"Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities . . . there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars. . . . Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand . . . to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."
Conan is one of the greatest fictional heroes ever created-a swordsman who cuts a swath across the lands of the Hyborian Age, facing powerful sorcerers, deadly creatures, and ruthless armies of thieves and reavers. In a meteoric career that spanned a mere twelve years before his tragic suicide, Robert E. Howard single-handedly invented the genre that came to be called sword and sorcery. Collected in this volume, profusely illustrated by artist Mark Schultz, are Howard's first thirteen Conan stories, appearing in their original versions-in some cases for the first time in more than seventy years-and in the order Howard wrote them. Along with classics of dark fantasy like "The Tower of the Elephant" and swashbuckling adventure like "Queen of the Black Coast," The Coming of Conanthe Cimmerian contains a wealth of material never before published in the United States, including the first submitted draft of Conan's debut, "Phoenix on the Sword," Howard's synopses for "The Scarlet Citadel" and "Black Colossus," and a map of Conan's world drawn by the author himself. Here are timeless tales featuring Conan the raw and dangerous youth, Conan the daring thief, Conan the swashbuckling pirate, and Conan the commander of armies. Here, too, is an unparalleled glimpse into the mind of a genius whose bold storytelling style has been imitated by many, yet equaled by none.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
The original master at work:
Foget your highbrow accounts of mid-life crises in the Hamptons. Forget your stories of love lost and won against the backdrop of (insert contrived historical setting here). This is what entertaining, escapist fiction is about. A guilty pleasure, something to be covertly enjoyed? No, by Crom! These stories are uncompromisingly true to themselves, and as a result have more integrity than most things I've read in the last 20 years. If only those writing in Fantasy these days could shrug off the weight of... more info
"Who dies first?":
The first of the three new editions of Robert E. Howard's Conan following the order in which they appeared and not the chronological sequence by the late Lyon Sprague de Camp. Some are classics of the genre (a genre which Howard pretty created single-handedly): "Phoenix on the Sword" -- in which King Conan, surrounded by assasins in his bed chamber, one hand against the wall, a battle axe in the other says through bloody lips, "Who dies first?" "A Witch Shall be Born" has the classic scene of Conan... more info
Grabbing a Sword and Brutally Hacking Away Until the Problem Stops Moving:
Having finally gotten around to trying and loving Conan 2.0: Kull: Exile of Atlantis, I was ready to try the finished version, and once again Robert E. Howard did not disappoint! I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like it! Introduction by Patrice Louinet: Interesting and useful, especially to a newbie like me. Discusses the significance of these editions of Conan stories: "until the present publication, Howard's Conan stories had never been published as Howard wrote them, in the order in... more info
Sword and sorcery rules and Howard is the King!:
First, I must say that I am a woman. Many have found it unusual that I would love Robert E. Howard's work, but I do. I have all of his stories, and am grateful there are new editions to replace my poor crumbling paperbacks.
As a writer of fantasy Robert E. Howard is a must read for any interested in the genre. We take for granted the acceptance of fantasy in literature today, but in the 1930's-it was not respected or looked on with any serious note. I am not saying Robert E. Howard was without flaws,... more info
