Customer Reviews

Crimson Shadows: The Best of Robert E. Howard, Volume One

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I don't normally comment on other people's reviews, but I feel it's important in this case, simply so that others can get a different perspective. First, I am a Robert E. Howard admirer. I very much enjoy his work and that of his (arguably more famous) fellow writer, Howard Lovecraft. However, I am not a "rabbid" fan. I do not own all of Howard's works, nor is he my favorite writer. That said, I do believe he is underappreciated, and he certainly is an important writer given the fact that he is the father of the modern sword and scorcery genre! Now then, about the book itself.

The Good:

+++This book is loaded with stories! You get something of the order of 28 stories! Keep in mind that this is not entirely Conan! In fact, there are only a couple of Conan stories. However, you get some of Howard's best works such as "Worms of the Earth", "The Shadow Kingdom", and "Red Shadows".

+++The illustrations are beautiful! (This is where I have a problem with a fellow reviewer, who just derided the art!) I find Jim and Ruth Keegan's illustrations to be fantastic! However, it does come down to taste. Myself, I am a fan of illustrative art. Yes, I have seen Frazetta, Sweet, etc. and their art is brighter, more detailed, but I wouldn't call it better. You might enjoy Frazetta's art more than the Keegan's, but as long as you can appreciate different styles of art, you'll probably greatly enjoy this volume. Also, I personally find this style refreshing after seeing SO MANY Frazetta images :) I have to comment that a fellow reviewer basically said that the art is static (implying that the characters depicted look like they are just standing still). NOT TRUE AT ALL! The Keegan's did a very nice job of conveying the hectic and brutal nature of swords clashing, and monsters sprawling! Again, it comes down to taste, but I for one am happy with the quality and quantity of art in this beautiful edition.

+++The book is hardcover, sturdy, and the pages are nice, crisp, and clean!

+++SIGNED & Limited Edition!

+++Beautiful slipcase with dust jacket. To be honest, I could do without the dust jacket, but I love a good slipcase :)

The (slightly) Bad:

-Some of the stories are just OK. When you have 28 stories, you can't expect them all to fit your taste!

-If you are not a book lover, and do not enjoy fine editions, then you should stick with the much cheaper Del Ray paperback prints.

Overall:

It's important to note that this is a Deluxe, Limited Edition (Signed and Numbered) reprint of the Del Ray books! To be fair, originally Wandering Star (a UK publisher) was supposed to release these deluxe editions of Howard's works, while Del Ray would release the non-limited and cheaper paperback copies. However, Wandering Star never got around to releasing more than 2 or 3 of the books, and so Subterranean Press picked up the work. In other words, this book is the Limited Edition which is:
ISBN-10: 1596062630

if you are looking for the inexpensive paper Del Ray book, it is: ISBN-10: 0345490185

Obviously the artwork and quality are FAR better in the deluxe edition! If you're a "fan" of Howard, or just want a really high-quality copy of some of his best works, then this book is for you! If you just want a casual read, then stick to the Del Ray copy. Also, you should know that there WILL be a second volume that will complete "The Best of Robert E. Howard"!

I am first in queue to praise Robert E. Howard--when the work of his in question is praiseworthy. The two volumes of "The Best of"--i.e., the seventh and eighth volumes of the Ballantine/Del Rey Howard project--are little more than odds and ends, hastily cobbled together. A goodly fraction of the tales--perhaps thirty to forty percent--are already distributed among the preceding six volumes, and, believe you me, they are, as a rule, the least noteworthy works from those volumes. Further, I am at a loss to puzzle out whence they found these two "illustrators" and what purpose they are trying to achieve: while Gianni and Sweet and Manchess try hard to capture attractive, interesting images of Conan and other heroes in action, Jim and Ruth Keegan are content to show him filing his nails. I kid you not: out of all the action in the gripping Aztec adventure, "Red Nails," the Keegans chose to illustrate an insipid scene of Conan and his co-heroine (Valencia? Valentina?) standing on a platform while a giant serpent (conveniently omitted from the picture) furiously attacks them. Do they cower or wield weapons? No, they stand there, completely disinterested, as if securely wired up to intravenous morphine sulfate. In short, the stories are leftovers, and the pictures are, as my mother would express in her quaint thirties idioms, "from hunger." And now, I understand, Del Rey has mustered the nerve to publish yet more volumes. The only operative rule is that percentage of "original" material (viz., not already anthologized in prior volumes) steadily decreases--while the recent choices of illustrator leave one seriously questioning the publisher's judgment. Nay, good readers, Kane and Kull are fascinating; Mac Morn, while limited in range, is refreshingly unique; and the Conan volumes are glorious (the second thereof--containing "Hour of the Dragon"--edging out the other two in terms of top-notch fantasy/action quality); but avoid Keegan like it's a visit from your worst enemy bearing torture instruments.