“He was . . . a strange blending of Puritan and Cavalier, with a touch of the ancient philosopher, and more than a touch of the pagan. . . . A hunger in his soul drove him on and on, an urge to right all wrongs, protect all weaker things. . . . Wayward and restless as the wind, he was consistent in only one respect—he was true to his ideals of justice and right. Such was Solomon Kane.” –Robert E. Howard

Robert E. Howard, the greatest writer of all times. His name has become synonymous with Conan the Barbarian, his most famous creation. And yet, Howard was a master of all genres, and during his short career he had created many famous characters, including Solomon Kane, a Puritan adventurer and scourge of all evil. Solomon Kane is a mysterious man, his past shrouded in mystery and his future obscure. He can’t deny his inner wanderlust, and so he travels the world in a quest to destroy evil wherever he finds it, dealing his own form of justice in God’s stead.

When you look at the plot like this, it sounds like some generic story of a random adventurer who tries to vanquish evil in all its forms. But Solomon Kane is more than that, much more. Howard, the master of writing he is, managed to pull off this simple story to include Solomon’s inner struggles, social and political commentary and gripping tales filled with supernatural, set mostly in Africa.

The writing style, pacing, descriptions and action are masterfully written as expected of Howard. I lack verbosity needed to encompass the whole book in one short sentence, so I’ll simply say: masterpiece. I still prefer Conan yarns, but Solomon lags behind only an inch, mostly because he doesn’t have the charisma of the barbarian hero. In several stories Solomon is barely seen talking, and his character is rather bleak. However, as he continues his adventures, he becomes more and more likeable and, well, badass. He fights French bandits, skulking Negroes, winged demons and explores deep jungles and lost cities of Africa, while facing the supernatural dangers and mighty ju-ju.

The plots are more or less the standard pulp ones – Howard didn’t concern himself with deep thrilling plots, but he still managed to pull the simple ones really well.

The book itself is illustrated with wonderful art by Gary Gianni on almost every page. He captured the looks and feel of Howard’s writings perfectly, and although I generally don’t like images in books (unlike most of today’s readers), they in fit perfectly.

Besides the completed stories, the drafts of uncompleted ones are also present. It’s a shame that so many good yarns were left unfinished because of Howard’s ill-fate. Short biography of Howard is also included as well as several poems concerning Kane.

After Conan, Solomon Kane is my favorite literature character of all time. Too bad he is nowhere as near as popular as Conan (who himself, in fact, isn’t that popular when you think about it). However, a movie was recently made, and a good one, albeit it didn’t follow the plot of any original story (you can read the review here).

A book you mustn’t miss if you like adventure, history, pulps or horror. An excellent read.