Jefferson N. (Jefferson) reviewed Solomon Kane (The Robert E. Howard Library, Volume III) on + 170 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This third volume in the Robert E. Howard Library focuses on the character of Solomon Kane, his most prolific character next to Conan. Solomon is a Puritan who is driven to wander the world in a neverending quest to right wrongs and bring down tyrants and evildoers wherever he finds them. In the beginning of the book, this takes him mostly around central Europe, and finally to the darkest depths of Africa. There are several story fragments in this book that were not completed by Howard, but that WERE completed years later by Ramsey Campbell.
Solomon Kane is like most Howard characters...in the beginning the adventures are thrilling, but if you read too much at one time, you will find they get fairly repetitive. Especially the African stories...how many lost civilizations can one man find on a continent, even one as vast as Africa? But, if you read the stories in moderation, they are quite thrilling. Just be forewarned...if you are overly sensitive, some of these stories could irritate you. Howard's characters tend to take a dim view of African that could be construed as racist. That was just the flavor of the time and to take it out would be to say that these attitudes never existed...and they did. By the same token, even though a lot of the characters look down on the tribesmen, Howard shows that Kane himself begins to respect and appreciate them the longer he spends time around them. In fact, in that level, Kane has perhaps more depth than most of Howard's characters...his attitudes and beliefs change over the course of the tales, unlike a lot of the other characters, like Cormac and Kull, who pretty much stay the same over the course of their adventures.
The Howard tales are great and if you love Howard, you'll love these. This book is pretty full for fans of Solomon Kane. Unlike some of the other titles in the library, they didn't have to fall back on other characters to beef up the stories. They're all about Kane. And the Ramsey Campbell finishes are great in their own right, too. You'll get to see the early writings of one of today's horror greats. So, if you're up for some adventure, give this one a try.
Solomon Kane is like most Howard characters...in the beginning the adventures are thrilling, but if you read too much at one time, you will find they get fairly repetitive. Especially the African stories...how many lost civilizations can one man find on a continent, even one as vast as Africa? But, if you read the stories in moderation, they are quite thrilling. Just be forewarned...if you are overly sensitive, some of these stories could irritate you. Howard's characters tend to take a dim view of African that could be construed as racist. That was just the flavor of the time and to take it out would be to say that these attitudes never existed...and they did. By the same token, even though a lot of the characters look down on the tribesmen, Howard shows that Kane himself begins to respect and appreciate them the longer he spends time around them. In fact, in that level, Kane has perhaps more depth than most of Howard's characters...his attitudes and beliefs change over the course of the tales, unlike a lot of the other characters, like Cormac and Kull, who pretty much stay the same over the course of their adventures.
The Howard tales are great and if you love Howard, you'll love these. This book is pretty full for fans of Solomon Kane. Unlike some of the other titles in the library, they didn't have to fall back on other characters to beef up the stories. They're all about Kane. And the Ramsey Campbell finishes are great in their own right, too. You'll get to see the early writings of one of today's horror greats. So, if you're up for some adventure, give this one a try.
