Conan's World and Robert E. Howard

by Darrell Schweitzer

The story of Conan, the huge Cimmerian who slashed his way through the exotic realms of the Hyborian Age, in the dim reaches of man's prehistoric past, eventually making himself King of Aquilonia, the greatest and riches of the Hyborian lands.

64 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1978

About the author

Darrell Schweitzer is an American writer, editor, and essayist in the field of speculative fiction. Much of his focus has been on dark fantasy and horror, although he does also work in science fiction and fantasy.

Schweitzer is also a prolific writer of literary criticism and editor of collections of essays on various writers within his preferred genres.

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a Conan fan or a fan of Robert E. Howard's writing then this is a must read. Great articles on the creation of Conan and his world. Very well written. Very recommended

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about about this essay. Schweitzer praises Howard works throughout, but he also spends considerable wordage on complaints of laziness, repetition, weak plotting, etc. Overall, the negatives overshadow the positives. It didn’t leave me anxious to dive back into Howard’s work, and as a fan, that’s not the feeling one ought to walk away with. That said, the essay is well-researched, tracing the history of stories recast and retitled until publication and/or reprinted. It also covers stories and partials edited/reworked by L. Sprague de Camp and others. Schweitzer includes useful recaps of all of Howard’s Conan stories and well as ratings that run from “excellent” to “pretty bad.”

[Ron Shiflet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave a 3 star rating for the fact that there wasn't much available about Howard and his work at this time. Much has been published since but this was still a short, enjoyable work.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think even Mr. Schweitzer agrees today that this one isn't that good of a book on Robert E. Howard.