Customer Reviews

Robert E. Howard's Kull

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You've met Conan. Now meet Kull, King of Atlantis, who lived 500 years before Conan. Who is Kull? He's a barbarian who usurped a throne. Sound familiar? His constant companion and bodyguard is a Pictish war named
Brule the Spear-slayer. He deals with a bevy of supernatural
problems. They run the gamut from nobles trying to overthrow him to Serpent Men trying to assassinate him with
the zombie of a long-dead king, to Thulsa Doom, and Tuzun
Thune. Those are just some of the characters. Do you think
I'm going to tell you anything more? Think again.

I read this back in 1995 and it was the most tedious assortment of boring short stories I've ever had the displeasure of reading. I expected more from Howard. Howard created the character (King Kull) as an unromantic, lackluster, brute with zero personality. Kull's companion Brule wasn't very charismatic either. It's no wonder why the stories presented in this book were difficult (or should I say nearly impossible) to sell to publishers. With that said, these short stories were the template for his later Hyborian age "Conan the Barbarian" stories.
Howard had to refashion the Kull stories presented in this book, altering them into what would later become the Conan mythos.
As a kid growing up, I couldn't quench my proclivities for the Kull comic-books, so,when I read this book I was sorrowly disappointed in Howard's lack of vision for this great character. I began pondering to myself, what went wrong? Well, what went wrong with this book was that there wasn't any romance or passion to pass the time. Kull was just existing with no rhyme or reason. Howard never gave Kull a reason to exist and that's why these stories failed to capture an audience.
I know this is going to seem like I'm being somewhat wishy washy, but I do have a profound admiration for this character, the movie with Kevin Sorbo was a unmitigated treat, and I reiterate the comics were totally awesome.
If you want to enjoy the full effect of Kull I strongly suggest buying Marvel Comics' back issues at your local comic-book retailer.