tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8679457768571800783.post2978832729755732195..comments2023-09-01T10:14:30.179+01:00Comments on Graeme's Fantasy Book Review: ‘Conan: The Hall of the Dead and other Stories’ – Kurt Busiek, Mike Mignola, Timothy Truman & Cary Nord (Dark Horse Books)Graeme Floryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15411505049326440010noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8679457768571800783.post-71260515094425455662011-03-31T13:28:26.722+01:002011-03-31T13:28:26.722+01:00I'm afraid I can't be as charitable as Hel...I'm afraid I can't be as charitable as Heloise in regards to <i>Songs of the Dead</i>: Lansdale's brand of humour worked great for <i>Bubba Ho-Tep</i>, but I felt it was infuriatingly out of place and distracting in the Hyborian Age. <br /><br />Then again, I'm generally highly critical of Dark Horse's run as a whole: a lot of other Howard fans enjoy them.<br /><br />The second Chronicles of Conan is chock-full of the very best Conan stories. Most of the lame ducks were in the previous volume: with the exception of "The Servants of Bit-Yakin/Jewels of Gwahlur/Teeth of Gwahlur", every story is simply, excellent.Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8679457768571800783.post-61260374307079458472011-03-30T23:50:27.818+01:002011-03-30T23:50:27.818+01:00Oops, sorry then. Still keeping my fingers crossed...Oops, sorry then. Still keeping my fingers crossed that you'll make it through the volume and have some fun along the way. ;)<br /><br /><i>Conan and the Songs of the Dead</i> is a bit unusual, in so far as Conan gets a sidekick here and a lot of comic banter ensues (which Lansdale does exceedingly well, as any reader of his Hap & Leonard novels will attest). Does not mean that's it's short on action and violence, though, with some horror and even a bit of sex thrown in - in short it has everything a good pulp story should have, and makes for a very enjoyable read (well, did for me, in any case).Heloisehttp://heloise2nd.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8679457768571800783.post-40922937010765140222011-03-30T22:10:32.967+01:002011-03-30T22:10:32.967+01:00Don't feel like you have to rush into Conan, o...Don't feel like you have to rush into Conan, or any author: hype aversion is the worst thing in the world to experience. That's one thing that soured me on <i>A Song of Ice & Fire</i>.<br /><br />I agree that the setting is much deeper than Conan, though I wouldn't agree that's because Conan isn't deep: he's a character whose depth is a lot subtler. With some characters you can see the depth, like the ocean under clear ice: others are obscured by opaque frost. The Hyborian Age itself is a character, as much as Conan is.<br /><br />That said, I didn't mind "The Hall of the Dead": though it takes a Lin Carter title (Howard never gave the two-page synopsis a name), it doesn't mess up that much, mostly because there aren't enough details to mess up! The beauty of the "monstrous guardian" of the ruins is that it really could be anything, so Mignola's frog is as reasonable enough a supposition as any. I imagined something more Lovecraftian, or Smithian to keep with the frog thing (Tsathoggua's spawn and whatnot), but it's one of those cases where just about anything could work.Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8679457768571800783.post-18071925918412288702011-03-29T12:36:23.477+01:002011-03-29T12:36:23.477+01:00Thanks for the recommendation, I'll have to gi...Thanks for the recommendation, I'll have to give it a go if/when I get a chance :o)<br />I've actually read the first Conan 'Masterworks' edition but that was at least ten years ago... I'm way overdue a re-read!Graeme Floryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15411505049326440010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8679457768571800783.post-23111212381409737252011-03-29T12:14:47.848+01:002011-03-29T12:14:47.848+01:00Comics aren't really my cup of tea, but one of...Comics aren't really my cup of tea, but one of the few I've actually read is <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/2774805/book/62010283" rel="nofollow">Conan and the Songs of the Dead</a>, because it was written by Joe Lansdale, who I'm rather a fan of, and which was great fun. Still you don't know Conan until you've read the originals, and I wish you good luck in smashing that brick wall and look forward on your take on Robert E. Howard's stories!Heloisehttp://heloise2nd.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com