Robert E. Howard Readers discussion

This topic was suggested by someone else but I thought I'd open it for discussion.

Great idea. He's special to me because he's one of the main reasons I fell in love with reading. I remember seeing two of his books with Frazetta covers, the old Lancer editions where the paintings took up almost the entire cover.
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How could a young boy resist it? Then I read them. Wow! I was transported.

I waited for you to break the ice. It's sort of the same with me. I grew up in the late '50s and '60s and fantasy was just showing up outside the pulps by the end of the '60s. Howard was sort of "rediscovered" and the there were a few short story collections that came out and then the Lancer books.

I'd read what fantasy/sword and sorcery I could find and then found Conan. When the Lancer books hit I snatched them up. Then I suppose because those sold the Kull stories showed up and so on.

For me to it was "intro" fantasy when there was little out there. And since Howard is so talented the stories remain favorites.

I discovered Howard in 1983 (13 years old) when my uncle gave me copies of Conan the Adventurer and Conan: Conan the Usurper. That summer, while visiting a flea market, I found the rest of the Lancer Conan books. He just resonated with me. His vibrancy and his adventures just took me by storm. I was just getting introduced to AD&D at the time, and this was my first encounter with sword & sorcery fiction.

REH's characters still resonate with me, and his adventures still carry me away to other realms. His style of writing captures my imagination and my soul.

Seems to be a common thread of being an early read.

He is special to me and he is one of few authors i admire for their writing talent because he is always naturally,effortlessly great when its comes to storytelling, characters.

His biggest strenght is his jack of all trades ability. I read his S&S and thought that was his best style and stories and then felt the same about his horror, his westerns, his humor, his historical.

5 of my 10 all time literary fav characters are Howard characters in El Borak,Solomon Kane,Conan,Dark Agnes,Elkins.

The first thing I love about REH is his ability to stage vivid action-scenes, though they come off even better in concert with equally vivid characters.

Over time I began to absorb more of his complex poetic and philosophic outlook, but his penchant for action was his first selling point for me.

Gene wrote: "The first thing I love about REH is his ability to stage vivid action-scenes, though they come off even better in concert with equally vivid characters.

Over time I began to absorb more of his com..."

You mean two important things there. His vivid action scenes makes him easily the best action writer i have ever read. There is no one even close without hyperbole.

His pilosophic outlook, moral questions even in his S&S stories give his better stories more meat,quality.

In my case, early exposure to Howard isn't a factor; I didn't really discover him as a writer until I read "Swords of the Purple Kingdom" in an anthology in the early 90s, when I was nearly forty. I'd heard of him before: he got a brief mention in a very negative review that I'd read of the first Conan movie when it came out about 20 years earlier, and that reviewer prejudiced me against both writer and movie. (Now I'm much less inclined to take jaundiced reviews as gospel truth!)

Until now, I'd never really tried to analyze my strong liking for his work. My taste runs to the Romantic school, and he embodies that approach in a lot of ways: he evokes and appeals to a gamut of primal emotions, exalts what's natural and free over what's artificial and constrained, and transports us to exotic settings that stir intrinsic interest. His Hyborian world (and I'm most familiar with that part of his work) carries the appeal of primitivism --true, Conan, Kull, etc. aren't transplanted moderns in that world, but the reader is. :-) And then there's his quality as a writer. He's a wonderful stylist, IMO; he creates great characters that fascinate endlessly --Conan, Kull, Valeria, Red Sonya-- he's a natural storyteller, delivers thrilling action plots, and as Mohammed noted, added philosophical and ethical meat to that mix. (He's a genuinely moral writer --which isn't the same thing as didactic or moralistic.) While he mines some of the same kind of fictional territory as Edgar Rice Burroughs, he's a vastly more disciplined craftsman than ERB (which shows for instance in the amount of research he put into his work), so he's able to bring much greater realism to his fiction. I know I've only scratched the surface of his corpus (and some of what I've read isn't his best work --I'm thinking of "In the House of Arabu"); but he's one of the few writers of whom I can truly say that I'd like to eventually read everything he ever wrote!

I also came to him a little later than average -- I'm sure I'd read random stories in a few anthologies, and I was familiar with Conan from the comics (if "familiar with Conan" is a proper description given how far the comics diverged from Howard's character), but I never actually picked up a Howard book until I found a copy of Conan (the Ace reprint of the Lancer series) at the library when I was in college. I did pick up the full Ace series, but I didn't start serious Howard until several years later, through a combination of Robert E. Howard's Kull (the Donald Grant hardcover with Ned Dameron art -- love the paintings!) and the later Baen books collecting Solomon Kane and Bran Mak Morn and the other non-Howard characters. I've assembled a passable library over the years (especially with the Del Rey, Bison and REH Foundation collections) but I've still just scratched the surface in terms of actual reading.

Like Vincent, I grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons in the 1980's, and Tolkien was the writer who first inspired me. As it were, D&D and Tolkien became an integral part of my youth. In time, my passion for the game and the writer eventually breed a variety of other interests for me.

In the back of the original AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide, the game's creator, Gary Gygax, included a selected bibliography where he listed a number of books and authors that influenced the Dungeons & Dragons game. Some of these included: Tolkien (of course), Poul Anderson's, The Broken Sword , Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series, Split Infinity by Piers Anthony, Michael Moorcock's Elric series, Eric Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros , H.P. Lovecraft, and Robert E. Howard's Conan series. Of the entire list of authors Robert E. Howard was my favorite, and I read the original 12 Ace Conan books within the course of three months. Back then, they were the only Conan books I was able to find in bookstores. I knew about the Conan comic books but, aside from the artwork, they never held any allurement for me. Most of the stories in the comics were not Howard's; and when they did include a Howard story in an issue, it was merely a watered down version of it.

Howard appeals to me because his writing is so powerfully violent, raw, and unrestrained. His Conan stories are brutal, harsh, and gritty, and no other author came close to his unique style of storytelling. For all of that, I'd have to say the fundamental reason why R.E.H. is my favorite writer is because of the interests he and I share.

Ever since childhood, even before I became fascinated by fantasy and sword & sorcery, I've had a deep and abiding passion for the history of Ireland, the Celts, and the American frontier. Anyone who knows anything about Robert E. Howard knows that R.E.H. had a particular zeal for these subjects as well. Thus, it was not by chance that I discovered Howard, but by fate. R.E.H. personifies my enthusiasms. Through his stories and letters, I see my interests manifesting themselves into something almost tangible. I often muse how great it would have been if I could have met the writer. Giving our similiar interests and how much we have in common, I sometimes find myself daydreaming about the long and captivating conversations we might have had. Of the truth, I think Bob Howard would have made a great friend.

As Werner pointed out, you know you have a favorite writer if you're desiring to read everything he ever wrote. I'm close. I think I have only a dozen or so R.E.H. tales still left unread.

I've never played D&D, but read all of those books. Thanks for listing them.

Has anyone discovered Howard later than me i wonder in this group? Early exposure is not in my case either. Since i first read him in 2007.

I searched him out when i became fantasy fan thanks to Gemmell and wanted to read the legends of the genre. REH made me understand i enjoyed S&S story like no other type of fantasy can come near.

I sought out and read much of the books lised in the AD&D DMG also! That list formed my first encounters with fantasy.

Vincent wrote: "I sought out and read much of the books lised in the AD&D DMG also! That list formed my first encounters with fantasy."

There were some excellent books on that list! (And some that were, well, not so excellent.) I think I've at least read every author listed except for Margaret St. Clair -- now I know what to look for next time I'm at Uncle Hugo's ...

I sort of went the other way and had read a lot before I got into D&D in '78. I was the one who bought the books and dice and so on and got the group together. I DMed for years...I'd still DM except I can't get the group together anymore or get to the local game store the night there's a free table, LOL.

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I sort of went the other way and had read a lot before I got into D&D in '78. I was the one who bought the books and dice and so on and got the group together. I DMed for years...I'd still DM excep..."

Alas, it's an entirely different game nowadays. I believe they are now on version 4 or 4.5, but it's all changed - different company, different rules. The guys I used to play with, back in the 80's when AD&D was at its peak, they told me the new version really sucks. It was a grand experience, though... fantasy roleplaying. I credit Dungeons & Dragons for whetting my interest in fantasy, heroic fantasy, Conan, medieval history, barbarians, Arthurian legends, ancient warfare, Beowulf, and a whole lot of other things.

I know. I played third when the changes started and bought the 4th edition books, but didn't like it. The last time I ran a game I went back to 2nd edition. I have several players handbooks and still have a lot of the additional "stuff". Just not able to get a game together of find one I want to play in.

Sounds like what I did. I played Third (and, of course, wrote the Conan RPG sourcebooks based on that ruleset), and bought the 4th - but didn't like the fourth, so I went back to 2nd for my last game.

REH was one of the first writers I came across as a kid who made reading fun and exciting. Burroughs was the other.

I found Burroughs Mars (John Carter) stories about the same or a little before I found Conan to. I still sort of think of the stories together, LOL.

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I found Burroughs Mars (John Carter) stories about the same or a little before I found Conan to. I still sort of think of the stories together, LOL."

I always thought of Burroughs/Howard as kind of like the Beatles/Stones -- both incredibly influential, and you could really, really like both of them but you'd only love one or the other.

(For me, honestly, Burroughs is my love -- I started reading the Barsoom books at a very formative age. But word-for-word and sentence-for-sentence, Howard is probably a better writer.)

Yeah I agree. The John Carter stories don't age nearly as well. They work better when you're young. I still have a soft spot for them though.

I have read only first John Carter book and it has aged much better than any 1912 book,story i have seen. Howard is 20 years later with his stories.

Sure ERB is more old school, similar to 1800s adventure author style but the first book atleast i first read in 2012 and i couldnt believe it was 100 years old.

Don't get me wrong -- I still read the Barsoom books like candy; I just burned through the entire series in a few weeks last year.

Mohammed -- Have you read any H. Rider Haggard? He's one 19th century author whom I still find very readable; well, if you skip his first couple of books which were bog-standard and forgettable Victorian family melodrama and jump straight to She and King Solomon's Mines.

Joseph wrote: "Don't get me wrong -- I still read the Barsoom books like candy; I just burned through the entire series in a few weeks last year.

Mohammed -- Have you read any H. Rider Haggard? He's one 19th ce..."

Dude, H. Rider Haggard is awesome! I love his work.

Ó Ruairc wrote: "Dude, H. Rider Haggard is awesome! I love his work."

And also an influence on both Burroughs and Howard. (More directly on Burroughs -- the entire Tarzan series is basically playing with Haggard tropes. But I can see some Haggard in, say, the Solomon Kane stories as well.)

Howard read Burroughs, did he not? I am fond of Burroughs. He enlisted in the 7th Cavalry and served here in Arizona for awhile - damn interesting, that. But between Howard and Burroughs, I'd have to say I prefer R.E.H's stories, though Tarzan may be one of my all-time favorite reads.

Ó Ruairc wrote: "Howard read Burroughs, did he not? I am fond of Burroughs. He enlisted in the 7th Cavalry and served here in Arizona for awhile - damn interesting, that. But between Howard and Burroughs, I'd ha..."

Yep, he definitely read Burroughs -- Almuric (which I admit I haven't read yet) was basically Howard's answer to John Carter, I believe.

Joseph wrote: "Ó Ruairc wrote: "Howard read Burroughs, did he not? I am fond of Burroughs. He enlisted in the 7th Cavalry and served here in Arizona for awhile - damn interesting, that. But between Howard and ..."

I will read Almuric next and i cant wait to see what REH can do with the genre ERB mastered. REH style is good fit for Sword and Planet type story.

Joseph wrote: "I always thought of Burroughs/Howard as kind of like the Beatles/Stones -- both incredibly influential,..."

Excellent analogy, although I loved both. Barsoom was always my favorite of ERB's, although I think The Mucker might have been tops for a while.

Howard continues to amaze with the nuances and depth of his work, even though he wrote quite a long time ago now. In fact, much modern fiction seems rather bland in comparison. I just finished reading his collected "horror stories," and didn't realize how much of an influence those tales were on my own collections, like In the Language of Scorpions and Harmland.

I find modern fiction to be quite bland in comparison. REH had such a powerful way with words. I am amazed how easily he could write horror, humor, adventure, westerns, boxing, and so on... just back and forth - and each with their own style. So many authors just write within one genre, but REH could masterfully write in whatever genre he had a story for. Even just looking at his boxing stories, he had boxing ghost stories, boxing humor stories, boxing adventure stories, and so on. Amazing. Simply amazing. Of course, I am reminded that you touched on this topic in the "Robert E. Howard Gets Mentioned" thread.

I see by your profile that you are an author, Charles. I'd be interested in reading one, especially since REH and ERB were such inspirations for you (I love finding new authors); which would you recommend as a first read?

Vincent, I read in just about every genre so it's fun and challenging to me to write in all of them too. Plus, Howard showed me that you can do good work in a lot of different genres. In fantasy, Swords of Talera, which is available in print, ebook, and audio book is probably most like a mixture of Howard's Almuric and ERB's Barsoom series. I have a collection of sword and sorcery tales out called Bitter Steel, that is probably most closely influenced by Howard. For more horror edged types of things, the Harmland collection, which is only in ebook at present has some Howardian elements. I think the most suspenseful book I have is Cold in the Light. It doesn't have a Howardian theme at all but I think the prose is similar to Howard's in some ways. There are a fair number of reviews of all of them on AMazon and goodreads. And they're all available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Thanks much for your question/comment!

Vincent wrote: "I find modern fiction to be quite bland in comparison. REH had such a powerful way with words. I am amazed how easily he could write horror, humor, adventure, westerns, boxing, and so on... just b..."

Outside of his Barsoom books, I think The Outlaw of Torn was my favorite ERB.

Jim wrote: "Joseph wrote: "I always thought of Burroughs/Howard as kind of like the Beatles/Stones -- both incredibly influential,..."

Excellent analogy, although I loved both. Barsoom was always my favorite..."

I just purchased "Swords of Talera" for my Kindle. Thanks for the recommendation. That's fantastic that you write in multiple genres. That is a special skill. I'm impressed.

I haven't read "Outlaw of Torn" yet. I just recently bought a copy of it from a used book store, though (along with "Return of the Mucker"). Mostly I've read his longer series (Tarzan, Barsoom, Venus, Pellucidar, Caspak). Knowing the book is someone's favorite outside of Barsoom means I am probably in for a real treat.

Vincent wrote: "I haven't read "Outlaw of Torn" yet. I just recently bought a copy of it from a used book store, though (along with "Return of the Mucker"). Mostly I've read his longer series (Tarzan, Barsoom, Venus, Pellucidar, Caspak). Knowing the book is someone's favorite outside of Barsoom means I am probably in for a real treat."

Someday I also need to go back and read more of Burroughs' non-series books.

Howard-wise, I recently read and enjoyed both of the Del Rey Best of REH volumes -- about half of the stories were ones I'd read before (in many cases in previous Del Rey volumes) but it was my first time reading a sample of his boxing, Western and El Borak stories, and it reminded me of how good of a writer he actually was.

Yes. I really love his boxing stories. One can really tell how much he loved boxing when reading those. And his El Borak stories... REH was just awesome.

Yes, I need to read more ERB's non-series work, too. I did read "the Lost Continent" and "Beyond the Farthest Star" awhile back. They were quite good, but he did tend to be FAR more formulaic than REH.

Vincent wrote: "I just purchased "Swords of Talera" for my Kindle. Thanks for the recommendation. That's fantastic that you write in multiple genres. That is a special skill. I'm impressed.

Thanks, man. I hope you enjoy. I had more fun writing that book than just about any other I've done.

When I first read one of Howard's Boxing stories I didn't care for it much. This was years ago and I'd only read his fantasy stuff, Conan, before that. The Boxing stuff was very different. I had a friend, Chris Gruber, who kept touting the stories to me though, so one summer I sat down and read them all, and I really began to see the genius in them. I eventually did my one and only pastiche story featuring Sailor Steve Costigan in a story called "Slugger's Holiday," which appeared in an anthology called Beacons of Tomorrow.

Outlaw of Torn is ERB's version of Ivanhoe I think. I really liked it.

My first exposure to his boxing stories was "The Pit of the Serpent" in The Book of Robert E. Howard. It didn't particularly impress me then either. Neither did "The Good Knight," in The Second Book of Robert E. Howard. It wasn't until I read The Iron Man that I started to enjoy his boxing stories, but I still didn't "get" his humorous ones found in The Incredible Adventures Of Dennis Dorgan until I read Mark Finn's autobiography, Blood and Thunder: The Life and Art of Robert E. Howard, which gave me the perspective to re-read (rediscover) his humorous tales and recognize the genius behind them.

It was after reading Mark Finn's book that I sought out collections of Steve Costigan and Breckinridge Elkins.

Charles wrote: "Outside of his Barsoom books, I think The Outlaw of Torn was my favorite ERB.

Jim wrote: "Joseph wrote: "I always thought of Burroughs/Howard as kind of like the Beatles/Stones -- both incredibly ..."

As a diehard Tarzan fan who collects the hardcovers, my favorite ERB books are The Outlaw of Torn and The Mucker/Mucker Returns.

"The Devil of Torn" they call him. Read it eons back and still recall a few memories of it. ERB was an action writer like REH.

I'm a little late to this thread but thought I would put in my two cents....
when I was about 12 yrs old a friend and I discovered the Lancer books. Conan the Warrior was the first that I read then I quickly purchased the rest as they became available. I date myself but this was in 1966-67. I read in the introductions about his other characters and as they became available I purchased them as well. Likewise around the same time I was a Burroughs fan. First reading Tarzan and later John Carter. I also read Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books and Michael Moorcock's Elric and Dorian Hawkmoon stories. Out of them all Howard is the most satisfying. I am 60 years old so I've been a Howard fan for a long time. He has always been my favorite author. My first date with my wife was to see Conan the Barbarian with Arnold. We've been married 31 years now LOL!!!

The vividness of his prose. His storytelling is superb. He makes his characters 'real'. Just look at Conan. I can never get enough of REH's stuff. :)

David wrote: "The vividness of his prose. His storytelling is superb. He makes his characters 'real'. Just look at Conan. I can never get enough of REH's stuff. :)"

Well said, David. R.E.H. once wrote that he deemed Conan his most realistic character.

In a world increasingly castrated by civilization's artificial codes, REH demonstrated in his works just how fragile the concept of society is. All it takes is a force of nature, mostly represented by his turbulent protagonists. While Howard embellished the notion with swordplay, mad adventures and even Lovecraftian horrors to keep it from getting stale, it seems to me that Conan stories are his way of saying, "This is how easily I would have wrecked your precious rules and hierarchies if I had the brawns and the heart of this Conan fellow." Same kind of rebellion with his other works. I have profound respect for someone who spits in the face of established order the way REH does.

Another reason REH is special writer to me i found when in SFF chrons forum was to post a list my alltime fav book characters a top 10. Naturally current fav cutting down i saw more REH characters than i expected at first:


"The Continental Op - Dashiell Hammett
Francis "El Borak" Gordon - my fav character by Robert E.Howard
Dark Agnes de Chastillon - Robert E.Howard
Solomon Kane - Robert E. Howard
Cugel - Jack Vance
Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Parker - Richard Stark
Jack Taylor - Ken Bruen
Medea - Euripides, i love this play so much i named my blood red new bicycle after Medea. Best femme fatale in history of literature!
Horatio Hornblower - C.S Forester"

That is an EXCELLENT list of top 10 book characters, Mohammed.