Blood and Thunder: The Life and Art of Robert E. Howard - Biography of the Legendary Fantasy Writer | Perfect for Book Collectors, Literature Enthusiasts & Conan the Barbarian Fans
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Product Description
Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan, King Kull, and others that defined heroic fantasy, lived and died in the small town of Cross Plains, Texas. While his books remain in print, Howard himself has fallen into obscurity, his life mired in speculation and half-truth. This engaging biography traces the roots of his writings, correcting long-standing misconceptions, and offers a tour of Howard's world as he saw it: through his own incomparable imagination.This is the updated and expanded second edition of the Monkeybrain Books 2006 edition.This is the author's "director's cut" of his popular biography of Texas writer and creator of Conan the Cimmerian, Robert E. Howard and includes new information and facts that were not known during the writing of the first edition, an expanded chapter on Conan, a total of 35,000 more words, and expanded and corrected chapters on Howard's boxing stories, his westerns, both humorous and serious, and the events leading up to Howard's death as well as what happened afterward. Also included are an expanded and corrected index and bibliography, and author's notes on each chapter. This is Finn's definitive version of his biography, and one that any fan of Robert E. Howard will want to own.
Customer Reviews
NOTE - This review refers to the 2013 revised and expanded version of Mark Finn's already excellent 2006 biography on Robert E. Howard. This is an important distinction to make as it is effectively a new volume with the addition of over more 30,000 words.The expansion of the Conan chapter was a large part of this revision and it was a well-needed addition. The section dealing with Howard and race was also revised and I think now provides a much more balanced and nuanced discussion of a devisive but important topic. The addition of chapter notes was one of the most important revisions and it will help other researchers delve into the background sources should they so desire -- this was something I was personally hoping for and very pleased to see.What was retained and still emphasized in this edition is Finn's principle thesis: that Howard and his oeuvre are best understood when viewed through a Texas lens. That is, Howard was a Texan through and through and that informed his work even when he was writing in genres like sword and sorcery that were ostensibly unrelated to Texas history and culture. Finn's background (he is a Texas writer himself) gives him a unique perspective and insight on the subject -- something that L. Sprague de Camp, with his flawed biography Dark Valley Destiny, could never grasp. And it will insure that even if more comprehensive biographies eventually appear (say by Rusty Burke or Patrice Louinet), Blood and Thunder will always be a significant and important contribution to Howard scholarship.This is truly a must-read volume, both for fans of Howard and for those who simply wish to learn more about this misunderstand man who had such a major impact and influence on modern fantasy and horror.
