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A review by lordenglishssbm
Robert E. Howard's Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian: The Complete Weird Tales Omnibus by Robert E. Howard, Finn J.D. John
3.0
I agree with this review that Howard's treatment of his female characters is much better than the cover would have you believe, but I think the issues with racism are worse than he makes them out to be, even if said issues aren't as bad as those of his contemporary H.P. Lovecraft.
If you can get past that, then there's a lot to like here. The early stories are particularly vibrant, with the decision to jump between different moments in Conan's life being a particularly inspired way to keep each story fresh and interesting. Conan himself is a fun character, capable of moments of surprising characterization and the occasional funny line. Unfortunately, the whole thing settles into a rut by the midway point, and I stopped about halfway through not because it was bad, but because I felt that I'd gotten the idea and it was just a lot to get through. I'd be willing to return to it sometime later.
Lastly, "Complete Weird Tales Omnibus" is a misnomer. Of the 21 stories Howard wrote, 18 of them are published in this collection (the ones missing were published posthumously). I don't think anyone is crying about the Vale of the Lost Women being excluded, but there it is.
If you can get past that, then there's a lot to like here. The early stories are particularly vibrant, with the decision to jump between different moments in Conan's life being a particularly inspired way to keep each story fresh and interesting. Conan himself is a fun character, capable of moments of surprising characterization and the occasional funny line. Unfortunately, the whole thing settles into a rut by the midway point, and I stopped about halfway through not because it was bad, but because I felt that I'd gotten the idea and it was just a lot to get through. I'd be willing to return to it sometime later.
Lastly, "Complete Weird Tales Omnibus" is a misnomer. Of the 21 stories Howard wrote, 18 of them are published in this collection (the ones missing were published posthumously). I don't think anyone is crying about the Vale of the Lost Women being excluded, but there it is.