Kull: Exile of Atlantis
by Robert E. Howard
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert E. HowardEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-10-31
ISBN: 0345490177
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Reviews of Kull: Exile of Atlantis
Book Review: More than a precursor of Conan
Summary: 5 Stars
Kull, the Atlantean exile that became King of Valusia, is far more than simply a precursor of Conan, though some of the parallels are striking. The physical descriptions of the two are similar, though Kull's grey eyes were replaced by Conan's blue eyes. But the Kull stories stand very well on their own. This volume, including all of the published Kull stories as well as several unpublished ones (including drafts and fragments), belongs in every Howard admirer's library. H.P. Lovecraft was a friend (via mail correspondence, not in person) of Howard's, and expressed great admiration for the Kull stories in a letter to Howard - though by the time he did, Howard's Kull muse had deserted him. He was on to Conan at that time.
The illustrations by Gary Gianni are excellent, and add considerably to the overall enjoyment level of this book. One wishes that all of Del Rey's Conan volumes were illustrated by Gianni as well.
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
Howard, Robert E. Books
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