Illustrated by Gary Gianni
Review by Hereward L.M. Proops
In
a review of one of my books, Booksquawk's very own Pat Black was kind enough to
compare my writing to that of Robert E. Howard. I'm sure there are many “serious”
writers out there who would be less than pleased to receive such a comparison
but to me, that was one of the kindest compliments ever paid. For someone who
devours the work of Pulp authors and tries to emulate their style in his own
writing, to be compared to arguably the greatest pulp writer of all time is
quite some compliment. Robert E. Howard is best remembered for his creation of “Conan
the Barbarian”, the amoral musclebound hero of the Hyborian age. Howard's pulp
adventure stories are often looked down upon as being one-dimensional, overly
violent, often puerile escapist romps. This snooty attitude totally misses the
point of Howard's writing. You want sophistication? Go read Fitzgerald or
Faulkner. Howard's work doesn't aim to be classy or high-brow. His short
stories and novellas are fast-paced, thrilling adventures designed to give the reader
a brief burst of adrenaline-fuelled prose which transports them to fantastic
other worlds. In these more cynical times, tales of sword and sorcery might
seem somewhat played-out but Howard practically invented the genre, years
before Tolkien invented Middle Earth.
Whilst
he is best known for the mighty Conan, my personal favourite creation by Howard
is the Puritan swordsman Solomon Kane. Dressed entirely in black and armed with
a rapier, a dirk and a brace of pistols, Kane is a dour and deadly character.
Utterly devoted to fighting evil, we learn little else about him in the
stories. A few hints are given of his dark bloody past but Solomon's origins
remain a mystery, enabling Howard to focus instead on his character's grim
determination to battle the forces of darkness wherever he can find them.
Unlike
the entirely fictional Hyborian age of Conan, the Solomon Kane stories are set
in the sixteenth-century, and this semi-historical setting gives the work a
pleasing real world grounding to complement the wild flights of fantasy. Whilst
the stories set in England are enjoyable, it is when the adventures are
transplanted to the unexplored wilds of Africa that Howard starts having the
most fun by paying tribute to the lost world tales of H. Rider Haggard. Ancient
sealed temples hiding unspeakable evil creatures, forgotten cities populated by
savage races, sinister voodoo magic, damsels in distress, human sacrifice,
vampire queens, shambling undead monsters... you name it, the Solomon Kane
stories have it all. The solemn, brooding Kane strides from one conquest to the
next, using both his wits and his uncanny ability with a blade to right wrongs
and punish evildoers both human and supernatural.
It
is possible to find the most popular Solomon Kane stories in ebook format or
the very reasonably priced “The Right Hand of Doom and Other Stories” published
by Wordsworth books. Completists would be advised to seek out the Del Rey Trade
paperback of “The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane” first published in 1998. This
edition collects not just the tales of Solomon Kane published in Howard's
lifetime but also the poetry featuring Kane, a handful of unfinished story
fragments, a very good biography of Howard's life and work as well as the
touching piece “In Memoriam: Robert Ervin Howard” written by H.P. Lovecraft
after Howard's suicide at the age of thirty. To top it all, the book is packed
with fantastic illustrations by Gary Gianni (whose “Major Thrill's Adventure
Book” I reviewed in the dim and distant past). The illustrations are mostly
evocative line drawings which are similar to those one would expect to see in
the old Pulp magazines but there are also a few fantastic full page “plates”
which, whilst they are reproduced in black and white, look absolutely
brilliant. Indeed, for those seeking the complete
Solomon Kane experience, this is the book to go for.
What
of the stories themselves? Well, the seven stories that were published in
Howard's lifetime are all great fun and are the most commonly reproduced. “Skulls
in the Stars” sees Kane battling an angry spirit which haunts a Westcountry
moor. “Red Shadows”, also known as “Solomon Kane” has Kane pursuing a thief and
a murderer from France to deepest darkest Africa. Once in the jungles of
Africa, Kane meets the voodoo shaman N'Longa who features in a number of other
stories. “Rattle of Bones” is a short story where Kane finds himself a guest at
a wayside inn which hides a dark secret. “The Moon of Skulls” has Kane return
to Africa where he tries to rescue a family friend from the clutches of a
wicked queen who rules over a forgotten city. Kane battles zombie-vampires in “The
Hills of the Dead”. This is another Africa tale and is best known for
introducing the magic staff that Kane wields. We learn more about his magic
staff in “The Footfalls Within” as well as watching him kick vast quantities of
ass as he comes across a slave caravan. By far the best of the Solomon Kane
stories published in Howard's lifetime is “Wings in the Night”. In this utterly
brilliant (and incredibly gory) adventure, Kane battles winged monsters who are
descendants of the Harpies of ancient myth.
And
the unpublished stories? Well, despite being a bit rough around the edges, they
are equally impressive. “The Castle of the Devil” is an intriguing little fragment
which shows Kane at his most determined to right the wrongs of the world. “Death's
Black Riders” has Kane meeting a supernatural horseman on a lonely road but is
a great example of Howard's dynamic and atmospheric prose. “Blades of the
Brotherhood” (also known as “The Blue Flame of Vengeance”) sees Kane team up
with a young swordsman in order to defeat a gang of ruthless pirates in cahoots
with a wicked local Lord. “Hawk of Basti” is an African tale where Kane comes
across a companion from his dark past. “Children of Asshur” sees Kane meeting descendants
of the ancient Mesopotamians who rule a lost city in Africa. This is probably
the weakest story in the collection as it is the least polished of the
fragments – the narrative is choppy and characters appear midway through the
story without introduction. “The Right Hand of Doom” is undoubtedly the
strongest of the unpublished tales. A great supernatural short story about a
murderous severed hand. It might not give Kane much room for action but it is a
wonderful tale in its own right.
“The
Savage Tales of Solomon Kane” is a fantastic book and fans of Robert E. Howard
would be doing a disservice letting it pass them by. Anyone with an interest in
weird fiction or pulp adventure stories ought to be familiar with Howard's work
but if you are somehow unaware of his adventure stories you ought to add this
to your post-Christmas shopping list straight away.
Hereward
L.M. Proops
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