Kull: Exile of Atlantis
by Robert E. Howard
List Price:
Our Price: $10.33
You Save: $6.67 (39%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.08 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Robert E. HowardEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-10-31
ISBN: 0345490177
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Reviews of Kull: Exile of Atlantis
Book Review: By This Computer I Review!
Summary: 5 Stars
Sorry about that, but Robert E. Howard is a bit infectious, which is interesting because I made it to the ripe old age of 48 before getting around to giving him a try, starting just a few weeks ago....
OK, you can stop staring openmouthed with horror any time now.
I couldn't really tell you why, but one advantage to coming to him so late is that I got to start out with the real Howard, the raw and unadulterated Howard, thanks to these marvelous and authoritative Del Rey editions. I didn't have to suffer through Bowdlerized editions or attempted completions by somebody else. Because it was the earliest by internal chronology, I decided to start with Kull.
Introduction by Steve Tompkins: Interesting and useful, especially to a newbie like me. Points out that while Kull was not the first sword and sorcery hero, Kull WAS the first sword and sorcery series and the first American sword and sorcery.
Untitled Story (previously published as "Exile of Atlantis"): Unfinished fragment? Discarded beginning of the next story? There's no way to know, but this one and only tale of the pre-king Kull is vital to understanding the character. Kull dreams The Noodle Dream and then commits the "crime" for which he was exiled from Atlantis.
"The Shadow Kingdom": Slam bang beginning! Kull acquires his Pictish allies and friends in time to defeat a Hellish plot to assassinate him. While telling a creepy, disturbing tale, Howard gives a marvelous word picture of a kingdom dripping with unimaginable age. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows.
"The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune": Creepy little horror story. Kull encounters the eponymous peculiarly entrancing mirrors. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands.
Untitled Draft: Intriguing fragment that has Kull and the Red Slayers chase a man who has insulted Kull (quite literally) to the ends of the Earth and beyond. Presumably left unfinished because Howard couldn't come up with the "topper" of a climax such a beginning required.
"The Cat and the Skull": Disliked by many Howard fans, I rather enjoyed it. A somewhat silly beginning is saved IMHO by a marvelous adventure in and beyond the Forbidden Lake. Interesting villain's only appearance unfortunately.
"The Screaming Skull of Silence": Fascinating little story. "In the grip of a wayward perverseness, a common fault of kings," Kull sets out to do something Really Stupid. Fortunately, bull-headed courage manages to save the day and, wonder of wonders, improve the situation.
"The Striking of the Gong": Kull's version of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" didn't really appeal to me because it is mostly a philosophical discussion (yawn).
"The Altar and the Scorpion": Interesting little story in which Kull is only an offstage influence.
"The Curse of the Golden Skull": Time annihilating horror tale in which Kull is again only an offstage influence. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows.
"The Black City" (unfinished fragment): Intriguing concept that unfortunately gets no further than the creepy beginning.
Untitled Fragment: Unfinished tale by Brule, interesting because of its picture of Pictish government.
"By This Axe I Rule!": Later rewritten as the Conan story "The Phoenix on the Sword", rousing tale of Kull versus well planned assassination plot; the title is Kull's (and every executive's dream) response to entrenched, brain-dead bureaucracy. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands.
"Swords of the Purple Kingdom": Another rousing Kull versus assassins story; a lot of fun despite obvious similarities to the previous.
"The King and the Oak": Short poem about Kull also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands.
"Kings of the Night": Thrilling crossover with Bran Mak Morn that is really the latter's story guest starring Kull. Also reprinted here: Bran Mak Morn: The Last King and here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows.
Miscellanea: The "Am-ra of the Ta-an" Fragments -- two poems and three fragments about what is in effect Conan 1.0 as Kull is Conan 2.0, and three earlier drafts of Kull items, useful to the Howard scholar.
"Atlantean Genesis" by Patrice Louinet: An informative essay that among other things delineates the importance of the "Am-ra" fragments and postulates the literary sources Howard borrowed from or was inspired by.
Notes on the Original Howard Texts: Thorough (IMHO TOO thorough) notes on the decisions made to assemble these definitive texts. Do we really need a notation every time a spelling or punctuation mistake is corrected? Mostly of use to the Howard scholar.
Besides being mostly just plain fun to read, the "Kull" stories make for a useful comparison and contrast with the Conan who supplanted him. Now I am REALLY looking forward to reading the rest of this Del Rey series: The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian: The Original Adventures of the Greatest Sword and Sorcery Hero of All Time!, The Bloody Crown of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 2), The Conquering Sword of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 3), Bran Mak Morn: The Last King, The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows, The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands, The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard, and El Borak and Other Desert Adventures.
Summary of Kull: Exile of Atlantis
?Howard?s writing seems so highly charged with energy that it nearly gives off sparks.??Stephen King
?Robert E. Howard had a gritty, vibrant style?broadsword writing that cut its way to the heart, with heroes who are truly larger than life.?
?David Gemmell
In a meteoric career that spanned a mere twelve years, Robert E. Howard single-handedly invented the genre that came to be called sword and sorcery. From his fertile imagination sprang some of fiction?s most enduring heroes. Yet while Conan is indisputably Howard?s greatest creation, it was in his earlier sequence of tales featuring Kull, a fearless warrior with the brooding intellect of a philosopher, that Howard began to develop the distinctive themes, and the richly evocative blend of history and mythology, that would distinguish his later tales of the Hyborian Age.
Much more than simply the prototype for Conan, Kull is a fascinating character in his own right: an exile from fabled Atlantis who wins the crown of Valusia, only to find it as much a burden as a prize.
This groundbreaking collection, lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Justin Sweet, gathers together all Howard?s stories featuring Kull, from Kull?s first published appearance, in ?The Shadow Kingdom,? to ?Kings of the Night,? Howard?s last tale featuring the cerebral swordsman. The stories are presented just as Howard wrote them, with all subsequent editorial emendations removed. Also included are previously unpublished stories, drafts, and fragments, plus extensive notes on the texts, an introduction by Howard authority Steve Tompkins, and an essay by noted editor Patrice Louinet.
?Howard was a true storyteller?one of the first, and certainly among the best, you?ll find in heroic fantasy. If you?ve never read him before, you?re in for a real treat.?
?Charles de Lint
?For stark, living fear . . . what other writer is even in the running with Robert E. Howard??
?H. P. Lovecraft
As some cover blurbs so rightly state, "Before Conan--there was Kull!" The warrior Kull was yet another popular creation of pulp writer Robert E. Howard (1906-1936), generally credited as the originator of the subgenre heroic fantasy. Yet Kull should not be dismissed as second-rate Conan. (Although Howard did transform a few unsold Kull adventures into those of Conan the Cimmerian when the later series took off with the public.) Set in ancient, lost Atlantis, the Kull stories take place mostly after the barbarian has already come to power as King Kull of Valusia. What makes these scant dozen stories most memorable is Howard's heightened style of mystical decadence, similar here to his Weird Tales contemporary, Clark Ashton Smith. Rest assured there's enough gruesome bloodletting and wanton savagery to satisfy the most ardent Howard reader. (Variant editions of this collection have been published over the years, with the uncompleted stories finished posthumously by Lin Carter. Other editions have simply presented the few story fragments as untouched--and unadulterated--Robert E. Howard.) --Stanley Wiater
Action & Adventure Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Action & Adventure Books
Polar Shiftby Paul Cussler Clive & Kemprecos
Penguin; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.30
The Call of the Wild (Children's Classics)by Jack London
Penguin Audio; Published: 1997-08-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $11.00
Pelican Briefby John Grisham
Trafalgar Square; Published: 1993-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.19
Price in other shops:
Stardustby Neil Gaiman
HarperCollins; Published: 2008-12-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.72
Price in other shops:
Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1)by Neal Stephenson
William Morrow Paperbacks; Published: 2004-09-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.22
Price in other shops:
Sandstormby James Rollins
Harper; Published: 2005-04-26; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.50
Price in other shops:
No Man's Landby G.M. Ford
William Morrow; Published: 2005-06-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.50
Price in other shops:
Forever Odd - Signed Proofby Dean Koontz
Bantam; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Preyby Michael Crichton
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2003-08-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.95
Sharpe's Waterloo (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #20)by Bernard Cornwell
Harpercollins; Published: 1998-01-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.00
Similar Books and other products
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Landsby Robert E. Howard
Del Rey; Published: 2007-11-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.75
Price in other shops:
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadowsby Robert E. Howard
Del Rey; Published: 2007-08-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops:
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howardby Robert E. Howard
Del Rey; Published: 2008-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.05
Price in other shops:
El Borak and Other Desert Adventuresby Robert E. Howard
Del Rey; Published: 2010-02-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.63
Price in other shops:
Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventuresby Robert E. Howard
Del Rey; Published: 2011-01-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.46
Price in other shops:
Bran Mak Morn: The Last Kingby Robert E. Howard
Del Rey; Published: 2005-05-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.48
Price in other shops:
The Savage Tales of Solomon Kaneby Robert E. Howard
Del Rey; Published: 2004-06-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.98
Price in other shops:
The Bloody Crown of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 2)by Robert E. Howard
Del Rey; Published: 2004-11-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops:
The Conquering Sword of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 3)by Robert E. Howard
Del Rey; Published: 2005-11-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.77
Price in other shops:
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian: The Original Adventures of the Greatest Sword and Sorcery Hero of All Time!by Robert E. Howard
Del Rey; Published: 2003-12-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.79
Price in other shops: