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Post by Jason Aiken on Aug 9, 2020 21:37:42 GMT -5
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Post by Lonewolf on Aug 10, 2020 13:10:23 GMT -5
This story was my introduction to Robert E. Howard's Conan, and for some reason? the sentence "The red ax lurched up and crashed down and a crimson caricature of a man catapulted back against the legs of the attackers." was the moment that I discovered/realized that Howard was something special.
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Post by charleshelm on Aug 10, 2020 20:31:08 GMT -5
This sequence is one that sticks in my mind:
Conan put his back against the wall and lifted his ax. He stood like an image of the unconquerable primordial—legs braced far apart, head thrust forward, one hand clutching the wall for support, the other gripping the ax on high, with the great corded muscles standing out in iron ridges, and his features frozen in a death snarl of fury—his eyes blazing terribly through the mist of blood which veiled them. The men faltered—wild, criminal and dissolute though they were, yet they came of a breed men called civilized, with a civilized background; here was the barbarian—the natural killer. They shrank back—the dying tiger could still deal death.
Conan sensed their uncertainty and grinned mirthlessly and ferociously. "Who dies first?" he mumbled through smashed and bloody lips.
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Post by kobeck on Aug 10, 2020 20:58:16 GMT -5
WOW...
Thanks for restarting this!
about 2 years ago I read all of R. E. Howard's Conan stories starting with PotS... I was hooked. Over the course of 3 months I read them all and quite the ride it was.
Now instead of delving into the pastiche I will read all the canon again... but sprinkle in some pastiche - LOL
I am new here, well some lurking but not really contributing, so I am not sure about spoilers. But I will assume anyone who is reading this thread read PotS
my take on the ending:
Conan was in fact going to be killed in the coupe d'etat... Ascalante literally had Conan backed against the wall ... then Toth-Amon's baboonlike Nightmare took Ascalante down as commanded
And because of the powers even the fragment left of Conan's sword had he was able to defeat the Nightmare... then the Black Dragons show up to end the rebellion.
Sooooo many things happening so fast.
and because it seems to be what we do... my favorite part was the exchanges between Conan & Prospero
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Post by Jason Aiken on Aug 12, 2020 23:00:07 GMT -5
Listened to this via the Coming of Conan the Cimmerian audible audio book today while gardening and walking. This was my second time reading this story and it's probably been almost 8 years or so since I first read it in the Coming of Conan the Cimmerian. One thing I didn't appreciate the first time through was that REH wasn't only telling a decent story, but was also actively world-building. It was enjoyable hearing Conan talk of Cimmeria, Vanaheim, and Asgard, as well as the Stygian magic courtesy of Thoth-Amon, who thanks to this appearance, will be widely used in many pastiches to come. Honestly, this was a little slow-going at first, with introducing the conspirators, then introducing King Conan and him talking of his past, then showing Thoth-Amon in the garden, then back to King Conan and his “dream”. The dream sequence is when the story really picks up and the action scenes soon after is where REH's writing shines. Conan defeats scores of men and then the demoniac Stygian creature with the help of the sage's magic. Overall this was an enjoyable story to revisit. It's not the best King Conan yarn, or one of the better Conan stories even IMHO, but it is so important as it's the first one. I attached all of the reader comments from the February 1933 issue of Weird Tales as well as what whoever wrote the Eyrie had to say at the end about it in that issue. It seems like the readers enjoyed it, and one guy even referred to Conan as Conan the Reaver  REH definitely had a winner here. The very next issue of Weird Tales after Conan deputed was the January 1933 issue which had "The Scarlet Citadel" in it, and the March 1933 issue would have "The Tower of the Elephant." Can you imagine reading this off the newsstand back then? It had to have been something else. |
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Post by Jason Aiken on Aug 12, 2020 23:13:22 GMT -5
This story was my introduction to Robert E. Howard's Conan, and for some reason? the sentence "The red ax lurched up and crashed down and a crimson caricature of a man catapulted back against the legs of the attackers." was the moment that I discovered/realized that Howard was something special. Yes, this tale is full of some great descriptions, REH has so many in these stores it must have been some kind of innate talent, as he seems to do it so effortlessly. This sequence is one that sticks in my mind: Conan put his back against the wall and lifted his ax. He stood like an image of the unconquerable primordial—legs braced far apart, head thrust forward, one hand clutching the wall for support, the other gripping the ax on high, with the great corded muscles standing out in iron ridges, and his features frozen in a death snarl of fury—his eyes blazing terribly through the mist of blood which veiled them. The men faltered—wild, criminal and dissolute though they were, yet they came of a breed men called civilized, with a civilized background; here was the barbarian—the natural killer. They shrank back—the dying tiger could still deal death. Conan sensed their uncertainty and grinned mirthlessly and ferociously. "Who dies first?" he mumbled through smashed and bloody lips. More fine examples of REH's writing. He can paint a picture like few other people can. His descriptions are filled with so much mood and convey so much. He's definitely a talent that only comes along once in a few generations. WOW... Thanks for restarting this! my take on the ending: Conan was in fact going to be killed in the coupe d'etat... Ascalante literally had Conan backed against the wall ... then Toth-Amon's baboonlike Nightmare took Ascalante down as commanded And because of the powers even the fragment left of Conan's sword had he was able to defeat the Nightmare... then the Black Dragons show up to end the rebellion. Sooooo many things happening so fast. and because it seems to be what we do... my favorite part was the exchanges between Conan & Prospero No problem, it's high time we get back to discussing more REH around here  Conan has survived many battles and ambushes, but the heads up given to him by the sage surely helped him. Otherwise he would have been fighting without any armor and with zero prep time. I think he would have given a very fine account of himself and would have probably found a way to overcome it in barbaric triumph as usual |
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Post by Von K on Aug 13, 2020 15:59:22 GMT -5
This sequence is one that sticks in my mind: Conan put his back against the wall and lifted his ax. He stood like an image of the unconquerable primordial—legs braced far apart, head thrust forward, one hand clutching the wall for support, the other gripping the ax on high, with the great corded muscles standing out in iron ridges, and his features frozen in a death snarl of fury—his eyes blazing terribly through the mist of blood which veiled them. The men faltered—wild, criminal and dissolute though they were, yet they came of a breed men called civilized, with a civilized background; here was the barbarian—the natural killer. They shrank back—the dying tiger could still deal death. Conan sensed their uncertainty and grinned mirthlessly and ferociously. "Who dies first?" he mumbled through smashed and bloody lips. Might be interesting to compare this with the original text from the then unpublished 'By This Axe I Rule.' The main difference is the addition of the underlined sentences. But there are other changes to prose and syntax. REH's literary brushstrokes are obviously more confident, powerful and assured in the second version. 'He stood like an image of the unconquerable primordial' is a superb re-casting of the original line from the Kull yarn. It serves the same function as the original but is phrased so much more powerfully and quotably. Fascinating to catch this glimpse of REH editing and updating his own prose. One could perhaps go through the whole yarn this way. |
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Post by johnnypt on Aug 13, 2020 16:12:38 GMT -5
Plus we also have the early draft of Phoenix to add to the comparison.
It's definitely a more polished version of the original story. The raison d'etre is far more compelling in the Conan tale. Plus the opening text (thank you Farnsworth) is one of the most succinct bits of world building in modern literature.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Aug 14, 2020 14:43:42 GMT -5
Plus we also have the early draft of Phoenix to add to the comparison. It's definitely a more polished version of the original story. The raison d'etre is far more compelling in the Conan tale. Plus the opening text (thank you Farnsworth) is one of the most succinct bits of world building in modern literature. That would be an interesting study indeed. I went to an Edgar Rice Burroughs convention a few years back and a few of the guys there talked about wanting to put out a book annotating the differences between all published versions of Tarzan of the Apes, talk about a high undertaking! This sounds like it would be far more manageable given the length of the tale and not nearly as many permutations.  |
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Post by kobeck on Aug 14, 2020 14:52:15 GMT -5
Von K thanks for that comparison and analysis
good stuff
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Post by Von K on Aug 15, 2020 19:08:14 GMT -5
Von K thanks for that comparison and analysis good stuff You're welcome kobeck. I managed to miss one of the added sentences so I went back and edited the previous post. Apart from the topic being fascinating in its own right, there are some great examples here for aspiring writer's to learn from REH how to optimise and supercharge an early draft. |
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Post by Von K on Aug 15, 2020 21:32:43 GMT -5
Plus we also have the early draft of Phoenix to add to the comparison. It's definitely a more polished version of the original story. The raison d'etre is far more compelling in the Conan tale. Plus the opening text (thank you Farnsworth) is one of the most succinct bits of world building in modern literature. You're right. While that early draft of Phoenix contains some great stuff that never made it to print in the day, this is one of the instances where Wright's sometimes apparently whimsical judgement calls (since he rejected FGD and GitB) bore fruit. As far as I know it was between the sending of the first draft and Farnsworth's reply, after he had written the first three experimental yarns, that REH wrote The Hyborian Age essay. |
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Post by charleshelm on Sept 13, 2020 15:12:57 GMT -5
Well I felt guilty for cheating and re-read the story today. I must give a nod to HP Lovecraft adn the outer darkness where the old gods and various monsters wait to enter our realm. I also liked this in the beginning: OVER shadowy spires and gleaming towers lay the ghostly darkness and silence that runs before dawn. Into a dim alley, one of a veritable labyrinth of mysterious winding ways, four masked figures came hurriedly from a door which a dusky hand furtively opened. They spoke not but went swiftly into the gloom, cloaks wrapped closely about them; as silently as the ghosts of murdered men they disappeared in the darkness. Behind them a sardonic countenance was framed in the partly opened door; a pair of evil eyes glittered malevolently in the gloom.
The part in italics is nicely evocative.
And not to be political but I also found this interesting:
"Poets always hate those in power. To them perfection is always just behind the last corner, or beyond the next. They escape the present in dreams of the past and future. Rinaldo is a flaming torch of idealism, rising, as he thinks, to overthrow a tyrant and liberate the people...."
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Post by karasuthecrow on Jun 16, 2022 20:50:42 GMT -5
A wonderful first story I was so amazed how Howard wrote the story and had the world so well described.
We have made our very own analysis but is all in Spanish.
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