gamato's review against another edition
5.0
Everybody who knows Robert E Howard knows Conan. Some go on to read his Kull stories which were written earlier. But those characters are nearly the same, the difference in the works more due to Howard's maturing as a writer and giving Conan a bit more depth of character.
I like them all, but the Bran Mak Morn stories have a different feel. This character wasn't set up to be invincible like Conan and Kull. He was conceived from the beginning as a king who fought for his people's place in the world but Howard tells us from early on Bran ultimately loses this fight. That sense of loss underlying every heroic act, in my opinion, tells us a lot about what the author was feeling. This is no super human who will succeed no matter what he does, he's much more human than that.
I only wish Howard had written more of the stories of Bran Mak Morn before he died. The Conan stories are probably better for pure high adventure, but despite being an early character for Howard, I think the Bran stories might be my favorites.
I like them all, but the Bran Mak Morn stories have a different feel. This character wasn't set up to be invincible like Conan and Kull. He was conceived from the beginning as a king who fought for his people's place in the world but Howard tells us from early on Bran ultimately loses this fight. That sense of loss underlying every heroic act, in my opinion, tells us a lot about what the author was feeling. This is no super human who will succeed no matter what he does, he's much more human than that.
I only wish Howard had written more of the stories of Bran Mak Morn before he died. The Conan stories are probably better for pure high adventure, but despite being an early character for Howard, I think the Bran stories might be my favorites.
paulopaperbooksonly's review against another edition
5.0
hese book needs no introduction. Bran Mak Morn was one of the famous characters created by the mythic Robert E Howard, the creator of Conan, Kull or Solomon Kane. It's quite amazing that some of these stories he had only 13 years old. And they are beautiful. I must say that the painter Gary Gianni was the right one to do the job. I've search some books with pictures of Bran Mak Morn and even Conan ones and this one was the better one. Trully beautiful. The history on this book as some not fidegin since they were romanticized by Howard but that doesn't drove people away. He made the picts a noble savage people alike the indians. To be precise he put the picts from a group of islands near Valusia and when Atlantis, Lemuria and Valusia sank the picts society began to decline. The forgot their trades including metal working. The migrated to Caledon (noawadays scotland). After the invasion of the Celts they fled northward and interbred with a red-haired barbarians (and so they were shorter than other tribes) and following the invasion of the romans and later breton and saxon the picts sought refuge underground just like the natives they had displaced before. There are two types of Picts. The first is from the Bran timeline where he tries to restore the picts honourable place in the world and the later ones who were litte more than savages produced by many years of hatred. The picts, some of them at least, could also turn into werewolves or wolves. What is great on this book and at the same time sad its the image that Howard gives to Bran Mak Morn that is depicted as a leader of a dying and degenerate people and deeply aware of their inevitable path to extinction (and coincidenly with all other characters he chooses to fight rather than succumb). Their natural enemies are the Romans.
In the Kings of the Night story we know the tale of Bran as he was the descent of Brule the Spear-Slayer (compantion of Kull). We even get to see him summon Kull to fight the romans. It's one of the best waring story I had the pleasure of reading. In The Dark Man we get a dark version of the picts centuries after Bran. This is their decline. A sad story. In Worms of the Earth Bran makes a unholy alliance with beings that his own ancestors have banished. This is quite a tale. The ending meaning... some weapons are too foul to use, even against the bitter romans. There are other small stories some without Bran. There are also some plays, fragmants and poems.
Would I advice these book? Go get it. Now. 10/10
In the Kings of the Night story we know the tale of Bran as he was the descent of Brule the Spear-Slayer (compantion of Kull). We even get to see him summon Kull to fight the romans. It's one of the best waring story I had the pleasure of reading. In The Dark Man we get a dark version of the picts centuries after Bran. This is their decline. A sad story. In Worms of the Earth Bran makes a unholy alliance with beings that his own ancestors have banished. This is quite a tale. The ending meaning... some weapons are too foul to use, even against the bitter romans. There are other small stories some without Bran. There are also some plays, fragmants and poems.
Would I advice these book? Go get it. Now. 10/10
gipanu's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
agentdrake's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
valmer's review against another edition
4.0
Index:
The Bell of Morni
The Whell Turns
Bran Mak Morn: A Play
Bran Mak Morn
Men of the Shadows
Kings of the Night
Worms of the Earth
Untitled (A gray sky arched ...)
A Song of the Race (poem)
Untitled Synopses
Untitled Synopses
The Dark Man
The Lost Race
The Little People
The Drums of Pictdom (poem)
The Children of the Night
More...