A review by preiman790
The Phoenix on the Sword by Robert E. Howard

4.0

The first of the Conan stories is by no means the best, it is in fact if judged purely on it's own merits simply adequate. However it is unfair to judge this work simply on it's own merits, instead one needs to take into account that this story was very much the birth of something more. The Phoenix On The Sword gives us Conan for the very first time, and unlike many first appearances of iconic characters you can see him here in his entirety. When one accepts this, issues of style and setting become much easier to forgive.
Howard was a master, not as a writer, his skills in that arena were always somewhat lacking, no instead Howard was a master story teller. It is this mastery for which we praise him, for it is a far rarer ability then simple skill with words.