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The Robert E. Howard Library #2
Kull: The Fabulous Warrior King
KULL
KING OF KINGS
On the throne of Valusia sits the dauntless king of barbarian days, Kull, savage outlaw, fierce gladiator, soldier, commander and king of kings who dreamed of golden destiny. Now the dream has become reality, great Kull has slain the despotic King Borna, ripped the crown from his gory head, and mounted his throne as ruler of Valusia, land of dreams, mightiest of the seven empires.
KING OF KINGS
On the throne of Valusia sits the dauntless king of barbarian days, Kull, savage outlaw, fierce gladiator, soldier, commander and king of kings who dreamed of golden destiny. Now the dream has become reality, great Kull has slain the despotic King Borna, ripped the crown from his gory head, and mounted his throne as ruler of Valusia, land of dreams, mightiest of the seven empires.
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
1 person is currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Robert E. Howard
2,979 books2,642 followersRobert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 4, 2024
Robert E. Howard is my all time favorite writer, but for many years much of his work was heavily edited. This is another of the heavily edited collections of Robert E. Howard's stories. I am a purist when it comes to a writers works. I know some of these stories are no longer PC but they should be read as Howard wrote them and understood that he wrote in another time period. Don't read this book unless you just can't find any others of Howard's unedited books to read. Message me if you need a list of what is good from this awesome fantasy and action writer.
November 21, 2013
Except for the introductory story "Exile of Atlantis", they all operate consistently and common themes repeat. Kull is king, and trouble either comes to him or he goes looking for it. A young couple wish to marry despite social barriers. Kull stands on the brink of otherworldly knowledge.
I wonder if Howard ditched the character because the stories were running out of gas. The Conan series as he originally wrote them had greater diversity in terms of plot and setting.
I wonder if Howard ditched the character because the stories were running out of gas. The Conan series as he originally wrote them had greater diversity in terms of plot and setting.
May 3, 2011
Kull was Robert E Howards pre-Conan sword and sorcery character so you could make a case that Kull is where the fantasy genre began. Kull follows a formula similar to the Conan stories where the stories often resemble horror and/or Lovecraft stories as much as fantasy. However Kull, while similar to Conan, is a very different character also. He is more of a silent brooding character than the more wild barbaric Conan. Through might Kull has become King of a mighty empire but must deal with constant conspiracies against him from within his Kingdom. These inner intrigues and how Kull deals with them are what comprises most of these stories. I found these to be great stories in the classic REH mold. If you have never read any of any Howards work I would recomend starting with the Conan stuff and if you like them Kull should be the second place you go to explore more of Howards work.
July 10, 2009
The Kull stories are more reflective than Howard's Conan tales, and than some of his other heroic fantasy characters. Thus, they often move a bit slower. But they are still filled with Howard's trademarked description and his energy. Good stuff.
February 4, 2016
Read about half of this as a fill-in while waiting for holds to come in at the library. Holds came in, so I'm not finishing. Most of these stories were not published during Howard's lifetime, but, to be fair, that's only because they are not very good. If you are familiar with Conan or Solomon Kane stories, you know that they vary pretty widely in quality. These are worse than all of those.
"The Shadow Kingdom" is the exception--it moves quickly and sets up a really cool and interesting scenario that could well be the basis of a kickass novel. Unfortunately, Howard abandoned the whole "let's go kick the snake people's asses" storyline, and it doesn't come up again.
Of note to completists, I guess, because it allows you to see the origins of Conan and of sword and sorcery fantasy, and Thulsa Doom, the villain in the first Arnold Conan movie, actually comes from one of these, but not really worth reading otherwise.
Except for this: Kull is a sinewy warrior king who is also totally gay. I suppose some people might argue that, no, when Howard goes out of his way in every story to remind us that Kull has no interest in women, he means that he just lives for battle and such. To which I would answer, he certainly seems pretty fond of Brule the spear-slayer. Not so shy about expressing his admiration and love for that guy, is he?
Is this me, a modern reader, projecting my modern sensibilities onto stories from another era? I mean, maybe, though I think it's more a case of an author from another era exploring some interests on paper that he had to repress in life.
"The Shadow Kingdom" is the exception--it moves quickly and sets up a really cool and interesting scenario that could well be the basis of a kickass novel. Unfortunately, Howard abandoned the whole "let's go kick the snake people's asses" storyline, and it doesn't come up again.
Of note to completists, I guess, because it allows you to see the origins of Conan and of sword and sorcery fantasy, and Thulsa Doom, the villain in the first Arnold Conan movie, actually comes from one of these, but not really worth reading otherwise.
Except for this: Kull is a sinewy warrior king who is also totally gay. I suppose some people might argue that, no, when Howard goes out of his way in every story to remind us that Kull has no interest in women, he means that he just lives for battle and such. To which I would answer, he certainly seems pretty fond of Brule the spear-slayer. Not so shy about expressing his admiration and love for that guy, is he?
Is this me, a modern reader, projecting my modern sensibilities onto stories from another era? I mean, maybe, though I think it's more a case of an author from another era exploring some interests on paper that he had to repress in life.
December 28, 2018
Kull is like Conan lite. I liked this book of short stories but I would recommend Conan if you are in the market for sword and sorcery. On the other hand since Kull is uninterested in mating, it might be appropriate for kids whose parents are okay with extreme violence but not sex.
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July 30, 2008These are Howard's stories of the barbarian King as he wrote them, including unfinished fragments, and a poem.
January 3, 2009
This is a slightly different selection of pieces than the book King Kull.
August 3, 2022
An amazing collection of sword and sorcery tales from the master himself, Robert E Howard. Kull unfairly gets labeled as nothing more than a proto-Conan or even worse a poor man’s Conan. Kull certainly has similarities in his barbaric origins and in him rising to be king but he has many key distinctions that set him apart from the legendary Cimmerian.
Unlike Conan, Kull is a man who does not flow freely where the wind takes him, living life as he sees fit, unfettered, Kull is a man of ambition and a man with a goal, to rule. He did not take the crown simply because it was there, he saw his destiny in the embers of a primitive fire pit in the barbaric society of Atlantis and he sought to grab it with his hands. All his stories revolve around his Kingship, his trials and tribulations as the usurper King of Valusea, Kull is not as confident and fully formed as Conan, especially by the time Conan becomes King by his own hand, Kull in many ways is naïve and at times even finds himself shrouded in uncertainty and self doubt. These shouldn’t be seen as negatives, these are the aspects that make Kull an interesting character rather than just another Conan, he contemplates things Conan would never feel the need too and he finds himself in more vulnerable situations than Conan ever would, particularly when it comes things such as sorcery and conspiracy. There’s a reason only one unpublished Kull story was rewritten as a Conan story by Howard, the others simply wouldn’t have worked with Conan’s character.
Wrapping up I’ll list out my ranking for the stories included in the collection, excluding fragments and poems.
1. The Shadow Kingdom
2. The Skull of Silence
3. By this Axe I Rule
4. Swords of the Purple Kingdom
5. The Cat and the Skull
6. Exile of Atlantis
7. The Altar and the Scorpion
Unlike Conan, Kull is a man who does not flow freely where the wind takes him, living life as he sees fit, unfettered, Kull is a man of ambition and a man with a goal, to rule. He did not take the crown simply because it was there, he saw his destiny in the embers of a primitive fire pit in the barbaric society of Atlantis and he sought to grab it with his hands. All his stories revolve around his Kingship, his trials and tribulations as the usurper King of Valusea, Kull is not as confident and fully formed as Conan, especially by the time Conan becomes King by his own hand, Kull in many ways is naïve and at times even finds himself shrouded in uncertainty and self doubt. These shouldn’t be seen as negatives, these are the aspects that make Kull an interesting character rather than just another Conan, he contemplates things Conan would never feel the need too and he finds himself in more vulnerable situations than Conan ever would, particularly when it comes things such as sorcery and conspiracy. There’s a reason only one unpublished Kull story was rewritten as a Conan story by Howard, the others simply wouldn’t have worked with Conan’s character.
Wrapping up I’ll list out my ranking for the stories included in the collection, excluding fragments and poems.
1. The Shadow Kingdom
2. The Skull of Silence
3. By this Axe I Rule
4. Swords of the Purple Kingdom
5. The Cat and the Skull
6. Exile of Atlantis
7. The Altar and the Scorpion
September 27, 2021
This was... interesting. Classic pulp fantasy, but Kull is a much more emotional/cerebral character than Conan is (for all that some of the unpublished Kill stories were reworked as Conan ones). These are all about the time of the Barbarian Outsider Who Became King as, well, King, and the endless troubles he has with hidebound tradition, palace infighting, and the petty nobles who had their corruption curtailed by someone whose power base is dependent on the army and the populace rather than tradition and bribery. That makes for very different stories, but in at least three of them plot points hinge on children of the 'nobility' wanting to marry someone inappropriate for them and it rising all the way to the level of the king, and Kull's very reasonable response is "why has this reached my desk? who gives a damn who marries who? But I'm still bound by a lot of dumb laws that say who is allowed to marry...." An interesting viewpoint from when Howard was writing it and it resonates through many different aspects of today....
January 3, 2011
I don’t know how it happened but I’ve found myself on a Robert E. Howard kick. Whereas my first go round with Howard was focused mostly on Conan, I find that his other characters engender more interest for me now.
Probably, this is due to Howard’s writing. He has an extraordinary way with an adventure tale, regardless of the characters involved. His writing is spare in many cases but can wax almost poetic in descriptions of people, places and things. I find it very engaging.
The collected tales of Kull are only enough to fill one volume, but it’s all good reading. That Conan was based in part on Kull gives these stories a similar flair, though Howard’s writing improved by the time he wrote his first Conan story. You can almost feel half formed ideas and half reached potential in these pages. That said, these stories are entertaining and leave nothing to be desired, as far as I’m concerned. It’s just fun to study an author’s writing over the course of their career.
Probably, this is due to Howard’s writing. He has an extraordinary way with an adventure tale, regardless of the characters involved. His writing is spare in many cases but can wax almost poetic in descriptions of people, places and things. I find it very engaging.
The collected tales of Kull are only enough to fill one volume, but it’s all good reading. That Conan was based in part on Kull gives these stories a similar flair, though Howard’s writing improved by the time he wrote his first Conan story. You can almost feel half formed ideas and half reached potential in these pages. That said, these stories are entertaining and leave nothing to be desired, as far as I’m concerned. It’s just fun to study an author’s writing over the course of their career.
April 3, 2011
Just finished my first Robert Howard. Not bad at all. Bare-chested savage king gets all stabby with snake-men- what's not to like?
My favorite story was 'Delcardes' Cat' for its fun premise, freaky creatures, and a certain skull-headed wizard I saw once in a movie. No, not Skeletor.
I enjoy the Frank Frazetta cover art: mostly because I think Kull has ignored or possibly shoved in the face the two gals in metal pasties in order to reach that mighty sea serpent! (This collection mentions often that the fabulous warrior king has no interest in women, so I'm pretty sure he's not protecting them.)
My favorite story was 'Delcardes' Cat' for its fun premise, freaky creatures, and a certain skull-headed wizard I saw once in a movie. No, not Skeletor.
I enjoy the Frank Frazetta cover art: mostly because I think Kull has ignored or possibly shoved in the face the two gals in metal pasties in order to reach that mighty sea serpent! (This collection mentions often that the fabulous warrior king has no interest in women, so I'm pretty sure he's not protecting them.)
May 2, 2015
Was a fun read, but, at least for me, I had to be in the right mood to enjoy it. The last few chapters were only fragments, so not really a strong ending to the book, but they do sort of add to the mystery and atmosphere that the book captures. The plot is over the top and heavy handed, not much subtlety, but there wasn't really a need for it - this is epic making story-telling and it paints broad strokes so the reader can fill it in mostly with their imagination. Again, fun read.
October 23, 2014
I'm fairly sure this edition is the one that is pretty much just Howard & has fragmented stories in it. I didn't like it as well as the earlier Lancer edition that had all the stories finished by Carter & DeCamp (I think).
March 10, 2013
I have to admit that out of all of the Howard books that I have read this one so far was one of my least favorite. It was okay, but just hard to imagine a time before time where people seemed much like what we imagine a few thousand years ago.
March 16, 2009
Kull is probably my least favorite Howard character.
December 26, 2015
Classic, which every expert on the genre should read.
June 13, 2017
Kull had potential to be a great character but he was not developed enough. The stories are interesting but they left me feeling that something was missing. Conan is far superior.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews