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Post by garbanzo on Oct 10, 2023 14:29:44 GMT -5
The ebook was $4.99, I bought it and I'm reading it and I'm enjoying it. It's not Howard, but neither are the hundreds of other pastiche yarns that have been written over the last pile of decades, and I enjoy those too The Kindle version does not seem available in the UK I bought it straight from Arkhaven. arkhavencomics.com/product/caravan-of-the-damned-ebook/
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Post by Von K on Oct 10, 2023 15:29:00 GMT -5
Thanks for the review Gary. Judging by what you've shared here I'd tend to agree with your perspective on those points.
Chuck Dixon is a prolific writer who covers a number of genres and tones in his work and I feel he's crossed the line here in a couple of places - for a Conan yarn.
In REH's Black Stranger Conan kills an injured pirate to save him from the bloodthirsty Picts, and in Xuthal of the dusk he is clearly preparing to kill Natala to save her from a long slow death in the desert heat, but in both those cases the context is clearly established by REH that these are a necessarily ruthless but merciful reaction to extreme circumstances. Even in Queen of the Black Coast he glossed over Conan and Belit's actual piracy, since for Weird Tales the main focus was to get to the weird stuff which all the rest was essentially a backdrop and set up for.
REH was well aware of the cruelties of actual history and consciously toned it down for the Conan yarns. His historicals paint a generally more brutal picture than the Conan yarns, but even there he was holding himself back somewhat and once wrote that he might experiment with something more purely historical and see how his readers might handle it.
Agreed.
I liked Chuck's general comments on pastichery though, as expressed here: They could do with an REH savvy editor who can pick up on any potential tonal and grammatical and world building elements, but Chuck Dixon is a big writer and I could easily see an editor being reluctant to edit such an established personality.
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Post by boboldman on Oct 11, 2023 14:45:41 GMT -5
This book still hasn’t shipped from Amazon yet. I ordered it on the 5th and a label was created on the 8th. Anybody else having this problem?
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Post by Von K on Oct 12, 2023 13:45:30 GMT -5
This book still hasn’t shipped from Amazon yet. I ordered it on the 5th and a label was created on the 8th. Anybody else having this problem? This lists as 'temporarily out of stock' on Amazon both US and UK and there have been no reviews or feedback on it yet left by customers on Amazon itself so I'd guess that everyone who ordered it through them is in the same boat.
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Post by boboldman on Oct 12, 2023 22:52:24 GMT -5
I thought these books were print-on-demand. This thing keeps going in and out of stock. Weird.
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Post by alexander on Oct 13, 2023 5:41:52 GMT -5
When I looked on Amazon UK just before the books went out of stock it was mentioned that delivery usually took between 1 and 2 months...
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Post by boboldman on Oct 13, 2023 8:37:09 GMT -5
The US site says 2-3 days. It also says it’s back in stock. Mine has a delivery date of Monday the 16th. If it doesn’t show up by then, I guess I will cancel and reorder.
Who knew the demand was so high for an unlicensed knock-off.?
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Post by garbanzo on Oct 13, 2023 10:06:55 GMT -5
When I ordered his first book direct from Arkhavevn it took about a month to arrive, which is why I went for the ebook this time.
But after reading the new one, I think I'll get a physical copy. It was a fun ride! Entertaining story, decent pacing, competent writing. I really enjoyed it.
Addressing the idea that Conan is out of character - Dixon definitely shows his rougher side a few times, but I don't think it crosses a line. Conan is, after all, "a thief, a reaver, a slayer"... Just because Howard tended not to show his rougher side doesn't mean he is always empathetic.
But I'm no purist. I read Howard as Howard, and I read pastiche as pastiche, and I enjoy it all.
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Post by mindboggled on Oct 14, 2023 21:49:04 GMT -5
I recall Dixon writing Conan as a bit rougher in the comics as well. I recall in an issue of Conan The Savage, Conan straight up kills a shamness by shooting her with a arrow, it was quite surprising because I don't remember Conan ever killing a woman in such a direct way before. Also, while writing this, I just remembered that in another issue of Conan The Savage Dixon has him directly kill a woman as well.
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Post by bunty0barbarian on Oct 18, 2023 10:49:09 GMT -5
I received my copy on Monday (ordered it last week Friday) and 2 chapters in. I think for all his faults Chuck Dixon is pretty good at pulpy action and dialogue his Conan feels much darker but this one has much faster pace and action than the first one and Ademir Leal's illustrations does make it more entertaining.
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Post by mindboggled on Oct 19, 2023 12:26:05 GMT -5
I managed to finally buy the book! Kind of expensive, isn't it?
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Post by Lonewolf on Nov 8, 2023 13:59:12 GMT -5
I received my copy on Monday (ordered it last week Friday) and 2 chapters in. I think for all his faults Chuck Dixon is pretty good at pulpy action and dialogue his Conan feels much darker but this one has much faster pace and action than the first one and Ademir Leal's illustrations does make it more entertaining. How many illustrations are in the book?
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Post by Von K on Nov 8, 2023 19:07:48 GMT -5
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Post by mindboggled on Nov 8, 2023 22:21:26 GMT -5
I finished it. This and Sccot Oden's pastiche are the best Conan pastiche's by far. I never at any point felt like I was not reading a Conan yarn, his characterization is on point. Dixon understands the character and knowns how to write him. Sure, Conan is little more harsher than he was in Howard's tales, but its not like these darker aspects to Conan's life weren't alluded in Howard's stories. this is exactly how Conan pastiche's should be written—short and succinct. Also Dixon's prose is great in my opinion.
I have some minor grips with the pacing. Otherwise it's all good.
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Post by mindboggled on Nov 8, 2023 22:24:04 GMT -5
I received my copy on Monday (ordered it last week Friday) and 2 chapters in. I think for all his faults Chuck Dixon is pretty good at pulpy action and dialogue his Conan feels much darker but this one has much faster pace and action than the first one and Ademir Leal's illustrations does make it more entertaining. How many illustrations are in the book? Fifteen or so.
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