Customer Reviews

THE TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT

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(PLEASE NOTE: The following is a review of the original Robert E. Howard Conan tale, not the annotated version advertised on this web page. I have not read this version; if I get the opportunity to do so, I will come back and edit my review accordingly.)

Just finished my third or fourth reread of this classic Robert E. Howard fantasy tale, and I am at least as impressed by it as the first time I read nearly thirty years ago. Somehow in this span of time I have only managed to read about a third of REH's original Conan stories, but of the ones I've read, I think this is the best. As is the case for me with all truly classic fiction, my take-away is slightly different every time I read it; on this particular reading I was most amazed by the variety of moods (from suspense to poignancy to a kind of Lovecraftian cosmic awe) that REH takes the reader through in the space of one short story, and how successfully and artfully he pulls each one off. Also impressive is the seamless integration of elements from the then-nascent fantasy, science fiction, and horror genres; today's mashup artists would do well to follow from Howard's example here.

In sum: highly, highly recommended. If you only know of the Conan character from his appearances in the movies and in other writers' work, I think you will be very pleasantly surprised at this thrilling, multifaceted tale of fantastic adventure.