The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2: Grim Lands

It suited my taste for old fashioned adventure.

I am, first and foremost, a diehard fan of Howard's sword-and-sorcery tales, particular his Conan series and, to a lesser extent, his Kull, Kane, and Bran series (in descending order). What we have in the last two volumes (#7 and #8) of the Ballantine/Del Rey series too often feels like a collection of lesser leftovers. I was never impressed by his Western-themed works nor by his two-cent street boxing efforts. To top it off, Jim and Ruth Keegan seem to have taken the quick way out of illustrating the works, foisting off the easiest possible substitutes for what should be action drawings. (As the simplest example, when Conan and Valeria must escape from a murderous giant snake in the novelette "Red Nails," Gary Manchess [in the same publisher's "Bloody Crown of Conan"] offers us a thrilling picture of the duo taking to their heels, with a slavering reptilian colossus in hot pursuit. In contrast, Keegan offers no better than a ho-hum representation of Conan standing there, utterly relaxed, as if he's about to start filing his friggin' fingernails.) This is made all the more disturbing by the Keegans' foreword that praises the excellence of the works, the outstanding opportunity to illustrate them, and (thank you very much) their own profoundly challenging efforts at slaving away to produce a handful of tres boring charcoals. No, by all means purchase the first six volumes of the series, but pass on these two!

Exactly as described!

This book and the first volume, "Crimson Shadows", provides a very decent look at the work of a truly American author. Covering Howard's stories from Conan to his westerns, horror, and other genres, this is an excellant introduction for the new fan (and a great way to introduce him to new people), and a boon to hardcore collector. I've been reading Howard since 1965. This is a nice way to have a variety of his most excellant stories without having to carry several books with you at on time (not that there's anything wrong with that). The lavish illustrations by Jim & Ruth Keegan are reminicent of older illustration from the magazines that first published Howard and manage to capture the moods of the stories very well. Buy these books...you'll not be disappointed.

Robert E Howard was one of the most popular writers for 'Weird Tales' magazine in the 1930's. Trying to make a living during the Great Depression, he crafted some of the best 'pulp fiction' ever written. Conan the barbarian, was his best known creation. Being a full time writer for the magazines, Howard sun yarns in all sorts of genres. This book collects representative samples of most of the styles and themes Howard produced.Well worth the purchasing to discover how our grandparents passed their time before television.

I really liked the 1st best of RH. And the first half of this one was really good. But then there was just too much Western stuff.

For excitement nobody beats Robert E. Howard.

great book ive read howerd love him.

A nice collection of stories, the size of the book enhances reading pleasure, compared to when i first read stories by Howard. Very nice.