Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MUST READING, 17 Dec 2003
By A Customer
Plain, unvarnished Conan by the master himself. You will not be disappointed by this book and REH's literary style. The stories are dynamic and enormously entertaining. You will never want to sell or otherwise dispose of this book. It will be in your permanent collection (along with the other forthcoming volumes). If you have read Conan as depicted by others, you will welcome this original text, taken from manuscript in several cases. If you are unaware of this author, you have a real treat in score. Think of Tolkien, Rowlings, Moorcock, Gemmell, and many other fine authors wrapped into a comprehensive whole. Warning: some of the stories may not be considered by all as politically correct.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best edition ever (NOT superseded by the Complete Chronicles), 25 Oct 2008
Contrary to another review which says it's been superseded by the Complete Chronicles edition I much prefer this one (meaning: the 3 volumes). The paper is better quality, the preface gives a clever insight about the way Howard related to his hero, the ordering makes sense (and you can appreciate how Howard's style evolved over the years), the illustrations are beautifully rendered. Personally I also prefer to read from a manageable sized book (especially in bed!) rather than from a volume as heavy as the Chronicles. In term of content this edition contains the same stories (i.e. everything written by Howard on Conan) as the Complete Chronicles. There are some additional material there too, like letters and commentaries to and by Howard, which I don't think you'll find in the Compete Chronicles edition. The only reason you might want the Complete Chronicles is that they are slightly cheaper.
Naturally the stories themselves deserve 5 stars, but these 5 stars I give here are for the edition as much as for the work itself.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Copied from American Amazon Website., 29 Jun 2008
Hi, I would like to say that i have no read the book yet, however i found this review very usefull from the American website. It lists all of the books that are covered by this volume.
I'll report back once i have read the book.
Lee
By Ryan Harvey "Wolf Shadow" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
If you're a fan of fantasy author Robert E. Howard, who wrote for the pulps in the 1920s and 30s, rejoice! His stories of the great barbarian adventurer Conan are coming back in print, without unnecessary editing. These are the original texts.
If you enjoy fantasy, but have never read either Howard or Conan -- BUY THIS NOW. It is a must for lovers of fantasy. Banish any notions you have of Conan in other media: movies, comics, books by other authors. Howard's Conan is a stunning, unique creation. At turns bloody thrilling, filled with passionate rushes of action, at other times brooding and beautiful, sweeping you off to strange vistas. Howard was a one of a kind author, an American great, and with Conan he was at his best.
This first volume covers the first third of Howard's Conan stories, presented in the order they were written. The included stories are (in order):
1. The Phoenix on the Sword
2. The Frost-Giant's Daughter
3. The God in the Bowl
4. The Tower of the Elephant
5. The Scarlet Citadel
6. Queen of the Black Coast
7. Black Colossus
8. Iron Shadows in the Moon (aka Shadows in the Moonlight)
9. Xuthal of the Dusk (aka The Slithering Shadow)
10. The Pool of the Black One
11. The Vale of Lost Women
12. The Devil in Iron
13. The Phoenix on the Sword (first submitted draft)
Plus a number of fragments and outlines, and Howard's guide to Conan's world: "The Hyborian Age."
All the stories are enjoyable, although a few are minor entries in the Conan canon. The superior works are "The Tower of the Elephant," "The Scarlet Citadel," "The Frost-Giant's Daughter," and "Queen of the Black Coast." The last story is the gem of the collection: a grand romantic tragedy that you will never forget. This is one of Howard's ultimate great works.
The volume comes with a treasure trove of supporting material: illustrations by Mark Schultz that have a unique take on the character; an informative introduction and very detailed appendicies that go into the history of how Howard wrote the stories and some of his sources, and textual notes for the truly obsessed.
This is simply a superb collection: long-time fans and first time readers will all find something to treasure in this salute to one of the major authors and founders of modern fantasy.
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