I would venture that Tolkien must have @ least read some Bran Mak Morn stories. **Howard began submitting stories 2 Weird Tales, an American "pulp" short story magazine, around 1930 and the 1st major sword "hero" he produced was a Puritian avenger named Solomon Kane. Very dark, lots of religious overtones (Kane was not 1 of my fav characters). As Howard's writing style improved he quickly introduced the world 2 two VERY cool Sword & Sorcery masters: Kull of Atlantis and the Pictish Chieftian, Bran Mak Morn. Historically Morn was Howard's most "recent" character relying on his leadership, wit, trickery, guerilla warfare and Celtic lore 2 repell the Romans in their attempted conquest of England. Kull laid the ground work 4 Conan. Kull was a renegade who was 4ced, pretty much against his will, 2 fight bands of raiders and merciless overlords (controlled by sorcery). Kull's timeframe is "pre-catacylsm" Atlantis, say very roughly, 18,000 years ago. Like Conan, Kull went from being pretty much a nothing, stung by injustice, 2 a big ass-kicking monster and a King (Kull became King of Valusia, very much against his will, inheriting an ancient curse). Kull is probably my fav Howard character, intelligent, brooding, handles the double-sided broad axe like there's no 2morrow. And while most of the sorcery is cool, especially the different dimensions, the writing style and Wizards and Sorcerers developement is much more engaging in the Conan books. And some of the same things could be said 4 Bran Mak Morn--tho I suspect berenCAMLOST7 will give me an earful on that! **On 2 Conan. Some of Conan was published in book form and alot of it was compiled from ongoing stories in Weird Tales (competing w/some Lovecraft, btw...). The last of the long series of the Conan books we r familiar w/today that bear Howard's name consist of under-developled and unfinished stories completed by Lin Carter and L. Sprauge DeCamp. Robert Jordan tried 2 do his own Conan stories, but we won't talk about that debacle here... From the DeLaurentis movie (do not watch 2 2nd!) many people now familiar w/Conan's origins. As a child his parents are killed by the sorcerer Thulsa Doom's henchmen, Conan is sold in2 slavery, skilled in swordsmanship by an "asian-type" people and thrown in2 the "pits" 2 battle 4 his life. Conan's age is the Hyborian Age, about 12,000 years b4 recorded history. And it's kinda cool as the reader wonders, thoughout the stories, where, xactly, he is in realtion 2 modern day Europe--blond haired warriors from the north, asian "type" guys from the east, exotic sorcerers, and ladies, from the south. Conan: slave, thief, avenger, mercenary, King. Lots of monsters, hoards of enemies, wizards, sorcerers, kingdoms 2 b won, beautiful women, drinking, carousing, wrongs 2 b righted. Only his god of the earth, or underworld, Crom, can get him through all this--always something going on, tons of blood, quick, enjoyable reads: fun 4 the entire family!!! How far do you fall Pilot?<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 5/15/03 9:13:40 pm </i>
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