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Bran Mak Morn
Bran Mak Morn: The Last King
From Robert E. Howard’s fertile imagination sprang some of fiction’s greatest heroes, including Conan the Cimmerian, King Kull, and Solomon Kane. But of all Howard’s characters, none embodied his creator’s brooding temperament more than Bran Mak Morn, the last king of a doomed race.
In ages past, the Picts ruled all of Europe. But the descendants of those proud conquerors have sunk into barbarism . . . all save one, Bran Mak Morn, whose bloodline remains unbroken. Threatened by the Celts and the Romans, the Pictish tribes rally under his banner to fight for their very survival, while Bran fights to restore the glory of his race.
Lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Gary Gianni, this collection gathers together all of Howard’s published stories and poems featuring Bran Mak Morn–including the eerie masterpiece “Worms of the Earth” and “Kings of the Night,” in which sorcery summons Kull the conqueror from out of the depths of time to stand with Bran against the Roman invaders.
Also included are previously unpublished stories and fragments, reproductions of manuscripts bearing Howard’s handwritten revisions, and much, much more.
Special Bonus: a newly discovered adventure by Howard, presented here for the very first time.
In ages past, the Picts ruled all of Europe. But the descendants of those proud conquerors have sunk into barbarism . . . all save one, Bran Mak Morn, whose bloodline remains unbroken. Threatened by the Celts and the Romans, the Pictish tribes rally under his banner to fight for their very survival, while Bran fights to restore the glory of his race.
Lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Gary Gianni, this collection gathers together all of Howard’s published stories and poems featuring Bran Mak Morn–including the eerie masterpiece “Worms of the Earth” and “Kings of the Night,” in which sorcery summons Kull the conqueror from out of the depths of time to stand with Bran against the Roman invaders.
Also included are previously unpublished stories and fragments, reproductions of manuscripts bearing Howard’s handwritten revisions, and much, much more.
Special Bonus: a newly discovered adventure by Howard, presented here for the very first time.
376 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1969
84 people are currently reading
1452 people want to read
About the author
Robert E. Howard
2,979 books2,641 followersRobert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
November 27, 2019
Arguably the most doom-haunted of Howard's protagonists (because Bran Mak Morn is literally the last king of the Picts (Howard's somewhat ahistorical imagining of an aboriginal British race, although in some ways it was inspired by actual theories at the time), fighting an ultimately losing war against the Roman Empire's British outposts).
These are stories that kind of occupy the intersection of the Venn diagram between historical adventure fiction, sword & sorcery and horror -- the main conflict is between the Picts & the Romans, but there are Dark Forces lurking around the edges of things, and at various points, Bran is not above making arrangements with those Dark Forces, even if it may not be the best idea he's ever had.
And in one story ("Kings of the Night") he literally summons the spirit of Kull: Exile of Atlantis forward tens or hundreds of thousands of years to join him in his fight against the Romans. (Remember Brule the Spear-Slayer and the other Picts in the Kull stories? Bran is their descendant.)
Not a long book, relatively speaking -- only about half a dozen Bran stories, plus some other related stories, poems, fragments, etc., published with Wandering Star/Del Rey's usual attention to scholarship and detail -- but a great one.
These are stories that kind of occupy the intersection of the Venn diagram between historical adventure fiction, sword & sorcery and horror -- the main conflict is between the Picts & the Romans, but there are Dark Forces lurking around the edges of things, and at various points, Bran is not above making arrangements with those Dark Forces, even if it may not be the best idea he's ever had.
And in one story ("Kings of the Night") he literally summons the spirit of Kull: Exile of Atlantis forward tens or hundreds of thousands of years to join him in his fight against the Romans. (Remember Brule the Spear-Slayer and the other Picts in the Kull stories? Bran is their descendant.)
Not a long book, relatively speaking -- only about half a dozen Bran stories, plus some other related stories, poems, fragments, etc., published with Wandering Star/Del Rey's usual attention to scholarship and detail -- but a great one.
September 9, 2019
A fantastic collection of stories, but in a different way than Howard's Conan.
Where reading Conan gives you the feeling of a man besting all of the odds and laughing in the face of danger, the Bran Mak Morn stories are more haunting and-in a way-sad. Bran is the king of a dying, deformed people that are quickly fading from the world. Where Conan attempts to tame the wild and laughs in the face of civilization, Bran desperately fights to keep the wild places free in the face of unstoppable progress.
This is more than just the tales of Morn, however. Here, we find the tales of the Picts as a people. To really understand what the Picts meant to Howard is to understand Howard himself. More than Conan or Kane, Howard's Picts were the soul of his work in a lot of ways. They represented, for him, the savage, wild, free (and thus true) man. From boxers and cowboys to barbarians and knights, every untamed man that Howard wrote about were shadows and whispers of this wild race.
Where reading Conan gives you the feeling of a man besting all of the odds and laughing in the face of danger, the Bran Mak Morn stories are more haunting and-in a way-sad. Bran is the king of a dying, deformed people that are quickly fading from the world. Where Conan attempts to tame the wild and laughs in the face of civilization, Bran desperately fights to keep the wild places free in the face of unstoppable progress.
This is more than just the tales of Morn, however. Here, we find the tales of the Picts as a people. To really understand what the Picts meant to Howard is to understand Howard himself. More than Conan or Kane, Howard's Picts were the soul of his work in a lot of ways. They represented, for him, the savage, wild, free (and thus true) man. From boxers and cowboys to barbarians and knights, every untamed man that Howard wrote about were shadows and whispers of this wild race.
February 25, 2017
Before Conan, before Solomon Kane, and even before Kull of Atlantis, there was Bran Mak Morn, King of the Picts. In fact, Bran was the second main character ever developed by Robert E. Howard, second only to Francis X. Gordon (El Borak). This book contains several stories about Bran as well as numerous fragments, untitled/unsold stories, essays, letters (most notably to and from Weird Tales magazine and Howard’s buddy, H.P. Lovecraft), etc. that help to define REH’s life-long interest in the Picts.
The more pulp fiction that I read, the more I have come to appreciate Howard’s work. His historical research and in-depth understanding of history, its peoples and cultures, all led to stories that have a genuine ring of actual historical texture to them, even for those stories that are part of his imaginary history. The Picts are a perfect example, described in this book in an authentic manner while also appearing in Conan’s Hyborian age stories. Often, they are the enemy race and easily maligned so for Howard to create a character such as Bran Mak Morn that will lead such a people, was perhaps risky but also admirable.
These stories were written early in Howard’s career and as such there is inconsistency among them. I wish Howard had developed Bran more thoroughly through additional stories but alas, Conan came along and that market drove Howard’s output for several years and put an end to Bran. A couple of the stories in this volume have very small roles for Bran himself and tend to concentrate on co-characters or take a wide-angle lens approach to the history of the era. It seems as if Howard’s penchant for research was translating itself directly into the story, rather than developing a typical plot structure that we might expect. This book includes those stories for the sake of completeness, even though the pulp magazines didn’t buy them. As such, while I heartily recommend this book to Howard readers (indeed, necessary reading), for others who are simply looking for another Conan-style character, I would still encourage diving into these stories simply on their own merits…just expect a different experience.
The more pulp fiction that I read, the more I have come to appreciate Howard’s work. His historical research and in-depth understanding of history, its peoples and cultures, all led to stories that have a genuine ring of actual historical texture to them, even for those stories that are part of his imaginary history. The Picts are a perfect example, described in this book in an authentic manner while also appearing in Conan’s Hyborian age stories. Often, they are the enemy race and easily maligned so for Howard to create a character such as Bran Mak Morn that will lead such a people, was perhaps risky but also admirable.
These stories were written early in Howard’s career and as such there is inconsistency among them. I wish Howard had developed Bran more thoroughly through additional stories but alas, Conan came along and that market drove Howard’s output for several years and put an end to Bran. A couple of the stories in this volume have very small roles for Bran himself and tend to concentrate on co-characters or take a wide-angle lens approach to the history of the era. It seems as if Howard’s penchant for research was translating itself directly into the story, rather than developing a typical plot structure that we might expect. This book includes those stories for the sake of completeness, even though the pulp magazines didn’t buy them. As such, while I heartily recommend this book to Howard readers (indeed, necessary reading), for others who are simply looking for another Conan-style character, I would still encourage diving into these stories simply on their own merits…just expect a different experience.
February 25, 2025
The depressed Robert E. Howard book. In Bran Mak Morn, the indomitable fighting spirit is up against a monolith that ultimately cannot be beaten. It’s fascinating knowing that the author committed suicide when reading this. It’s a sword and sorcery collection for sure but under some sort of dark shadow. The King of the Picts is a bleak tale and one even more affected by the author’s racial obsessions. The language is more poetic, the action is more vague. It’s brooding and ambiguous. It’s the image of a powerful savage struggling against fate, knowing someday he will lose.
December 11, 2022
Incredible stories of the last king of the Picts: Bran Mak Morn. While still surpassed by Conan and Kane for me, Bran has some of the best stories by REH there are and I appreciated the Lovecraft influence in Bran's stories. Beautiful illustrations throughout by Gianni.
January 25, 2016
While this is my least favorite of Howard's characters, the action is still the best. An awesome unedited collection of all the Bran Mac Morn stories. Highly recommended
April 22, 2025
Of all the well known heroic characters Howard created, Bran Mak Morn is probably the least interesting to me, and this short collection of stories didn't engage me in the way that the others did - still, even when not in top form, Howard still manages to entertain.
As per usual with these Del Rey editions, I didn't read all the bonus content or unfinished stories and drafts, but I'll provide ratings for each of the main stories below:
Men of the Shadows - 3⭐
Opens up with an explosive battle and visceral, gritty description of violence, but unfortunately, falters in the second half where a character goes off on a tangent, giving us a long ass and boring history lesson about the Pict-ish people, and then the story abruptly ends.
This one was fine/decent overall.
Kings of the Night - 3.75⭐
Easily the best of Bran Mak Morn stories (some would argue for Worms of the Earth, I suppose). I had already read this one in the Kull book, though, and skipped it in this collection. This is a great story.
A Song of the Race - 3.25⭐
This is a poem, so not too much to say about this one, other than I enjoyed it.
Worms of the Earth - 3.5⭐
This seems to be one of Howard's most popular short stories, all of his work in consideration. While I like it, I don't think it's *quite* that good. A solid 3.5⭐ nonetheless, and probably my 3rd favorite Mak Morn story (tied with The Dark Man)
The Dark Man - 3.5⭐
A short but really gritty story about a man (Not Bran Mak Morn) single-handedly going up against a group of Vikings. The titular hero is but a stone statue in this story, implied to have his spirit resting in the artifact, and it may or may not have some effect on the outcome of the battle.
I really liked this one.
The Lost Race - 2.5⭐
Another story where Bran Mak Morn is only loosely related to. Instead we follow a character that stumbles upon the Picts and is captured by them and about to be slain when someone or something comes to his rescue.
This one was just OK - nothing about it really captured my attention all that much. Wouldn't say it was bad, just kind of meh.
Overall I enjoyed this collection as I have with every collection by Howard, but this is one I can't ever see myself revisiting, in favor of his stronger work such as Conan and Solomon Kane.
A solid 3⭐ for this book overall.
As per usual with these Del Rey editions, I didn't read all the bonus content or unfinished stories and drafts, but I'll provide ratings for each of the main stories below:
Men of the Shadows - 3⭐
Opens up with an explosive battle and visceral, gritty description of violence, but unfortunately, falters in the second half where a character goes off on a tangent, giving us a long ass and boring history lesson about the Pict-ish people, and then the story abruptly ends.
This one was fine/decent overall.
Kings of the Night - 3.75⭐
Easily the best of Bran Mak Morn stories (some would argue for Worms of the Earth, I suppose). I had already read this one in the Kull book, though, and skipped it in this collection. This is a great story.
A Song of the Race - 3.25⭐
This is a poem, so not too much to say about this one, other than I enjoyed it.
Worms of the Earth - 3.5⭐
This seems to be one of Howard's most popular short stories, all of his work in consideration. While I like it, I don't think it's *quite* that good. A solid 3.5⭐ nonetheless, and probably my 3rd favorite Mak Morn story (tied with The Dark Man)
The Dark Man - 3.5⭐
A short but really gritty story about a man (Not Bran Mak Morn) single-handedly going up against a group of Vikings. The titular hero is but a stone statue in this story, implied to have his spirit resting in the artifact, and it may or may not have some effect on the outcome of the battle.
I really liked this one.
The Lost Race - 2.5⭐
Another story where Bran Mak Morn is only loosely related to. Instead we follow a character that stumbles upon the Picts and is captured by them and about to be slain when someone or something comes to his rescue.
This one was just OK - nothing about it really captured my attention all that much. Wouldn't say it was bad, just kind of meh.
Overall I enjoyed this collection as I have with every collection by Howard, but this is one I can't ever see myself revisiting, in favor of his stronger work such as Conan and Solomon Kane.
A solid 3⭐ for this book overall.
December 19, 2008
Bran Mak Morn is the last king of the Picts and will do whatever it takes to help his people. That's all you need to know going in.
I liked this omnibus about as much as the Kull one I read at the beginning of the year but not as much as Solomon Kane and definitely not as much as Conan. My favorite story in it is Worms of the Earth, where Bran makes a deal with some Lovecraftian beasties.
I enjoyed it and I'm glad I read it but I wouldn't consider Bran an essential read for Howard fans.
I liked this omnibus about as much as the Kull one I read at the beginning of the year but not as much as Solomon Kane and definitely not as much as Conan. My favorite story in it is Worms of the Earth, where Bran makes a deal with some Lovecraftian beasties.
I enjoyed it and I'm glad I read it but I wouldn't consider Bran an essential read for Howard fans.
March 30, 2011
Also a pretty good read, anoter "for-runner" of Conan. Bran Mak Morn is the "last" King of the Picts. Howrd romanticized the Picts and used his fictionalized version of them in both the King Kull stories and some of his Conan adventures.
This is his foray into using "them" as the main character focus.
Again, Howard's gift for adventure comes to the fore and the only concern may be not getting blood splashed on your clothes from the page.
This is his foray into using "them" as the main character focus.
Again, Howard's gift for adventure comes to the fore and the only concern may be not getting blood splashed on your clothes from the page.
June 6, 2025
Bran Mak Morn is the king of the Picts. Robert E. Howard’s Picts are a bit different than the Picts you know from history. These people are of a race that lived through the ice age and the sinking of great lands like Atlantis and Mu. They are ancient and wandered through most of Europe over their long decline as a people.
Bran Mak Morn is their last king, and lords over a people in decline. He knows the barbarous Picts will continue to decline until they are no more.
The Bran Mak Morn stories are full of action, violence, doom and gloom. Bran is not a big standout hero the way Conan, Kull or Solomon Kane are. His tales frequently talk about the collapse of his people and the long ages they endured as barbarians. I’m a big fan of proto-history like this so I wish there were more.
The only negative about this book is that the second half of the page count is miscellanea, notes, unfinished stories, and drafts. Not my thing but I’m happy to own it.
Bran Mak Morn is their last king, and lords over a people in decline. He knows the barbarous Picts will continue to decline until they are no more.
The Bran Mak Morn stories are full of action, violence, doom and gloom. Bran is not a big standout hero the way Conan, Kull or Solomon Kane are. His tales frequently talk about the collapse of his people and the long ages they endured as barbarians. I’m a big fan of proto-history like this so I wish there were more.
The only negative about this book is that the second half of the page count is miscellanea, notes, unfinished stories, and drafts. Not my thing but I’m happy to own it.
July 17, 2023
Unfortunately, about a fifth of this book is appendices that describe dry notes on the original Howard texts. Perhaps this makes a wonderfully hardcore type of joy for professional editors, but everyday readers are left behind. That said, "The Dark Man" is one of the best action-adventure stories I've ever read. Wow, how I wish that Howard wrote more stories featuring Bran Mak Morn! If you like breath-taking fiction, this collection is your jam.
January 31, 2024
Couple of 5/5's, but also a couple of 3/3's
Definitely worth it
Definitely worth it
June 5, 2008
While the rest of the world was obsessively reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this weekend, I was taking the time to finish off my latest venture into my growing REH collection. Nothing against Harry, mind you, but I had already started on Bran Mak Morn, and wanted to finish it off before I moved on to other things. Besides, the idea of over-caffeinating myself just to obsessively force myself through the end of the book sounds dreadfully unpleasant to my ears, and reading is supposed to be a pleasurable activity, last I checked.
Anyway. Bran Mak Morn.
This particular collection of REH stories contains a number of stories about Bran Mak Morn, the last king of the Picts; in REH’s mythos (for lack of a better term), the Picts are an ancient, ancient race, which was once powerful and prominent in Europe, but has slowly degenerated into a race of savages. Bran Mak Morn is a descendent of their royal line, making one last attempt to unite them and raise them out of darkness. Standing against him are the vast forces of civilization, most notably the Romans, who are slowly conquering Gaul and Britain.
Only a few of the stories in this volume feature Bran directly: the first, "Men of the Shadows", is a first-person account of a solider that meets Bran, and eventually joins him in his battle. In “Kings of the Night” and “Worms of the Earth”, Bran takes the center stage. Both stories are excellent, though very different in flavor/tone. “Kings of the Night” is a story of battle and magic, where Bran’s wizard summons King Kull out of the past to help Bran in a great battle against the Roman legions. “Worms of the Earth”, by contrast, is a moody, incredibly creepy piece, where Bran seeks out the aid of a foul race straight out of Lovecraftian horror (not surprising, since Howard and Lovecraft were frequent correspondents, and Howard loved Lovercraft’s work). It is easily one of the creepier stories that I’ve read from Howard, and brings an interesting element of horror into the king’s story.
The final stories in the volume don’t feature Bran at all, at least not directly. Instead, they are stories of Celtic warriors discovering Bran, or his descendents, and interacting with them in strange ways. Both are good pieces, but I was disappointed to not get more Bran himself. He’s a very interesting and conflicted character, desperately trying to salvage his people, and willing (as “Worms of the Earth” shows) to go to any length to succeed. I wish Howard had written more about him.
The miscellanea in this book contains a whole lot of interesting things, including some fragmentary stories (some of which are really excellent), a few poems, some correspondence between Howard and various others (including a few of his letters to Lovecraft), and some of Howard’s notes on his views of history. The history is…well, it’s very thirties, and by modern standards, horrifically inaccurate, but it’s interesting, and it’s cool to see the thought processes that lead Howard to create Bran and similar characters.
As much as I enjoyed it, this is probably the weakest REH collection Del Ray has put out that I’ve read so far. There just isn’t enough material on Bran himself to really fill a book, and while the miscellanea is interesting, a lot of it feels like padding thrown in to justify a full-length book. Anyone who enjoys REH should pick it up, but the casual reader would be better of starting with the Coming of Conan the Cimmerian or the Savage Tales of Solomon Kane. Both books are a bit more complete, and offer greater exploration of the characters.
Anyway. Bran Mak Morn.
This particular collection of REH stories contains a number of stories about Bran Mak Morn, the last king of the Picts; in REH’s mythos (for lack of a better term), the Picts are an ancient, ancient race, which was once powerful and prominent in Europe, but has slowly degenerated into a race of savages. Bran Mak Morn is a descendent of their royal line, making one last attempt to unite them and raise them out of darkness. Standing against him are the vast forces of civilization, most notably the Romans, who are slowly conquering Gaul and Britain.
Only a few of the stories in this volume feature Bran directly: the first, "Men of the Shadows", is a first-person account of a solider that meets Bran, and eventually joins him in his battle. In “Kings of the Night” and “Worms of the Earth”, Bran takes the center stage. Both stories are excellent, though very different in flavor/tone. “Kings of the Night” is a story of battle and magic, where Bran’s wizard summons King Kull out of the past to help Bran in a great battle against the Roman legions. “Worms of the Earth”, by contrast, is a moody, incredibly creepy piece, where Bran seeks out the aid of a foul race straight out of Lovecraftian horror (not surprising, since Howard and Lovecraft were frequent correspondents, and Howard loved Lovercraft’s work). It is easily one of the creepier stories that I’ve read from Howard, and brings an interesting element of horror into the king’s story.
The final stories in the volume don’t feature Bran at all, at least not directly. Instead, they are stories of Celtic warriors discovering Bran, or his descendents, and interacting with them in strange ways. Both are good pieces, but I was disappointed to not get more Bran himself. He’s a very interesting and conflicted character, desperately trying to salvage his people, and willing (as “Worms of the Earth” shows) to go to any length to succeed. I wish Howard had written more about him.
The miscellanea in this book contains a whole lot of interesting things, including some fragmentary stories (some of which are really excellent), a few poems, some correspondence between Howard and various others (including a few of his letters to Lovecraft), and some of Howard’s notes on his views of history. The history is…well, it’s very thirties, and by modern standards, horrifically inaccurate, but it’s interesting, and it’s cool to see the thought processes that lead Howard to create Bran and similar characters.
As much as I enjoyed it, this is probably the weakest REH collection Del Ray has put out that I’ve read so far. There just isn’t enough material on Bran himself to really fill a book, and while the miscellanea is interesting, a lot of it feels like padding thrown in to justify a full-length book. Anyone who enjoys REH should pick it up, but the casual reader would be better of starting with the Coming of Conan the Cimmerian or the Savage Tales of Solomon Kane. Both books are a bit more complete, and offer greater exploration of the characters.
August 2, 2018
Everybody who knows Robert E Howard knows Conan. Some go on to read his Kull stories which were written earlier. But those characters are nearly the same, the difference in the works more due to Howard's maturing as a writer and giving Conan a bit more depth of character.
I like them all, but the Bran Mak Morn stories have a different feel. This character wasn't set up to be invincible like Conan and Kull. He was conceived from the beginning as a king who fought for his people's place in the world but Howard tells us from early on Bran ultimately loses this fight. That sense of loss underlying every heroic act, in my opinion, tells us a lot about what the author was feeling. This is no super human who will succeed no matter what he does, he's much more human than that.
I only wish Howard had written more of the stories of Bran Mak Morn before he died. The Conan stories are probably better for pure high adventure, but despite being an early character for Howard, I think the Bran stories might be my favorites.
I like them all, but the Bran Mak Morn stories have a different feel. This character wasn't set up to be invincible like Conan and Kull. He was conceived from the beginning as a king who fought for his people's place in the world but Howard tells us from early on Bran ultimately loses this fight. That sense of loss underlying every heroic act, in my opinion, tells us a lot about what the author was feeling. This is no super human who will succeed no matter what he does, he's much more human than that.
I only wish Howard had written more of the stories of Bran Mak Morn before he died. The Conan stories are probably better for pure high adventure, but despite being an early character for Howard, I think the Bran stories might be my favorites.
July 15, 2008
Robert E. Howard was a great writer of heroic fiction of the pulp era. This is an a very enjoyable collection of stories.
December 31, 2011
hese book needs no introduction. Bran Mak Morn was one of the famous characters created by the mythic Robert E Howard, the creator of Conan, Kull or Solomon Kane. It's quite amazing that some of these stories he had only 13 years old. And they are beautiful. I must say that the painter Gary Gianni was the right one to do the job. I've search some books with pictures of Bran Mak Morn and even Conan ones and this one was the better one. Trully beautiful. The history on this book as some not fidegin since they were romanticized by Howard but that doesn't drove people away. He made the picts a noble savage people alike the indians. To be precise he put the picts from a group of islands near Valusia and when Atlantis, Lemuria and Valusia sank the picts society began to decline. The forgot their trades including metal working. The migrated to Caledon (noawadays scotland). After the invasion of the Celts they fled northward and interbred with a red-haired barbarians (and so they were shorter than other tribes) and following the invasion of the romans and later breton and saxon the picts sought refuge underground just like the natives they had displaced before. There are two types of Picts. The first is from the Bran timeline where he tries to restore the picts honourable place in the world and the later ones who were litte more than savages produced by many years of hatred. The picts, some of them at least, could also turn into werewolves or wolves. What is great on this book and at the same time sad its the image that Howard gives to Bran Mak Morn that is depicted as a leader of a dying and degenerate people and deeply aware of their inevitable path to extinction (and coincidenly with all other characters he chooses to fight rather than succumb). Their natural enemies are the Romans.
In the Kings of the Night story we know the tale of Bran as he was the descent of Brule the Spear-Slayer (compantion of Kull). We even get to see him summon Kull to fight the romans. It's one of the best waring story I had the pleasure of reading. In The Dark Man we get a dark version of the picts centuries after Bran. This is their decline. A sad story. In Worms of the Earth Bran makes a unholy alliance with beings that his own ancestors have banished. This is quite a tale. The ending meaning... some weapons are too foul to use, even against the bitter romans. There are other small stories some without Bran. There are also some plays, fragmants and poems.
Would I advice these book? Go get it. Now. 10/10
In the Kings of the Night story we know the tale of Bran as he was the descent of Brule the Spear-Slayer (compantion of Kull). We even get to see him summon Kull to fight the romans. It's one of the best waring story I had the pleasure of reading. In The Dark Man we get a dark version of the picts centuries after Bran. This is their decline. A sad story. In Worms of the Earth Bran makes a unholy alliance with beings that his own ancestors have banished. This is quite a tale. The ending meaning... some weapons are too foul to use, even against the bitter romans. There are other small stories some without Bran. There are also some plays, fragmants and poems.
Would I advice these book? Go get it. Now. 10/10
January 17, 2022
At this point, reviewing Howard is like reviewing Tolkien -- what's there to add?
So, instead I will say that this EDITION is fantastic for multiple reasons. Besides having the entire cycle of Bran Mak Morn stories (including "Kings of the Night" and "Worms of the Earth", undeniably two of Howard's finest tales, and the former an obvious inspiration for Moorcock's Eternal Champion), this is a case where the "extras" truly are.
1. There is the obligatory draft editions of earlier stories, which does show some interesting tweaks, but nothing revelatory, other than a number of Cthulhu mythos throw-aways that he struck in "Worms".
2. A typescript and the handwritten original of the opening pages of a play "Bran Mak Morn" that Howard was working on as a teen. (It's not good! :) )
3. The opening chapters of a novel the 16 y.o. REH was working on, that was meant to ultimately include Bran Mak Morn, and which was presumed lost until this volume. Although a little rough, the fact this was written by a teen is astounding, and it has many of the hallmarks of Howard's later work: past life memories, struggles between barbarism and civilization, fast-paced fight sequences, and, of course, PICTS!
4. There is also a detailed essay on Howard and his Picts, as well as a clear timeline of his writing about them -- both in print and in letters -- that shows that REH was quite aware of what his Picts were, and were not, vis a vis the historical record, tracks down the source book that 12 y.o. Howard read that first interested him in the "short, dark-completed race that predated the Aryan (Indo-European) invasions of Europe", and also reveals some surprising complexity about Howard's thoughts on archaeology, anthropology, race, etc. This is fascinating writing and shows that, in a sense, more than any character, the Picts are perhaps the central theme of Howard's work, at least until the last few years of his life, appearing in his fantastical, horror, historical and even contemporary fiction from his very first work at 16 to his late 20s. (Remember, he committed suicide at 30.)
5. The intro to the Miscellanea should be required reading for every modern person who can't decide what to make of Howard's racism and race theory. I just finished The Horror Stories before this, and there are a few stories in there (Black Canaan being particularly bad) where the constant racial slurs towards blacks, etc., are jarring to modern readers. Indeed, if you read Goodreads, you will come away convinced that Howard was a virulent xenophobe and racist like Lovecraft. Yet I had noticed that with one exception, in a line right after a line of dialogue, Howard never uses racial slurs in his authorial voice, usually not even when writing in first person. In other words, the same character who, in dialogue throw the n-word around, says "black" or "negro" (totally acceptable in the 20s/30s) when speaking to the audience. Basically, Howard's characters speak exactly like white southerners of the Jim Crow era, and in a time when people didn't even consider or discuss racism, that fidelity to "realism" was the author's only concern.
In the essay, the editors don't gloss over the idea that Howard *certainly* had ideas about race and other people that are questionable today, but they try to set context. Unlike Lovecraft, Howard was from West Texas with little exposure to any foreigners besides Mexicans (whom, letter from letter he goes from saying he 'dislikes' to writing at length about their strong folk culture and work ethic), and he also was *young* with his ideas still evolving. His theories on race -- and that includes the idea that Whites are several races, as opposed to ethnicities, with Celts, Germans, Mediterraneans, Semites having distinctive, inherent differences -- is the stuff of right-wing nonsense now, but it was NOT pre-WWII. Howard was taking his ideas straight out of well-respected anthropological works he was reading, eugenics was being touted by *Progressives* in the 20s, Darwin was still being challenged by conservative members of the academy, and the little bits of blatant pseudo-science that he weaves in, his letters make clear he does purely to add fantastical elements.
In short, did Howard have ideas and views we are not OK with today? Yes. Did he have a sort of soft-racism typical of Whites in the early 20th c, especially the south? Yes. Was he a xenophobe and racist, writing stories to emphasize his revulsion of non-WASPS, ala Lovecraft? NO, and he was actually actively reading about modern ideas of anthropology -- all from his tiny little town in West Texas -- to try and better understand the human story. Indeed, the fact that his overwhelming affinity and love was for a Neolithic people who in his mind were the total opposite of the Aryan ideal, and were in a sense the bridge between Black and White, should give us pause before we are quick to condemn from a position 90 years after the man's death.
The Del Rey editions have all been excellent, but this is one of the best for both the tales therein, and the supporting material.
So, instead I will say that this EDITION is fantastic for multiple reasons. Besides having the entire cycle of Bran Mak Morn stories (including "Kings of the Night" and "Worms of the Earth", undeniably two of Howard's finest tales, and the former an obvious inspiration for Moorcock's Eternal Champion), this is a case where the "extras" truly are.
1. There is the obligatory draft editions of earlier stories, which does show some interesting tweaks, but nothing revelatory, other than a number of Cthulhu mythos throw-aways that he struck in "Worms".
2. A typescript and the handwritten original of the opening pages of a play "Bran Mak Morn" that Howard was working on as a teen. (It's not good! :) )
3. The opening chapters of a novel the 16 y.o. REH was working on, that was meant to ultimately include Bran Mak Morn, and which was presumed lost until this volume. Although a little rough, the fact this was written by a teen is astounding, and it has many of the hallmarks of Howard's later work: past life memories, struggles between barbarism and civilization, fast-paced fight sequences, and, of course, PICTS!
4. There is also a detailed essay on Howard and his Picts, as well as a clear timeline of his writing about them -- both in print and in letters -- that shows that REH was quite aware of what his Picts were, and were not, vis a vis the historical record, tracks down the source book that 12 y.o. Howard read that first interested him in the "short, dark-completed race that predated the Aryan (Indo-European) invasions of Europe", and also reveals some surprising complexity about Howard's thoughts on archaeology, anthropology, race, etc. This is fascinating writing and shows that, in a sense, more than any character, the Picts are perhaps the central theme of Howard's work, at least until the last few years of his life, appearing in his fantastical, horror, historical and even contemporary fiction from his very first work at 16 to his late 20s. (Remember, he committed suicide at 30.)
5. The intro to the Miscellanea should be required reading for every modern person who can't decide what to make of Howard's racism and race theory. I just finished The Horror Stories before this, and there are a few stories in there (Black Canaan being particularly bad) where the constant racial slurs towards blacks, etc., are jarring to modern readers. Indeed, if you read Goodreads, you will come away convinced that Howard was a virulent xenophobe and racist like Lovecraft. Yet I had noticed that with one exception, in a line right after a line of dialogue, Howard never uses racial slurs in his authorial voice, usually not even when writing in first person. In other words, the same character who, in dialogue throw the n-word around, says "black" or "negro" (totally acceptable in the 20s/30s) when speaking to the audience. Basically, Howard's characters speak exactly like white southerners of the Jim Crow era, and in a time when people didn't even consider or discuss racism, that fidelity to "realism" was the author's only concern.
In the essay, the editors don't gloss over the idea that Howard *certainly* had ideas about race and other people that are questionable today, but they try to set context. Unlike Lovecraft, Howard was from West Texas with little exposure to any foreigners besides Mexicans (whom, letter from letter he goes from saying he 'dislikes' to writing at length about their strong folk culture and work ethic), and he also was *young* with his ideas still evolving. His theories on race -- and that includes the idea that Whites are several races, as opposed to ethnicities, with Celts, Germans, Mediterraneans, Semites having distinctive, inherent differences -- is the stuff of right-wing nonsense now, but it was NOT pre-WWII. Howard was taking his ideas straight out of well-respected anthropological works he was reading, eugenics was being touted by *Progressives* in the 20s, Darwin was still being challenged by conservative members of the academy, and the little bits of blatant pseudo-science that he weaves in, his letters make clear he does purely to add fantastical elements.
In short, did Howard have ideas and views we are not OK with today? Yes. Did he have a sort of soft-racism typical of Whites in the early 20th c, especially the south? Yes. Was he a xenophobe and racist, writing stories to emphasize his revulsion of non-WASPS, ala Lovecraft? NO, and he was actually actively reading about modern ideas of anthropology -- all from his tiny little town in West Texas -- to try and better understand the human story. Indeed, the fact that his overwhelming affinity and love was for a Neolithic people who in his mind were the total opposite of the Aryan ideal, and were in a sense the bridge between Black and White, should give us pause before we are quick to condemn from a position 90 years after the man's death.
The Del Rey editions have all been excellent, but this is one of the best for both the tales therein, and the supporting material.
March 5, 2024
Illustrator of pathos: Gary Gianni
Editor: Rusty Burke
Favorites are "The Dark Man", "Worms of the Earth", "Kings of the Night", and the fragment with Pict Partha Mac Othna, Norseman Thorvald the Smiter, and a proud warrior woman of the Red-beards/Red People.
Review portion:
Robert E. Howard has an enthralling prose that draws me in, and leads the stories from start to finish, compelling the reader forward. His historical knowledge is on full display here, as well as his creative genius at mixing in mythology. With all the recent talk of Rome among social media, I would definitely suggest Bran Mak Morn tales. What helps drive these tales along, is Howard's exposure of ethnicities/races to each other, their tribal hate to conquer each other even when they have evolved into the era's standard of advanced civilizations, and their natural immersion into a new tribe when they fight a common cause. Even in the face of war, diverse men seem to have a respect for each other's commonality in life, and men among their own who act in devious ways are frowned upon at best, denounced in the middle, and even pushed to the brink of death at worst. The conquering Romans and the ravaging Danes won't find much love among the "savage" Picts and the back-island Celts. Skin tone is a passing topic, painting the scene, but never a point of contention. The spirit of it all though, is Robert's haunting atmosphere of ancient cultures, ghostly visions of dawning man and the inevitability of every man to pass into history to be their own spectre of remembrance for future peoples. Priest Jerome is a compelling and sacrificial character that I'd love to imagine as an enduring spirit. Each tale, I envision a dreamscape of over-the-horizon nightmare, with compatriots at the edge of war, and enemies in the shadows of camaraderie. Bran Mak Morn seems a man out of time, evolved from those that seem stuck in the past, and holding on to the primal savagery that scares the civilized men who try to control the future. Howard's tales may skirt racism (not of his standards but of the world's), but it's not a glorified testament against race, it's a documentary of humanity's age-old tendency to create tribes/cliques and to use these as standards for how they interact with others. Bran, and most of Howard's most relatable characters like Kull, Conan, Brule and beyond, are always at odds with tribalism, but also with civilization, as both basically limit a man's autonomy, though both can be enjoyable things to be exposed to correctly.
Story References:
Men of the Shadows 3.5/5
"A primal man, facing a tribe of another age, fierce in tribal hate, fierce with the slaughter-lust."
Kings of the Night 4/5
"Primitive, superstitious, steeped in tribal lore of fighting gods and mythical heroes ..."
A Song of the Race, a poem
Bran drinks somberly upon his throne, listening to a servant girl sing a bard about their race, coming from an age all but forgotten, struggling now in endless conquest and defense based on tribalism, and foretelling the fall of all.
Worms of the Earth 4/5
"The same blood flowed in our veins; the same fire maddened our brains; in infancy we listened to the same old tales, and in youth we sang the same old songs. He was bound to my heart strings, as every man and every woman and every child of Pictland is bound. It was mine to protect him; now it is mine to avenge him." - Bran
"... in that moment the dying Roman seemed to [Bran] almost like a brother. [...] 'Lay me down, friend,' whispered the Roman. 'I die.'"
The Dark Man 5/5
"He was as hard and supple as a wolf. Among a race of man whose hardiness astounded even the toughest Norseman, Turlogh Dubh stood out alone. [...] Now, since the intrigues of jealous clansmen had driven him into the wastelands and the life of the wolf, his ruggedness was such as cannot be conceived by civilized man."
"Moira, blood of my heart, you die in a strange land. But the birds in the Cullane hills will weep for you, and the heather will sigh in vain for the tread of your little feet. But you shall not be forgotten; axes shall drip for you and for you shall galleys crash and walled cities go up in flames. And that your ghost go not unassuaged into the realms of the Tir-na-n-Oge, behold this token of vengeance!"
"Bran Mak Morn loved his people with a savage love; he hated their foes with a terrible hate. Was it possible to breathe into inanimate blind stone a pulsating love and hate that should outlast the centuries?"
The Lost Race 3.5/5
Poem (The Drums of Pictdom)
The Little People 3/5
"Young people have a way of either accepting entirely or rejecting entirely such things as they do not understand."
Children of the Night 3.5/5
Bran Mak Morn
A short unfinished play,
Fragment
Poem
Untitled
Editor: Rusty Burke
Favorites are "The Dark Man", "Worms of the Earth", "Kings of the Night", and the fragment with Pict Partha Mac Othna, Norseman Thorvald the Smiter, and a proud warrior woman of the Red-beards/Red People.
Review portion:
Robert E. Howard has an enthralling prose that draws me in, and leads the stories from start to finish, compelling the reader forward. His historical knowledge is on full display here, as well as his creative genius at mixing in mythology. With all the recent talk of Rome among social media, I would definitely suggest Bran Mak Morn tales. What helps drive these tales along, is Howard's exposure of ethnicities/races to each other, their tribal hate to conquer each other even when they have evolved into the era's standard of advanced civilizations, and their natural immersion into a new tribe when they fight a common cause. Even in the face of war, diverse men seem to have a respect for each other's commonality in life, and men among their own who act in devious ways are frowned upon at best, denounced in the middle, and even pushed to the brink of death at worst. The conquering Romans and the ravaging Danes won't find much love among the "savage" Picts and the back-island Celts. Skin tone is a passing topic, painting the scene, but never a point of contention. The spirit of it all though, is Robert's haunting atmosphere of ancient cultures, ghostly visions of dawning man and the inevitability of every man to pass into history to be their own spectre of remembrance for future peoples. Priest Jerome is a compelling and sacrificial character that I'd love to imagine as an enduring spirit. Each tale, I envision a dreamscape of over-the-horizon nightmare, with compatriots at the edge of war, and enemies in the shadows of camaraderie. Bran Mak Morn seems a man out of time, evolved from those that seem stuck in the past, and holding on to the primal savagery that scares the civilized men who try to control the future. Howard's tales may skirt racism (not of his standards but of the world's), but it's not a glorified testament against race, it's a documentary of humanity's age-old tendency to create tribes/cliques and to use these as standards for how they interact with others. Bran, and most of Howard's most relatable characters like Kull, Conan, Brule and beyond, are always at odds with tribalism, but also with civilization, as both basically limit a man's autonomy, though both can be enjoyable things to be exposed to correctly.
Story References:
Men of the Shadows 3.5/5
"A primal man, facing a tribe of another age, fierce in tribal hate, fierce with the slaughter-lust."
Kings of the Night 4/5
"Primitive, superstitious, steeped in tribal lore of fighting gods and mythical heroes ..."
A Song of the Race, a poem
Bran drinks somberly upon his throne, listening to a servant girl sing a bard about their race, coming from an age all but forgotten, struggling now in endless conquest and defense based on tribalism, and foretelling the fall of all.
Worms of the Earth 4/5
"The same blood flowed in our veins; the same fire maddened our brains; in infancy we listened to the same old tales, and in youth we sang the same old songs. He was bound to my heart strings, as every man and every woman and every child of Pictland is bound. It was mine to protect him; now it is mine to avenge him." - Bran
"... in that moment the dying Roman seemed to [Bran] almost like a brother. [...] 'Lay me down, friend,' whispered the Roman. 'I die.'"
The Dark Man 5/5
"He was as hard and supple as a wolf. Among a race of man whose hardiness astounded even the toughest Norseman, Turlogh Dubh stood out alone. [...] Now, since the intrigues of jealous clansmen had driven him into the wastelands and the life of the wolf, his ruggedness was such as cannot be conceived by civilized man."
"Moira, blood of my heart, you die in a strange land. But the birds in the Cullane hills will weep for you, and the heather will sigh in vain for the tread of your little feet. But you shall not be forgotten; axes shall drip for you and for you shall galleys crash and walled cities go up in flames. And that your ghost go not unassuaged into the realms of the Tir-na-n-Oge, behold this token of vengeance!"
"Bran Mak Morn loved his people with a savage love; he hated their foes with a terrible hate. Was it possible to breathe into inanimate blind stone a pulsating love and hate that should outlast the centuries?"
The Lost Race 3.5/5
Poem (The Drums of Pictdom)
The Little People 3/5
"Young people have a way of either accepting entirely or rejecting entirely such things as they do not understand."
Children of the Night 3.5/5
Bran Mak Morn
A short unfinished play,
Fragment
Poem
Untitled
July 16, 2023
The first part, consisting of the published Pictish stories of Howard (plus 2 poems), is (almost) pure gold. Apart from the first story (Men of the Shadows) which offers a lot of background (somewhat clumsily), the rest are top specimens of historical Sword & Sorcery with a horror edge. Worms of the Earth and Kings of the Night are flawless, with The Dark Man and The Lost Race following close behind.
The second part consists of miscellaneous writings (stories, fragments, a play, an essay, etc) concerning Bran Mak Morn and the Picts, some of them written by an adolescent Howard. They are of lesser quality but of interest to the avid aficionado.
Finally, there are 3 exhaustive appendices, concerning Howard and the Picts (a chronology, an essay and notes on the texts).
The art of Gary Gianni is amazing and plentiful (though, understandably, only present in the first half) making the book a work of art. Definitely recommended, if just for the first part.
The second part consists of miscellaneous writings (stories, fragments, a play, an essay, etc) concerning Bran Mak Morn and the Picts, some of them written by an adolescent Howard. They are of lesser quality but of interest to the avid aficionado.
Finally, there are 3 exhaustive appendices, concerning Howard and the Picts (a chronology, an essay and notes on the texts).
The art of Gary Gianni is amazing and plentiful (though, understandably, only present in the first half) making the book a work of art. Definitely recommended, if just for the first part.
April 27, 2024
Robert E. Howard didn't write enough about his hero Bran Mak Morn, King of the Pics, to establish a running series like he did with Conan, or even Solomon Kane. This collection brings together just three stories in which he appears, and two that are set centuries later which only describe him. Making up the volume for length is miscellanea about Howard's take on Picts. There is another story, 'The Lost Race', which is presumably included only because it involves Picts and is set approximately in Bran's time period.
The stories are a mixture of genres and viewpoints, and we don't get any consistent view of Bran such as you'd expect in an ongoing series. He is the point of view character in only one of the stories, 'Worms of the Earth', which in my opinion is the best. In the other two stories he appears in, he comes across very differently each time, seen from the perspective of others - a Roman prisoner at his mercy and a Gael commander who fights alongside him.
Genre also seems unsettled. The stand-out 'Worms of the Earth' is a horror and supernatural story, while 'Kings of the Night' is a historical war story with a fantasy element. The others fall at various places in between.
There are some lines of good writing. I was taken by some of the writing in small atmospheric moments in 'Worms of the Earth', such as when Bran walks outside in a bleak landscape: "he walked like the last man on the day after the end of the world." In 'The Dark Man', there is this similarly striking line that acts as punctuation between scenes: "The day was sad and leaden. The wind moaned and the everlasting monotone of the sea was like the sorrow that is born in the heart of man." Moments like these lifted the experience above the usual working competence of the writing.
I personally don't have patience for long, detailed fight scenes, and still less for big battle scenes, so whenever they occur, my engagement dropped. But what really lets this down for me is how clumsily Howard integrates his reflections on race into a narrative. He seems to like this topic and brings it up often.
'Men of Shadows' begins with the effective hook of our point of view character, a Roman soldier, surviving a Pict attack that kills all his comrades. He is taken prisoner and marched off to see the Pict chief. But in a curious storytelling decision, Howard has an old man take up the rest of the story speaking aloud a fantasy history of the Pictish race. We never come back to the soldier.
'Children of the Night' similarly shoehorns in an imagination-fuelled anthropology rant. It was here I realised that Howard is being a literary romantic about the subject, in the sense of 'passion and imagination is more true than academic learning'. I have noted a few instances in Howard's writing where a character says civilisation's science is inferior to what the savage knows instinctively. Howard seems more personally involved in his race narrative than his other fantasies and I wonder if he doesn't really believe it because it 'feels' true to him.
Other aspects of history make it to the page seemingly intact. Howard was a voracious reader and some of what he consumed was clearly history. The stories collected here seem proud to detail what kind of clothing Gaels, Norsemen and Picts wore. But I would like to know what history books he read before I put much weight on the history aspect of his stories. I'm worried about him having a wild panther in a forest and a shield made of buffalo hide in Roman Britain. I admit I don't know if these were possible, that's why I'm curious.
If you want to delve into Robert E. Howard's fantasy anthropology then this book will be good. But if you are just looking for a good story, it will disappoint.
The stories are a mixture of genres and viewpoints, and we don't get any consistent view of Bran such as you'd expect in an ongoing series. He is the point of view character in only one of the stories, 'Worms of the Earth', which in my opinion is the best. In the other two stories he appears in, he comes across very differently each time, seen from the perspective of others - a Roman prisoner at his mercy and a Gael commander who fights alongside him.
Genre also seems unsettled. The stand-out 'Worms of the Earth' is a horror and supernatural story, while 'Kings of the Night' is a historical war story with a fantasy element. The others fall at various places in between.
There are some lines of good writing. I was taken by some of the writing in small atmospheric moments in 'Worms of the Earth', such as when Bran walks outside in a bleak landscape: "he walked like the last man on the day after the end of the world." In 'The Dark Man', there is this similarly striking line that acts as punctuation between scenes: "The day was sad and leaden. The wind moaned and the everlasting monotone of the sea was like the sorrow that is born in the heart of man." Moments like these lifted the experience above the usual working competence of the writing.
I personally don't have patience for long, detailed fight scenes, and still less for big battle scenes, so whenever they occur, my engagement dropped. But what really lets this down for me is how clumsily Howard integrates his reflections on race into a narrative. He seems to like this topic and brings it up often.
'Men of Shadows' begins with the effective hook of our point of view character, a Roman soldier, surviving a Pict attack that kills all his comrades. He is taken prisoner and marched off to see the Pict chief. But in a curious storytelling decision, Howard has an old man take up the rest of the story speaking aloud a fantasy history of the Pictish race. We never come back to the soldier.
'Children of the Night' similarly shoehorns in an imagination-fuelled anthropology rant. It was here I realised that Howard is being a literary romantic about the subject, in the sense of 'passion and imagination is more true than academic learning'. I have noted a few instances in Howard's writing where a character says civilisation's science is inferior to what the savage knows instinctively. Howard seems more personally involved in his race narrative than his other fantasies and I wonder if he doesn't really believe it because it 'feels' true to him.
Other aspects of history make it to the page seemingly intact. Howard was a voracious reader and some of what he consumed was clearly history. The stories collected here seem proud to detail what kind of clothing Gaels, Norsemen and Picts wore. But I would like to know what history books he read before I put much weight on the history aspect of his stories. I'm worried about him having a wild panther in a forest and a shield made of buffalo hide in Roman Britain. I admit I don't know if these were possible, that's why I'm curious.
If you want to delve into Robert E. Howard's fantasy anthropology then this book will be good. But if you are just looking for a good story, it will disappoint.
March 23, 2013
A must read for Howard fans, but not so sure if other people need to pick this up.
The stories are reasonably good, but none of them I felt had the vitality of the Conan, Solomon Kane or even the Kull stories. These ones have a tendency of going off on a tangent and re-telling pretty much the same story of the Picts as a race in the middle of something else happening. The action is only sometimes on par with Conan, but the "historical" setting is a nice change from Kull and the Cimmerian.
At any rate, I enjoyed it, but I felt this was more interesting because of being a phase, a chapter in Howard's life where he was fascinated by a topic and from that fascination built a certain kind of story, than interesting because of the stories themselves - and that is probably this collection's biggest fault.
The stories are reasonably good, but none of them I felt had the vitality of the Conan, Solomon Kane or even the Kull stories. These ones have a tendency of going off on a tangent and re-telling pretty much the same story of the Picts as a race in the middle of something else happening. The action is only sometimes on par with Conan, but the "historical" setting is a nice change from Kull and the Cimmerian.
At any rate, I enjoyed it, but I felt this was more interesting because of being a phase, a chapter in Howard's life where he was fascinated by a topic and from that fascination built a certain kind of story, than interesting because of the stories themselves - and that is probably this collection's biggest fault.
August 1, 2011
Don't let the fact that Pictish King Bran is one of Howard's minor heroes fool you. This book contains some of his best sword and sorcery. Howard's predilection for themes of illusion and reality is evident in the Kull crossover story Kings of the Night, and the Worms of the Earth is simply one of his strongest stories ever. Here, more than almost anywhere else, the power of Howard's prose and the depressive grandeur of his vision is evident. Bran is fighting a losing war against an invincible enemy (Imperial Rome) and the price he pays is evident in every story. Classic sword and sorcery from the creator of the genre.
September 7, 2018
Unlike Howard's other works which concentrate on action, horror, and adventure, these tales were more introspective. Perhaps those who look forward towards Howard's penmanship rather than his adrenaline-pumping narratives, would enjoy them. I found most of them rather tame in comparison to adventures of Conan or Solomon Kane. Besides, Thulsa Doom was s..u..c..h a damp squibb!
But, as usual, there are absolute jewels here which would blow you away. So go ahead.
Walk with Bran Mak Morn.
But, as usual, there are absolute jewels here which would blow you away. So go ahead.
Walk with Bran Mak Morn.
October 12, 2020
Bran Mak Morn, the King of the Picts and heir to the thrones of the dark lands of his time. The character, dark, savage, and cunning leads small clans and packs of his kin and kith against the much larger forces of the Celts, Saxons, and Romans in prehistoric Scottland Northern England, and Wales.
The "painted people" are of the same world as Kull and Conan, just from a more "realistic" standpoint.
The "painted people" are of the same world as Kull and Conan, just from a more "realistic" standpoint.
April 1, 2025
My third favorite REH character after Solomon Kane and Conan. The doomed and brooding king of Howard’s Picts has a noble quality not found in any of the other REH characters I’ve read. Some of the stories in this volume - Kings of the night, worms of the earth are among the best of Howard’s I’ve read.
Read
November 18, 2007short stories. some historic fantasy, some weird. i think i liked this better than some of the conan stuff by him that i grew up on.
March 13, 2008
Howard was a true master of his craft - his Bran Mak Morn is the last of the ancient royal line of the Picts, facing the oppression of the Celts and the Romans as well as other, darker powers . . .
June 7, 2008
I enjoyed this one, though it wasn't what I expected. Bran wasn't in enough of the stories.
March 21, 2023
Lots of cool crossovers here, from Howard's other hero Kull to the Lovecraft mythos.
September 9, 2021
I've always found it challenging how to approach collection reviews if only because they're inherently uneven. Even if there is a tinge of that here in Bran Mak Morn: The Last King I walked away tremendously satisfied with how Howard ties all the material together as far as tone and mood are concerned. Included in the book are also his musings, research and correspondence with various parties as to where he was going with his stories that make for quite the insight regarding an author with a number now cult classic characters to his name.
Of the actual published works there are no weak entries here. It helps the book starts out strong with Men of the Shadows and that foreboding poem absolutely sets the stage with verses speaking of stone men's doom as we witness Bran Mak Morn for the first time through a captured soldier's eyes. Much time is spent on divulging his history and plights of the race of Picts he's trying so desperately to save almost despite their nature. This is then followed up by Kings of the Night which is a longer story involving our eponymous protagonist as he's mustering final forces before the big confrontation against the Romans with Cormac of Connacht joining his lot... and audience discovering old Gonar might be more than just crazy with his talks of wizardry. Where some others would summarize a battle Howard goes into exquisite detail on how all these different people would partake. You might even recognize a certain mythical king from ages long past if you've read the man's other works. And lastly, Worms of the Earth. This one concerns Bran Mak Morn personally, or under a pseudonym for narrative reasons, as he agrees to an unspeakable alliance to strike at forces of Rome. This is the one where mystical forces are brought to the stage and are definitely regarded as making a deal with the devil that will come for payment.
There are more stories, but seeing as they do not involve our doomed king directly I'll leave for you to dig into them. I would say they concern a matter possibly more important than our hero, as much as Howard saw some of himself in Bran Mak Morn according to personal notes - race of Picts. He hadn't immediately settled on what they were beyond "a stunted, dark-skinned remnants of once glorious people" and he toys with their origins in at least two stories. Interestingly, they're set later in the timeline and you see "doomed" was apt description. If anything author seems to have an unhealthy obsession with races even if his extrapolations and theories go so far back to employ creative freedoms regarding historical migrations and such. He repeats these facts overbearingly enough that you buy into them with ease as this grand goal of their last living king. If I had to risk it I'd say there's a degree of repetitiveness involved because I'm not reading these stories as they were originally penned for singular magazine releases. Read back-to-back their shared themes can become grating. Howard's at times lecture-style narrations of their backstory doesn't help and is salvaged by otherwise evocative, rich scene setting immediately transporting you to savage Britain and brutal wards of his.
Worth noting is the Untitled story later discovered that had plans to include Bran Mak Morn had Howard gotten around to completing it. This never happened and it's a shame because what we got, story spanning multiple characters and ages, was a great appetizer. I wonder how last of the pure Picts would've fit in. There is something engaging in reading a long lost typescript with errors and all.
Lastly there are correspondences I brought up in the opening. This is where you're either glued to the text as you WANT to find out more about author's inner thoughts and process or you'll just skim over as they summarize the stories you read. Of peculiar note were his letters to H.P. Lovecraft and discourse on nature of Picts. In fact, I was astonished to find out just how many of Howard's ideas ended up in the stories themselves. Which might explain the long-winded nature of explanations at times - he really wanted to cram it all in.
Of the actual published works there are no weak entries here. It helps the book starts out strong with Men of the Shadows and that foreboding poem absolutely sets the stage with verses speaking of stone men's doom as we witness Bran Mak Morn for the first time through a captured soldier's eyes. Much time is spent on divulging his history and plights of the race of Picts he's trying so desperately to save almost despite their nature. This is then followed up by Kings of the Night which is a longer story involving our eponymous protagonist as he's mustering final forces before the big confrontation against the Romans with Cormac of Connacht joining his lot... and audience discovering old Gonar might be more than just crazy with his talks of wizardry. Where some others would summarize a battle Howard goes into exquisite detail on how all these different people would partake. You might even recognize a certain mythical king from ages long past if you've read the man's other works. And lastly, Worms of the Earth. This one concerns Bran Mak Morn personally, or under a pseudonym for narrative reasons, as he agrees to an unspeakable alliance to strike at forces of Rome. This is the one where mystical forces are brought to the stage and are definitely regarded as making a deal with the devil that will come for payment.
There are more stories, but seeing as they do not involve our doomed king directly I'll leave for you to dig into them. I would say they concern a matter possibly more important than our hero, as much as Howard saw some of himself in Bran Mak Morn according to personal notes - race of Picts. He hadn't immediately settled on what they were beyond "a stunted, dark-skinned remnants of once glorious people" and he toys with their origins in at least two stories. Interestingly, they're set later in the timeline and you see "doomed" was apt description. If anything author seems to have an unhealthy obsession with races even if his extrapolations and theories go so far back to employ creative freedoms regarding historical migrations and such. He repeats these facts overbearingly enough that you buy into them with ease as this grand goal of their last living king. If I had to risk it I'd say there's a degree of repetitiveness involved because I'm not reading these stories as they were originally penned for singular magazine releases. Read back-to-back their shared themes can become grating. Howard's at times lecture-style narrations of their backstory doesn't help and is salvaged by otherwise evocative, rich scene setting immediately transporting you to savage Britain and brutal wards of his.
Worth noting is the Untitled story later discovered that had plans to include Bran Mak Morn had Howard gotten around to completing it. This never happened and it's a shame because what we got, story spanning multiple characters and ages, was a great appetizer. I wonder how last of the pure Picts would've fit in. There is something engaging in reading a long lost typescript with errors and all.
Lastly there are correspondences I brought up in the opening. This is where you're either glued to the text as you WANT to find out more about author's inner thoughts and process or you'll just skim over as they summarize the stories you read. Of peculiar note were his letters to H.P. Lovecraft and discourse on nature of Picts. In fact, I was astonished to find out just how many of Howard's ideas ended up in the stories themselves. Which might explain the long-winded nature of explanations at times - he really wanted to cram it all in.
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