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Post by deuce on May 18, 2018 8:29:03 GMT -5
"I am confronted with the enigma of editors. They say they want action-stuff. Well, I have a story with Argosy which I am as certain they will reject as I am that I’m sitting here. Yet it bristles with fast, well-written action. There is a perfect shimmer of swords from the opening scene where Thorwald Shield-hewer throws a drinking-horn of ale in the face of Chief Brulla of Hjaltlands, to the scene on Hakon Skel’s dragon-ship where Cormac Mac Art unmasks the Mysterious Stranger and Wulfhere Hausakliufr roars: “Aim her prow east, carles, we go to set a new king on the throne of Dane-mark!” By golly, whatever else they may say about that story, they can’t kick about the action. I consider it my best attempt of the sort, to date. But will I sell it? Like Hell I will."
-- Robert E. Howard to Tevis Clyde Smith, May 1930REH is referring to Night of the Wolf: howardworks.com/storyn.htm#night4People gripe about Adventure not buying Howard's yarns. Argosy really dropped the ball on this one.
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Post by thedarkman on May 18, 2018 16:14:40 GMT -5
"I am confronted with the enigma of editors. They say they want action-stuff. Well, I have a story with Argosy which I am as certain they will reject as I am that I’m sitting here. Yet it bristles with fast, well-written action. There is a perfect shimmer of swords from the opening scene where Thorwald Shield-hewer throws a drinking-horn of ale in the face of Chief Brulla of Hjaltlands, to the scene on Hakon Skel’s dragon-ship where Cormac Mac Art unmasks the Mysterious Stranger and Wulfhere Hausakliufr roars: “Aim her prow east, carles, we go to set a new king on the throne of Dane-mark!” By golly, whatever else they may say about that story, they can’t kick about the action. I consider it my best attempt of the sort, to date. But will I sell it? Like Hell I will."
-- Robert E. Howard to Tevis Clyde Smith, May 1930REH is referring to Night of the Wolf: howardworks.com/storyn.htm#night4People gripe about Adventure not buying Howard's yarns. Argosy really dropped the ball on this one. Just nabbed this very edition the other day; mint, new unsold stock from storage. I have the Baen edition of Cormac, but I really wanted the Zebra edition with the input from Richard Tierney.
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Post by bartonamra on May 23, 2018 16:56:03 GMT -5
I have not read The Night of the Wolf yet. But Patrice Louinet wrote in the french edition of Bran Mac Morn that it was the precursor story for The Dark Man. What do you think. Do these two stories have a lot in common?
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Post by elegos7 on May 23, 2018 23:11:30 GMT -5
I have not read The Night of the Wolf yet. But Patrice Louinet wrote in the french edition of Bran Mac Morn that it was the precursor story for The Dark Man. What do you think. Do these two stories have a lot in common? As far as I know, "Swords of the Northern Sea" was the precursor of "The Dark Man". The forced marriage between a Viking leader and a foreign maiden is a common theme in both of them. "The Dark Man" was written in the first weeks of February 1930, while "The Night of the Wolf", which also shows similarities with "Swords of the Northern Sea", only in May.
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Post by mindboggled on Jun 28, 2019 0:40:29 GMT -5
I'am currently reading cormac for the first time, the Baen edition. I don't like David drakes pastiche, but the Howard stuff is good.
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Post by keith on Aug 12, 2019 7:40:43 GMT -5
I am wholly of the opinion that ARGOSY dropped the ball in a big way when its on-that-occasion witless editors turned down "Night of the Wolf." For one thing, if it had been accepted, Howard might just have written more stories about Cormac mac Art and Wulfhere. An outcome I'd very much have liked. Especially if he'd written a long story, about as long as "People of the Black Circle", with the two reivers once again performing a service for King Gerinth that involved a clash with Arthur and Lancelot, as described by REH in "The Temple of Abomination." They were definitely NOT as depicted in LE MORTE D'ARTHUR or White's THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING. Arthur was "pure Celt … a shock-headed savage with a love for battle … " while Lancelot was " … a renegade Gallo-Roman who has made an art of throat-cutting. He varies reading Petronius with plotting and intriguing." Too bad. Like Miniver Cheevy, I can only "sigh for what was not."
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Post by keith on Nov 29, 2019 7:18:00 GMT -5
Exciting new development, not just in connection with Cormac mac Art, but with REH's entire literary production and its effects on the lives of a lot of writers! Jason Waltz is bringing out a tribute to Howard that looks fantastic, through Rogue Blades Foundation. Its title is ROBERT E. HOWARD CHANGED MY LIFE, and the cover art, which looks magnificent, is by Didier Normand.
I am really honoured to be part of this! Honoured? You judge! I'm in there with Mark Finn, Karen Joan Kohoutek, Scott Oden, Charles Saunders, Bobby Derie, Nancy Collins, Deuce Richardson, the astounding Cecelia Holland, Patrice Louinet and Michael Moorcock! And others!
My contribution is an essay on Cormac mac Art and the way the character influenced my writing career, and yes, definitely my life.
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Post by Von K on Nov 29, 2019 12:26:18 GMT -5
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Post by thedarkman on Dec 1, 2019 7:47:40 GMT -5
Exciting new development, not just in connection with Cormac mac Art, but with REH's entire literary production and its effects on the lives of a lot of writers! Jason Waltz is bringing out a tribute to Howard that looks fantastic, through Rogue Blades Foundation. Its title is ROBERT E. HOWARD CHANGED MY LIFE, and the cover art, which looks magnificent, is by Didier Normand. I am really honoured to be part of this! Honoured? You judge! I'm in there with Mark Finn, Karen Joan Kohoutek, Scott Oden, Charles Saunders, Bobby Derie, Nancy Collins, Deuce Richardson, the astounding Cecelia Holland, Patrice Louinet and Michael Moorcock! And others! My contribution is an essay on Cormac mac Art and the way the character influenced my writing career, and yes, definitely my life. Looking forward to this release. I've seen various writers comment on the influence of REH on their writing/life (myself included) over the years, but to gather together the thoughts and opinions of so many talented folks into one book is simply brilliant. Kudos to Rogue Blades and Jason Waltz!
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