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A review by antonism
The Phoenix on the Sword by Robert E. Howard
4.0
4.5 / 5
The Phoenix on the Sword is one of the first Conan stories written by R.E. Howard and the second one I've had the pleasure to read. And I was simply blown away! Let's make something clear... this one was written almost 80 years ago. Fantasy was a newborn baby then, just think that Lord of the Rings had not been yet published! And here comes Howard out of the blue to write pure pulp fantasy which is simply awesome and a joy to read.
If you know me as a reviewer, you know that I almost always point the negatives in things. I do that not because I'm a grumpy old man or a negative personality but because it is my belief that reviews should always point the bad things more than the positive things. But I digress! I was going to give this 5 stars but 2 things cut that thing a little down to 4+.
One is that Conan is hardly an interesting character. He's cool, he's amazing, he's fun but he's also a bit flat and predictable and thick. But if Howard's hero leaves something to be desired, the same can't be said for his antagonists! The baddies are also awesome and much more interesting than our hero. I love a good main antagonist (or more!) and Howard delivers!
The second thing that jarred me (also in the previous story that I read - Black Colossus) was that the ending was a bit rough, felt rather rushed and quickly done with. It didn't need too much more, just a couple of pages or so.
Still, even with these gripes, let me be clear about something. Howard writes so incredibly fresh, he even puts modern writers in shame! Here is the first thing you read, the very first line of this story:
“Over shadowy spires and gleaming towers lay the ghostly darkness and silence that runs before dawn.”
Damn, if that doesn't make you want to read the rest, then either something is wrong with you or you are in the wrong place!
It was a pure joy to read this story as the writing is beautiful and fast and smooth, the pacing is perfect and the atmosphere is as thick as it gets. Considering that this is a very short novella and it's probably free, this is definitely more than recommended! I was worried that discovering the roots of fantasy literature would be a chore but this one was pure pleasure! Excellent!
4.5 / 5
The Phoenix on the Sword is one of the first Conan stories written by R.E. Howard and the second one I've had the pleasure to read. And I was simply blown away! Let's make something clear... this one was written almost 80 years ago. Fantasy was a newborn baby then, just think that Lord of the Rings had not been yet published! And here comes Howard out of the blue to write pure pulp fantasy which is simply awesome and a joy to read.
If you know me as a reviewer, you know that I almost always point the negatives in things. I do that not because I'm a grumpy old man or a negative personality but because it is my belief that reviews should always point the bad things more than the positive things. But I digress! I was going to give this 5 stars but 2 things cut that thing a little down to 4+.
One is that Conan is hardly an interesting character. He's cool, he's amazing, he's fun but he's also a bit flat and predictable and thick. But if Howard's hero leaves something to be desired, the same can't be said for his antagonists! The baddies are also awesome and much more interesting than our hero. I love a good main antagonist (or more!) and Howard delivers!
The second thing that jarred me (also in the previous story that I read - Black Colossus) was that the ending was a bit rough, felt rather rushed and quickly done with. It didn't need too much more, just a couple of pages or so.
Still, even with these gripes, let me be clear about something. Howard writes so incredibly fresh, he even puts modern writers in shame! Here is the first thing you read, the very first line of this story:
“Over shadowy spires and gleaming towers lay the ghostly darkness and silence that runs before dawn.”
Damn, if that doesn't make you want to read the rest, then either something is wrong with you or you are in the wrong place!
It was a pure joy to read this story as the writing is beautiful and fast and smooth, the pacing is perfect and the atmosphere is as thick as it gets. Considering that this is a very short novella and it's probably free, this is definitely more than recommended! I was worried that discovering the roots of fantasy literature would be a chore but this one was pure pleasure! Excellent!
4.5 / 5