The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands (Best of Robert E Howard)
?[Behind Howard?s stories] lurks a dark poetry and the timeless truth of dreams.?
?Robert Bloch
?Howard?s writing seems so highly charged with energy that it nearly gives off sparks.?
?Stephen King
The classic pulp magazines of the early twentieth century are long gone, but their action-packed tales live on through the work of legendary storyteller Robert E. Howard. From his fecund imagination sprang an army of larger-than-life heroes?including the iconic Conan the Cimmerian, King Kull of Atlantis, Solomon Kane, and Bran Mak Morn?as well as adventures that would define a genre for generations. Now comes the second volume of this author?s breathtaking short fiction, which runs the gamut from sword and sorcery, historical epic, and seafaring pirate adventure to two-fisted crime and intrigue, ghoulish horror, and rip-roaring western.
Kull reigns supreme in ?By This Axe I Rule!? and ?The Mirrors of Tuzan Thune?; Conan conquers in one of his most popular exploits, ?The Tower of the Elephant?; Solomon Kane battles demons deep in Africa in ?Wings in the Night?; and itinerant boxer Steve Costigan puts up his dukes of steel inside and outside the ring in ?The Bulldog Breed.? In between, warrior kings, daring knights, sinister masterminds, grizzled frontiersmen?even Howard?s stunning heroine, Red Sonya?tear up the pages in stories built to thrill by their masterly creator.
And in such epic poems as ?Echoes from an Anvil,? ?Black Harps in the Hills,? and ?The Grim Land,? the author blends his classic characters and visceral imagery with a lyricism as haunting as traditional folk balladry. Lavishly illustrated by Jim and Ruth Keegan, here is a Robert E. Howard collection as indispensable as it is unforgettable.
?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
?For stark, living fear . . . What other writer is even in the running with Robert E. Howard??
?H. P. Lovecraft
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands (Best of Robert E Howard) Accessories
 The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows (Best of Robert E Howard)
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
Kull: Exile of Atlantis
The Conquering Sword of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 3)
Bran Mak Morn: The Last King
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 Savage Tales of Solomon Kane
Almuric (Planet Stories)
Lord of Samarcand and Other Adventure Tales of the Old Orient (The Works of Robert E. Howard)
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands (Best of Robert E Howard) Reviews
Howard. Howard. Grim Lands : The Shadow of the Vulture - Robert E. Grim Lands : Wild Water - Robert E. - Robert E.
Grim Lands : The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune - Robert E. Grim Lands : By This Axe I Rule. Howard. Howard. "That knocking you hear, polite but persistent, is the people who assembled Volumes I and II of The Best of Robert E. Lets be upfront while were out front: not only do we put Howards finest work on weve even gone so far as to pick out a place of honor for that pedestal within the pantheons marmoreal recesses. Howard.
Grim Lands : Pigeons from Hell - Robert E. Howard. There are also several poems, some sketches and a lengthy article titled 'Barbarian at the Pantheon Gates' by Steve Tompkins, who argues thusly:. Howard. Howard.
Howard. These books are designed to be more than just a Petition for Admittance; our aim has been a show of force, an effort to rout derisive interdiction with a decisive intervention in a debate thats been too non-evidentiary for too long.". Howard. Howard. Grim Lands : Lord of Samarcand - Robert E.
Like the first of these Best Ofs, this is a many genre varied collection, ranging from sword and sorcery, boxing, horror to western humour. Grim Lands : Son of the White Wolf - Robert E. Grim Lands : Gents on the Lynch - Robert E. Grim Lands : The Bull Dog Breed - Robert E. Grim Lands : Old Garfields Heart - Robert E. It also includes several poems. Grim Lands : Vultures of Wahpeton - Robert E.
Howard. Howard. Howard.
Howard. Howard. Rusty Burke says in his intro this is large his selection of stories that he thinks are the best. Grim Lands : Black Vulmeas Vengeance - Robert E.
Grim Lands : Red Nails - Robert E. Howard, addressing themselves to the front door of the American literary pantheon. Grim Lands : Wings in the Night - Robert E. Grim Lands : The Man on the Ground - Robert E.
Grim Lands : The Tower of the Elephant - Robert E.
What we have in the last two volumes (#7 and #8) of the Ballantine/Del Rey series too often feels like a collection of lesser leftovers. I am, first and foremost, a diehard fan of Howard's sword-and-sorcery tales, particular his Conan series and, to a lesser extent, his Kull, Kane, and Bran series (in descending order). This is made all the more disturbing by the Keegans' foreword that praises the excellence of the works, the outstanding opportunity to illustrate them, and (thank you very much) their own profoundly challenging efforts at slaving away to produce a handful of tres boring charcoals. No, by all means purchase the first six volumes of the series, but pass on these two. (As the simplest example, when Conan and Valeria must escape from a murderous giant snake in the novelette "Red Nails," Gary Manchess [in the same publisher's "Bloody Crown of Conan"] offers us a thrilling picture of the duo taking to their heels, with a slavering reptilian colossus in hot pursuit. I was never impressed by his Western-themed works nor by his two-cent street boxing efforts. To top it off, Jim and Ruth Keegan seem to have taken the quick way out of illustrating the works, foisting off the easiest possible substitutes for what should be action drawings. In contrast, Keegan offers no better than a ho-hum representation of Conan standing there, utterly relaxed, as if he's about to start filing his friggin' fingernails).
Must reads The Best of Robert E. They drew from their heart and soul just like REH and I appreciated it very much. Lovecraft, Poe, Hitchcock, and check out the video The Whole Wide World about REH told by Novalyn Price. What a great start and the last story is Red Nails which is one of my favorites. The man was and still is the Best of The Best. Howard. In defense of the Keegan's they drew about 10 drawings for Red Nails and each drawing was in proper alignment with the story. To me, their wonderful visual artwork enhanced each and every story and added a lot of value.
I wasn't keen on boxing stories but did read them with an open mind and developed a deep fascination and appreciation for them. Check out the REH Foundation & Forum. The last of a fantasy element made the story unsuitable for Howard's primary market at the time, Wierd Tales, while the imaginary antediluvian setting probably hurt it with the non-fantasy magazines to which he submitted it. You'll be glad you did. Howard Vol 1, Blood & Thunder, The Life & Art of REH by Mark Finn, One Who Walked Alone by Novalyn Ellis Price who was REH's girlfriend, Two-Gun Bob, The Last of the Trunk and The Never Ending Hunt by Paul Herman, Collected Letters of REH Vol1-3 and Poetry by Rob Rhoem, The Barbaric Triumph by Don Herron, Weird Tales, Marvel Conan Magazines during the 60's & 70's a black & white magazine writer Roy Thomas and Big John Busceman artist, any of Dark Horse Comics of Conan, Solomon Kane coming out in a few weeks, Kull, Pigeons From Hell, Kull, Cormac Mac Art, Steve Costigan, The Star Rover by Jack London, John Carter Princess From Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.P.
The story is not, strickly speaking, one of "swords and sorcery" - there is no fantasy element other than the setting itself. While the rewritten story was quite good, I'm not the only one who finds the Kull version superior: in my informal survey it outpolled the Conan version by almost three to one." Unquote - How about that folks:) . Grab Vol 1 & 2 while you can. Howard stories do so. Enjoy and tell others about Robert E. A few years later Howard would rework the story considerably, turning it into the first of the Conan of Cimmeria tales, The Phoenix on the Sword.
Quote from intro on page xvii - " Unpublished during Howard's life, but among the finest of his Kull tales, was By This Axe I Rule. First of all disregard the Disappointing and subjective review as the reviewer is "knocking" the Keegan's and their artwork, REH's boxing and cowboy stories, and more. In this tale, the ostensible villains are the consprators who hope to overthrow Kull, but I think the real villain is one more terrible than any other-worldly demon, nefarious sorcerer, or would-be assassins: it is the stultifying traditions and laws of an ancient society, inflexible rules that stifle and inhibit everyone, from king to servant. Everything in between is "gravy". By This Axe I Rule is the first story in this book on page 1. They make excellent gifts, too.
I can't praise this book enough as anytime you can get a collecton of Robert E.
This is a nice way to have a variety of his most excellant stories without having to carry several books with you at on time (not that there's anything wrong with that). I've been reading Howard since 1965. Buy these books.you'll not be disappointed. The lavish illustrations by Jim & Ruth Keegan are reminicent of older illustration from the magazines that first published Howard and manage to capture the moods of the stories very well. Covering Howard's stories from Conan to his westerns, horror, and other genres, this is an excellant introduction for the new fan (and a great way to introduce him to new people), and a boon to hardcore collector. This book and the first volume, "Crimson Shadows", provides a very decent look at the work of a truly American author.
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