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Solomon Kane #1
Red Shadows
Red Shadows is a collection of Fantasy short stories and poems by Robert E. Howard. It was first published in 1968 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in an edition of 896 copies. The stories and poems feature Howard's character, Solomon Kane. Many of the stories first appeared in the magazine Weird Tales.
36 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 1928
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About the author
Robert E. Howard
2,989 books2,649 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 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 24, 2018
“Red Shadows” is the first appearance of Robert E. Howard’s Puritan tough guy Solomon Kane, in the August 1928 edition of Weird Tales magazine – pre-dating the first appearance of Conan the Cimmerian (in the December 1932 edition of that same publication).
Howard’s inspiration by Edgar Rice Burroughs is obvious as we find our hero chasing a bad guy into the “black heart of the dark continent”. Pulp fans will recognize and appreciate the early twentieth century prose, but modern readers not used to the genre may be horrified by the un-PC racism and over the top atavism.
I’m a pulp era fan so I see this kind of language like a connoisseur of art deco sees 20s style (coincidentally and ironically art deco and the pulp era both had a heyday in the 20s and 30s). Makes you kind of wince, but it was a product of his time. If you look past the glaring Archie Bunker bigotry, the imagination and storytelling are rich and entertaining.
So who was Solomon Kane? Kind of a 16th century Puritan Punisher – armed with rapier, dagger and flintlock, he walked the earth and righted wrongs. As they say in Dungeons and Dragons, “Lawful Good does not mean Lawful Nice.”
He kicks ass.
Howard described him as tall and gaunt, powerful and skillful with a blade and with an inner fire. And he was as unstoppable as the Terminator. Howard readers may be drawn to comparisons and contrast between Kane and Conan – one the puritanical avenger and the later the truculent barbarian, but Howard’s imagery and his none too subtle mule kick message was the same. Howard knew his audience and was in no doubt as to where his bread was buttered. Like Lovecraft (and PKD years later) it is a great tragedy that his talent and vision were not better acknowledged during his short lifetime.
For fans.
Howard’s inspiration by Edgar Rice Burroughs is obvious as we find our hero chasing a bad guy into the “black heart of the dark continent”. Pulp fans will recognize and appreciate the early twentieth century prose, but modern readers not used to the genre may be horrified by the un-PC racism and over the top atavism.
I’m a pulp era fan so I see this kind of language like a connoisseur of art deco sees 20s style (coincidentally and ironically art deco and the pulp era both had a heyday in the 20s and 30s). Makes you kind of wince, but it was a product of his time. If you look past the glaring Archie Bunker bigotry, the imagination and storytelling are rich and entertaining.
So who was Solomon Kane? Kind of a 16th century Puritan Punisher – armed with rapier, dagger and flintlock, he walked the earth and righted wrongs. As they say in Dungeons and Dragons, “Lawful Good does not mean Lawful Nice.”
He kicks ass.
Howard described him as tall and gaunt, powerful and skillful with a blade and with an inner fire. And he was as unstoppable as the Terminator. Howard readers may be drawn to comparisons and contrast between Kane and Conan – one the puritanical avenger and the later the truculent barbarian, but Howard’s imagery and his none too subtle mule kick message was the same. Howard knew his audience and was in no doubt as to where his bread was buttered. Like Lovecraft (and PKD years later) it is a great tragedy that his talent and vision were not better acknowledged during his short lifetime.
For fans.
April 15, 2020
Was Stephen King's Dark Tower series influenced by the Solomon Kane stories? The main characters seem very similar.
October 28, 2019
Some consider REH’s “Red Shadows” the first printed sword & sorcery story, others say nay, that honor is the Kull story “The Shadow Kingdom”.
Red Shadows, whatever it’s place in the S&S timeline is the first printed Solomon Kane story, and like “The Shadow Kingdom” is included in the Del Rey volume The Best of Robert E Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows.
A few things I noticed with this reading of (not my first):
Chapter III: The Chant of Drums, is a nice bit of prose poetry. The line “Sword in one hand, dagger in the other, he stole forward, seeking to keep pointed from which the drums still muttered and grumbled” hi-lights well the fanaticism of Kane.
It’s telling that years have passed between chapters II and III, and during that time Kane has chased Le Loup about the world. All to avenge the death of girl whose name Kane never learned. He is an avenger that seeks triggers to set him upon quests of revenge.
This paragraph describes Solomon Kane so well, “...He did not understand. All his life he had roamed about the world aiding the weak...That was his obsession; he neither knew nor questioned why... he considered himself a fulfiller of God’s judgement...Solomon Kane was not wholly a Puritan, he thought of himself as such”. Kane is not an instrument of God’s vengeance, he is the sharp sword of his own zealotry.
REH builds a cosmology on page 53 (the Del Rey anthology) making mention of the serpent-gods and ape-gods which would figure into his Kull stories; thus, Kull, Conan and Kane are all in the same shared universe, but at different times.
Red Shadows makes use of color. Red and dark shadows appear throughout. He also makes use of the drums as the voice of the Dark Continent.
The He-ape hunts Gulka just as Solomon hunted Le Loup; however, the ape’s vengeance is personal, he is avenging his mate murdered by Gulka. It is personal to him. Kane makes the rape and death of an unknown girl personal to himself, but it feels more like an excuse to meet out God’s judgment.
Red Shadows, whatever it’s place in the S&S timeline is the first printed Solomon Kane story, and like “The Shadow Kingdom” is included in the Del Rey volume The Best of Robert E Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows.
A few things I noticed with this reading of (not my first):
Chapter III: The Chant of Drums, is a nice bit of prose poetry. The line “Sword in one hand, dagger in the other, he stole forward, seeking to keep pointed from which the drums still muttered and grumbled” hi-lights well the fanaticism of Kane.
It’s telling that years have passed between chapters II and III, and during that time Kane has chased Le Loup about the world. All to avenge the death of girl whose name Kane never learned. He is an avenger that seeks triggers to set him upon quests of revenge.
This paragraph describes Solomon Kane so well, “...He did not understand. All his life he had roamed about the world aiding the weak...That was his obsession; he neither knew nor questioned why... he considered himself a fulfiller of God’s judgement...Solomon Kane was not wholly a Puritan, he thought of himself as such”. Kane is not an instrument of God’s vengeance, he is the sharp sword of his own zealotry.
REH builds a cosmology on page 53 (the Del Rey anthology) making mention of the serpent-gods and ape-gods which would figure into his Kull stories; thus, Kull, Conan and Kane are all in the same shared universe, but at different times.
Red Shadows makes use of color. Red and dark shadows appear throughout. He also makes use of the drums as the voice of the Dark Continent.
The He-ape hunts Gulka just as Solomon hunted Le Loup; however, the ape’s vengeance is personal, he is avenging his mate murdered by Gulka. It is personal to him. Kane makes the rape and death of an unknown girl personal to himself, but it feels more like an excuse to meet out God’s judgment.
November 14, 2024
[Short story read in The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows]
The first Solomon Kane story proves that he's a hardass puritanical avenger. Kane has an encounter with a bandit Le Loup and tracks him across Europe leading to Africa. There he meets N'Longa, nearly gets burned at the stake. Then has a fight with le Loup and a gorilla comes to save the day.
It feels a tad racist unfortunately. The dark mysterious continent.
The first Solomon Kane story proves that he's a hardass puritanical avenger. Kane has an encounter with a bandit Le Loup and tracks him across Europe leading to Africa. There he meets N'Longa, nearly gets burned at the stake. Then has a fight with le Loup and a gorilla comes to save the day.
It feels a tad racist unfortunately. The dark mysterious continent.
February 10, 2024
Robert E Howard is above all, famous for his golden goose: Conan The Barbarian but it's his weird fiction that I'm more enamored with, which to be fair was really good and he is often place with Lovecraft and Smith as a triumvirate of weird fiction.
Now enter Solomon Kane, a creation of Howard that, whilst does resembled Conan in its sword and sorcery, fantasy genre tag does veered toward weirdness/horror more than it does Conan without much of the over-the-top-ness. Red Shadows, the first of the Solomon Kane novels follows Kane wondering in France aimlessly and saw the demise of a woman at the hand of a group and bandits, swore revenge and that's it essentially. It's fun and quick. The chapters are short and almost surrealist-like in nature, making it felt like a vignette-tales told between drinks by men.
For what it is, it's effective and rarely does Howard waste any scene or text or filler. Pulp greatness? Maybe nothing amazing but a fun, quick read.
Now enter Solomon Kane, a creation of Howard that, whilst does resembled Conan in its sword and sorcery, fantasy genre tag does veered toward weirdness/horror more than it does Conan without much of the over-the-top-ness. Red Shadows, the first of the Solomon Kane novels follows Kane wondering in France aimlessly and saw the demise of a woman at the hand of a group and bandits, swore revenge and that's it essentially. It's fun and quick. The chapters are short and almost surrealist-like in nature, making it felt like a vignette-tales told between drinks by men.
For what it is, it's effective and rarely does Howard waste any scene or text or filler. Pulp greatness? Maybe nothing amazing but a fun, quick read.
January 27, 2018
This was the first Solomon Kane story I read, and I found it a little unusual. Solomon himself is a sort of Avenger or Punisher or Inquisitor type; he's a vigilante with no cause but to avenge those who have been wronged. A real super-hero, except as a swashbuckler. This story, itself, however, doesn't really seem to be about what it purports to be about. On the surface, the story is Solomon's hunt of "the Wolf", a notorious bandit. The pursuit spans a few years, although the reader is privy only to the highlights.
But the story isn't really about the hunt or the Wolf, or even, arguably, Solomon. It's really more about Africa, and its foreign, tribal culture, its old gods and ancient religions. I'm not sure it exactly works for me, but as a short adventure story, it's not a bad read.
But the story isn't really about the hunt or the Wolf, or even, arguably, Solomon. It's really more about Africa, and its foreign, tribal culture, its old gods and ancient religions. I'm not sure it exactly works for me, but as a short adventure story, it's not a bad read.
November 2, 2018
My first time reading the Solomon Kane series. It is very reminiscent of the Vampire Hunter D series, even though I'm fully aware that this series was written much earlier. It's not deep or mind-blowing material, just a rush of gothic visuals, classic horror monsters and a badass hero that kicks human and non-human ass on the regular.
Simple, pulpy fun with pleasingly visceral action.
Simple, pulpy fun with pleasingly visceral action.
September 10, 2018
"Червени сенки" е първият разказ от цикъла за Соломон Кейн, англичанин-пуритан, божи рицар, който се бори със злото и несправедливостта, публикуван през 1928 в „Weird Tales“. Тия дни ми е тръгнало на фен-преводи, какъвто е и случаят с превода на въпросната творба (дело на Александър Мишков), циркулиращ свободно в нета, а посегнах към нея след като прочетох разсъжденията на Стивън Кинг относно творчеството на Робърт Хауърд в Злокобен танц. Ето какво казва Краля:
Единственият писател, който пише успешно в този жанр (Меч и магия) е Робърт Хауърд — един чудак, живял и умрял в провинциален Тексас (Хауърд се самоубива, докато майка му лежи в кома на прага на смъртта, явно неспособен да си представи живота без нея). Хауърд надмогва ограниченията на своя инфантилен материал чрез чистата ярост на писателския си стил и чрез едно въображение, по-могъщо от всичко, за което Конан би могъл да си мечтае. Творбите на Хауърд са толкова наситени с енергия, че от тях хвърчат искри. Например неговият разказ „Хората от черния кръг“ искри с неестествено ярката светлина на неистовото си напрежение. В своя писателски връх Хауърд е Томас Улф на художествената фантазия и историите за Конан изглежда се раждат по-бързо, отколкото той успява да ги записва. Останалите му произведения обаче са или незабележителни, или направо отвратителни…
Историята определено е наивна, претупана, няма никаква логика и нещата се случват "от въздуха", НО безкомпромисно-суровият стил на Хауърд (22 г. по онова време) започва да си личи още тук (въпреки на моменти нескопосания превод), 4 години преди появата на най-емблематичния му герой в "The Phoenix on the Sword".
Единственият писател, който пише успешно в този жанр (Меч и магия) е Робърт Хауърд — един чудак, живял и умрял в провинциален Тексас (Хауърд се самоубива, докато майка му лежи в кома на прага на смъртта, явно неспособен да си представи живота без нея). Хауърд надмогва ограниченията на своя инфантилен материал чрез чистата ярост на писателския си стил и чрез едно въображение, по-могъщо от всичко, за което Конан би могъл да си мечтае. Творбите на Хауърд са толкова наситени с енергия, че от тях хвърчат искри. Например неговият разказ „Хората от черния кръг“ искри с неестествено ярката светлина на неистовото си напрежение. В своя писателски връх Хауърд е Томас Улф на художествената фантазия и историите за Конан изглежда се раждат по-бързо, отколкото той успява да ги записва. Останалите му произведения обаче са или незабележителни, или направо отвратителни…
Историята определено е наивна, претупана, няма никаква логика и нещата се случват "от въздуха", НО безкомпромисно-суровият стил на Хауърд (22 г. по онова време) започва да си личи още тук (въпреки на моменти нескопосания превод), 4 години преди появата на най-емблематичния му герой в "The Phoenix on the Sword".
December 22, 2013
It was ok. Remembering it is early fiction, it's pretty good given the time it was written. I should have lower expectations, but I don't.
The book gets right to the point, there's no dawdling in character development. Our hero finds a wrong, and then follows the evil doer to the ends of the earth (from France to Africa!) to deliver justice.
I read it because I wanted to see it lived up to the hype, for me it did not.
The book gets right to the point, there's no dawdling in character development. Our hero finds a wrong, and then follows the evil doer to the ends of the earth (from France to Africa!) to deliver justice.
I read it because I wanted to see it lived up to the hype, for me it did not.
January 19, 2014
The standard is high with Howard. This is still not as good as the worst Conan stories, but it gets close. Kane is an interesting character. While the writing is plagued with modern day political incorrectness, it it playful, fun and daring. While predictable, Howard still manages to fit in a few interesting twists. Worth reading for fans of the original Howard Conan.
March 9, 2018
This book is considered a classic in it's genre but honestly its barely an ok read.
The Charcter of Solomon Kane is a fascinating concept however this story certainly is a product of its time in its description of people, places ECT. And it's pace a little slow and dry to me personally.
The Charcter of Solomon Kane is a fascinating concept however this story certainly is a product of its time in its description of people, places ECT. And it's pace a little slow and dry to me personally.
September 13, 2025
The Solomon Kane, And Other Stories 01 Red Shadows by Robert E. Howard
3.25 Stars
adventurous dark reflective sad tense
Fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters are a main focus: Yes
This is my first foray into Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane stories.
I saw that Kevin Towles read the first four stories in his Saturday Shorts series this week, which compelled me to read them BEFORE watching his video.
These stories are not written the way stories are written today. They read like William Shatner acts, really over-blown and dynamic. There is NO sublty in its execution.
I'm not sure that this first story would/could be written today, for I believe it is not equitable to the foreign races, and the way they speak. It could be considered racist, though for the time...no doubt it wasn't (at least I hope not).
It was a passable story.
On to the next one.S
3.25 Stars
adventurous dark reflective sad tense
Fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters are a main focus: Yes
This is my first foray into Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane stories.
I saw that Kevin Towles read the first four stories in his Saturday Shorts series this week, which compelled me to read them BEFORE watching his video.
These stories are not written the way stories are written today. They read like William Shatner acts, really over-blown and dynamic. There is NO sublty in its execution.
I'm not sure that this first story would/could be written today, for I believe it is not equitable to the foreign races, and the way they speak. It could be considered racist, though for the time...no doubt it wasn't (at least I hope not).
It was a passable story.
On to the next one.S
May 16, 2024
“The shape he looked upon was such as he had visioned dimly in wild nightmares, when the wings of sleep bore him back through lost ages.”
November 16, 2025
I read this in hopes of quenching my thirst for more Conan literature, and instead all i got was the addition of christianity and double the racism.
May 20, 2014
Fun story. I enjoyed Howard's prose.
January 28, 2017
A very enjoyable tale. Lots of action and twists.
April 12, 2023
Quería leer algo clásico de fantasía porque siempre había tenido ganas de adentrarme a ese mundo de lleno. Entonces encontré que existía ese libro.
Justo me dio lo que quería. Es una colección de cuentos de aventura, de misterio, de heroísmo puro y clásico.
El protagonista es un hombre valiente y típico de estas historias y las descripciones de Robert E. Howard a través de las cuales vemos a Solomon Kane caminar son ricas visualmente y muy dinámicas.
Al tener casi 100 años puedo creer que algunas cosas parezcan ya clichés o fuera de los estándares que valoraríamos hoy en día en una historia de aventuras, pero la forma en la que se presentan los diferentes adversarios (tribus africanas, vampiros, fantasmas y hasta una especie de pre-zombis) es la manera en la que se vuelve algo novedoso o simplemente atrayente para mí. Es un libro que no busca el plot twist, ni tampoco es que lo necesite, sino que se apoya del puro sendero de la aventura y de unas batallas muy bien narradas para mantenerte atento durante sus páginas.
Me gustó mucho y deseo leer más sobre Robert E. Howard.
Por cierto, estoy casi seguro de que Stephen King tiene como fuente de inspiración a Solomon Kane para hacer a su increíble Roland Deschain o por lo menos a mí me parecen muy similares.
Justo me dio lo que quería. Es una colección de cuentos de aventura, de misterio, de heroísmo puro y clásico.
El protagonista es un hombre valiente y típico de estas historias y las descripciones de Robert E. Howard a través de las cuales vemos a Solomon Kane caminar son ricas visualmente y muy dinámicas.
Al tener casi 100 años puedo creer que algunas cosas parezcan ya clichés o fuera de los estándares que valoraríamos hoy en día en una historia de aventuras, pero la forma en la que se presentan los diferentes adversarios (tribus africanas, vampiros, fantasmas y hasta una especie de pre-zombis) es la manera en la que se vuelve algo novedoso o simplemente atrayente para mí. Es un libro que no busca el plot twist, ni tampoco es que lo necesite, sino que se apoya del puro sendero de la aventura y de unas batallas muy bien narradas para mantenerte atento durante sus páginas.
Me gustó mucho y deseo leer más sobre Robert E. Howard.
Por cierto, estoy casi seguro de que Stephen King tiene como fuente de inspiración a Solomon Kane para hacer a su increíble Roland Deschain o por lo menos a mí me parecen muy similares.
May 29, 2024
«Багровые тени» Странствуя Кейн натыкается на умирающую молодую девушку, которая с последним вздохом сообщает пуританину имя своего насильника и убийцы- главаря местной шайки разбойников. Теперь для Кейна дело всей жизни извести всех бандитов причастных к смерти девушки, чем он методично и последовательно занимается. Кейн убивает всех кроме вожака, тому удается улизнуть, и история переносится на несколько лет вперед. Соломон оказывается в джунглях Африки, где в погоне за главарем бандитов настигает его в племени каннибалов.
Кейн очень хорош в своей методической и упорной мести, раз выбрав цель он словно бульдог не отстает от своего, пока все виновные не будут наказаны. В рассказе много мистики, магии вуду, а еще есть обезьяны и месть обезьяны, что-то Берроузовское.
Кейн очень хорош в своей методической и упорной мести, раз выбрав цель он словно бульдог не отстает от своего, пока все виновные не будут наказаны. В рассказе много мистики, магии вуду, а еще есть обезьяны и месть обезьяны, что-то Берроузовское.
January 5, 2025
(Audible, Finn JD John)
…the first Howard story to introduce Solomon Kane; and while it was printed first, it is actually his second sword-and-sorcery work after THE SHADOW KINGDOM, so some people argue which is the first of the genre.
Be that as it may, Kane is a puritan avenger who is obsessed with battling all manner of man and monster in the name of vengeance for strangers who suffer at the hands of evil men. In this first one, Kane follows the rogue Frenchman known as Wolf, all the way to darkest Africa where voodoo comes into play. Some of the wording is a more than a little outdated, but the sword-fighting scenes are fun. There’s also an African giant and a monstrous gorilla in the mix!
Mr. John does a a great job bringing the various characters to life for Audible.
…the first Howard story to introduce Solomon Kane; and while it was printed first, it is actually his second sword-and-sorcery work after THE SHADOW KINGDOM, so some people argue which is the first of the genre.
Be that as it may, Kane is a puritan avenger who is obsessed with battling all manner of man and monster in the name of vengeance for strangers who suffer at the hands of evil men. In this first one, Kane follows the rogue Frenchman known as Wolf, all the way to darkest Africa where voodoo comes into play. Some of the wording is a more than a little outdated, but the sword-fighting scenes are fun. There’s also an African giant and a monstrous gorilla in the mix!
Mr. John does a a great job bringing the various characters to life for Audible.
March 22, 2025
If nothing else, Robert E. Howard was an evocative writer. His ability to create setting, mood and raw emotion with spartan prose is a wonder to behold. If there is precious little meat on the bones of his stories, it's to their benefit. He didn't waste time on unnecessary things like character development. That's not the type of fiction he wrote. He wrote tone poems. Simple and straightforward. There were occasionally surprises along the way, but very little variety. That's not a criticism by the way. Merely an observation.
Red Shadows really doesn't offer much in the way of surprises. It's a red meat story that does a decent job of using its titular fanatical character to smote evil. That Kane isn't exactly a "good guy" makes it hard to like him, but he's easy to cheer for.
Red Shadows really doesn't offer much in the way of surprises. It's a red meat story that does a decent job of using its titular fanatical character to smote evil. That Kane isn't exactly a "good guy" makes it hard to like him, but he's easy to cheer for.
Read
August 4, 2025One day, if I live long enough, I'll get around to my thoughts about my favorite Robert E. Howard character, Solomon Kane. I have a lot of them. For now, suffice to say that the cover painting of this edition represents, as far as I'm concerned, the definitive visual depiction of Kane. Jeff Jones is credited as the illustrator, but it's not clear if this refers to the cover or to interior illustrations. I can't check, as I no longer own a copy. But whoever painted it captured the shadowy essence of the Puritan pulp adventurer like no other. If Kane's portrait had ever been painted by the great Caravaggio, his contemporary, it might have looked like this. Of all the old sf paperbacks I sold off in a moment of financial desperation decades ago, this might be the one I miss most.
June 8, 2023
Es imposible, por más que nos metamos en la cabeza que esta escrita hace 100 años, separar las ideas y representaciones racistas que aparecen, dejando cierta incomodidad en las descripciones de los personajes Africanos, que más parecen una caricatura como aquellas que aparecían en los envoltorios de "conguitos".
Obviando eso, esta primera aparición de Kane es trepidante, aunque le achaco cierta falta de profundidad en el personaje o una presentación más elaborada del mismo, lo único que sabemos del mismo a lo largo de la historia es que es Inglés y que es un "tipo duro". De todas formas funciona como historieta ligera con la que entretenerse una tarde
Obviando eso, esta primera aparición de Kane es trepidante, aunque le achaco cierta falta de profundidad en el personaje o una presentación más elaborada del mismo, lo único que sabemos del mismo a lo largo de la historia es que es Inglés y que es un "tipo duro". De todas formas funciona como historieta ligera con la que entretenerse una tarde
December 5, 2025
Being the first Solomon Kane story, and one of the few Pulp stories, I was intrigued by what was to be said here. Which was not much.
We begin with Solomon crossing paths with a dying girl in the woods of France, attacked by bandits led by the murderer, Le Loup. She asks for avenging, and that’s all Kane needs to hear to hunt down the man across the world.
It’s a globe-trotting story, where he gets to visit places in Europe and eventually gets to Africa, where the pulp elements start to show, ancient tribes, and even a real magic user.
I guess that, as one of the first of these
kind of stories, it’s fine. But seeing it through a modern lens, it’s a bit simple for my taste.
We begin with Solomon crossing paths with a dying girl in the woods of France, attacked by bandits led by the murderer, Le Loup. She asks for avenging, and that’s all Kane needs to hear to hunt down the man across the world.
It’s a globe-trotting story, where he gets to visit places in Europe and eventually gets to Africa, where the pulp elements start to show, ancient tribes, and even a real magic user.
I guess that, as one of the first of these
kind of stories, it’s fine. But seeing it through a modern lens, it’s a bit simple for my taste.
June 12, 2023
Conan gets all the credit for birthing the Sword & Sorcery genre, but Solomon Kane - and Kull, for that matter - came first. The Cimmerian stands on their hefty shoulders. Here is where it got its start: the true birthplace of fantasy.
Frankly, it still fumbled a little. The story is fairly basic in retrospect, the main character's motives weak and feeble (even said as much in-story!), the villain shallow. Robert E. Howard still seeks his to-be-famous writing style. The glimmer of genius is there, the great potential, like a diamond in the rough - but it's not here, not yet.
But soon.
Frankly, it still fumbled a little. The story is fairly basic in retrospect, the main character's motives weak and feeble (even said as much in-story!), the villain shallow. Robert E. Howard still seeks his to-be-famous writing style. The glimmer of genius is there, the great potential, like a diamond in the rough - but it's not here, not yet.
But soon.
September 2, 2024
La primera aventura de Solomon Kane muestra a un personaje lacónico y decidido, en una aventura de venganza y sentido de la justicia que se extiende en el tiempo (comprende varios años) y en el espacio (recorre varios países y regiones). Es una aventura satisfactoria. A veces, me ha recordado un poco al campeón eterno de Moorcock, como si Conan y Solomon fueran el mismo guerrero en diferentes universos. Quien sabe, quizás Moorcock se inspiró en esto... Una aventura interesante.
September 24, 2025
I recently listened (re-listened ) to this story as performed by Horrorbabble's Ian Gordon on Youtube.
I feel like this is top notch Howard work. He introduces his lesser known hero Solomon Kane and puts him on a path of vengeance that has him traveling the world.
Note: Racist depictions/words/etc are present. This was 1928 and we were not as enlightened. It's not as bad as Lovecraft, but it's not good.
I feel like this is top notch Howard work. He introduces his lesser known hero Solomon Kane and puts him on a path of vengeance that has him traveling the world.
Note: Racist depictions/words/etc are present. This was 1928 and we were not as enlightened. It's not as bad as Lovecraft, but it's not good.
November 27, 2024
There isn’t really much to say about these stories. In short it was a fine story of the determination and revenge. I feel you really learn who Solomon Kane is as a person from this story, more than all the others. Essentially Kane stumbles across a child who is a victim of a bandit attack, and he will stop at nothing till they are avenged. Short but enjoyable.
March 2, 2021
A longer Solomon Kane tale, it some what trots the globe as we see Solomon go from England to Africa. Good story, good writing, just enough mystery, magic, and darkness. And once again, Solomon Kane is a legitimate badass.
January 25, 2023
"Slowly he rose, mechanically wiping his hands upon his cloak. A dark scowl had settled on his somber brow. Yet he made no wild, reckless vow, swore no oath by saints or devils. "Men shall die for this," he said coldly."
Might be my favorite hero intro ever.
Might be my favorite hero intro ever.
July 2, 2025
So, it’s about an hour read which is a positive but it’s just… below-average read. Boring. If we look at this with a modern perspective it is problematic but that’s not my issue. My issue is that the writing style and overall story is nothing spectacular. 2.5
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