Explore the origins of Sword & Sorcery with Henry Kuttner's Elak of Atlantis! Published in Weird Tales to satisfy fans of Conan the Barbarian in the wake of Robert E. Howard's death, the four long stories depict a brutal world of flashing swords and primal magic, touched by a hint of Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. Never collected in a mass market edition since their publication in the late 1930s, these exciting tales helped to establish a genre and are a critical part of any fantasy library. Included as a bonus are Kuttner's two Prince Raynor stories from 1939's Strange Tales. With seminal, thrilling adventure tales from one of the most important writers in science-fiction and fantasy, Elak of Atlantis is not to be missed!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fun romp,
By Krypter (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Elak of Atlantis (Planet Stories) (Paperback)
Styled as an exploration of the early sword-and-sorcery genre in the vein of Robert Howard's Conan, this compilation of several Elak and Prince Raynor stories delivers a healthy dose of adventure, cliche and magic with just a touch of Cthulhu thrown in for good measure. Kuttner's writing style may not be as florid as Clark Ashton Smith's but his view of slaying swordsmen, hapless maidens and icky, tentacled creatures is quite similar and lovingly revealed in this book. The book itself is a nice softbook with only a few minor flaws, mainly 1) very wide outside margins which forces the reader to bend the book more than is necessary; 2) a few spelling errors (page 88, "sliver"; page 182, "heart") and 3) a rather ugly typeface. My favorite softback books are those of Bester and Dick from Vintage and I urge the editor to consider upgrading the line a little bit in this direction. Apart from these minor irritations, the stories are great fun and a wonderful source of inspiration for budding S&S GMs looking for some classic two-fisted action. If you like Howard, Leiber, Burroughs or Doc Smith, you'll definitely enjoy Kuttner's Elak.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More Proof of Kuttner as One of America's Greatest Sci-Fi Writers,
By Marcus H. Smilfer "mercer-" (Chicagoland, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Elak of Atlantis (Planet Stories) (Paperback)
I was introduced to Henry Kuttner twenty years ago as one of a number of authors included in yet another Martin Greenberg edited collection of pulp stories. After suffering through several poor examples of purple prose, Kuttner's brilliant cadence and rhythm immediately stood out from the rest. I became an instant fan of Kuttner and have remained so. This newest collection of the four Elak of Atlantis stories (along with two more featuring another Kuttner character, Prince Raynor) is a welcome addition to my Kuttner collection. Elak is a very human version of so many Sword and Sorcery heroes and more often than not, he is overwhelmed by a greater threat and has to rely on his fat friend Lycon, or his ever-helpful diety Mider to help him out. To me, this just adds to the appeal of Elak; he's not the strongest or best fighter in the room, but he usually is the smartest. As for Kuttner's work being "bland," "flat" and "uninteresting," you should read the stories yourself. If you are a fan of Tolkien, Howard and Moorcock you will not only be surprised by Henry Kuttner's writing, you will be impressed. Well worth the $11-13 to take a trip to the lush, expertly crafted worlds of Henry Kuttner. Thank you to Planet Stories for this beautiful reprint edition.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent sword and sorcery,
By
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This review is from: Elak of Atlantis (Planet Stories) (Paperback)
A colection of four stories (Thunder in the Dawn, Spawn of Dagon, Beyond the Phoenix, Dragon Moon) concerning the exploits of the adventurer Elak of Atlantis (otherwise known as... but thats telling) and two stories of Prince Raynor (Cursed be the City, Citadel of Darkness) this is one collection well worth buying. The action is well describe and swift, the heroes bold, forthright and well, heroic. The villians are a collection of foul wizards, evil gods and things from beyond.
I have to admit to being more impressed with the two stories about Prince Raynor than I was with Elak of Atlantis but the final Elak story may be the best in the book. Unfortunately there were only two Raynor stories and that was just enough to leave me wanting more. Henry Kuttner is indeed a Neglected Master (as Ray Bradbury refers to him) of science fiction and fantasy. Hopefully through the release of these Planet Stories Library novels he will have a chance to be noticed and recognized for his achievements.
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