Kull: Exile of Atlantis
?Howard?s writing seems so highly charged with energy that it nearly gives off sparks.?
?Stephen King
?Robert E. Howard had a gritty, vibrant style?broadsword writing that cut its way to the heart, with heroes who are truly larger than life.?
?David Gemmell
In a meteoric career that spanned a mere twelve years, Robert E. Howard single-handedly invented the genre that came to be called sword and sorcery. From his fertile imagination sprang some of fiction?s most enduring heroes. Yet while Conan is indisputably Howard?s greatest creation, it was in his earlier sequence of tales featuring Kull, a fearless warrior with the brooding intellect of a philosopher, that Howard began to develop the distinctive themes, and the richly evocative blend of history and mythology, that would distinguish his later tales of the Hyborian Age.
Much more than simply the prototype for Conan, Kull is a fascinating character in his own right: an exile from fabled Atlantis who wins the crown of Valusia, only to find it as much a burden as a prize.
This groundbreaking collection, lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Justin Sweet, gathers together all Howard?s stories featuring Kull, from Kull?s first published appearance, in ?The Shadow Kingdom,? to ?Kings of the Night,? Howard?s last tale featuring the cerebral swordsman. The stories are presented just as Howard wrote them, with all subsequent editorial emendations removed. Also included are previously unpublished stories, drafts, and fragments, plus extensive notes on the texts, an introduction by Howard authority Steve Tompkins, and an essay by noted editor Patrice Louinet.
?Howard was a true storyteller?one of the first, and certainly among the best, you?ll find in heroic fantasy. If you?ve never read him before, you?re in for a real treat.?
?Charles de Lint
?For stark, living fear . . . what other writer is even in the running with Robert E. Howard??
?H. P. Lovecraft
As some cover blurbs so rightly state, "Before Conan--there was Kull!" The warrior Kull was yet another popular creation of pulp writer Robert E. Howard (1906-1936), generally credited as the originator of the subgenre heroic fantasy. Yet Kull should not be dismissed as second-rate Conan. (Although Howard did transform a few unsold Kull adventures into those of Conan the Cimmerian when the later series took off with the public.) Set in ancient, lost Atlantis, the Kull stories take place mostly after the barbarian has already come to power as King Kull of Valusia. What makes these scant dozen stories most memorable is Howard's heightened style of mystical decadence, similar here to his Weird Tales contemporary, Clark Ashton Smith. Rest assured there's enough gruesome bloodletting and wanton savagery to satisfy the most ardent Howard reader. (Variant editions of this collection have been published over the years, with the uncompleted stories finished posthumously by Lin Carter. Other editions have simply presented the few story fragments as untouched--and unadulterated--Robert E. Howard.) --Stanley Wiater
Kull: Exile of Atlantis Accessories
 Bran Mak Morn: The Last King
The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane
The Conquering Sword of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 3)
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian: The Original Adventures of the Greatest Sword and Sorcery Hero of All Time!
The Bloody Crown of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 2)
Lord of Samarcand and Other Adventure Tales of the Old Orient (The Works of Robert E. Howard)
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows (Best of Robert E Howard)
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands (Best of Robert E Howard)
Conan: The Ultimate Guide to the World's Most Savage Barbarian
The Black Stranger: And Other American Tales (The Works of Robert E. Howard Series)
Kull: Exile of Atlantis Reviews
The illustrations by Gary Gianni are excellent, and add considerably to the overall enjoyment level of this book.
The physical descriptions of the two are similar, though Kull's grey eyes were replaced by Conan's blue eyes.
This volume, including all of the published Kull stories as well as several unpublished ones (including drafts and fragments), belongs in every Howard admirer's library.
Lovecraft was a friend (via mail correspondence, not in person) of Howard's, and expressed great admiration for the Kull stories in a letter to Howard - though by the time he did, Howard's Kull muse had deserted him.
But the Kull stories stand very well on their own.
One wishes that all of Del Rey's Conan volumes were illustrated by Gianni as well.
H.P.
He was on to Conan at that time.
Kull, the Atlantean exile that became King of Valusia, is far more than simply a precursor of Conan, though some of the parallels are striking.
The stories are a mixed bag from the incredible ("The Shadow Kingdom"), the eerie ("The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune") and straight adventure ("By This Axe I Rule" which after failing to sell was later rewritten by REH as the Conan story "Phoenix on the Sword", with a supernatural element added. From Atlantis he like Conan becomes a king. Howard's first barbarian hero.
The advance ads implied this was a single story rather than a disjointed review and groups of unlinked stories
A great read. Kull is not infatuated with women like Conan is so often thus making him less of a romantic hero and more of a raw hero and leader of men. Kull is similar to Conan in many superficial respects, but his psyche is a bit different. The stories are well written and drive the reader along at a strong pace. The one major difference I see so far is that there are no "love" interests in the stories. I can't say that this is good or bad, but it makes him different enough from Conan that it works for me. I'm enjoying these stories quite a bit.
Untitled Draft: Intriguing fragment that has Kull and the Red Slayers chase a man who has insulted Kull (quite literally) to the ends of the Earth and beyond. Discarded beginning of the next story. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Introduction by Steve Tompkins: Interesting and useful, especially to a newbie like me. There's no way to know, but this one and only tale of the pre-king Kull is vital to understanding the character. Because it was the earliest by internal chronology, I decided to start with Kull. A somewhat silly beginning is saved IMHO by a marvelous adventure in and beyond the Forbidden Lake. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands.
"The King and the Oak": Short poem about Kull also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands. Miscellanea: The "Am-ra of the Ta-an" Fragments two poems and three fragments about what is in effect Conan 1.0 as Kull is Conan 2.0, and three earlier drafts of Kull items, useful to the Howard scholar. "The Screaming Skull of Silence": Fascinating little story.
Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows, The Best of Robert E. Fortunately, bull-headed courage manages to save the day and, wonder of wonders, improve the situation. Kull dreams The Noodle Dream and then commits the "crime" for which he was exiled from Atlantis. Kull acquires his Pictish allies and friends in time to defeat a Hellish plot to assassinate him. Howard. OK, you can stop staring openmouthed with horror any time now. "Kings of the Night": Thrilling crossover with Bran Mak Morn that is really the latter's story guest starring Kull.
"By This Axe I Rule.": Later rewritten as the Conan story "The Phoenix on the Sword", rousing tale of Kull versus well planned assassination plot; the title is Kull's (and every executive's dream) response to entrenched, brain-dead bureaucracy. I couldn't really tell you why, but one advantage to coming to him so late is that I got to start out with the real Howard, the raw and unadulterated Howard, thanks to these marvelous and authoritative Del Rey editions. "In the grip of a wayward perverseness, a common fault of kings," Kull sets out to do something Really Stupid. Kull encounters the eponymous peculiarly entrancing mirrors. Besides being mostly just plain fun to read, the "Kull" stories make for a useful comparison and contrast with the Conan who supplanted him. Presumably left unfinished because Howard couldn't come up with the "topper" of a climax such a beginning required.
Untitled Story (previously published as "Exile of Atlantis"): Unfinished fragment. Points out that while Kull was not the first sword and sorcery hero, Kull WAS the first sword and sorcery series and the first American sword and sorcery. Do we really need a notation every time a spelling or punctuation mistake is corrected. "Swords of the Purple Kingdom": Another rousing Kull versus assassins story; a lot of fun despite obvious similarities to the previous. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands.
"Atlantean Genesis" by Patrice Louinet: An informative essay that among other things delineates the importance of the "Am-ra" fragments and postulates the literary sources Howard borrowed from or was inspired by. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. While telling a creepy, disturbing tale, Howard gives a marvelous word picture of a kingdom dripping with unimaginable age. "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune": Creepy little horror story. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows. "The Altar and the Scorpion": Interesting little story in which Kull is only an offstage influence. "The Black City" (unfinished fragment): Intriguing concept that unfortunately gets no further than the creepy beginning.
Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands, and The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows. Sorry about that, but Robert E. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard, The Best of Robert E. Now I am REALLY looking forward to reading the rest of this Del Rey series: The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian: The Original Adventures of the Greatest Sword and Sorcery Hero of All Time., The Bloody Crown of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 2), The Conquering Sword of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 3), Bran Mak Morn: The Last King, The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, The Horror Stories of Robert E. "The Striking of the Gong": Kull's version of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" didn't really appeal to me because it is mostly a philosophical discussion (yawn). Mostly of use to the Howard scholar.
"The Shadow Kingdom": Slam bang beginning. Notes on the Original Howard Texts: Thorough (IMHO TOO thorough) notes on the decisions made to assemble these definitive texts. "The Curse of the Golden Skull": Time annihilating horror tale in which Kull is again only an offstage influence.
Howard is a bit infectious, which is interesting because I made it to the ripe old age of 48 before getting around to giving him a try, starting just a few weeks ago. I didn't have to suffer through Bowdlerized editions or attempted completions by somebody else. Untitled Fragment: Unfinished tale by Brule, interesting because of its picture of Pictish government.
Interesting villain's only appearance unfortunately. Also reprinted here: Bran Mak Morn: The Last King and here: The Best of Robert E. "The Cat and the Skull": Disliked by many Howard fans, I rather enjoyed it.
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