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Robert E. Howard



When all is said and done, the literary legacy of Robert E. Howard is going to endure - and not only because he wrote the purest "blood-and-thunder" sword and sorcery the pulps had to offer, but mostly because he was a deeply disturbed character endowed with exceptional creativity - and this clearly showed in his fiction: it will be a feast for those who despise imitation and want to go for the real thing.

"Almuric" (nv)
© 1939, Weird Tales
book: Ace Books, 1964

"Black Country"
© 1931
Weird Book, Jun 1973
--/ cool dark f story
--/ rare find

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"The Black Stranger" (nv)
© written 1935;
© Fantasy Magazine, March 1953

Echoes of Valor II, 1984
--/ rare find

This is pretty flat and plain-vanilla-written; a run-of-the-mill adventure (Howard's attempt at a western environment, with a long-winded battle-infused story unfolding slowly, slowly... pretty much forever) I can see why it was originally rejected by the "Weird Tales". So it is for completists only; the magazine itself though - "Fantasy", edited by Lester Del Rey, is a wonderful item, just check out the cover!..

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"By This Axe I Rule!"
(also as "The Phoenix On The Sword")
(King Kull series)
© Weird Tales, Dec 1932

"Conan The Usurper" (coll)
(Conan series)
© 1967, Ace Books

"Drums Of The Sunset"
© 1933, original
The Vultures Of Whapeton, 1974

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"The Frost King's Daughter"
(also as "The Frost-Giant's Daughter"
and "Gods of the North")
(Conan series)
© The Fantasy Fan, March 1934
Fantasy Fiction #1, Aug 1953
Fantastic Universe, Dec 1956

--/ fourth place f story
--/ wonder award
--/ style award
--/ shock value
--/ rare find

If you only read one story by Robert E. Howard (let's say you have an aversion to the ferocious blood-and-guts "death metal" kind of fantasy, which is really what Conan is all about) - then read this one. It has more fantasy elements than most other such stories and reads like a shockingly good (and tautly, vividly written) piece of a Lovecraft's or Clark Ashton Smith's work. Violence is still there, of course, but more as a background color and atmosphere. The vision of an evil naked snow witch haunting the battlefields is going to stay with you long after reading; this is truly the definition of "haunting".

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"Lord Of The Dead"
© 1933, Strange Detective

"People of the Black Coast"
© 1933, original
Spaceway SF, Sep/Oct 1969

--/ cool f story

"The Phoenix On The Sword"
(also as "By This Axe I Rule!")
(Conan - first story)
© Weird Tales, Dec 1932
--/ cool f story

"Showdown At Hell's Canyon"
© 1932, original
The Vultures Of Whapeton, 1974

"The Treasure Of Tranicos"
(Conan series)
© 1933, original
Conan The Usurper, 1964

"The Vultures"
(also as "The Vultures Of Whapeton")
© Smashing Novels Magazine, Dec 1936

"The Vultures Of Whapeton" (coll)
© 1974, Pocket Books

"Wild Water"
© 1933, original
The Vultures Of Whapeton, 1974

"Wolves Beyond The Border"
(Conan series)
© 1932, original
Conan The Usurper, 1964

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"SF&F Reading Experience" is part of "Dark Roasted Blend / Thrilling Wonder" family of sites. We try to highlight the most entertaining and rewarding science fiction and fantasy, with emphasis on memorable reader experience, not necessarily general acceptance by the critics. Have fun, and delve into our extensive ratings and reviews!

Most reviews are written by Avi Abrams, unless otherwise noted. Reviews also appear on our unique historical retrospective page Wonder Timeline of Science Fiction. Feel free to submit your own review, if a particular story is not listed here.


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