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A review by antonism
Black Colossus by Robert E. Howard
3.0
3 / 5
Black Colossus is a short story, by Robert E. Howard, that is part of the larger episodic series of Conan the Barbarian. There were several elements that pleasantly surprised me and a few that did the opposite.
Considering that it was written more than 80 years ago, I was expecting the language and style to be almost archaic and boring but I was very wrong. Howard's description and points of focus still feel fresh and attractive to read! The world-building as expected is amazing!
Some things were not so good though. First, Conan as a character often came out as obnoxious. Howard tells us he is rough and barbaric and raw but he appeared also thick, boring and a bit dum at some points. And to make things even more incredulous, Conan has this "magic" gift of making all females fall in love with him without any effort.
Talking of women, they appear to be here only as erotic objects or to serve a similar purpose. I know this is supposed to be barbaric medieval fantasy but this was way too one-sided. Howard's treatment of women is not something to gloat over and it annoyed me enough that if it continues in his other stories I will be forced to stop reading them.
A final minor gripe I have is with some battle tactics and strategies. It just didn't feel right, and I suspect that Howard was not an expert on historical or medieval warfare. It's sad because 80% of the story was really amazing (like 4.5 stars worth) and the last 20% completely ruined it! Oh, and let's just not talk about the ending! I mean the end of the ending, like the final few sentences. THAT was cringe!!!
Still, there is pure energy mystical magic and thick atmosphere everywhere! It's dripping from the world, the characters, even the writing. So I will continue reading some more stories and see how I like them. Maybe 2-3 more at least... and let's hope for something slightly better or improved!
3 / 5
Black Colossus is a short story, by Robert E. Howard, that is part of the larger episodic series of Conan the Barbarian. There were several elements that pleasantly surprised me and a few that did the opposite.
Considering that it was written more than 80 years ago, I was expecting the language and style to be almost archaic and boring but I was very wrong. Howard's description and points of focus still feel fresh and attractive to read! The world-building as expected is amazing!
Some things were not so good though. First, Conan as a character often came out as obnoxious. Howard tells us he is rough and barbaric and raw but he appeared also thick, boring and a bit dum at some points. And to make things even more incredulous, Conan has this "magic" gift of making all females fall in love with him without any effort.
Talking of women, they appear to be here only as erotic objects or to serve a similar purpose. I know this is supposed to be barbaric medieval fantasy but this was way too one-sided. Howard's treatment of women is not something to gloat over and it annoyed me enough that if it continues in his other stories I will be forced to stop reading them.
A final minor gripe I have is with some battle tactics and strategies. It just didn't feel right, and I suspect that Howard was not an expert on historical or medieval warfare. It's sad because 80% of the story was really amazing (like 4.5 stars worth) and the last 20% completely ruined it! Oh, and let's just not talk about the ending! I mean the end of the ending, like the final few sentences. THAT was cringe!!!
Still, there is pure energy mystical magic and thick atmosphere everywhere! It's dripping from the world, the characters, even the writing. So I will continue reading some more stories and see how I like them. Maybe 2-3 more at least... and let's hope for something slightly better or improved!
3 / 5