Matters Hyborian have led me to purchasing Roy Thomas' exquisite Conan: The Ultimate Guide, a comprehensive, full colour, 160 page Dorling Kindersley production, that charts the history of Conan and the Hyborian Age.This fantastic book is broken down into thirteen sections, from Conan's formative years in Cimmeria and his participation in the Battle of Venarium, through to his eventual relinquishing of the crown of Aquilonia and journey into the isles of the west.
Given his pedigree as editor and author of many of Marvel's Conan comics, Roy Thomas' presents as well-written history of Conan which serves both as a useful refresher for fans and an ideal introduction to anyone who has yet to discover Robert E. Howard's work.
As with other Dorling Kindersley guides, every page is covered in incredible art drawn from Conan novels, posters and comic books. These include the works of a number of famous Conan artists, including John Buscema, Frank Frazetta, Barry Windsor-Smith, Cary Nord and Alex Ross. There are also some beautiful (and highly useful) maps of the Hyborian World as well as (typical DK) insets on particular characters and items important to the Conan mythology.
All in all, a 'must have' purchase for the Conan fan...
Excellent looking book. I may have to pick it up. Isw it readily available or is this something that needs tracking down?
ReplyDelete-Eli
That looks like a really good book.
ReplyDeleteI am not a Conan 'fan'. But that is only because I have not ever experienced it (not even the film, thankfully, I am sure).
Perhaps If I bought this, I would be pushed into reading the books, however many there may be!
I'm also sure there are links to him in Pratchett (Cohen) that I have missed because of my lack of reading...
Rob
Eli - $16.49 on Amazon.com!
ReplyDeleteRob - not read Conan? Is there an emoticon for a sad shake of the head? :-)
There are not that many original stories (Howard only wrote one full length Conan book). Regarding the films, the first film is ok, starts well. Second is just worth the 99p post free I paid on eBay for it yesterday! :-)
I got a great omnibus compilation of all the original Howard stories last year which is a cracking read!
ReplyDelete