Its time for the next Joe!

[The Josh]

Conan books equal to or better lotr/hobbit? In a word nope.

 

[EVILFACE]

In a word, yes.

 

[the angry orc]

In a word, yes.

even some of his non-conan stuff...worms of the earth = amazing. i love lotr but there is just something about howard...some of stuff is just white-hot on the page, raw, primal, visceral.

 

[The Josh]

In a word, yes.

For you and a handful of others I'm sure. I would venture to guess with most fantasy fans don't feel the same. Even if they do for me thats not the case and really all I care about. I have no interest in reading anything about Conan at all. I find the movies boring almost sucky and the subject matter just seems lame.

 

[the angry orc]

josh...the movies are nothing like the stories though other than some names, some of the ideas, etc....everything in the stories, including the main character, feel different. there is some nice reading in REH's stuff.

 

[The Josh]

josh...the movies are nothing like the stories though other than some names, some of the ideas, etc....everything in the stories, including the main character, feel different. there is some nice reading in REH's stuff.

I know the basis of the stories. They just seem lame at best. Very little story that makes it worth reading. LOTR/hobbit is kind of classic literally fantasy stuff. Conan is the stuff you read if you want to read about killing and naked women.

 

[thenammagazine]

For you and a handful of others I'm sure. I would venture to guess with most fantasy fans don't feel the same. Even if they do for me thats not the case and really all I care about. I have no interest in reading anything about Conan at all. I find the movies boring almost sucky and the subject matter just seems lame.

THIS is the reason I said equal to. I knew some knucklehead would pop in and rant about it while being completely ignorant as to Robert's work.

Josh, have you ever read a Robert E. Howard Conan book? If not, bite your tongue. You're like a virgin giving sex advice. REH's world is just as colorful as anything JRT put to paper. The only reason the man hasn't received the critical acclaim of JRT is because he put a gun in his mouth and ended it (he was only in his 30's I believe) because of his mother's death.

 

[EVILFACE]

Well there is no hobbit on hobbit man love going on in Howards Conan, but there is some pretty good fantasy. He created a large realistic world and interesting characters and great adventure tales of a character that does not give up against anything.

Conan has been going strong since the 30's, published in magazines, novels, comics, toys and movies. Not bad for being created by someone that isn't considered a expert writer.

 

[King Darkness]

LotR= Great but overrated

Conan= Great but under appreciated

 

[the angry orc]

his stuff at the end was getting better all the time. red nails and beyond the black river...just wow.

 

[thenammagazine]

his stuff at the end was getting better all the time. red nails and beyond the black river...just wow.

Conan the Conqueror, being the only complete novel he wrote, is arguably the best in the series.

 

[The Josh]

THIS is the reason I said equal to. I knew some knucklehead would pop in and rant about it while being completely ignorant as to Robert's work.

Josh, have you ever read a Robert E. Howard Conan book? If not, bite your tongue. You're like a virgin giving sex advice. REH's world is just as colorful as anything JRT put to paper. The only reason the man hasn't received the critical acclaim of JRT is because he put a gun in his mouth and ended it (he was only in his 30's I believe) because of his mother's death.

Well, I guess I'm a knucklehead then for not agreeing. I'm not ignorant to the topic but never read a complete novel cause what I did read I thought was bleh. Nothing about it pulled me into the story and made me care about wtf was going on.

Well there is no hobbit on hobbit man love going on in Howards Conan, but there is some pretty good fantasy. He created a large realistic world and interesting characters and great adventure tales of a character that does not give up against anything.

There's no love that way going on in any copy of LOTR that I've read. As far as what he created pretty much how I feel with LOTR. Its cool you all like Conan that much. I just don't and was just stating my opinion on the issue. You're more than welcomed to feel the way you do though.

 

[thenammagazine]

Well, I guess I'm a knucklehead then for not agreeing. I'm not ignorant to the topic but never read a complete novel cause what I did read I thought was bleh. Nothing about it pulled me into the story and made me care about wtf was going on.

Are you sure it was Howard's Conan you read and not some of the lame newer authors? I tried getting into the newer books by other authors and it was very much as you described (like dating a Hollywood look-a-like. Kinda cool at first glance but falls apart upon closer inspection and nothing like banging the real thing). If not, I'd urge you to give one of Howard's works a try. If you're still disappointed, check your pulse.

 

[The Josh]

Are you sure it was Howard's Conan you read and not some of the lame newer authors? I tried getting into the newer books by other authors and it was very much as you described (like dating a Hollywood look-a-like. Kinda cool at first glance but falls apart upon closer inspection and nothing like banging the real thing). If not, I'd urge you to give one of Howard's works a try. If you're still disappointed, check your pulse.

I'm almost 99% sure it was. I think I was a senior or so in HS so its been a while. I've got no problem giving it another go at somepoint. I'm actually a pretty damn open minded person.

 

[the angry orc]

Conan the Conqueror, being the only complete novel he wrote, is arguably the best in the series.

yah, i agree. that is a really good story. i actually picked up a few of the weird tales issues it originally appeared in as 'hour of the dragon' not too long ago. some of the weird tales magazines are worth it for the covers alone. i really dig the margaret brundage conan covers. my all time howard conan favorites though are probably queen of the black coast and red nails.

 

[The Craw]

i like Conan O'Brien.

 

[devlinboy]

BIG BOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[thenammagazine]

I'm almost 99% sure it was. I think I was a senior or so in HS so its been a while. I've got no problem giving it another go at somepoint. I'm actually a pretty damn open minded person.

Maybe not. I know the Robert Jordan garbage was popular at that time. I felt the same way about his novels that you explained so maybe it was Jordan. Either way, he's definitely worth a try. Again, if you dig Tolkien, I don't see how you couldn't like Howard.

 

[The Josh]

Could be its been 10 years since I was in high school. I'll give it a shot so why not. I love Tolkiens work. The story in LOTR and many of the minor things that make it up are what make it special for me at least.

 

[Khev]

Tolkien and Howard. They really made the 30's a golden age for fantasy fiction. I love them both. Howard basically created a genre while Tolkien perfected another. I prefer Tolkien's middle earth work over Conan stories but there's a life and energy to Howard's descriptions that I don't think any writer may have ever equalled.

I would have loved to have read Howard's take on Aragorn hunting the Uruk-hai.