What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them
driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women. So says Conan the
Cimmerian in the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian.
What is best in Conan? That's the question at issue in Hither
Came Conan, a new collection of essays from the Rogue Blades Foundation.
Each of Robert E. Howard's twenty-one original Conan stories is considered
individually. The editors solicited essays from fantasy writers, pulp scholars,
and Howard super-fans to discuss each story.
Each "yarn," as Howard called them, gets its own
chapter; every chapter has the same structure. There's a synopsis of the plot
along with a dramatis personae, the approximate date of writing (when known);
the approximate placement in Conan's life; and the original publication history
and public reaction to the story. (An amusing side note: for three of the
stories, Howard's mother wrote to Weird Tales using a fake name to praise the
stories. Excerpts from these letters are included). After each story proceeds
an essay arguing that this story is indeed the best Conan tale. Thirteen of the
stories include a second essay under an "Extra! Extra!" headline, and
these essays explore a story or theme in a granular way. The concluding section
of each chapter is a reprint of the 2015-2016 "Rereading Conan"
series originally published on the blog of the sword and sorcery writer and
champion, Howard Andrew Jones (author of The Desert of Souls, For the
Killing of Kings, and the forthcoming Lord of a Shattered Land
(among others)).
The challenge faced by individual contributors varies
wildly. Some Conan stories, like "Hour of the Dragon," "Red
Nails," and "Tower of the Elephant," are widely acknowledged as
masterpieces of sword and sorcery fiction. Others -- "Vale of Lost Women"
and "Frost Giant's Daughter" come to mind -- embody values that are
hard to get behind ninety years later. All the authors are game and find
positives in their assigned stories. Special recognition must go to Woelf
Dietrich for defending "Wolves Beyond the Border," an unpublished
fragment in which Conan doesn't appear, as the best Conan story.
The extra critical essays and re-read segments are engaging
and honest discussions of what Howard did and didn't do well. The broad range
of perspectives and tastes bring readers under the hood of the stories to
discuss what works in the stories, how it works, and (in some cases) how Howard
put the tales together. This emphasis on writing craft will be of interest to
aspiring S&S writers.
I particularly enjoyed a pair of "Extra! Extra!"
essays by John Bullard that pull back the curtain on Howard's writing process.
For "Man-Eaters of Zamboula," Bullard walks us through three drafts
of the story, demonstrating how Howard shaped his prose for the best effect. In
"Four Stories, One Master Plot Plan," Bullard reveals a master
formula that structures a number of Conan stories.
Who will enjoy the book? Fans of all kinds will appreciate
it. Fans of Conan the character in his many different pop-culture incarnations
will enjoy the discussion of the mighty-thewed Cimmerian in his original form.
Fans of Robert E. Howard will appreciate the deep dive into his literary
artistry. Those who enjoy pulp fiction will find a loving consideration of one
of the giants of Weird Tales, and aficionados of fantasy fiction can
appreciate a discussion of an author who did so much to create the genre we
love today. Aspiring writers will find an honest and revealing discussion of
why some things work in Howard's writing and some examples of things that fell
flat.
Readers unfamiliar with Conan should probably avoid Hither
Came Conan. At 536 pages in hardback, it's quite a commitment for a new
reader--and it's full of spoilers. If you've never read Conan, you would be
better served to grab an omnibus edition of the Conan stories or the three
volumes from Del Ray (Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, Bloody Crown of
Conan, and The Conquering Sword of Conan) and meet Conan for
yourself. The best story to start with is "Tower of the Elephant." Or
maybe "Hour of the Dragon." "Red Nails" is good, and "People
of the Black Circle" is exciting as well… But, if you already know Conan
and time has dulled the edge of his sword, Hither Came Conan will make
that passion keen again.
