The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian - Robert E Howard

 

Like many, I first discovered Robert E Howard's legendary barbaric hero, Conan, through Marvel Comics faithful reproductions of his early stories. Of course, Marvel expounded on REH's tales, and Howard had stories that were never adapted (I don't believe that Marvel got to all of them, anyway). Both were  great in their own ways and as I was looking for distractions from the all-too-ugly "real world", I thought that I would look back on some of the original tales.

I picked this tome at random from our local library and it is a 1200+ page compendium of a number of Howard's stories of the Cimmerian, in no particular order, but each able to stand on their own. So, we move from his early years, to his time as a king, to his life as a pirate with his also-legendary mate Belit (there is only one story here with her, but in the comics they spend quite a bit of time on their relationship, which was as romantic as it was bloody) as well as his time as a mercenary, a sailor, and much, much more.

Villainous magicians plaque and hound Conan with their spells and their evil familiars and other-worldly creatures, although most often it is the human enemies that are the most treacherous and vile. Howard is a very descriptive and expressive writer, detailing surrounding, creatures, people and combinations thereof so that you can picture what was in his mind. 

Great sword'n'socery stories and there are lots of extras - maybe a bit too much! - at the end with earlier versions, Howard's history of his world and lots more. I got this one from the library but it is a great read and would be well worth it as a purchase for anyone looking into the origins of Conan!