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The Grey God Passes
- GenresFantasyShort Stories
22 pages, Booklet
First published January 1, 1975
1 person is currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Robert E. Howard
3,011 books2,651 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 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 27, 2009
Robert E Howard was Irish and identified very strongly with his Celtic heritage, particularly the "Black Irish" heritage. Most of his characters were of Celtic Origin. In this story, Howard delves into Irish History and retells the story of the Battle of Clontarf fought on Good Friday 1014. This was actually a civil war between Norse Irish and Norse Irish but Howard tells the story as the last battle between the Christian Irish and the Pagan Vikings. He imagines it as the "Ragnarok" of the Norse Gods with Odin One Eye, the Grey God making a doomful appearance.
In this version of the story Howard blends fantasy with history to tell of the end of supernatural gods or beings as the Christian faction led by the High King Brian Boru (and Howard's main protaganists Turlogh D'ubh O'Brien and Conn an escaped thrall of the vikings) fight King Sittric of Dublin and his uncle Mael Mordha the king of Leinster. Also in the mix is Kormlada (or Gormlaith), vengeful former wife of Brian Boru, mother of Sittric, and sister to Mael Mordha.
Told in true Howard style.
In this version of the story Howard blends fantasy with history to tell of the end of supernatural gods or beings as the Christian faction led by the High King Brian Boru (and Howard's main protaganists Turlogh D'ubh O'Brien and Conn an escaped thrall of the vikings) fight King Sittric of Dublin and his uncle Mael Mordha the king of Leinster. Also in the mix is Kormlada (or Gormlaith), vengeful former wife of Brian Boru, mother of Sittric, and sister to Mael Mordha.
Told in true Howard style.
July 3, 2024
One of my faves of REH. I love how it`s set in the real life Battle of Clontarf but with fantasy elements and i love how my Gaelic ancestors beat the bloody Vikings! It`s good that Turlogh Dubh O`Brien is in it as well another favourite.
June 12, 2015
Great,now i want to read the non-supernatural,spears of clontarf
July 25, 2025
Unpopular opinion: This was a boring tale
The Grey God Passes promises mythic grandeur but delivers a muddled, overblown mess. Howard attempts to blend historical fiction with supernatural elements, but the result is an awkward, unsatisfying hybrid that feels both undercooked and overdramatic. Characters come and go without leaving any impression, and the dialogue ranges from melodramatic to downright laughable.
The supposed emotional weight of the fall of an age is lost under waves of clunky exposition and repetitive battle scenes. Even the Norse mythology elements—normally a source of intrigue—are handled with all the subtlety of a war hammer to the head. If you’re looking for depth, nuance, or anything beyond blood and brooding, look elsewhere.
Only reason I was able to finish this is because whoever was narrating the book on fantasy audiobooks, has a great knack for voice acting.
The Grey God Passes promises mythic grandeur but delivers a muddled, overblown mess. Howard attempts to blend historical fiction with supernatural elements, but the result is an awkward, unsatisfying hybrid that feels both undercooked and overdramatic. Characters come and go without leaving any impression, and the dialogue ranges from melodramatic to downright laughable.
The supposed emotional weight of the fall of an age is lost under waves of clunky exposition and repetitive battle scenes. Even the Norse mythology elements—normally a source of intrigue—are handled with all the subtlety of a war hammer to the head. If you’re looking for depth, nuance, or anything beyond blood and brooding, look elsewhere.
Only reason I was able to finish this is because whoever was narrating the book on fantasy audiobooks, has a great knack for voice acting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2024
[Short story read in The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows]
A recently run-away slave Conn joins the battle between Irish's King Brian and Viking invaders. Loosely based on the real life Battle of Clontarf in 1014. There's a backdrop of an old grey god Odin overseeing the end of his people in Ireland in a Homerian fashion. Also starring REH's character Turlogh Dubh O'Brien (from The Dark Man). Irish vs Vikings, Christianity vs Norse gods. The battle scenes are fantastic and I quite enjoyed Conn's revenge story.
Comics:
Freely adapted by Roy Thomas and Barry-Windsor Smith in Conan The Barbarian 3. Super early on in the series. Reframed as Conan being enslaved by Hyperboreans and a war breaking out with Brythunia.
A recently run-away slave Conn joins the battle between Irish's King Brian and Viking invaders. Loosely based on the real life Battle of Clontarf in 1014. There's a backdrop of an old grey god Odin overseeing the end of his people in Ireland in a Homerian fashion. Also starring REH's character Turlogh Dubh O'Brien (from The Dark Man). Irish vs Vikings, Christianity vs Norse gods. The battle scenes are fantastic and I quite enjoyed Conn's revenge story.
Comics:
Freely adapted by Roy Thomas and Barry-Windsor Smith in Conan The Barbarian 3. Super early on in the series. Reframed as Conan being enslaved by Hyperboreans and a war breaking out with Brythunia.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews