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The Ultimate Triumph
fantasy
- GenresFantasyShort Stories
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
2 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Robert E. Howard
3,019 books2,670 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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 4, 2019
First off, it needs to be said that Robert E. Howard and Frank Frazetta are the perfect combination, and this book is overflowing with Frazetta illustrations, which is fantastic.
The problem with this book? It's a collection of Howard, all right, but it's not necessarily the best of Howard. And while you get all those amazing Frazetta drawings (and a couple of paintings) they're not necessarily intended for the stories they're paired with. Some of them are pretty close - there are only so many themes in each of these guys' work - so you'll read about a viking and sure enough, there's a Frazetta drawing of a dude with an axe. But often they completely don't fit. It's just a great drawing with little connection to what you're reading.
But I was generally okay with that. My biggest issue with The Ultimate Triumph is the quality of the stories chosen. There's one Conan and then a handful of historical and barbarian stories, most of which are from early in his career. They're pure Howard, full of manly men in combat, but they're not great.
If you love Frazetta and really, really love Howard, then this book is for you. Otherwise, find a better sampling of Howard's work.
The problem with this book? It's a collection of Howard, all right, but it's not necessarily the best of Howard. And while you get all those amazing Frazetta drawings (and a couple of paintings) they're not necessarily intended for the stories they're paired with. Some of them are pretty close - there are only so many themes in each of these guys' work - so you'll read about a viking and sure enough, there's a Frazetta drawing of a dude with an axe. But often they completely don't fit. It's just a great drawing with little connection to what you're reading.
But I was generally okay with that. My biggest issue with The Ultimate Triumph is the quality of the stories chosen. There's one Conan and then a handful of historical and barbarian stories, most of which are from early in his career. They're pure Howard, full of manly men in combat, but they're not great.
If you love Frazetta and really, really love Howard, then this book is for you. Otherwise, find a better sampling of Howard's work.
July 12, 2009
Great Barbaric stories by Robert E. Howard and great illustrations from Frank Frazetta, although the illos don't always match the stories perfectly.
February 13, 2016
A fantastic unedited collection of Robert E. Howard's barbarian stories. The Frank Frazetta illustrations make it an even better read. Superb book, highly recommended
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews