Xuthal vs Xuchotl
Jul 4, 2022 4:20:20 GMT -5
Post by enriqued on Jul 4, 2022 4:20:20 GMT -5
Among Conan fans, both casuals and hardcore, there is the common knowledge that "Red nails" is better than "Xuthal of the dusk". The former is consider by some THE BEST thing Howard ever wrote, while the later is disregard as "mediocre".
Well: I do not agree.
I actually think that "Xuthal of the dusk" (or "The slithering shadow", depending who you ask) it's a better story.
Stories need some sort of arc. That doesn't mean the protagonist HAS to change. A love story counts as an arc. A mystery counts as an arc. A change of perception in the reader counts as an arc.
In "Xuthal of the dusk" there is, of course, a mystery. But wait! There's more! We see the story mostly through the eyes of Natala. She is weak and constantly scared of everything. Right? But, at the end, she IS THE ONE who saves Conan's life! She doesn't have to use her fists, but her wits... and it works! THAT'S an arc!
What is the arc on "Red nails"? Conan and Valeria enter the city, everyone is killed and then they leave. I don't know if we can use the word "mystery", considering that both factions inside the city felt like garbage from minute 1. For me, it always felt as a bunch of fights stitch together. You can argue that Valeria and Conan love story is interesting but I just can't agree with that. They just seem to be lustful for each other, and that's it. After the fight with the dragon, they barely spoke to each other. Compare it with how intense and profound feels the relationship between the Devi Yasmina and the barbarian.
The character of Valeria herself is a little bit of a let down. It's a sword woman, a fighter, a pirate, a hardboiled adventurer, just like Conan. But she does almost nothing during the course of the story and, at the end, she is reduced to a damsel in distress.
In both stories there is a bondage scene. Obviously, that stuff is there only to excite the imagination of male readers. But the bondage scene in Xuthal makes way more sense: Thalis is cruel and a sadist and she's obviously enjoying the whipping of Natala (maybe even on a sexual level). But Valeria doing the same just as an interrogation tactic feels totally out of place.
If we talk about themes, the conflict with the "decadent civilization" is much better reflected in the first story, with that horrible city of sleepy, indolent people, waiting to be devoured by a monstrous God. The monstrous God itself (Thog) is, by the way, a real challenge for Conan who is almost killed during the encounter. Not only that, but it survives the battle, returning to the shadows, defeated, yes, but not dead. Meanwhile, every combat in "Red Nails" feels way too easy (the slay of "the crawler" has the dubious honor of being the worst). It reminds me of those mid-level D&D campaigns where the DM throws things at the players without realizing how powerful they've become.
Even the dragon was a little bit of a let down. The scene is great, don't get me wrong, but it seems quite a convoluted explanation of why Conan and Valeria get stuck into the city. Also, I always found funny that it is described exactly as a Stegosaurus... a carnivorous Stegosaurus nonetheless! I imagine Howard saw King Kong and wanted to include the beast into a story, but didn't bother to buy a dinosaur book.
Even the one-liner at the end of "Xuthal" is better and funnier!
The prose in "Red nails" is better, I can give you that. Howard was a more experienced writer.
So that's it. That's my unsolicited, unpopular opinion.
See you in the hyborian age!
Well: I do not agree.
I actually think that "Xuthal of the dusk" (or "The slithering shadow", depending who you ask) it's a better story.
Stories need some sort of arc. That doesn't mean the protagonist HAS to change. A love story counts as an arc. A mystery counts as an arc. A change of perception in the reader counts as an arc.
In "Xuthal of the dusk" there is, of course, a mystery. But wait! There's more! We see the story mostly through the eyes of Natala. She is weak and constantly scared of everything. Right? But, at the end, she IS THE ONE who saves Conan's life! She doesn't have to use her fists, but her wits... and it works! THAT'S an arc!
What is the arc on "Red nails"? Conan and Valeria enter the city, everyone is killed and then they leave. I don't know if we can use the word "mystery", considering that both factions inside the city felt like garbage from minute 1. For me, it always felt as a bunch of fights stitch together. You can argue that Valeria and Conan love story is interesting but I just can't agree with that. They just seem to be lustful for each other, and that's it. After the fight with the dragon, they barely spoke to each other. Compare it with how intense and profound feels the relationship between the Devi Yasmina and the barbarian.
The character of Valeria herself is a little bit of a let down. It's a sword woman, a fighter, a pirate, a hardboiled adventurer, just like Conan. But she does almost nothing during the course of the story and, at the end, she is reduced to a damsel in distress.
In both stories there is a bondage scene. Obviously, that stuff is there only to excite the imagination of male readers. But the bondage scene in Xuthal makes way more sense: Thalis is cruel and a sadist and she's obviously enjoying the whipping of Natala (maybe even on a sexual level). But Valeria doing the same just as an interrogation tactic feels totally out of place.
If we talk about themes, the conflict with the "decadent civilization" is much better reflected in the first story, with that horrible city of sleepy, indolent people, waiting to be devoured by a monstrous God. The monstrous God itself (Thog) is, by the way, a real challenge for Conan who is almost killed during the encounter. Not only that, but it survives the battle, returning to the shadows, defeated, yes, but not dead. Meanwhile, every combat in "Red Nails" feels way too easy (the slay of "the crawler" has the dubious honor of being the worst). It reminds me of those mid-level D&D campaigns where the DM throws things at the players without realizing how powerful they've become.
Even the dragon was a little bit of a let down. The scene is great, don't get me wrong, but it seems quite a convoluted explanation of why Conan and Valeria get stuck into the city. Also, I always found funny that it is described exactly as a Stegosaurus... a carnivorous Stegosaurus nonetheless! I imagine Howard saw King Kong and wanted to include the beast into a story, but didn't bother to buy a dinosaur book.
Even the one-liner at the end of "Xuthal" is better and funnier!
The prose in "Red nails" is better, I can give you that. Howard was a more experienced writer.
So that's it. That's my unsolicited, unpopular opinion.
See you in the hyborian age!
