tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post8040180318410003697..comments2024-03-27T19:07:19.133-04:00Comments on The Silver Key: Blood & Thunder: The Life & Art of Robert E. Howard: A reviewBrian Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05563309422791320114noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post-79442112674041726652008-10-20T23:00:00.000-04:002008-10-20T23:00:00.000-04:00I've been reading a bit of late in regard to de Ca...I've been reading a bit of late in regard to de Camp. I think this post over at The Cimmerian sheds quite a bit of light on the topic of the REH/HPL de Camp bio's. <BR/><BR/>http://www.thecimmerian.com/?p=895<BR/><BR/>Regardless, I still have great respect for de Camp, based on books like <I>Lest Darkness Fall</I>, <I>The Wheels of If</I>, and the <I>Harold Shea</I> series. Clearly I was a bit out of the loop on my initial take, and Mark Finn certainly deserves more credit than I initially assumed. de Camp should have a much greater reputation for what he did for pulp fans through the years, as a champion of REH and HPL's works, if not for his cold, short-sighted, psycho-analytical takes on the lives of the two writers. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for inspiring me to look deeper into the subject. I'm happy that Leo Grin, and others, appreciate the trails blazed by de Camp. Too bad his legacy has been tarnished because of his 'excess sensationalism'. Clearly all three had their shortcomings, and it's sad that de Camp will be remembered as the guy that tried to 'cash in' on the legacies of two of his deceased pen-pals. <BR/><BR/>~ShamSham aka Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14329116400656617173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post-22365170706426046932008-10-18T18:00:00.000-04:002008-10-18T18:00:00.000-04:00Badelaire: I own The Dark Barbarian and have read ...Badelaire: I own <I>The Dark Barbarian</I> and have read a few essays here and there, but I need to get around to reading it cover-to-cover. It is regarded as the seminal work in Howard studies.<BR/><BR/>As I said in my post I highly recommend <I>Blood & Thunder.</I> It's an easy, quick read and it contained a lot of information new to me.<BR/><BR/>James/Sham: De Camp's reputation has fallen considerably in recent years, as it seems he did a lot of sensationalizing in his biographies of both Howard and Lovecraft. I still want to read <I>Dark Valley Destiny</I> and decide for myself, however.Brian Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05563309422791320114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post-74080989910518315682008-10-17T11:11:00.000-04:002008-10-17T11:11:00.000-04:00Excellent review. I've got a copy of this book, a...Excellent review. I've got a copy of this book, and I really need to get around to reading it.<BR/><BR/>Also, have you ever read The Dark Barbarian? It came out a few years ago and contains a bunch of critical essays on Howard and his works. I read portions of it a number of years ago - I should re-read it as well as read this one.Jack Badelairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10932441028544500024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post-4256599448028065842008-10-17T00:24:00.000-04:002008-10-17T00:24:00.000-04:00I'm no Howard scholar, so I can't say this for rea...I'm no Howard scholar, so I can't say this for reasons I could defend -- other than to say it's what my gut tells me -- but DeCamp, whatever his other very real virtues, was never above feathering his own nest, reputation-wise, by bringing down the reputations of his predecessors. Considering what a hatchet job DeCamp did on Lovecraft, I have little doubt that he did much the same to Howard. This isn't to suggest that REH was what we'd call "well adjusted," but neither was he the paranoid Mama's boy that DeCamp would have us believe.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post-7979473022032267212008-10-16T23:42:00.000-04:002008-10-16T23:42:00.000-04:00The truth might likely be somewhere between Blood ...The truth might likely be somewhere between <I>Blood & Thunder</I> and <I>Dark Valley Destiny</I>, but I'd bet dollars to dimes that DeCamp's take is closer to the truth.<BR/><BR/>Howard's legacy as the greatest Pulp Sword & Sorcery writer ever remains untarnished no matter the truth. I'm not sure it's necessary to defend his good name. A work like this serves more to remind or acknowledge that indeed Howard led a haunted life.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the review, Brian. It is certainly an interesting topic.<BR/><BR/>~ShamSham aka Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14329116400656617173noreply@blogger.com