@Philipp Burnett ironically, that IS Lovecraftian horror. It's incomprehensible. You dunno why everyone's going crazy about this thing until you experience it yourself and you yourself dunno how to describe it.
Conan is grimdark done better. An actual critique of civilization lies beneath the veneer of sword and sorcery. A critique even more appropriate today than when Howard wrote it. As for Tolkien and Howard. I would not venture to guess who was first. They wrote largely contemporaneously. But because of their personal circumstances, they chose different publishing routes. Tolkien being in a safe academic perch, could publish at his leisure. Howard was living off his print. That said, Tolkien was aware of R.E. Howard's work, and admitted liking them. Despite their reputation, even in the time, as "pulp fantasy."
Funny you mention that considering that from what I have heard Robert actually supported civilization he merely thought barbarity was a natural and inevitable state of mankind rather than flat out criticizing civilization.
Not particularly true. Conan was being published years before the hobbit and Howard died a year before the hobbit was even in print. It's very unlikely that Howard was aware of Tolkein, and it's a historical impossibility that Tolkein was first, so there's no reason to "venture to guess."
Absolutely agree Robert E Howard has had a hugely underrated impact on fantasy, to the point I would say it’s equal to Tolkien’s influence, both good and bad. Let’s just say bikini armor didn’t come from the Shire.
Weirdly i'd say it didn't come from Robert either. But his publisher. They pushed for having women in diminutive clothes in story to justify the artworks
@johnnynevermind8595 Robert was a much better writer than Tolkien. Tolkien saw magic to be a hinderance to storytelling, so he failed to explain how magical systems work in his world.
Bikini armor absolutely didn't come from Howard. Those were choices of the publisher for the covers and out of Howard's hands. You'll not find an example of such armor in Howard's description of fighting women.
Great video! Beautifully done. So great to see a big time BookTuber talking about Robert E. Howard. He is a writer who deserves more attention and your channel can really help with that. I feel like most of us who talk about Howard are so tiny nobody sees those videos.
Ha, I don't know about big time. But I will certainly do my part to help Mr. Howard's legacy grow among this modern fantasy community that seems to not even know his name.
@@mikesbookreviews I'm of the opinion the modern fantasy reader has an over inflated opinion of their tasted and writers. By that I mean, they speak patronizing on "complex/well defined magic systems" for example, then those magic systems have the same outs as the less defined ones, just with more bells and whistles or they are riddled with plot armor. My point being, they have an unwarranted air of superiority when speaking on their faves and the quality of their writing. If I had to choose between Howard or Tolkien, I'm going with Howard every time because (to me) he's better at communicating mood and action.
Howard is my favorite author..very visceral and much a painter with words. And I've never felt anyone else has been able to write Conan with any authenticity. The closest feel of Conan since Howard's passing is the Poldarius soundtrack.
That last line in your amazing introduction about civilization and savagery did immediately make me think of Karsa. I love what you said about Howard's ability to pack content in fewer pages than most writers and the who's-the-bigger-monster theme.Good to know that continuity doesn't matter when starting these stories. That was a question I've had for a while! Great video, Mike!
Conan was my first entry into fantasy long before I read about hobbits and orcs. It was definitely the Frazetta covers that drew my attention then Savage Sword of Conan comics sucked me in. Thanks for another great video and I agree with you that booktube is seriously lacking in Conan content. Also most of Robert E Howard’s stuff is public domain now so people wanting to check his stuff out can find it free online.
The Del Rey collection are excellent reprints. They go back to the original stories, eliminating the rewrites and edits done by later authors. I recommend you start with those, then move on to the later paperback editions.
If you want to have a bit of insight of the life of Howard, there was a film made in 1996 " The whole wide world" with Vincent D'Onofrio and René Zellweger.
Conan is indeed the alpha male and a barbarian, but he also has a very distinct sense of honor about him as well. A perfect example of this is the act of kindness he does for Yag Kosha in The Tower of the Elephant, and how he reacts to him when he sees how broken and blind he is. I think another example is the death of Belit, where he stays to enact vengence for her death and then honors her with a funeral. There are other examples throughout the stories where he does something you wouldn't expect an ignorant sword slinging barbarian would do. He's hard, and he's a killer, but he's an honorable man.
Yeah, he saves the elephant alien guy, when most other people probably wouldn't. He didn't like seeing anyone enslaved or imprisoned. I like how after he usurps the throne of Aquilonia, he actually cares about the people, probably more than the previous rulers. Conan is a bro. He's a great judge of character. He can tell a bullshitter from a honest man. He doesn't talk to much, and when someone breaks their word, he's quick to let his sword do the talking.
Another example also found in Queen of the Black coast is at the beginning, where Conan refuses to betray his friend, thus triggering his hasty flight.
I have that Centenary Edition on the shelf and am looking forward to tearing into it. And not book-related, you’re spot on in saying that Basil Poledouris’ soundtrack to Conan the Barbarian is one of the best ever. Great video!
I saw Conan the Destroyer first... I was young and it blew my mind, it became a guilty pleasure for me. Later I watch Conan the Barbarian and loved it. It was there when I started reading Robert E Howard. He became one of my favorite authors of all time. Conan, Krull, Solomon freaking Kane was monster hunting way before Geralt. REH even wrote some Weird Westerns and I LOVE the western setting. He just clicks so many boxes for me. Great author and definitly in my TOP5. I totally agree with you I still reread his stories between big books 🙌
Outside of Conan, Kull, and Kane, the only Howard I've done is some of his horror stories. But I loved them, too. Dude was extremely ahead of his time.
After reading Howard’s elegant, descriptive, intelligent prose, it makes you realize how YA most of the modern fantasy writers of today read like. The ability to build such a fully realized world in such a short page count is astounding!
Excellent video! I completely agree with you about Robert E. Howard’s importance for the development of the fantasy genre. Also, while Conan is indeed quite the macho dude, it’s possible to read his stories as more than just an orgy of “toxic masculinity.” For example, you could look at the portrayal of the pros and cons of “civilization” and “barbarism.” On the other hand, you could just experience the awe and horror of the dude’s machismo.
Howard is one Texas’ most important cultural figures. Robert Rodrigues once said that Texas has provided very little to the pop culture landscape, so it’s very important for all of us Texans recognize and venerate those that deserve it. IE Put some respect on the name Robert E Howard.
@@mikesbookreviews The best way to adapt Conan in Prophet's opinion is to make short films instead of feature-length films considering that Conan is a series of short stories and not usually a novel at least not with the original stories.
@@mikesbookreviews it’s feels like aside from Arnold’s film, every attempt to have Conan on big screen seemed to be fail. Idk if Momoa movie as terrible as a lot of people say
Howard's Conan is the best! Started reading them when I was just a kid (12 or so) and they laid the foundation for my love of fantasy. Roberts stories grip you like no others. You get pulled into Hyperborea as you wade through the rivers of blood that Conan leaves in his wake. A story teller like no other!
This video is just what I wanted to see from you today, Mike! Here I was, having a rough one, and what do you know... just as I'm cheering myself up with Shadows of Zamboula (a classic Conan story), I see this video pop up! I absolutely adore the Conan stories. I have the same tome as you, and it's my favourite book on my bookshelf. Robert E. Howard certainly deserves more credit and recognition for his contributions to the genre. The man essentially created sword and sorcery. You also hit the nail on the head talking about how much Howard can fit into a single short story; Beyond the Black River is the best fantasy story I have ever read, and it's less than fifty pages long. Anyway, I'm a fairly new viewer, but you have a great grasp on various authors and types of fantasy works. For that, I enjoy and watch your content on books I've never even read, so I'm especially glad to see you cover my all-time favourite. Now let's just hope we finally get a Howard-loyal Conan adaptation with the upcoming show that's in the works... Oh, and I bloody love how you managed to fit ALL of the most iconic Conan quotes into the intro aha!
Like your comment on continuity. And the style. It is difficult for modern readers to grasp the fantasy, horror, sci-fi writing from 1900 to 1950. Take Dracula. Everyone watches the movies and think they really KNOW the character. Then they try to read Stoker's book and it's a trial. It's almost always in the form of letters between characters. It's a tough read for the modern reader; my son tried it and he stopped halfway through, told me "It just drags!" But at the time it was a bombshell book.
I just started reading Conan a few weeks ago... It really draws you in, it makes you want more, it almost invigorates you, it's surprising that you get so much from short stories. I highly recommend a read!
I too was introduced to Conan via the Arnold movies when I was probably much too young (older brother). The soundtrack is a masterpiece - it’s nice to hear someone else talking about it! I have the same edition you have and I agree it’s not something you want to binge. I have been slowly working my way through it, and am enjoying it that way. Thanks for the video - Howard does not seem to get enough love these days!
@@mikesbookreviews Lovecraft, sure. Howard's prose, I'd call energetic, fiery, vivid, visceral, kinetic, often poetic and impassioned. "Dry" as a prose description seems antithetical to those qualities.
Great recommendation Mike! I immediately ordered The Complete Chronicles of Conan after wathcing this video. Really excited for this! Also keep up the great work! Your reviews and recommendations are outstanding!
Conan is the best. I love (some) modern figures, like, let's say, Logen ninefingers. But man, the first trilogy was, what?, 1500 - 2000 pages. Could've written all this with half the words. Now read Conan, beyond the black river. It's about 80 or so pages, but when you read it you think you've read a much longer book, it's so tense and alive. Such was the power of Robert E. Howard....
For anyone looking for a digital version, Delphi Classics has the complete works of Robert E Howard for $3.00. Has 199 short stories, 5 novels, as well as a bunch of awesome extra features like biographies, etc. Mike, you convinced me to buy it based on this review, can't wait to get in to it (if I ever finish Midnight Tides, hahaha)
I subscribed to your channel because of the Berserk reviews, I really enjoy listening to your take on it. But now you've got me wanting to read Dune and Conan and all kinds of other stuff haha. Thank you!
I think you have given the most fair analysis of this character and the books that I’ve ever heard. One of the main reasons that I find the series so appealing is the fact it’s geared towards men being men, and that is something that you are hard-pressed to find in modern fantasy books. Howard is by far my favorite author now and if you want to further the Conan experience the books written by Robert Jordan are also very good.
Fantastic review. You really delve deep into the story without just summarizing it from beginning to end. I read in Danse Macabre if I remember correctly that Stephen King also read Conan and felt that Robert E. Howard created a character who was a typical male hero but the best in that field of heroic characters. That's not a quote of King's but how I interpreted what King wrote. You definitely convinced me. I'm going to read Robert E. Howard's Conan as soon as I have a copy. Thanks for the recommendation!
Oh Mike, you missed one really obvious line.... Why you should read Conan? To crush your enemies. See them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of their women. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Sword and Sorcery, especially Conan, is one of the major threads of fantasy that created today's genre, I couldn't agree with you more. The modern audience may have some issues with aspects of the stories, that is hard to avoid (just as it is with Lovecraft and, in fact, many of the pulp SF, Planetary Romance, and Adventure authors), but you can see the seeds and beginnings of so many aspects of Fantasy in those pages. Great video. Thank you, Mike.
Ha ha, I was trying to focus on the books. Plus, I figured about every other comment here would be that line. Too true on Howard being integral to this genre we love. I just want more people to give him a chance that ordinarily wouldn't.
One of my favorite things I've ever heard in an interview was George R. R. Martin talking about how he read Conan as his first fantasy, and then when he read Lord of the Rings he was like "What the hell, where are the naked dancing girls?" Thanks for doing this video. I just worry that I'd struggle to read Conan considering when it was published. Every time I've read something old enough that it's public domain (or close to it) I've struggled with it.
@@Shagamaw-100 The best example I can give is The Count of Monte Cristo. I adored the Jim Caviezel movie, it was one of those I watched every time I caught it available somewhere, so I decided to read the book - probably the original unabridged illustrated version as I got it from Project Guttenberg. The book was a massive slog, and about halfway through it, since it was different than the movie I ended up Googling a theory I had and ended up accidentally spoiling the ending for myself. Fortunately so, as I hated the book ending so bad it's literally the only book I've ever DNF-ed. If I'd finished that whole book and read that crappy ending I'd have been way more pissed.
@@Lasombra08 I never made it that far, as this is basically what happened. Spoilers: In the Caviezel adaptation, Albert is Edmond's son... but in the book I was getting vibes that he wasn't, so I Googled "Is Albert Dontes' son" or something, and ended up reading that Albert was really Fernand's son and that the book ended with the Count being with Haiti or whatever her name was and Mercedes just living in poverty or something, and I was like "What a shitty ending compared to the movie ending, where Edmond and Mercedes finally get together."
@@praetorxyn Spoilers: Yes, that's basically what happens (although Mercedes doesn't live in outright poverty). It's sad that she's shamed for remarrying. My biggest gripe, however, is that he let's Danglar live.
Fantastic video! I am always very impressed by your intros: quotes of the literature work onto pictures depicting the material. Top-notch. Yes, it is a shame that REH is not that 'popular' and interestingly enough, his main creation, Conan, it is a character that had so many adaptations and with each new adaptations it went a step away from the original concept that very often people will not read the original stories based on their experience with the movie, Conan the Barbarian or due to the comics bearing its name which people wrongly associate with childish material. This pushes the literature of Howard as a lesser worth, lesser quality literature--yet, as you mention, his novelletes, novelas often pack more elements of fantasy than books over 800 pages. I encourage you to keep on, mainly reading his horror stories that often borrow Lovecraftian aspects--and this is well-known: both authors were pen-friends and encouraged each other to have their stories set within each other's universe.
Conan was among the first Fantasy books I ever read and I loved them. I bought a collection of the Robert E Howard books a couple of years back and have really enjoyed dipping back into them. I have 30+ books of the Conan character from way back (written by various authors who have gone on to write great fantasy fiction books). I was also a big fan of the Marvel comics too. Nice to see you cover the character.
This was my vote for “Why You Should Read”, so I was so glad to see this video! Fantastic overview of Conan. I haven’t read it yet, but have stolen a few bind ups from my Dad’s shelf and have had them sitting on my bedside table for a few months! Definitely agree about “doing your homework”. Understanding the history of fantasy provides a richer experience when reading modern fantasy. I know the style isn’t for everyone, but I think it lends so much more to your experience of the genre when you can appreciate those original influences.
For other Legends like Howard try Fritz Leiber (Lankhmar), Karl Edward Wagner (Kane), Moorcock The Eternal Champions books and Jack Vance Dying Earth and Lyonesse books. Enjoy!
Conan is the BEST. The original REH short stories, Savage sword magazine and the Barbarian comic(the original movie too though not really authentic Conan) are part of my DNA. Since I was 5 or could read my dad would bring home Savage sword magazines and I was mesmerized. Also before I could read my dad had all the Robert e Howard paperbacks and I fell in love with the Frazetta art. You should read some of his westerns and even his boxing stories, some great short stories. There are a few collections of his westerns and at least one boxing collection I highly recommended if you like Howard. I was born in 1975 so this has been a lifetime obsession (I own over 100 early savage swords and another 50+ barbarian comics from when I was a kid...plus I now own the complete Darkhorse reprint of every savage sword magazine ever published....so much gorgeous art and badass conan...drool)........thanks for the Conan love :)
Conan has always been one of my favorite characters. I used to collect The Savage Sword of Conan comics back in the day. They had colorful covers but had black and white content. Good stuff!!!
I love these "Why you should read" videos you do Mike, you highlight a lot of stuff I've already read and loved and other stuff that makes me very interested in checking out. Hope there's still more to come! I'm pretty sure you'd really enjoy the Elric Saga since you loved Conan Mike. Those are some great Sword & Sorcery stories as well.
I know this "Why You Should Read" wasn't specifically done in my honor, but you know I've mentioned it countless times in the comment section of your videos. I have been away from RUclips for the past few months and haven't had a chance to watch your stuff. Just want to say thank you for this and I hope you'll do a deep dive into some of the stories and world of Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian. It is absolutely the greatest work of fiction, in my humble opinion, and I hope that this video turned at least a few people onto the genius that is Robert E. Howard.
@@mikesbookreviews I know you have a ton of books to read, but I'm going to repeat a request I had a while back. Gotta read Heroes Die now for more of that juicy "toxic masculinity." And after that you have to read Legend and Wolf in Shadow (David Gemmel)!
Love this video. I watched Conan when I was a kid but just find out that is based on books. I love the way you talk about the author. Will read it for sure.
Just started reading these yesterday. I love short stories, and really like what I'm reading. At the moment I can't concentrate on longer books, so this is ideal for the moment.
Conan isn't even a good example of toxic masculinity since he let Belit stay the captain. I've been eyeing that big omnibus of all the Howard stories for a long time but never pulled the trigger. It would look pretty good next to the Lovecraft volume but somehow Conan never feels like a priority.
When the other R E Howard omnibus book in the same collection, Conan's Brethren, went out of print the prices skyrocketed, so keep that in mind. There's more of the Conan one out there though, so I don't imagine the price to soar quite to the same extent.
I'm so glad to see this appreciation of Howard and Conan. The writing is beautiful and dynamic and transports you to another place. I picked the stories up after the original movie and was lucky enough to have grabbed the Berkeley collections, People of the Black Circle and Red Nails, which hadn't been touched by L Sprague de Camp. I was so excited when two volumes of The Conan Chronicles came out in 2000 or so and held all of his stories. I re-read them every few years. That collection you have looks beautiful.
Thanks Mike. He sounds so cool. I did a search for his work on the Library for the blind app that I have, and I am really looking forward to giving him a try.
@@mikesbookreviews You might be lucky you've waited this long, because Durfee's publisher is releasing a trilogy in hardback which collects the complete novels. Volume one releases at the end of this year.
You got a subscriber, don't know what took me so long to press the button but this is a fantastic video! I'm really looking forward to trying Howard's Conan soon.
Got massive Conan vibes from Karsa. I think Erikson wanted to answer the noble savage trope with a barbarian that was actually savage and brutal. Love both characters especially when they begin to grow. But they are definitely divisive. I'm off to a great reread of Conan!
I was 12 when I saw Conan the move on the big screen. It was a different time and my mom took me to movies I probably shouldn’t have seen. I loved it! So far I’ve read one anthology and yes, it can be a bit dry but it is imaginative. I will read more Conan soon. I also have a soft spot for John Carter of Mars. And as a native Texan, Robert E. Howard should be required reading in Texas literature classes.
My introduction was back in the 80s. I was with my parents at the drive in and i don't know if i was acting board or want while we were waiting for it to dark but some gave my parents a bunch of comics one of which was a conan comic about a battle on a ship. I saw the movie and eventually the cartoon show. I had trouble getting the original short stories but i enjoyed them.
I am glad to see you covering some older works (Beside King & Tolien), so few booktubers cover older works where there are so many works older than the last 15 years.
I think it is important for the modern fantasy crowd to step outside of their comfort zone and see where it all began. Just wait until I cover Homer. They might feel like they are being assigned homework.
Conan and Howard are awsome!!!! My only regret is I have not read more. I like Howard's other stories but more into Conan. His boxing stories are interesting. As far as Conan comics I was more into Groo the Wanderer as a kid.
Thank you so much for this video, Mike. I have been a big fan of the films and have had the books on my wishlist for years but never picked them up. This video inspired me to locate that hardcover Centenary Edition. I found it at a store called Blackwell's in the UK for less than $40 including shipping to US so if anyone else wants to snag this before it becomes prohibitively expensive, that is one resource. For the sake of comparison, the one copy on Amazon was almost $100.
Aaaah, my 1st Conan book was a collection of stories of multiple authors - IIRC only 4 or 5 of those stories were authored by Robert E. Anyway, I had no idea back then and I just loved the character and his authors; back then was in the late 90s and I was pretty big on the Conan animated show - you know, the one with no violence or blood and with inter-dimensional snakemen; also, Conan's sword was made from some meteor that showed the real face of the snakemen. Great memories, man. Thanks for the trip back on memory lane. Cheers!
I am a firm believer in reading the stories in published order. The characters and ideas were developed in that order. Aside from that, the series can be seen as someone telling stories from his life as they occur to him, so there is no formal continuity. I strongly recommend The Robert E. Howard Guide by Patrice Louinet for an in depth examination of Howard's life and writing and Conan. It is brilliant and informative.
Conan the Barbarian was a movie that meant and still means a lot to me. The opening quote from Friedrich Nietzsche is very much my mentality. It's my favorite Arnold movie, and probably in my top five favorite movies of all time. I haven't read any of Roberts work yet. But I have a collection of his that I will eventually get into.
In the past I read all the Conan books, good, bad and indifferent, I eventually read a couple of REH stories, and loved them! I have just invested in the complete Conan book and am finding it wonderful, I am also finding where the original Movie got some of its most iconic moments from!!!
Conan, not only most famous, but the archetype of the Barbarian, and very the first scene we see him? Sitting at his royal office desk, already a King, being a map geek… He may be a savage, but he is never written as the dumb barbarian stereotype: A street smart and nimble thief, a leader of men both as a pirate on the high seas and a Cossack of the plains, and a tactician both as mercenary leader and monarch.
It wasn't until I read Robert E. Howard that it dawned on me not every fantasy story needs to be a multi-book series of thousand page bricks that take 20 years to write. Give me more fantasy authors who make characters and lots of short stories/novellas that are tightly written, nicely paced, and have a raw intensity to them. I've been sharing Solomon Kane with my friends and family. He inspired me to write shorter tighter stories rather than big bloated slogs. Now I haven't read any of the post Robert E. Howard Conan stories, but from what little I've seen, it would be nice if they stopped making him just the body builder in the hairy speedo barbarian.
Haven't read Howard yet, for the longest time those books just weren't in the stores. But had heard good things, and have been planning to grab one of those collections. That introductory bit was fire! 🔥
I read my first Conan at the age of 13 with the first Lancer Book Collection. A year later I read my first Heinlein novel "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel." Born in the 50's and glad of it because I feel that was when fantasy and sci fi were taking off. If I hadn't read Conan, I don't think I could have forged through Glen Cook's "The Black Company" series...I found a lot of parallels with Howard in those novels. And tomorrow I get cataract surgery so I can start reading again. Time for bed...like your presentation.
I absolutely love Robert E Howard's works. I think I have read his Conan works about five times lol. But I have to give credit to authors like Lin Carter and L Sprague de camp, because their works on Conan are excellent as well and worth checking out. I think that a lot of classic authors don't get as much attention as they should. They are the origins of these genres and many of them are still extremely enjoyable today! One of my favorites is the science fiction works by Arthur Conan Doyle. Many people recognize him as the author for Sherlock and Professor Challenger, but he also has some great science fiction compilations and novels. I think that my favorite is the maracot deep. If you haven't checked it out, I think it's definitely worth a read! Short stories like the terror of blue John Gap, the horror of the Heights and when the world screamed are all fantastic too! Stanley G weinbaum and Edmond Hamilton are a couple of my other favorites. Great video and thanks for bringing attention to some of these lost classics!
I first read savage sword of conan, the black and white magazine, and loved it. My grandfather has been a lifelong fan, and has all the original paperbacks, so he lent me one with the people of the black circle, the devil in Iron, and a witch shall be born. Immediately hooked, picked up that complete leather-bound copy and am reading my way through it now
I appreciate that the two books you have facing the camera are Dune and a Wheel of time -- compendium? I can't quite make it out. Big props for having good taste
Great review. I've always thought there are a lot of similarities between Conan and James Bond too. When I tell people that, they look at me like I'm crazy. Glad to see someone gets what I'm trying to say.
Mike, I am so ready for sci-fi-September!! Just finished Childhood's End.. Martian Chronicles and Recursion are in the post, Ender's Game and the Dune trilogy are already in my pile-of-shame!! Skipping Star Wars (for now) because I'm already slowly but surely reading through all the Disney stuff. Saved this vid for later. :)
I first read REH in the local library.I asked for a book that was interesting,the librarian gave me this.She told me he began writing in his teens.I was hooked.Been reading him ever since.He also wrote historical fiction,boxing stories and cowboy stuff.It's all great,try some.
I love Conan! I introduced my young brothers to these back in the day much to my parents chagrin. Not because of the books but because of the sword battles that ensued.
If all you read of Robert E Howard is the Conan stories, you are missing so much. You have to read Kull, Bran Mac Morn, Solomon Kane, and on and on. If you read them, you will see there is an over arching theme, a continuation of a spirit, an eternal champion. I would really suggest for todays reader that they listen to a few of his stories, many are on youtube, it will give a good idea as to whether its a rabit hole you want to go down. Because it's not for everyone, many people today would be heavily triggered by some of what he writes. But if you're not faint of heart, you might actually enjoy them. Just the act of trying to find his more obscure stories can become addictive.
Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith are three of my all time favourite storytellers. The trinity of the weird tales era 🤠 thank you so much for this video, I haven’t visited my favourite barbarian in a long long time. Also the many other worlds he created. Yes please more videos exploring these mythos 🍻🍻
The philosophical themes in Conan goes a lot deeper than you give Howard credit for. Conan is the essential overman, or "übermensch" from Nietzsche's philosophy. Someone whose ambitions, desires, and personality stems from himself and is unaffected by the scorn or praise from others. Someone who fully embraces his own nature and never questions or doubts himself. Someone who has complete confidence in his own abilities and relies on no others. Unbound by morality he can seem callous and selfish, but he is never cruel or deceitful. In fact, he's always completely honest and shown as the polar opposite of the scheming and "civilized" characters that frequent the stories.
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Just like Lovecraft, there's a real magic to Howard's writing. He does action and fight scenes like no one else.
Read his boxing stuff, its really great.
Conan in interesting, but hard pass on lovecraft. Honestly, I don’t get why so many people are crazy about him
too bad he killed imself so young...
Because Lovecraft was a great writer. Regardless of how he was as a person. It be what it be.
@Philipp Burnett ironically, that IS Lovecraftian horror. It's incomprehensible. You dunno why everyone's going crazy about this thing until you experience it yourself and you yourself dunno how to describe it.
Conan is grimdark done better. An actual critique of civilization lies beneath the veneer of sword and sorcery. A critique even more appropriate today than when Howard wrote it.
As for Tolkien and Howard. I would not venture to guess who was first. They wrote largely contemporaneously. But because of their personal circumstances, they chose different publishing routes. Tolkien being in a safe academic perch, could publish at his leisure. Howard was living off his print.
That said, Tolkien was aware of R.E. Howard's work, and admitted liking them. Despite their reputation, even in the time, as "pulp fantasy."
Funny you mention that considering that from what I have heard Robert actually supported civilization he merely thought barbarity was a natural and inevitable state of mankind rather than flat out criticizing civilization.
Not particularly true. Conan was being published years before the hobbit and Howard died a year before the hobbit was even in print.
It's very unlikely that Howard was aware of Tolkein, and it's a historical impossibility that Tolkein was first, so there's no reason to "venture to guess."
Absolutely agree Robert E Howard has had a hugely underrated impact on fantasy, to the point I would say it’s equal to Tolkien’s influence, both good and bad. Let’s just say bikini armor didn’t come from the Shire.
Weirdly i'd say it didn't come from Robert either. But his publisher. They pushed for having women in diminutive clothes in story to justify the artworks
Robert e Howard superior to Tolkien
What are you talking about bro!?
@@johnnynevermind8595 he didn’t say superior. He said they had about equal impact on fantasy literature.
@johnnynevermind8595 Robert was a much better writer than Tolkien. Tolkien saw magic to be a hinderance to storytelling, so he failed to explain how magical systems work in his world.
Bikini armor absolutely didn't come from Howard. Those were choices of the publisher for the covers and out of Howard's hands. You'll not find an example of such armor in Howard's description of fighting women.
Just don't forget what is best in life..."To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!"
Those Frank Frazetta paintings are a big part of the brilliance of Conan. They function like Marshall amplifiers, turned up to 11.
🤘💯💜
The sword and sorcery genre in general needs much more attention. Conan, Elric, Fafhrd, Wagner’s Kane and so much more. They’re all metal as hell!
Elric is such a influential figure.
Oh Hell yes. Anyone who loves fantasy should read all of those. When is the last time you even heard someone mention Kane, who was a great character.
🤘💯😏
Wagner's Kane was the next best thing to Howard when I came across it. Could not get enough of that either.
Never heard of wagners Kane. Ahhh
Great video! Beautifully done. So great to see a big time BookTuber talking about Robert E. Howard. He is a writer who deserves more attention and your channel can really help with that. I feel like most of us who talk about Howard are so tiny nobody sees those videos.
Ha, I don't know about big time. But I will certainly do my part to help Mr. Howard's legacy grow among this modern fantasy community that seems to not even know his name.
@@mikesbookreviews I'm of the opinion the modern fantasy reader has an over inflated opinion of their tasted and writers. By that I mean, they speak patronizing on "complex/well defined magic systems" for example, then those magic systems have the same outs as the less defined ones, just with more bells and whistles or they are riddled with plot armor. My point being, they have an unwarranted air of superiority when speaking on their faves and the quality of their writing. If I had to choose between Howard or Tolkien, I'm going with Howard every time because (to me) he's better at communicating mood and action.
Howard is my favorite author..very visceral and much a painter with words. And I've never felt anyone else has been able to write Conan with any authenticity. The closest feel of Conan since Howard's passing is the Poldarius soundtrack.
Conan is so old, that WW2 soldiers could read his stories during down time between killing Nazis. That is badass.
Ha ha great selling technique
Conan would have been the World War 2 vets equivalent to marvel and DC comics.
@@LordMalice6d9Marvel and DC were already the WWII version of Marvel and DC, although Marvel was called Timely at that time
Nazis? Don't you mean germans?
You're right. My grandpa could have read him over in France in 1944. Wow
That last line in your amazing introduction about civilization and savagery did immediately make me think of Karsa. I love what you said about Howard's ability to pack content in fewer pages than most writers and the who's-the-bigger-monster theme.Good to know that continuity doesn't matter when starting these stories. That was a question I've had for a while! Great video, Mike!
Fans of Karsa will adore Conan.
Who is Karsa and what series are they from?
@@julianaguilera998 Karsa is from Malazan Book of the Fallen and doesn’t appear until book 4.
@@Johanna_reads Thanks for telling me!
Robert E. Howard is such a great author. Give Solomon Kane a go too, it is a bit more Horror.
Conan is a walking heavy metal album and I love him for it
If Netflix did a faithful adaption of the original 17 Howard Conan series, it would be fantastic....can't see that happening in 2021.
Indeed. We aren’t allowed to like badass dudes who get the girl anymore.
Conan is impossible to cast.
Conan was my first entry into fantasy long before I read about hobbits and orcs. It was definitely the Frazetta covers that drew my attention then Savage Sword of Conan comics sucked me in. Thanks for another great video and I agree with you that booktube is seriously lacking in Conan content. Also most of Robert E Howard’s stuff is public domain now so people wanting to check his stuff out can find it free online.
The Del Rey collection are excellent reprints. They go back to the original stories, eliminating the rewrites and edits done by later authors. I recommend you start with those, then move on to the later paperback editions.
If you want to have a bit of insight of the life of Howard, there was a film made in 1996 " The whole wide world" with Vincent D'Onofrio and René Zellweger.
Conan is indeed the alpha male and a barbarian, but he also has a very distinct sense of honor about him as well. A perfect example of this is the act of kindness he does for Yag Kosha in The Tower of the Elephant, and how he reacts to him when he sees how broken and blind he is. I think another example is the death of Belit, where he stays to enact vengence for her death and then honors her with a funeral. There are other examples throughout the stories where he does something you wouldn't expect an ignorant sword slinging barbarian would do. He's hard, and he's a killer, but he's an honorable man.
Yeah, he saves the elephant alien guy, when most other people probably wouldn't. He didn't like seeing anyone enslaved or imprisoned.
I like how after he usurps the throne of Aquilonia, he actually cares about the people, probably more than the previous rulers.
Conan is a bro. He's a great judge of character. He can tell a bullshitter from a honest man. He doesn't talk to much, and when someone breaks their word, he's quick to let his sword do the talking.
Another example also found in Queen of the Black coast is at the beginning, where Conan refuses to betray his friend, thus triggering his hasty flight.
He is not a savage he's a barbarian.
In Howard's world savage, barbarian, and civilized are 3 distinct things.
Your reading intros never fail to amaze me! Also, as expected, you've convinced me to read this 😄
Hope you enjoy it!
The king of intros.
I have that Centenary Edition on the shelf and am looking forward to tearing into it. And not book-related, you’re spot on in saying that Basil Poledouris’ soundtrack to Conan the Barbarian is one of the best ever. Great video!
I saw Conan the Destroyer first... I was young and it blew my mind, it became a guilty pleasure for me. Later I watch Conan the Barbarian and loved it. It was there when I started reading Robert E Howard. He became one of my favorite authors of all time. Conan, Krull, Solomon freaking Kane was monster hunting way before Geralt. REH even wrote some Weird Westerns and I LOVE the western setting. He just clicks so many boxes for me. Great author and definitly in my TOP5. I totally agree with you I still reread his stories between big books 🙌
Outside of Conan, Kull, and Kane, the only Howard I've done is some of his horror stories. But I loved them, too. Dude was extremely ahead of his time.
After reading Howard’s elegant, descriptive, intelligent prose, it makes you realize how YA most of the modern fantasy writers of today read like. The ability to build such a fully realized world in such a short page count is astounding!
Excellent video! I completely agree with you about Robert E. Howard’s importance for the development of the fantasy genre. Also, while Conan is indeed quite the macho dude, it’s possible to read his stories as more than just an orgy of “toxic masculinity.” For example, you could look at the portrayal of the pros and cons of “civilization” and “barbarism.” On the other hand, you could just experience the awe and horror of the dude’s machismo.
Howard is one Texas’ most important cultural figures. Robert Rodrigues once said that Texas has provided very little to the pop culture landscape, so it’s very important for all of us Texans recognize and venerate those that deserve it. IE Put some respect on the name Robert E Howard.
I wish he would have adapted Queen of the Black Coast. Tarantino said Rodriguez wanted to. That would have been so amazing.
@@mikesbookreviews I would have bought tickets to go to that 4 times
@@mikesbookreviews The best way to adapt Conan in Prophet's opinion is to make short films instead of feature-length films considering that Conan is a series of short stories and not usually a novel at least not with the original stories.
@@mikesbookreviews it’s feels like aside from Arnold’s film, every attempt to have Conan on big screen seemed to be fail. Idk if Momoa movie as terrible as a lot of people say
Howard's Conan is the best! Started reading them when I was just a kid (12 or so) and they laid the foundation for my love of fantasy. Roberts stories grip you like no others. You get pulled into Hyperborea as you wade through the rivers of blood that Conan leaves in his wake. A story teller like no other!
The Hyborian Age remember it is a time period not a place.
@@Shagamaw-100
Hyperborea is a nation in the Conan stories.
Yes, Hyperborea is a nation that existed during the Hyborian Age a time period. That is what I was saying.
This video is just what I wanted to see from you today, Mike! Here I was, having a rough one, and what do you know... just as I'm cheering myself up with Shadows of Zamboula (a classic Conan story), I see this video pop up!
I absolutely adore the Conan stories. I have the same tome as you, and it's my favourite book on my bookshelf. Robert E. Howard certainly deserves more credit and recognition for his contributions to the genre. The man essentially created sword and sorcery. You also hit the nail on the head talking about how much Howard can fit into a single short story; Beyond the Black River is the best fantasy story I have ever read, and it's less than fifty pages long.
Anyway, I'm a fairly new viewer, but you have a great grasp on various authors and types of fantasy works. For that, I enjoy and watch your content on books I've never even read, so I'm especially glad to see you cover my all-time favourite.
Now let's just hope we finally get a Howard-loyal Conan adaptation with the upcoming show that's in the works...
Oh, and I bloody love how you managed to fit ALL of the most iconic Conan quotes into the intro aha!
Trying to decide which quotes I couldn't fit in was the tougher job.
Like your comment on continuity. And the style. It is difficult for modern readers to grasp the fantasy, horror, sci-fi writing from 1900 to 1950. Take Dracula. Everyone watches the movies and think they really KNOW the character. Then they try to read Stoker's book and it's a trial. It's almost always in the form of letters between characters. It's a tough read for the modern reader; my son tried it and he stopped halfway through, told me "It just drags!" But at the time it was a bombshell book.
I just started reading Conan a few weeks ago...
It really draws you in, it makes you want more, it almost invigorates you, it's surprising that you get so much from short stories. I highly recommend a read!
Man, if that doesn’t hype you up, I don’t know what would! Awesome intro. And great video! I’m very excited to read it now.
I think you’ll dig it.
I too was introduced to Conan via the Arnold movies when I was probably much too young (older brother).
The soundtrack is a masterpiece - it’s nice to hear someone else talking about it!
I have the same edition you have and I agree it’s not something you want to binge. I have been slowly working my way through it, and am enjoying it that way.
Thanks for the video - Howard does not seem to get enough love these days!
Howard's prose is many things. Dry is not a word I associate with it.
What would you call it? I am by no means a prose expert and that is the word I hear applied to him and Lovecraft a ton.
@@mikesbookreviews Lovecraft, sure. Howard's prose, I'd call energetic, fiery, vivid, visceral, kinetic, often poetic and impassioned. "Dry" as a prose description seems antithetical to those qualities.
@@mikesbookreviewsthe word that comes to my mind is “dense”. He crams a lot of names and narrative into long and rambling sentences.
Great recommendation Mike! I immediately ordered The Complete Chronicles of Conan after wathcing this video. Really excited for this!
Also keep up the great work! Your reviews and recommendations are outstanding!
Conan is the best. I love (some) modern figures, like, let's say, Logen ninefingers. But man, the first trilogy was, what?, 1500 - 2000 pages. Could've written all this with half the words. Now read Conan, beyond the black river. It's about 80 or so pages, but when you read it you think you've read a much longer book, it's so tense and alive. Such was the power of Robert E. Howard....
Yo, Mike! What a great video my man!! What an intro!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🔥🔥🔥🔥
I just read Lovecraft's Cthulu Mythos last month 😏 Reading Tolkien's Simarillion RN 😊
Positive vibes from Houston 🍀Have a great week
I've only ever read "The Tower of the Elephant" and really liked it. Hearing your thoughts on Conan makes me want to get that collection and dive in
@Hexproof Project I guess that's why it was included in The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories. That's where I read it
For anyone looking for a digital version, Delphi Classics has the complete works of Robert E Howard for $3.00. Has 199 short stories, 5 novels, as well as a bunch of awesome extra features like biographies, etc. Mike, you convinced me to buy it based on this review, can't wait to get in to it (if I ever finish Midnight Tides, hahaha)
I subscribed to your channel because of the Berserk reviews, I really enjoy listening to your take on it.
But now you've got me wanting to read Dune and Conan and all kinds of other stuff haha. Thank you!
Ha ha, happy to help!
I think you have given the most fair analysis of this character and the books that I’ve ever heard. One of the main reasons that I find the series so appealing is the fact it’s geared towards men being men, and that is something that you are hard-pressed to find in modern fantasy books. Howard is by far my favorite author now and if you want to further the Conan experience the books written by Robert Jordan are also very good.
Fantastic review. You really delve deep into the story without just summarizing it from beginning to end. I read in Danse Macabre if I remember correctly that Stephen King also read Conan and felt that Robert E. Howard created a character who was a typical male hero but the best in that field of heroic characters. That's not a quote of King's but how I interpreted what King wrote. You definitely convinced me. I'm going to read Robert E. Howard's Conan as soon as I have a copy. Thanks for the recommendation!
The back cover of my leatherbound edition has a quote by King.
You've got me even more hyped to read some Mr Howard, Mike! Great video, as always.
Ed
Oh Mike, you missed one really obvious line.... Why you should read Conan? To crush your enemies. See them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of their women. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Sword and Sorcery, especially Conan, is one of the major threads of fantasy that created today's genre, I couldn't agree with you more. The modern audience may have some issues with aspects of the stories, that is hard to avoid (just as it is with Lovecraft and, in fact, many of the pulp SF, Planetary Romance, and Adventure authors), but you can see the seeds and beginnings of so many aspects of Fantasy in those pages. Great video. Thank you, Mike.
Ha ha, I was trying to focus on the books. Plus, I figured about every other comment here would be that line. Too true on Howard being integral to this genre we love. I just want more people to give him a chance that ordinarily wouldn't.
@@mikesbookreviews Sometimes you have to lean into the obvious jokes. It is a great video and I hope that it inspires some people to pick Howard up.
One of my favorite things I've ever heard in an interview was George R. R. Martin talking about how he read Conan as his first fantasy, and then when he read Lord of the Rings he was like "What the hell, where are the naked dancing girls?"
Thanks for doing this video. I just worry that I'd struggle to read Conan considering when it was published. Every time I've read something old enough that it's public domain (or close to it) I've struggled with it.
How so?
@@Shagamaw-100 The best example I can give is The Count of Monte Cristo. I adored the Jim Caviezel movie, it was one of those I watched every time I caught it available somewhere, so I decided to read the book - probably the original unabridged illustrated version as I got it from Project Guttenberg.
The book was a massive slog, and about halfway through it, since it was different than the movie I ended up Googling a theory I had and ended up accidentally spoiling the ending for myself. Fortunately so, as I hated the book ending so bad it's literally the only book I've ever DNF-ed. If I'd finished that whole book and read that crappy ending I'd have been way more pissed.
@@praetorxyn The ending of The Count of Monte Cristo made me really mad, especially the second to last chapter.
@@Lasombra08 I never made it that far, as this is basically what happened. Spoilers:
In the Caviezel adaptation, Albert is Edmond's son... but in the book I was getting vibes that he wasn't, so I Googled "Is Albert Dontes' son" or something, and ended up reading that Albert was really Fernand's son and that the book ended with the Count being with Haiti or whatever her name was and Mercedes just living in poverty or something, and I was like "What a shitty ending compared to the movie ending, where Edmond and Mercedes finally get together."
@@praetorxyn
Spoilers:
Yes, that's basically what happens (although Mercedes doesn't live in outright poverty). It's sad that she's shamed for remarrying.
My biggest gripe, however, is that he let's Danglar live.
Fantastic video! I am always very impressed by your intros: quotes of the literature work onto pictures depicting the material. Top-notch.
Yes, it is a shame that REH is not that 'popular' and interestingly enough, his main creation, Conan, it is a character that had so many adaptations and with each new adaptations it went a step away from the original concept that very often people will not read the original stories based on their experience with the movie, Conan the Barbarian or due to the comics bearing its name which people wrongly associate with childish material.
This pushes the literature of Howard as a lesser worth, lesser quality literature--yet, as you mention, his novelletes, novelas often pack more elements of fantasy than books over 800 pages.
I encourage you to keep on, mainly reading his horror stories that often borrow Lovecraftian aspects--and this is well-known: both authors were pen-friends and encouraged each other to have their stories set within each other's universe.
I have wanting to get to this series for well over a year now!!!
It's so easy to fit a couple of these stories in between epic fantasy books.
@@mikesbookreviews I’m gonna started hunting for that handsome collection you have!
Conan was among the first Fantasy books I ever read and I loved them. I bought a collection of the Robert E Howard books a couple of years back and have really enjoyed dipping back into them. I have 30+ books of the Conan character from way back (written by various authors who have gone on to write great fantasy fiction books). I was also a big fan of the Marvel comics too. Nice to see you cover the character.
This was my vote for “Why You Should Read”, so I was so glad to see this video! Fantastic overview of Conan. I haven’t read it yet, but have stolen a few bind ups from my Dad’s shelf and have had them sitting on my bedside table for a few months!
Definitely agree about “doing your homework”. Understanding the history of fantasy provides a richer experience when reading modern fantasy. I know the style
isn’t for everyone, but I think it lends so much more to your experience of the genre when you can appreciate those original influences.
For other Legends like Howard try Fritz Leiber (Lankhmar), Karl Edward Wagner (Kane), Moorcock The Eternal Champions books and Jack Vance Dying Earth and Lyonesse books. Enjoy!
It’s a bloody shame the Kane books are so difficult to get physical copies of these days. Love all these series btw.
Yeah no kidding! I’ve bought all the great conditioned paperback Kane books at around $30 to $40 each.
Conan is the BEST. The original REH short stories, Savage sword magazine and the Barbarian comic(the original movie too though not really authentic Conan) are part of my DNA. Since I was 5 or could read my dad would bring home Savage sword magazines and I was mesmerized. Also before I could read my dad had all the Robert e Howard paperbacks and I fell in love with the Frazetta art. You should read some of his westerns and even his boxing stories, some great short stories. There are a few collections of his westerns and at least one boxing collection I highly recommended if you like Howard. I was born in 1975 so this has been a lifetime obsession (I own over 100 early savage swords and another 50+ barbarian comics from when I was a kid...plus I now own the complete Darkhorse reprint of every savage sword magazine ever published....so much gorgeous art and badass conan...drool)........thanks for the Conan love :)
Conan has always been one of my favorite characters. I used to collect The Savage Sword of Conan comics back in the day. They had colorful covers but had black and white content. Good stuff!!!
I love these "Why you should read" videos you do Mike, you highlight a lot of stuff I've already read and loved and other stuff that makes me very interested in checking out. Hope there's still more to come!
I'm pretty sure you'd really enjoy the Elric Saga since you loved Conan Mike. Those are some great Sword & Sorcery stories as well.
You've convinced me to read Conan!
I read Conan in my teens... You might well have rekindled my enthusiasm.
The edition you mentioned has pride of place on my shelf. One of the greatest fantasy characters period. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🇬🇧
I have too much on my reading list to read along with Mike but man I love to hear him talk about books!
I know this "Why You Should Read" wasn't specifically done in my honor, but you know I've mentioned it countless times in the comment section of your videos. I have been away from RUclips for the past few months and haven't had a chance to watch your stuff. Just want to say thank you for this and I hope you'll do a deep dive into some of the stories and world of Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian. It is absolutely the greatest work of fiction, in my humble opinion, and I hope that this video turned at least a few people onto the genius that is Robert E. Howard.
Happy you enjoyed it!
@@mikesbookreviews I know you have a ton of books to read, but I'm going to repeat a request I had a while back. Gotta read Heroes Die now for more of that juicy "toxic masculinity." And after that you have to read Legend and Wolf in Shadow (David Gemmel)!
Good run down on R. E. Howard. I've been reading him since the early 80s. He's one of my favorite authors. I highly recommend him for young guys.
I appreciate the justification for me hunting down the Ace published books from the 60’s. Very cool look. Gonna start the Hyborian Age now.
So when do we get a video of you humming the soundtrack of the movie?
For fans of the soundtrack/movie, this is a must watch: ruclips.net/video/OBGOQ7SsJrw/видео.html
Love this video. I watched Conan when I was a kid but just find out that is based on books. I love the way you talk about the author. Will read it for sure.
Just started reading these yesterday. I love short stories, and really like what I'm reading.
At the moment I can't concentrate on longer books, so this is ideal for the moment.
Glad you like them!
Conan isn't even a good example of toxic masculinity since he let Belit stay the captain. I've been eyeing that big omnibus of all the Howard stories for a long time but never pulled the trigger. It would look pretty good next to the Lovecraft volume but somehow Conan never feels like a priority.
When the other R E Howard omnibus book in the same collection, Conan's Brethren, went out of print the prices skyrocketed, so keep that in mind. There's more of the Conan one out there though, so I don't imagine the price to soar quite to the same extent.
@@MrsPhilosopher Sumeria? But he's Cimmerian.
It's funny considering the link between Conan's setting and the Cthulhu Mythos.
I'm so glad to see this appreciation of Howard and Conan. The writing is beautiful and dynamic and transports you to another place. I picked the stories up after the original movie and was lucky enough to have grabbed the Berkeley collections, People of the Black Circle and Red Nails, which hadn't been touched by L Sprague de Camp. I was so excited when two volumes of The Conan Chronicles came out in 2000 or so and held all of his stories. I re-read them every few years. That collection you have looks beautiful.
Thanks Mike. He sounds so cool. I did a search for his work on the Library for the blind app that I have, and I am really looking forward to giving him a try.
What you said about him writing more in twenty pages than some authors do in their entire series can also be applied to the Elric saga.
So I've heard. But I am yet to dip my toes into that pool yet.
@@mikesbookreviews
You might be lucky you've waited this long, because Durfee's publisher is releasing a trilogy in hardback which collects the complete novels. Volume one releases at the end of this year.
You got a subscriber, don't know what took me so long to press the button but this is a fantastic video! I'm really looking forward to trying Howard's Conan soon.
Got massive Conan vibes from Karsa. I think Erikson wanted to answer the noble savage trope with a barbarian that was actually savage and brutal. Love both characters especially when they begin to grow. But they are definitely divisive. I'm off to a great reread of Conan!
Watching the Conan movies as a little kid is a glorious experience.
Long time Conan fan (film, ) and am just now diving into the stories. Very excited! Loved your video!
I was 12 when I saw Conan the move on the big screen. It was a different time and my mom took me to movies I probably shouldn’t have seen. I loved it! So far I’ve read one anthology and yes, it can be a bit dry but it is imaginative. I will read more Conan soon. I also have a soft spot for John Carter of Mars. And as a native Texan, Robert E. Howard should be required reading in Texas literature classes.
My introduction was back in the 80s. I was with my parents at the drive in and i don't know if i was acting board or want while we were waiting for it to dark but some gave my parents a bunch of comics one of which was a conan comic about a battle on a ship.
I saw the movie and eventually the cartoon show. I had trouble getting the original short stories but i enjoyed them.
I am glad to see you covering some older works (Beside King & Tolien), so few booktubers cover older works where there are so many works older than the last 15 years.
I think it is important for the modern fantasy crowd to step outside of their comfort zone and see where it all began. Just wait until I cover Homer. They might feel like they are being assigned homework.
@@mikesbookreviews lol I look forward to that.
Conan and Howard are awsome!!!! My only regret is I have not read more. I like Howard's other stories but more into Conan. His boxing stories are interesting. As far as Conan comics I was more into Groo the Wanderer as a kid.
Thank you so much for this video, Mike. I have been a big fan of the films and have had the books on my wishlist for years but never picked them up. This video inspired me to locate that hardcover Centenary Edition. I found it at a store called Blackwell's in the UK for less than $40 including shipping to US so if anyone else wants to snag this before it becomes prohibitively expensive, that is one resource. For the sake of comparison, the one copy on Amazon was almost $100.
Aaaah, my 1st Conan book was a collection of stories of multiple authors - IIRC only 4 or 5 of those stories were authored by Robert E. Anyway, I had no idea back then and I just loved the character and his authors; back then was in the late 90s and I was pretty big on the Conan animated show - you know, the one with no violence or blood and with inter-dimensional snakemen; also, Conan's sword was made from some meteor that showed the real face of the snakemen. Great memories, man. Thanks for the trip back on memory lane. Cheers!
I’m reading through all the REH Conan stories right now. Been at it for 2 months. Lovin it
I'll have to check Conan out this fall! Definitely a series I never thought twice about as a teenager
Loved this reading 📖 intro! Great review 👍🏼 added to TBR 😊
Hope you love it!
Got conan coming up. Bought the complete chronicles book. Looking forward to it.
I discovered Conan as a teen, to the best of my recollection. I need to revisit him again ASAP.
I am a firm believer in reading the stories in published order. The characters and ideas were developed in that order. Aside from that, the series can be seen as someone telling stories from his life as they occur to him, so there is no formal continuity.
I strongly recommend The Robert E. Howard Guide by Patrice Louinet for an in depth examination of Howard's life and writing and Conan. It is brilliant and informative.
Conan the Barbarian was a movie that meant and still means a lot to me. The opening quote from Friedrich Nietzsche is very much my mentality. It's my favorite Arnold movie, and probably in my top five favorite movies of all time. I haven't read any of Roberts work yet. But I have a collection of his that I will eventually get into.
In the past I read all the Conan books, good, bad and indifferent, I eventually read a couple of REH stories, and loved them!
I have just invested in the complete Conan book and am finding it wonderful, I am also finding where the original Movie got some of its most iconic moments from!!!
The Solomon Kane stories are damn good too. I like that Robert E Howard throws in horror elements into many of his stories.
Conan!! great stories, Great Video, Thanks Mike
Conan, not only most famous, but the archetype of the Barbarian, and very the first scene we see him? Sitting at his royal office desk, already a King, being a map geek…
He may be a savage, but he is never written as the dumb barbarian stereotype: A street smart and nimble thief, a leader of men both as a pirate on the high seas and a Cossack of the plains, and a tactician both as mercenary leader and monarch.
It wasn't until I read Robert E. Howard that it dawned on me not every fantasy story needs to be a multi-book series of thousand page bricks that take 20 years to write. Give me more fantasy authors who make characters and lots of short stories/novellas that are tightly written, nicely paced, and have a raw intensity to them. I've been sharing Solomon Kane with my friends and family.
He inspired me to write shorter tighter stories rather than big bloated slogs. Now I haven't read any of the post Robert E. Howard Conan stories, but from what little I've seen, it would be nice if they stopped making him just the body builder in the hairy speedo barbarian.
Howard could say in a paragraph what it takes modern fantasy authors 10k words to say. He was a wizard.
@@mikesbookreviews It's a lost art it seems to say so much with so little and leave the rest up to the reader.
One thing I liked about conan was just the love he put into the world he made.
Haven't read Howard yet, for the longest time those books just weren't in the stores. But had heard good things, and have been planning to grab one of those collections.
That introductory bit was fire! 🔥
I read my first Conan at the age of 13 with the first Lancer Book Collection. A year later I read my first Heinlein novel "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel." Born in the 50's and glad of it because I feel that was when fantasy and sci fi were taking off. If I hadn't read Conan, I don't think I could have forged through Glen Cook's "The Black Company" series...I found a lot of parallels with Howard in those novels. And tomorrow I get cataract surgery so I can start reading again. Time for bed...like your presentation.
I absolutely love Robert E Howard's works. I think I have read his Conan works about five times lol. But I have to give credit to authors like Lin Carter and L Sprague de camp, because their works on Conan are excellent as well and worth checking out. I think that a lot of classic authors don't get as much attention as they should. They are the origins of these genres and many of them are still extremely enjoyable today! One of my favorites is the science fiction works by Arthur Conan Doyle. Many people recognize him as the author for Sherlock and Professor Challenger, but he also has some great science fiction compilations and novels. I think that my favorite is the maracot deep. If you haven't checked it out, I think it's definitely worth a read! Short stories like the terror of blue John Gap, the horror of the Heights and when the world screamed are all fantastic too! Stanley G weinbaum and Edmond Hamilton are a couple of my other favorites. Great video and thanks for bringing attention to some of these lost classics!
I first read savage sword of conan, the black and white magazine, and loved it. My grandfather has been a lifelong fan, and has all the original paperbacks, so he lent me one with the people of the black circle, the devil in Iron, and a witch shall be born. Immediately hooked, picked up that complete leather-bound copy and am reading my way through it now
I appreciate that the two books you have facing the camera are Dune and a Wheel of time -- compendium? I can't quite make it out. Big props for having good taste
Great review. I've always thought there are a lot of similarities between Conan and James Bond too. When I tell people that, they look at me like I'm crazy. Glad to see someone gets what I'm trying to say.
Mike, I am so ready for sci-fi-September!!
Just finished Childhood's End.. Martian Chronicles and Recursion are in the post, Ender's Game and the Dune trilogy are already in my pile-of-shame!!
Skipping Star Wars (for now) because I'm already slowly but surely reading through all the Disney stuff.
Saved this vid for later.
:)
I first read REH in the local library.I asked for a book that was interesting,the librarian gave me this.She told me he began writing in his teens.I was hooked.Been reading him ever since.He also wrote historical fiction,boxing stories and cowboy stuff.It's all great,try some.
I am sold. I am going to keep an eye out for that gorgeous leatherbound.
I love Conan! I introduced my young brothers to these back in the day much to my parents chagrin. Not because of the books but because of the sword battles that ensued.
If all you read of Robert E Howard is the Conan stories, you are missing so much. You have to read Kull, Bran Mac Morn, Solomon Kane, and on and on. If you read them, you will see there is an over arching theme, a continuation of a spirit, an eternal champion. I would really suggest for todays reader that they listen to a few of his stories, many are on youtube, it will give a good idea as to whether its a rabit hole you want to go down. Because it's not for everyone, many people today would be heavily triggered by some of what he writes. But if you're not faint of heart, you might actually enjoy them. Just the act of trying to find his more obscure stories can become addictive.
Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith are three of my all time favourite storytellers. The trinity of the weird tales era 🤠 thank you so much for this video, I haven’t visited my favourite barbarian in a long long time. Also the many other worlds he created. Yes please more videos exploring these mythos 🍻🍻
The philosophical themes in Conan goes a lot deeper than you give Howard credit for. Conan is the essential overman, or "übermensch" from Nietzsche's philosophy. Someone whose ambitions, desires, and personality stems from himself and is unaffected by the scorn or praise from others. Someone who fully embraces his own nature and never questions or doubts himself. Someone who has complete confidence in his own abilities and relies on no others. Unbound by morality he can seem callous and selfish, but he is never cruel or deceitful. In fact, he's always completely honest and shown as the polar opposite of the scheming and "civilized" characters that frequent the stories.