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Sword Woman And Other Historical Adventures (2011)

by Robert E. Howard(Favorite Author)

4.15 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0345505468 (ISBN13: 9780345505460)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Del Rey

review 1: This is a collection of 18 of Howard's short stories/novellas, most of which were published in the early 1930's although several of them not until after his untimely death. Unlike most of his better known works such as Conan, Kull, Solomon Kane, etc., these stories are all historically based adventure stories. Lots of swashbuckling adventure here but no magic or supernatural elements. They were largely written towards the end of Howard's career and so we are treated to more refined writing than we tend to see with his earlier stories.This volume includes several unpublished fragments and synopsis for other stories Howard had abandoned for one reason or another. There is also a nice afterward written by Howard Andrew Jones that really puts these stories in context. Appa... morerently, the market for this type of historical fiction was slim at that time; if that were not so we would probably have many more of them as it seems Howard really enjoyed writing them.Several great heroes are introduced in these stories, among them Cormac FitzGeoffrey, Cahal and Haroun, Sir Miles, Giles the Rogue, and the titular sword woman, Dark Agnes. One story here-in also marks the first appearance ever of Red Sonya. She was Howard's creation and written in a realistic historical context, not at all the chainmail bikini heroine of the comic books that she would soon become. Indeed, one can't help but wonder if Howard had lived a normal lifespan, just how many of these characters would have become as successful and iconic as Conan.A must read for Robert E. Howard fans and highly recommended for pulp-era historical fiction enthusiasts as well.
review 2: Recommended for Howard completists.This is an interesting book, but there's a reason Howard was more known for his fantasy than his historical adventures. Well, not that these stories aren't really fantasy - they're all about Howard's personal fantasy of manly warriors doing military things. But magic & monsters really jazz up his work.The title story here is by far the best, followed by the other bits where the female warrior Dark Agnes makes an appearance. Too many of the other stories, while not bad, just weren't really gripping. This became my 'breakfast reading' because I didn't really mind leaving the story where ever I happened to be and coming back to it later.I did like the 'untitled fragments' included near the end, however, because I felt they gave some interesting insights into Howard's writing process. less

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