Book Review 247 // Red Nails by Robert E. Howard

And like that, we reach the end of the Robert E. Howard Conan Adventures. Now I know there are plenty of others out there from other authors. But I don't want to travel that road yet. I've enjoyed reading the complete series in order, and it has given me a great view of this writer growing with each story. So for one last time, let us travel the open road with Conan.

Title: Red Nails

Author: Robert E. Howard

Blurb:

Pursing the beautiful Valeria in the Black countries, Conan happens upon a strange, walled city in the midst of a desert. Conan and Valeria become enmeshed in a civil war, a war driven by ancient hate and blood-lust that threatens the few surviving inhabitants of Xuchotl.

Robert Ervin Howard (1906-1936) is best known today for creating the sword-and-sorcery hero Conan, subject of two movies and dozens of books. However, during his short life Howard also published stories in a number of other genres. In addition to fantasy, Howard wrote boxing stories, westerns, detective stories, horror and created an number of compelling characters such as Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, El Borak, Steve Costigan, Pike Bearfield, King Kull, and Conan the Cimmerian. Howard committed suicide in 1936.

Review

Glad we finished on a strong one rather than a weak fizzle. As I mentioned, this was the last Conan, and this was due to Weird Tales not paying their bills. During the Great Depression, Weird Tales had failed to pay Howard the $1500 owed for his work, so Howard took his pen elsewhere and wrote Westerns instead.

The story starts with Valeria, who, having just killed a would-be rapist, is now on the run. This classic strong, decisive, beautiful female lead soon catches Conan's attention, who gives chase. Upon reaching her, they talk as if they have a past, one I don't remember if it was ever written in another story. We then get a classic Howard sexual tension paragraph before a creature appears to feast on their horses. Soon the pair are working together to survive the story.

I'm glad this story happened. The last few kind of felt like a blend/retelling of the same story. Conan does what Conan does best, and we end up with a great little adventure piece set within an ancient city. Worth the read.

But where to next? Some Star Wars titles, with Judge Dredd and Aliens, have sat on the shelf for far too long. So some Sci-fi is in our future. Thanks for reading!

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Book Review 246 // The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. Howard.

We are nearing the end of our adventures with Conan, and I can't help but feel a little sad. It has been a joy to read these in order and watch as Howard progresses the character and builds upon previous ideas. This is a unique title as it was originally written as a series and then squashed together to make the book. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Title: The Hour of the Dragon

Author: Robert E. Howard

Blurb: Written in the 1930s as a serial for Weird Tales, the famous pulp magazine, Hour of the Dragon is the only novel by Howard featuring his greatest creation, Conan the Barbarian. This powerful novel of violent adventure has spawned many imitations in the genre over the years, including a series of best-selling paperbacks which, in imitation of Howard, continued the adventures of Conan.

Conan is at the pinnacle of his career in this story, having roamed the imaginary prehistoric world of Hyborea and, with native cunning and sheer force, fought his way to the throne of Aquilonia. He is the archetype of the invincible warrior: tough, fearless and incredibly strong.

As the novel opens, King Conan is captured by the magic of the evil sorcerer Xaltotun, whom Conan's enemies have raised from the dead, after three thousand years, for the express purpose of removing Conan from the throne. Conan's armies are so unprepared to battle Xaltotun's sorcery that they are routed on the battlefield and Aquilonia is conquered.

Conan is secretly released from prison by a slave girl who loves him, and he fights his way out of the dungeon catacombs to freedom, defeating a giant murderous ape who blocks his way. In the course of his escape, he overhears a secret meeting and learns that the source of Xaltotun's power is a mysterious jewel, the Heart of Ahriman, which Xaltotun's allies have stolen from him to insure their control over him.

Conan resolves to track the jewel across the barbaric landscape of Hyboria, destroy Xaltotun and regain his kingdom.

Format: 296 pages, E-book (you can find it on my affiliate store)

Review

Strange to read a multiplot story in one go as a book. If you read it as a series over months, the story would flow better. But in this set-up, it felt like a lot of jumping forwards was happening and a loss of time. But as a story, I personally really enjoyed it. It feels like Howard is finding his stride and embracing previous ideas in this tale. People may dislike its similarities to other tales, but I can see how Howard tries to improve upon previous attempts.

With a longer flowing story, we can enjoy events you wouldn't usually get in a short tale. We get full-scale battles, well-rounded villains, and encounters. We also still have plenty of space for creature features and treacherous allies. I enjoyed the quest, as Conan has to move through many personas to seek a magical jewel that will end the reign of the evil wizard. It allowed our kingly Conan to revisit his Barbarian days and his old life as a pirate and polish up on his thieving skills. Pirate Conan is my favourite version of the hero.

Though it is a highlight, it acts as a double-sided blade, and due to so much travelling, we lose the joy of the location. In his short stories, Howard has done a fantastic job of describing a place. But with this constant changing of the site gives us no chance to enjoy this aspect of his writing. But overall a great read that I would happily enjoy again.

Book Review 240 // The Devil in Iron by Robert E. Howard

 

"The Devil in Iron" is one of the original stories by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian, first published in Weird Tales in August 1934. Howard earned $115 for the publication of this story.

Title: The Devil in Iron

Author: Robert E. Howard

Blurb: The plot concerns the resurrection of a mythical demon, the theft of a sacred dagger, and an unrelated trap that lures Conan to the island fortress roamed by the demon. The story's plot loopholes and borrowed elements from "Iron Shadows in the Moon" lead some Howard scholars to call this story the weakest of the early Conan tales.

Review

We join Conan as a leader of a raider band, which is raiding within the kingdom of Turan. Conan and his forces are a true thorn on the side of Agha, the leader within the coastal realm. Running out of pride and patience, Agha turns to his counsellor Ghaznavi for help. His advice, get Conan drunk and offer him, beautiful women. Our "villains" chose a slave girl as bait, chosen due to her "Vitality and Substantial Figure." Soon a trap is formed, and Conan is alone with the slave girl on an Island covered in ruins which also plays host to a creature just as old as the ruins.

The story seems rushed and, at times, painful to read. The ending saves it, but in a short read, that seems rather pointless. Unless you need to complete all, I recommend skipping this one.

Book Review 239 // Queen of the Black Coast by Robert E. Howard

This next title in the series is described as one of Howard's most famous pieces. I am hoping this doesn't fall flat and delivers a good read.

Title: Queen of the Black Coast

Blurb: "Queen of the Black Coast" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine c. May 1934. During the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, Conan becomes a notorious pirate plundering the coastal villages of Kush alongside Bêlit, a head-strong femme fatale.

Due to its epic scope and atypical romance, the story is an undisputed classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his most famous tales.

Review

Hm. Guess it had to happen. This one missed the mark for me. It was alright. It just fell wrong. Firstly the positives, Howard's world-building is impressive. The Conan adventures and settings have changed in every book, yet Howard has always managed to set the scene wonderfully. Also, the way he writes a story is effortless and easy to read. This style continues into this story, with me finishing it in one sitting.

The story is set at sea, within my favourite theme of pirates. Howard then sneaks in the makings of early Cosmic Horror within this setting. Now this is where I start having issues. His world-building is impressive, yet this monster/creature feels out of place. We know it comes from a dead civilization, and that's about it. It left what should have been a scary creature feeling flat and 2D. Almost rushed.

Then we have the racism and sexism in this title that you can't ignore. It is disappointing that the only two powerful people had to be white. It could have been amazing to have someone different set-up as the Queen, an opportunity definitely missed (though as I learn more about Howard, I sadly understand him to be narrow-minded in these topics). Then I also felt the Queen character was poorly used. Here we have a character who has risen to rank and power, leads a crew, and is an influential female figure, suddenly losing all control and throwing herself at Conan. What the hell!? If anything, Conan should have been throwing himself at her. And before you complain, I understand the story format of the muscle-bound hero saving the woman. That would still be the same, but damn, how cool would it have been to have them be more equal or even Conan in awe for a page or two.

If you enjoy Pulp stories, you will enjoy this, but don't be blinded to the issues within it.

Book Review 235 // The Pool of the Black One by Robert E. Howard

We are hacking and slashing our way through these Conan adventures now. I am also happy to announce that I am rewatching the classic 1990s Conan the Adventurer cartoon, which is genuinely a blast back to my childhood. With a real buzz about it all, I am happy to be reviewing Book 5 in the Conan Adventures.

Title: The Pool Of The Black One: Conan the Barbarian #5

Author: Robert E. Howard

Blurb: "The Pool of the Black One," which appeared in Weird Tales magazine the month after "The Slithering Shadow," is a piratical adventure story and occurs in the Western Sea of the Hyborian Age. The story begins with Conan the Cimmerian adrift at sea, having had to escape from rivals in the Barachan Isles. He clambers aboard The Wastrel, a ship belonging a different pirate order, bitter rivals of the Barachan ones. After a terse conversation with the captain and a brawl with a Zingaran bully, Conan is begrudgingly accepted as a lowly member of the crew and is allowed to remain on board.

Format: 34 pages, E-book

First published October 1, 1933

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Review

This was a nice twist; Conan the Barbarian has become Conan, the Pirate. Looks like we are headed for some High Seas Adventure in this tale. As the newest crew member, Conan has to earn his spot, and it takes our hero only a short time before he catches the eye of the ship captain's lady - which always leads to trouble. But with Conan's strength, he can stay above everyone and is soon a welcomed part of the crew.

Seeking fame, glory and wealth, the crew spots an island and soon are headed a shore to plunder. Discovering fresh fruit on land, the crew set about eating the mysterious fruit to discover too late that it contains a sleeping property. Luckily Conan didn't partake, and neither did the captain, leading to an awkward tension that ends in a duel to see who would be the captain of the slumbering crew. Ultimately the winner is never questioned, but now Captain Conan has a more significant issue to worry about. The island is home to a race of Giants who are highly territorial! Soon the hacking and slashing take over the story, and we get a genuinely brilliant ending, a great short read, I highly recommend it.

Book Review 234 // The Slithering Shadow by Robert E. Howard

Continuing our dive into the world of Conan. With this next short story. I'm enjoying these quick reads and it has finally pushed me back into watching the cartoon show as well (how far have I fallen?). Anyways more on the cartoon soon, until then, let's get into this title.

Title: The Slithering Shadow: Xuthal of the Dusk

Author: Robert E. Howard

Blurb: The Slithering Shadow (also known as Xuthal of the Dusk) is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in the Weird Tales magazine. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan finding a lost city in a remote desert and encountering therein a Lovecraftian-esque demon known as Thog.

Format: Ebook, 107 pages.

Review

This isn't a continuation of the previous story (if it is, please let me know), and we join Conan and his new companion in a desert. Of course, the companion is a helpless woman named Natala, who doesn't seem prepared for where they are. With little background, all we know is that they have fled into the desert and stand on the verge of death from lack of water. 

Lucky or unlucky, the duo discovers what almost appears to be a ghost town. As they explore deeper into the city, the pair discover sleeping citizens. The city has a drug problem, and everyone is in a deep sleep from ingesting too much locus smoke. People who stay awake too long have a habit of disappearing, which is the last thing you want to happen in this city!

Of course, as we have to expect, there is a villain; in this case, a woman called Thalis, who, with her monster pet, is hounding the city and causing problems for all. But when Conan fails to accept her advances, the villain, Thalis, attempts to kill Natala and have revenge on Conan. Leading us into a classic hack-and-slash adventure, ending with our heroes fleeing once more into the desert.

I rather enjoyed this. Very classical pulp-style adventure, with no big surprises but plenty of joyful moments and a memorable read.

Book Review 233 // Black Colossus by Robert E. Howard

My goal of completing some of my backlog novels is failing completely. Instead, I find myself absorbed by Conan and ignoring the bowing shelves of books. Maybe if I read enough Conan I will flip back to Gaunt and his Ghosts soon.

Title: Black Colossus

Author: Robert E. Howard

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Blurb: "Black Colossus" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine in June 1933. Howard earned $130 for the sale of this story.

Set during the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, Conan leads the army of Khoraja against an evil sorcerer named Natohk, "The Veiled One".

Review

What an adventure! We have a young princess stalked in her dreams by a demon wanting to have its wicked way with her. While wracked with this torment, her kingdom crumbles around her due to civil unrest. With her and her country weakened, a desert cult has grown and focused on dominating this realm. Then into this, we throw Conan, who, through an act of fate, soon becomes commander of the princess's forces, much to the joy of the Lords within the kingdom.

Soon the battle is joined, and we have a wonderfully described battle full of violence. Ultimately this tale doesn't grow Conan as a character but helps fill in details of the lands and people within. Not the most exciting Conan tale out there but still an enjoyable read whilst lounging on a sofa.

Book Review 232 // The Tower of the Elephant by Robert E. Howard

We are back with another fantastic Conan adventure! I am getting into the flow of these, and they pair well with my Slaine adventures. I am excited about this tale as we enter the city of thieves, which is the title of my favourite Chose your own Adventure book, which I can only assume was inspired by Conan. But enough waffling on from me. Let's dive in!

Title: The Tower of the Elephant (Conan, #3)

Author: Robert E. Howard

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Blurb: Conan infiltrates a perilous tower in the City of Thieves in order to steal a fabled gem from an evil sorcerer. A classic of Conan lore, often cited as one of Howard's best tales.

Format: E-book 48 pages

Review

During Conan's early phase, Howard has already found his style for Conan's adventures. With rumours of a rather tempting gemstone reaching his ears, our Barbarian heads off to "retrieve" the Heart of the Elephant locked away in the Elephant Tower. The only problem is the tower's owner happens to be a dangerous Sorcerer, and of course, there have to be traps and dangers at every turn.

It is a significant expansion into the world of Conan, giving us dark magic, Cosmic Horrors and dare I say Eldritch beasts from beyond. It was a surprisingly dark tale toward the end, and it really got me pumped to read more. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a good run of stories and not the peak of his writing. Time will tell.

Ultimately you know what you are getting with a Conan adventure, but damn was this fun and entertaining. I am genuinely excited to get into the next story!

Book Review 229 // The Phoenix on the Sword by Robert E. Howard

We have finally reached the age of Conan. As you may know, having read this blog, I am attempting to read a huge chunk of Robert E. Howard tales, and in an exciting turn of events we have finally reached the ages of Conan. Now as a product of the 90s, I have fond memories of the cartoon show Conan the Adventurer. So I am keen to see how these compare (I also remember Arnies version too).

Title: The Phoenix on the Sword

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 work: 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 (buy on Amazon using my sweet affiliate links)

Review

Okay, this is what I wanted, some classic hack-and-slash adventure! The strange thing about this tale is that Conan is an old man and already king. He has seemingly overthrown the old kingdoms' rulers and installed himself as king. Such a simple but effective story as Conan is visited in his dreams by a long-dead wizard called Epemitreus. This Wizard warns Conan of a plot to assassinate him and when he awakes he is beset by his foes. 

A great amount of fighting and bloodshed happens as Conan fights for his life and faces off against the leader of the conspirators and the monsters they summon. At no point did there feel like a dip in the action, great pacing, and the characters were intriguing. Ultimately a short, punchy, tale but by Crom an impressive first outing for Conan. I can't wait to read more.