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Title: The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane
Series: ———-
Author: Robert Howard
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 432
Format: Digital Edition
| Synopsis: |
The collected works following the adventures of the Puritan Swordsman, Solomon Kane. From the deepest depths of Africa to the windswept shores of England, Solomon Kane follows wither the spirit leads. Avenging wrongs, rescuing maidens, defeating evil incarnate, Solomon Kane knows no fear, for he is God’s Avenging Sword against Evil.
| My Thoughts: |
Not as enjoyable as the Essential Conan collection I read last year. Part of that was that there just wasn’t nearly as much material for Solomon Kane as there was for Conan. Almost 1/3 of the stories in this book were fragments that Howard had started and then either set aside or just never finished. Thankfully each story that was a fragment had the word (fragment), like that, next to the story name. There were also 2 or 3 poems and I’m just not a poetry buff of any sort.
My biggest problem however, was that Kane was supposed to be a Puritan. While he dresses like one, not once does he act in any way that I recognized as a Godly man. He consorts with sorcerers, uses gifts of magic from a devil worshipper, thinks that men are nothing but higher animals and generally displays no reverence for God. He occasionally mouths a platitude or two about “faith” but what he said could just as easily have come from a Hindu, a Muslim or a Buddhist.
Now with all of that out of the way…
There were some fine pulp stories here. Encountering lost civilizations in the heart of Africa, fighting off a tribe of flying cannibal creatures, torching a city of zombie vampires, fighting a whole crew of pirates, Solomon Kane has the chops to keep you entertained. Everydayshouldbetuesday talked about Solomon Kane back in May and that peaked my interest.
I would recommend this if you enjoyed Howard’s Conan stories and wanted to try something different. However, if you haven’t read any Howard, don’t start with this.
★★★☆☆
I never knew this was a book… There was a movie some time ago… I kinda liked it at the time…
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I saw there was a movie too. I might try to check it out sometime…
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Sorry ignore Milous text… It was me, did not look at who was logged in… Lol
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hahahahah! I wondered about that 😀
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I always meant to watch the film but haven’t got round to it yet.
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I know it was on Netflix but not sure if it was ever on Prime. I might have to check it out at some point…
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I’ve been curious about the character for some time, never got around to checking him out. Should think about it (but if I do my paragraph on misuse of Puritan will be 3x as long as yours, easy)
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Quite understandable. I’d probably never have checked him out if it weren’t for some other bloggers talking about him.
And I think that “only” 3 times as long is being quite, um, optimistic? 😀
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I enjoyed the style of these pulpy stories. Aged, definitely, but strangely appealing. You’re right – it’s for people who like Howard and want to try sth a bit different 🙂
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I think I would have enjoyed this more if he hadn’t been a “Puritan” swordsman. It really distracted me since he wasn’t 😀
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That aspect reminded me on the way some ‘western’ characters look in manga:-)
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Huh, can’t say I ever experienced that. Anything you can point to off the top of your head? I’m curious…
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Well, I’m used to seeing fairly realistic depictions of Europe and America in media I consume- because it’s mostly Western productions. Other cultures are often stereotyped. But Westerners in non-Western media are subjected to similar treatment. And I remember several mangas that showed peculiar versions of Christianity.. I don’t have access to my archive here, but see Anime Catholicism on TV tropes 🙂
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Ahh, yes, the japanese and Christianity. They go in some weird places, that is for sure. Evangelion has always stood out in my mind….
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Exactly. On the other hand, Howard probably met some real Protestants 😉
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Going full circle here….
Attitude-wise Kane definitely fits the dour Puritan from England model. And I bet Howard met some hardy New Englanders, as Kane reminded me of that, a lot.
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It is indeed odd that he barely shows in of his Puritan chops in it. Funnily, I actually remember the trailer for the movie way back when it was announced.
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I’ve seen enough “I remembers” about the movie that at some point I’ll probably watch it just to scratch the itch of curiosity.
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