Kull The Conquerer returns again?
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I first encountered Kull as part of the Conan phenimon back in the 1970's-forget all that rubbish hyped by comic fan boys at Wizard.It was not Wolerine or Iron Mans drinking or the return of the X-Men that rocked comics and the like-it was Conan-bar none,Forget MTV COMIC IDIOTS.Conan ruled the fantasy world at the time-predated Star Wars and kicked Marvel/DC superheroes asses.So along with Conan,came the Roy Thomas revised Red Sonja-not created by the likes of Frank Thornes as one web page claims,Solomon Kane and Kull.And thought Kull is a weaker Conan-KULL IS A MUST READ TO ALL Howard Fans and fantasy fans alike.I like Kull would love to see someone tell the tales of his pre-kings days,as I am sure Howard ment before being possessed by the Cimmerian.Kull lIVES.long live Kull the Conqueror.Kull the Destroyer.This is my spector-By this AXE I rule,By Valka and Hotath.Forget Kevin Sarbo-he's Hercules and Dylon Hunt.Kull lives here only.
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My Songs Are Nails for a King's Coffin
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I thought this book was a good read but not exceptional until I read "By this axe I rule!" There was something about his description of the poet Ridondo "a tall, wiry man in the garb of a jester, whose flaming blue eyes flared with a light not wholly sane" which made me think "whoa". This at least is a (bone) cracking story. Also more than worthy of note is the poem "The King and the Oak". It's a dark and captivating piece. Overall I don't think Kull is any Conan, he is not as complex a character, he has no love of language or women, he has the strength of an ox and alas the brain of one too. Kull is more of a hack and slay barbarian than Conan would ever be. Granted many Kull stories were re-written as Conan tales, but in my view they were improved on the way. The rich and mysterious world Howard weaves in the Conan stories is only glimpsed in Kull. Yet this is still good stuff and I loved the curse of the golden skull, a fitting end to the book.
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Dreamy tales of a world long-dead.
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Kull is far more thoughtful than Howard's other heroes such as Conan, but his tales are no less effective for it. The way Howard draws his characters, their world and their dialogue has amazing power to draw the reader into the world, until you feel you are actually watching the events unfold.
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Gaze into The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune
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Conan of Aquilonia is Kull of Valusia. Robert E. Howard wrote twenty-four Conan stories of which only fourteen were published during his lifetime. Before Conan, there was Kull. I invite you to return to the Antedeluvian Age, the time before the Great Flood, when Atlantis was real and the early kingdoms, like Volusia, were real and ruled by none other than Kull the Atlantean. The Nemedian Chronicles mention Atlantis and Kull. Robert E. Howard found them and based his ten Kull stories on them. The story By This Axe I Rule tells of an assassination attmept on King Kull. Two years later, Howard rewrote it as the Conan story The Phoenix on the Sword.
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Soon to be a major motion picture!!!
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Hollywood coulnd not resist a story this good for very long. All of the elements that made Conan great come into play in this group of tales about a usurper King who rules with wisdom and a resolve of iron. Contains all of the sword and scorcery you would expect from Howard. You must read this before Kevin Szorbo (TV's Hercules) puts his own spin on the tale.
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