Book Review 245 // Shadows in Zamboula by Robert E. Howard

I knew it was coming, but still, it took me a little off guard. I feel this title is by far is the most obvious of Howard's work to showcase racism. Please be aware when reading it that we are entering the end times of Howard, and his views on the world are becoming darker and depressing. Read with caution and do idolize it.

Title: Shadows In Zamboula

Author: Robert E. Howard

Blurb: Robert Ervin Howard (1906-1936) was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. He is well known for having created the character Conan the Cimmerian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond. Voracious reading, along with a natural talent for prose writing and the encouragement of teachers, conspired to create in Howard an interest in becoming a professional writer. One by one he discovered the authors that would influence his later Jack London and Rudyard Kipling. It's clear from Howard's earliest writings and the recollections of his friends that he suffered from severe depression from an early age. Friends recall him defending the act of suicide as a valid alternative as early as eighteen years old, while many of his stories and poems have a suicidal gloom and intensity that seem prescient in hindsight, describing such an end not as a tragedy but as a release from hell on earth.

Format: 48 pages e-book

Review

In a landscape of many races, Conan still manages to stand out. Whilst tavern hoping through the city, Conan hears rumours of travellers disappearing and decides to investigate. Here he discovers a cult that enjoys the taste of human flesh.

At this point, the story takes a turn with racist elements coming forth and souring the story. Conan is definitely a product of his writer's worldview and, unfortunately very much a symptom of the age. I have seen people defend it, but I can't understand how as a reader today you can separate the writer from the story.

It pretty much threw the story for me. This is a shame as it starts off intriguing, and even has a scary villain in Baal-pteor. But ultimately I am left feeling urked by it. I recommend missing it and read something else.