Kull: Exile of Atlantis

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Customer Reviews:

Arguably, the origin of Sword and Sorcery... [Posted on 2008-06-17]
I, like many readers, started my reading in Robert E. Howards' world with his House-hold-name character, Conan. After reading those, I wanted to read more of his works (and the 'completed' stories, as well as new ones, by lesser writers, was not going to suffice).

If you are like me, then KULL:EXILE OF ATLANTIS is a great place to start. I had seen the poor film version in the 90's, and let me just say that the REAL Kull is nothing like him. Many might assume that Kull was merely a 'work in progress' of Fantasy for Howard; honing his skills in preparation to Conan. That would be selling these stories short. Kull and Conan are very similar in physical appearance (save eye color), however philisophically, they are very different. Conan did end up as King of Aquilonia, but Kull begins his story as the new Usurper, and it goes on form there, not culminating in it. And with this 'barbarian King' perspective at the forefront, there is many different avenues explored. Aside from the usual attempts at Coups by resentful noblemen, Kull has philisophical discussions with many learned court attendants, about the nature of space and time. This leads to very unique stories not found in Conan including Time Travel, and Astral Plaining. Weird, wonderful stuff to 'Cosmic' fiction fans.

In this collection you will find many of Howard's best stories, including 'THE SHADOW KINGDOM', "BY THIS AXE I RULE", SWORDS OF THE PURPLE KINGDOM", and his out-of-time tale, "KINGS OF THE NIGHT". These stories are not only as thrilling as the Conan stories, but also help fill-in the Pre-Hyborian age to anyone wondering what the world was like before the sinking of Atlantis and the rise of the Stygian Kingdom and onward. In addition, stories like "THE SCREAMING SKULL OF SILENCE", and "THE STRIKING OF THE GONG" tie in neatly to H.P. Lovecraft's 'cosmic horror' ideas.

Finally to those familiar with Michael Moorcock's ELRIC series, The obvious influence should be testament alone to the influence these stories have had. This DEL REY edition of the KULL stories is a welcome edition, with stories completed by HOWARD ONLY making the cut. This means there are several fragments, which may be a turn off to casual readers. But to Howard completists, this is the real deal. That makes this collection a challenge, but at the same time don't let that detract you from some true gems in short fantasy fiction. Howards is, by today's standards of Epic Fantasy, very accesible. If you are at all serious about visiting the ancestors of modern Fantasy, you will not be let down by this collection.

By This Computer I Review! [Posted on 2008-06-30]
Sorry about that, but Robert E. Howard is a bit infectious, which is interesting because I made it to the ripe old age of 48 before getting around to giving him a try, starting just a few weeks ago....

OK, you can stop staring openmouthed with horror any time now.

I couldn't really tell you why, but one advantage to coming to him so late is that I got to start out with the real Howard, the raw and unadulterated Howard, thanks to these marvelous and authoritative Del Rey editions. I didn't have to suffer through Bowdlerized editions or attempted completions by somebody else. Because it was the earliest by internal chronology, I decided to start with Kull.

Introduction by Steve Tompkins: Interesting and useful, especially to a newbie like me. Points out that while Kull was not the first sword and sorcery hero, Kull WAS the first sword and sorcery series and the first American sword and sorcery.

Untitled Story (previously published as "Exile of Atlantis"): Unfinished fragment? Discarded beginning of the next story? There's no way to know, but this one and only tale of the pre-king Kull is vital to understanding the character. Kull dreams The Noodle Dream and then commits the "crime" for which he was exiled from Atlantis.

"The Shadow Kingdom": Slam bang beginning! Kull acquires his Pictish allies and friends in time to defeat a Hellish plot to assassinate him. While telling a creepy, disturbing tale, Howard gives a marvelous word picture of a kingdom dripping with unimaginable age. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows.

"The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune": Creepy little horror story. Kull encounters the eponymous peculiarly entrancing mirrors. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands.

Untitled Draft: Intriguing fragment that has Kull and the Red Slayers chase a man who has insulted Kull (quite literally) to the ends of the Earth and beyond. Presumably left unfinished because Howard couldn't come up with the "topper" of a climax such a beginning required.

"The Cat and the Skull": Disliked by many Howard fans, I rather enjoyed it. A somewhat silly beginning is saved IMHO by a marvelous adventure in and beyond the Forbidden Lake. Interesting villain's only appearance unfortunately.

"The Screaming Skull of Silence": Fascinating little story. "In the grip of a wayward perverseness, a common fault of kings," Kull sets out to do something Really Stupid. Fortunately, bull-headed courage manages to save the day and, wonder of wonders, improve the situation.

"The Striking of the Gong": Kull's version of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" didn't really appeal to me because it is mostly a philosophical discussion (yawn).

"The Altar and the Scorpion": Interesting little story in which Kull is only an offstage influence.

"The Curse of the Golden Skull": Time annihilating horror tale in which Kull is again only an offstage influence. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows.

"The Black City" (unfinished fragment): Intriguing concept that unfortunately gets no further than the creepy beginning.

Untitled Fragment: Unfinished tale by Brule, interesting because of its picture of Pictish government.

"By This Axe I Rule!": Later rewritten as the Conan story "The Phoenix on the Sword", rousing tale of Kull versus well planned assassination plot; the title is Kull's (and every executive's dream) response to entrenched, brain-dead bureaucracy. Also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands.

"Swords of the Purple Kingdom": Another rousing Kull versus assassins story; a lot of fun despite obvious similarities to the previous.

"The King and the Oak": Short poem about Kull also reprinted here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands.

"Kings of the Night": Thrilling crossover with Bran Mak Morn that is really the latter's story guest starring Kull. Also reprinted here: Bran Mak Morn: The Last King and here: The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows.

Miscellanea: The "Am-ra of the Ta-an" Fragments -- two poems and three fragments about what is in effect Conan 1.0 as Kull is Conan 2.0, and three earlier drafts of Kull items, useful to the Howard scholar.

"Atlantean Genesis" by Patrice Louinet: An informative essay that among other things delineates the importance of the "Am-ra" fragments and postulates the literary sources Howard borrowed from or was inspired by.

Notes on the Original Howard Texts: Thorough (IMHO TOO thorough) notes on the decisions made to assemble these definitive texts. Do we really need a notation every time a spelling or punctuation mistake is corrected? Mostly of use to the Howard scholar.

Besides being mostly just plain fun to read, the "Kull" stories make for a useful comparison and contrast with the Conan who supplanted him. Now I am REALLY looking forward to reading the rest of this Del Rey series: The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian: The Original Adventures of the Greatest Sword and Sorcery Hero of All Time!, The Bloody Crown of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 2), The Conquering Sword of Conan (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 3), Bran Mak Morn: The Last King, The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard, The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1: Crimson Shadows, The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands, and The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard.

Another Sword & Sorcery Hero [Posted on 2008-08-26]
I'm enjoying these stories quite a bit. Kull is similar to Conan in many superficial respects, but his psyche is a bit different. The stories are well written and drive the reader along at a strong pace. The one major difference I see so far is that there are no "love" interests in the stories. Kull is not infatuated with women like Conan is so often thus making him less of a romantic hero and more of a raw hero and leader of men. I can't say that this is good or bad, but it makes him different enough from Conan that it works for me.
A great read!

Kull disjointed [Posted on 2008-09-15]
The advance ads implied this was a single story rather than a disjointed review and groups of unlinked stories

Before Conan there was Kull [Posted on 2008-09-19]
Howard's first barbarian hero. From Atlantis he --like Conan -- becomes a king. The stories are a mixed bag from the incredible ("The Shadow Kingdom"), the eerie ("The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune") and straight adventure ("By This Axe I Rule" -- which after failing to sell was later rewritten by REH as the Conan story "Phoenix on the Sword", with a supernatural element added.

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