El Borak and Other Desert Adventures
by Robert E. Howard
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert E. HowardEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2010-02-09
ISBN: 034550545X
Number of pages: 592
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Reviews of El Borak and Other Desert Adventures
Book Review: Howards Best Non-Conan or Kane Work
Summary: 5 Stars
Robert E. Howard is best known as the creator of Swords & Sorcery heroes like Conan, Kull, and Solomon Kane. But Howard was nothing if not pragmatic as a writer. Working during the Great Depression, Howard went where the work was in sold in any market--any genre he could to make money. Some of Howard's best work in fact was in the field of adventure fiction where he created characters such as Francis Xavier Gordon, aka El Broak, a gunfighter and adventurer from Texas, and Irish American treasure hunter Kirby O'Donnell. These were both early 20th century characters, set in the 1920s, post World War I against the exotic backdrop of the Middle East. Seven El Borak tales and three O'Donnell tales are collected together in this huge new volume and restored back to the definitive Howard version with their original titles. Several stories did not see publication until after Howard's death and thus some of the titles had been altered when previously published.
"Son of the White Wolf" has Gordon on the trail of Turkish troops under the command of Germans who wipe out a village and steal all the women including a beautiful German spy. Gordon sets out to rescue her and get revenge.
In "The Daughter of Erlik Khan" Gordon must rescue a runway princess from the husband who wants her returned and executed and has hired a pair of English assassins to do the deed.
"The Lost Valley of Iskander" finds Gordon discovering a lost civilization that dates back to the time of Alexander the Great and an evil king who wants him dead.
"Three-Bladed Doom" is the longest tale, near novel in length, as Gordon has to track down a ruthless cult that is killing regional leaders who are loyal to the British.
In "The Curse of the Crimson God" O'Donnell is on the trail of a stolen treasure map that leads to a fabulous jeweled idol call the Bloodstained God.
The O'Donnell stories have a distinct "Indiana Jones" type of feel to them as O' Donnell is disguised as an Arab, Ali el Ghazi for much of the time. The stories are filled with a lot of intrigue and loads of two-fisted, sword-swinging, gun-blazing action. These two heroes are more than just modern day versions of Conan. They each have their own unique character traits that set them apart from Howard's other characters. If you love Conan, Kull, or Solomon Kane, you owe it to yourself to check out this collection.
Summary of El Borak and Other Desert Adventures
Robert E. Howard is famous for creating such immortal heroes as Conan the Cimmerian, Solomon Kane, and Bran Mak Morn. Less well-known but equally extraordinary are his non-fantasy adventure stories set in the Middle East and featuring such two-fisted heroes as Francis Xavier Gordon?known as ?El Borak??Kirby O?Donnell, and Steve Clarney. This trio of hard-fighting Americans, civilized men with more than a touch of the primordial in their veins, marked a new direction for Howard?s writing, and new territory for his genius to conquer.The wily Texan El Borak, a hardened fighter who stalks the sandscapes of Afghanistan like a vengeful wolf, is rivaled among Howard?s creations only by Conan himself. In such classic tales as ?The Daughter of Erlik Khan,? ?Three-Bladed Doom,? and ?Sons of the Hawk,? Howard proves himself once again a master of action, and with plenty of eerie atmosphere his plotting becomes tighter and twistier than ever, resulting in stories worthy of comparison to Jack London and Rudyard Kipling. Every fan of Robert E. Howard and aficionados of great adventure writing will want to own this collection of the best of Howard?s desert tales, lavishly illustrated by award-winning artists Tim Bradstreet and Jim & Ruth Keegan.
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