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More Mammoth Book of fantasy: The Platypus Reads Part CXV

Continuing with "The Mammoth Book of Fantasy," we come to the titans Howard and Dunsany.


The Valley of the Worm by Robert E. Howard

I've generally liked what Conan stories I've read, but that's the only thing I've read by this foundational author of the sword and sorcery genre.  I was worried that moving beyond the confines of Conan would be a disappointing experience.  That worry proved to be unfounded as "The Valley of the Worm" is every bit as much fun as the Conan stories I've read.

Briefly, "The Valley of the Worm" is the story of a modern man recalling his past life as a prehistoric warrior whose tribe stumbles upon a horror from a yet more ancient era.  This tale of Niord and the Worm is supposed to be the origin (via racial memory?) of all the later accounts of heroes and dragons.

Right off the bat, we can see the influence of H.P. Lovecraft on the tale with its psuedo-academic racism, suggestions of elder gods, and the physical appearance of the Worm.  This Lovecraftian element is worked together seamlessly with Howard's own ideal of the noble savage existing outside the corrupting confines of civilization.  I find this fusion of Lovecraftian mythos and Howardian psuedo-history to be particularly enjoyable when I encounter it and I suspect the taste is fairly wide-spread as the success of Hellboy and its spin-offs seems to testify.  That aside, the only technical failing the story can be upbraided with is the brief introduction of Satha the snake who is too much like the Worm and thus makes that portion of the narrative confusing and repetitive.  There is no strong suggestion of a moral, unless it be Howard's firm siding with his barbarians over civilization, and so the story is easy to enjoy as simply a thrilling tale (which is doubtless the way Howard meant it).

The Horde of the Gibbelins by Lord Dunsany

I always love the tone or voice of Lord Dunsany's stories.  There's something spell-binding about it in the tradition of all the best fairy-tales.  My first encounter with him was in "The Queen of Elfland's Daughter."  As with that story, "The Horde of the Gibbelins" strikes me as being "almost genius" with just the hint of something unbalanced to throw it off.  I think, in the end, Dunsany may be so fond of telling a tale that he gets a bit slip-shod about details like endings.  That may be a premature judgement as this short story is only the second piece I've read.  Unlike "The Valley of the Worm," there is a wry (in the best Irish tradition) moral to this tale that can only fully be appreciated by reading it "tabula rasa," so I won't pester you with a summary or any hint of a spoiler.  Just read it and see what you think.

Next Up: The Last Hieroglyph by Clark Ashton Smith, and The Sorcerer Pharesm by Jack Vance 

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