Swords of the North

1st off this product is well made. 2cndly If your are a book collector of 1st/1st this is not for you as the publisher missed a golden opportunity to add a tale or 2 & make it a true 1st/1st! This is only relevant to collectors. Turlogh O'Brien & Athelstane the Saxon appears to be the power dou R.E.H. would have focused on. the tales of Cormac Mac Art & Wolfhere " The Skull Splitter are in this book also. R.E.H. loved his Celtic heroes! There is every indication R.E.H. had further plans for Turlough & Athelstane as we see in his unfinished fragment which picks up directly where The Gods of Bal-Sagoth ends. As far as James Allison goes...well there is a plethora of stories just begging to see the big screen! Again I'm pretty sure James Allisons character would have never been abandoned by R.E.H. had he survived to a ripe old age. The character is custom made for endless " Yarns" as R.E.H. would say. A character that remembers passed lives! It makes me wonder if this was not the source for the successful gaming & movie franchise " Assassins Creed"? Sorry R.E.H. & his works are a passion of mine. I feel if he had " True Love" in his life or a cause, lets say World War 2. He would have forgone suicide & if surviving the war would have lived a long prolific life as an author, leaning towards lengthy historical fiction must like Michner or Clavell. Alas...if only? Back to this book while on the pricey side I'm sure it is worth every penny just for the fact that the Cormac Mac Art , Turlough & Allison tales can all be read in this tome. As far as collectability value...simply the art on the cover grantee's you will profit on resale once this production run ends. As far as the stories contained in this book they are on par or surpass most of Howards Conan " Yarns"! Conan is a character that has far outgrown the authors original creation. Much like Tarzan & H.P. Lovecraft's creation of the Necronomicon. But the stories contained in this book will hit you at a visceral level, like a gut punch...only one you will enjoy! R.E.H.'s ability to create an image in the mind's eye, using few words is incomparable! As you will find reading the opening paragraph of " The Gods Of Bal-Sagoth. I am so happy for those discovering these stories for the 1st time! Pricey yes...but well worth it ! Because you will most likely spend more trying to collect all the stories gathered here!

This is a great collection of Howard’s Viking and Celtic inspired stories. It’s the only book I’ve ever seen The Frost Kings Daughter in. A must for all REH fans.

This edition of all of Howard's "northern" stories and poems is wonderful. It's full of classic tales and some lesser-known gems, too. As a bonus, it presents all the Turlogh Dubh O'Brien tales (even the unfinished ones) and all the James Allison stories (again, even the unfinished ones). There is a substantial selection of poetry, a wonderful introduction, and a beautiful cove painting. The book is big, but well-made, with font, pagination, and binding that are all high quality. I'm so glad I now have a coy to put on my shelf.