Several years prior to reading Wagner's Conan novel, The Road of Kings, I had read his first Kane novel, Darkness Weaves, and found it relatively brutal and crude. That may have colored my view of the Conan book. I should give it another try.
Back in the Stone Age, after writing a parody called Doc Simple, The Man of Aluminum, I started one called Conaz, and other called King Dull. Luckily, neither was ever published.
Those are some pretty cool covers, regardless of the quality of the books, none of which I've read. That first one, the big lizard guy has a tongue that's a snake? That's pretty weird.
Did you read the first, corrupted edition of DARKNESS WEAVES? I can imagine that would be pretty bad going. But Wagner was doing pretty brilliant things with Kane soon enough.
But was anyone (even RAH himself) better at it on balance than Karl Edward Wagner?
ReplyDeleteNo clue. Never read any of Wagner ones. But the ones by John Maddox Roberts are readable.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years prior to reading Wagner's Conan novel, The Road of Kings, I had read his first Kane novel, Darkness Weaves, and found it relatively brutal and crude. That may have colored my view of the Conan book. I should give it another try.
ReplyDeleteWith your gift for pastiche you should write one, Evan.
ReplyDeleteBack in the Stone Age, after writing a parody called Doc Simple, The Man of Aluminum, I started one called Conaz, and other called King Dull. Luckily, neither was ever published.
ReplyDeleteThose are some pretty cool covers, regardless of the quality of the books, none of which I've read. That first one, the big lizard guy has a tongue that's a snake? That's pretty weird.
ReplyDeleteDid you read the first, corrupted edition of DARKNESS WEAVES? I can imagine that would be pretty bad going. But Wagner was doing pretty brilliant things with Kane soon enough.
ReplyDelete