Lord of Samarcand and Other Adventure Tales of the Old Orient (The Works of Robert E. Howard)
For five centuries of Crusades, European armies of believers, fanatics, and mercenaries warred with the followers of the Prophet for control of Asia Minor and Palestine. From Jerusalem to Vienna, the frontier between West and East saw battle and bloodshed, treachery and butchery on a scale hitherto unknown and unimagined. The pageantry of medieval knighthood, the exoticism of the Orient, the ferocity of the invaders from the steppes, the mysteries of the seraglio, the rise and fall of great dynasties?these provided a real historical backdrop for some of Robert E. Howard?s greatest fiction. This volume contains the complete Oriental stories by the creator of Conan the Barbarian and Solomon Kane. Some were published in Farnsworth Wright?s Oriental Stories between 1930 and 1934; others were left unpublished and are printed here in authoritative texts based on the author?s surviving typescripts; and still others, left unfinished at his death, are presented as suggestive evidence of the work he had yet to do. As this collection attests, no one else writes action stories with Howard?s fast-paced intensity or brooding moral outlook. Here, the fates of empires rest on the swords of exiles, vagabonds, and renegades; whether civilization will be annihilated by religious zealots or by bloodthirsty barbarians, who is to say?
Lord of Samarcand and Other Adventure Tales of the Old Orient (The Works of Robert E. Howard) Accessories
 Kull: Exile of Atlantis
Bran Mak Morn: The Last King
The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane
The Black Stranger: And Other American Tales (The Works of Robert E. Howard Series)
The End of the Trail: Western Stories (The Works of Robert E. Howard)
The Conquering Sword of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 3)
The Bloody Crown of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 2)
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian: The Original Adventures of the Greatest Sword and Sorcery Hero of All Time!
The Riot at Bucksnort and Other Western Tales (The Works of Robert E. Howard)
Boxing Stories (The Works of Robert E. Howard)
Lord of Samarcand and Other Adventure Tales of the Old Orient (The Works of Robert E. Howard) Reviews
Having read many of Howard's fantasy works (Conan the Barbarian, Kull the Conquerer, Solomon Kane), it's nice to read more hack n' slash works from him but with an actual historical backdrop.
The place is Outremer, the time the early thirteenth centery. REH was a genius. Prepare to embark on a journey unlike any other in the field of historical fiction. Must Reads of REH (1906-1936): Blood and Thunder, The Life & Art of REH by Mark Finn, Two Gun Bob, One Who Walked Alone by Novalyne Ellis REH's girlfried, The Last of the Trunk-Paul Herman, Crimson Shadows-The Best of REH I & II, Conan, Kull, Solomon Kane, Cormac Mac Art, The Black Stranger and Other American Tales has the scariest story ever called Pigeons From Hell, Bran Mak Morn, all of the Weird Tales issues, etc. Anytime I can find a REH story it's a great day. This is a must read and great to add to any book collection. REH wrote: "A more dissolute vagabond than Gottfried never weaved his drunken way across the pages of a popular magazine: wastrel, drunkard, gambler, whore-monger, renegade, mercenary, plunderer, thief, rogue, rascal-I never created a character whose creation I enjoyed more. Get them all.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. These tales are probably among the most somber ever written by REH; among his best, too. If you can't locate them at your local bookstore try used bookstores and/or the internet. Lord of Samarcand - Gottfried von Kalmbach in The Shadow of the Vulture. They may not seem real to the readers; but Gottfried and his mistress Red Sonya seem more real to me than any other chracter I've ever drawn." Collected in this book is the entirety of Howard's historical Oriental fiction-including some fragments. A special thanks to Glen Lord, Mark Finn, Paul Herman, Dark Horse, and everyone else that kept REH's legacy alive and well.
Howard, or those who appreciate historical fiction in the tradition of Harold Lamb (but a little more graphically violent, as we expect from R.E.H). "The Lion Of Tiberias". "Shadow of The Vulture". Robert E. A few examples, if I may:. He is less known for his forays into historical fiction, but these bleak, savage (and action-packed) stories of the Crusades and the Mongols are phenomenal, and should be read by anyone who appreciates Howards immense descriptive skill.
Howard, as is his wont, works in some excellent fictional characters: Red Sonya, in her first appearance in print, and the drunken (yet ferocious and formidable) Gottfried von Kalmbach (whose head Suleiman wants on a platter). I also recommend the desert tales of another Howard slayer, Kirby O'Donnell, an American adventurer in the guise of a Kurdish outlaw, "Swords of Shahrazar". Swords of Shahrazar. The year 1124: One of the few survivors of a battle against the Caliph of Baghdad, Crusader John Norwald was enslaved in the galleys by "Zenghi esh Shami, Imad ed din, governor of Wasit and warden of Basorah, whom men called the Lion of Tiberias", after seeing Zenghi mercilessly murder a young boy.
A historically detailed and exciting tale of the real life conqueror Baibars, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, the fictional Red Cahal who opposes him, and the actual slaughter by Tartars of Moslem and Christian alike in the sack of Jerusalem in 1243. The story of Suleiman the Great and his attack on the City of Vienna in 1529, (and the lengthy siege that followed). "the only person who had ever shown Norwald kindness".If it took a lifetime, John Norwald would have his revenge. "Sowers Of The Thunder". These stories, as well as the many others (including the title story, a brutal yet excellent tale of Timour The Lame, (and fictional Donald , a Frank who rises to fame as his chief killer) make this book well worth owning for any fan of Robert E.
Howard is well known among readers of action/adventure as the creator of Conan of Cimmeria, the Puritan killer Solomon Kane, and Kull of Atlantis.
I have not yet read them but am looking forward to them, so check them out as well. This most likely inspired Howard to write some historical fiction of his own. Also, if anybody has Lord of Samarcand and Others, please provide a list of the stories within this book (I think I have them all, but I want to be sure).
The two of them are probably my favorite writers. I would be very thankful. But I like REH for his violent sword and sorcery, whereas my favorite stuff from Lamb are his historical works such as Hannibal and Genghis Khan (2 books that are must-reads by anybody interested in these two generals).
If you like REH, check out Harold Lamb. Harold Lamb wrote historical fiction and was one of Howard's favorite writers. Harold Lamb's famous Cossack stories are now being re-released.
I've been collecting the works of REH for a few years now, and have found this book to be an excellent collection. Think if REH had written Kingdom of Heaven and you'll have a good idea as to what these stories are like. there are none of the monsters or magic found in many of REH's writings, but it is still worth reading for any true REH fan. This isn't quite Sword and Sorcery. The stories in here are unique, containing none one of REH's 'big' heroes (Conan, Solomon Kane, Kull). Rather is about the later Crusades.
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