Spiral Tower Reviews: Hither Came Conan Will Please Writers and Readers Alike


Hither Came Conan Will Please Writers and Readers Alike
Rogues Blade Foundation (2023)
745 words

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 Special recognition must go to Woelf Dietrich for defending "Wolves Beyond the Border," an unpublished fragment in which Conan doesn't appear, as the best Conan story.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.

About the Reviewer: Aaron Cummings (biography coming soon)

About Spiral Tower Reviews: The authors who maintain the pulp genres of sword and sorcery and cosmic horror merit support. Financial support is key but there are other ways the cash-strapped can show support: engaged reading and thoughtful analysis. Literary movements emerge through the interactions of editors, authors, publishers, and amateur literary journalists. Learn more about contributing your review here. We are happy to work with first time reviewers.