I suppose it might be possible for somebody to read Robert E. Howard’s work and not have it change their life. I know logically that a person might like the stories, like them enough to read all of them, even, and then move on and never think about them again. I get that, because I’ve been that way with plenty of authors.
But man, as for me and all the Howard fans I know, once you’ve read those yarns, you’re never really the same again. I’ve written before about how discovering Howard’s work in the Lancer edition of CONAN THE USURPER (the one with the great giant snake cover by Frazetta) had a huge impact on me not only as a reader but also as a writer. Of course the stories were wonderful and immediately captured my imagination, but reading the introduction and finding out that Howard was from a small town in Texas (like me) and was able, against the odds, to become a successful professional author was more inspiration than I had ever gotten before in my budding desire to be a writer myself.
ROBERT E. HOWARD CHANGED MY LIFE, edited by Jason M. Waltz and published by the Rogue Blades Foundation, is a great new collection of essays from a number of fans and professional writers, artists, editors, and academics, about that same subject. The book leads off with “How Robert E. Howard Saved My Life” by Bill Cavalier, a fantastic memoir that I’ve been privileged to hear Indy (as Howard fans know “Indiana Bill” Cavalier) deliver in person. He’s a monumental figure in Howard fandom, and so is Rusty Burke, who is also present in this collection along with Howard scholars Karen Joan Kohoutek, Todd Vick, Bobby Derie, Fred Blosser, Patrice Louinet, Dierk Gunther, Jeffrey Shanks, Deuce Richardson, and Chris Gruber. Professional authors Michael Moorcock, Joe R. Lansdale, Roy Thomas, David C. Smith, Scott Oden, C.L. Werner, Charles Saunders, Howard Andrew Jones, Keith Taylor, Cecilia Holland, David Hardy, Mark Finn, Nancy A. Collins, Steven Erikson, and Adrian Cole are all on hand with essays that range from poignant to informative to humorous. I should point out that all of these people are Howard fans, many of the ones I refer to as scholars have written professionally, and many of the ones who make their living primarily from their fiction have also contributed greatly to the study of Howard’s life and work.
I consider many of them good friends from Howard Days, the annual get-together in Cross Plains, Texas, to celebrate everything REH. Many of the others I know at least through the Internet. It’s an absolute pleasure to read their comments about the effect Robert E. Howard has had on their lives. For those of you who have been to Howard Days, reading this book is like sitting in the pavilion next to the Howard House and listening to the smartest, wittiest bunch of people in the world having a great time talking about a writer they all love.
Simply put, ROBERT E. HOWARD CHANGED MY LIFE is the best book I’ve read so far this year, and I give it my highest recommendation. If you’re a Howard fan, you can’t afford to miss it.
3 comments:
Count me as part of the tribe. REH was the first writer who made me think "I want to do THAT!" When I was 12 or 13, no less.
The really sad part is to think of what he would have produced had he lived.
That's a source of endless debate among Howard fans.
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