Platypus of Truth

Well, I've done it: I've finally finished Robert E. Howard's entire Conan oeuvre. The journey has been several years long, and I've also taken side trips to cover Howard creations Kull, Solomon Kane, and Bran Mak Morn, but I have finally reached the finish. What do I say now that I have reached the end? When I began this journey, one of my friends quipped that Conan should be known as "the venerially diseased" instead of "the barbarian". Others told me that they had simply given up along the way -the racism and misogyny were too much. I did give up on Howard's younger contemporary, Fritz Leiber, for about that reason. Having read to the end, I can confidently say that these criticisms are true: Conan is not a good man, and Robert E. Howard was a cynical nihilist out to earn a buck -but that's not the whole story. Conan and his creator also reflect the realities of the Great Depression and a life on America's not-so-tamed former frontier...

After a renewed spate of reading, I am happy to be able to return to this series of posts with a review of Robert E. Howard's first Conan novella: The People of the Black Circle as found in the collection The Bloody Crown of Conan .  Those who are unfamiliar with this work and wish to keep its contents a surprise should not read on. *Begin Review* Conan the Cimmerian explodes back onto the page after a series of mediocre performances.  Following The Devil in Iron , we find our hero pushing ever further east beyond the Himelians and into Afguhlistan and the lands beyond.  This is Conan's first truly "oriental" adventure, and opens up new territory both geographic and literary.  As an "oriental adventure,"  The People of the Black Circle imports into Conan's world all the paraphernalia of the genre: mystics, mesmerism, dangerous hill men and plotting viziers. In literary terms, this was the longest Conan tale to date at the time of its composition....

Today's post will discuss Rogues in the House , a Conan short story by Robert E. Howard.  Those who have not been exposed to Howard's work and wish to remain spoiler free should not read on. *Begin Review* I've passed over the more formulaic stories in the collection to move on to what I believe is the next real gem: Rogues in the House .  However, the other stories are not without merit with exotic locations, swashbuckling aplenty, and eerie imagination.  Still, reading Conan is a lot like watching James Bond movies: there are plenty that meet the requirements and have some flash of interest, but there's also a minority that stand out and actually advance our understanding of the Character and his world. Moving on to Rogues in the House , we can begin our discussion with the plot.  Prior Conan tales have often begun with something common-place, a plot to overthrow the king, a battle, a crime, and then morphed into the supernatural and strange.   Rogues ...

I read through chapters 16 and 17 last night which takes us (finally) to the meeting with Allanon and the Shannara childrens' decisions. *All That Spoiler Warning Boilerplate* In case you've forgotten, just a little recap on what Cogline and Allanon said.  The Shadowen are bits of magic that have evolved consciousness and are possessing people around the Four Lands.  There ultimate goal, whatever it is, will have the effect of turning the world into a wasteland where what life remains serves as the play-things of the Shadowen.  To put a stop to them, it will require the retrieval of the old Shannara magic.  Par will need to find the Sword of Shannara.  Wren will need to bring back the missing elves.  Walker Boh will need to return Paranor to the world of men and revive the Druid Order.  Of course, we can all guess by now what each scion will choose.  Walker throws up his hands in disgust, Wren says "that's nice, but where do I even start," a...

No, the Platypus isn't getting Levitical.  What I do want to talk about, however, is Fritz Leiber's fourth Fafhrd and Grey Mouser volume, Swords Against Wizardry . Having returned from our world, Fafhrd and Mouser seek adventure far from the decadence of native Lankhmar.  In the first story, this means a journey to Fafhrd's northern home and the attempt to scale an unscalable peak in search of jewels.  Along the way they encounter girls (that pernicious habit) and fend off rival adventurers.  Returning to the base of the mountain loaded with jewels, our heroes turn to that city of misadventure, Lankhmar to sell their booty.  This leads into the second story which features our "heroes" trying to sell their loot without losing it to rival thieves.  Along the way they encounter more girls (noting a theme yet?) and end by losing their loot to more cunning and depraved adversaries.  The loss of the loot sends them into the third tale, co-written with Leib...

Note: This post contains a review of Fritz Leiber's "Swords in the Mist."  Those who wish to remain spoiler free should not read on. "Swords in the Mist" is the third volume of the adventures of Fafhrd and Grey Mouser, the dynamic duo created by American sci-fi and fantasy author Fritz Leiber .  While the volume does contain several short stories, the main portion of the book is a novela that details the exploits of Fafhrd and Mouser in the Seleucid Empire.  In a sci-fi twist, Leiber brings the two heroes from the world of Newhon (No When) to earth's past and pits them against a Persian adept who has fallen under the power of the evil Zoroastrian demon Ahriman (aka. Druj or :"The Lie").  I love Ancient Greece and I love Achaemenid Persia so, needless to say, my interest was piqued. Leiber pays about as much attention to historical detail as one would expect from an American 20th century fantasy writer.  There's just enough detail to make ...

This post comments on Fritz Leiber's "Swords Against Death."  If you wish to remain spoiler free, do not read on. As noted earlier, Fritz Leiber begins his tales of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser with a heroic foursome; the two male leads and their ladies fair.  By the third tale, however, the foursome is reduced to a duo with the death by art magical of Lady Ivrian and the intrepid Vlana.  The result seems to be that our heroes can now never be whole and are thus doomed to wander the world in search of adventure and forgetfulness.  This equation almost changes in the second volume with The Price of Pain-Ease where the wizards Sheelba of the Eyeless Face and Ningauble of the Seven Eyes promise to restore a lost love to one of the two men provided he can steal the mask of Death.  Tormented, literally, by the ghosts of their lost beloveds, Fafhrd and Mouser accept the quest even if it means slaying each other to get to the mask.  Along the way, they conti...

This post will focus on Fritz Leiber's "Swords and Deviltry".  If you wish to remain spoiler free, don't read on. Kill all the women so the real story can start. I like buddy stories.  There's a special place in my heart for "A Separate Peace" even though the whole pacifist thing is heavy-handed and unnecessary.  I had great friends growing up, I had great friends in college, and I had great friends in grad school.  One of the finest things in life, to me, is sitting around with the guys and cackling inanely over some good joke.  Strong, masculine friendship is seriously under-rated in today's culture; mostly because everyone worries about being called "gay."  Now, that said.  I don't enjoy male companionship to the exclusion or denigration of women.  If you asked me who my best friend was I would tell you its my wife, and that brings me to the meat of the matter (ok, not quite, but almost). I've been wanting to read Fr...