I appreciate your in-depth Conan research & analysis - well done! I have to now edit my recent "Conan The Bard-barian?" article to include a link to yours!
Now I have to edit my piece to make sure that people know that your Bard-barian piece was what inspired me to go back and refine some of my past meanderings about Conan.
Just getting into Conan myself. I always liked how "The Phoenix on the Sword" sets up Conan's character for every story that came after it. We know that this brutal warrior is going to be a king someday, so every story can be seen as him growing into this role.
One of the things I love about a lot of older short story based fantasy (especially from Howard, Leiber, and Moorcock) is how they are willing to write the stories "out of order." We get glimpses into the lives. Howard's starting at the "end" lets us know what other stories lead to and because of that it allows them to stand on their own without needing to worry about building cliffhangers etc. to keep us guessing. If we like the end, then we want to experience the journey.
I appreciate your in-depth Conan research & analysis - well done! I have to now edit my recent "Conan The Bard-barian?" article to include a link to yours!
Now I have to edit my piece to make sure that people know that your Bard-barian piece was what inspired me to go back and refine some of my past meanderings about Conan.
Ha! No worries - I love the synergy & serendipity. 😁
Just getting into Conan myself. I always liked how "The Phoenix on the Sword" sets up Conan's character for every story that came after it. We know that this brutal warrior is going to be a king someday, so every story can be seen as him growing into this role.
Absolutely!
One of the things I love about a lot of older short story based fantasy (especially from Howard, Leiber, and Moorcock) is how they are willing to write the stories "out of order." We get glimpses into the lives. Howard's starting at the "end" lets us know what other stories lead to and because of that it allows them to stand on their own without needing to worry about building cliffhangers etc. to keep us guessing. If we like the end, then we want to experience the journey.
It's like a happier version of Sunset Boulevard.