Fun to read. I enjoyed it more than I would've guessed. ( )

I really was unprepared, though I had prepared myself because I have read other R E Howard stories, for just how racist these stories are. I tried to enjoy them for what they were in spite of this, but it was difficult at times. What enjoyment I could get was good enough, apparently, to get through these. They are good stories, and definitely R E Howard; and, while I feel uncomfortable recommending them because of the racism, if you can get past that part these stories are pretty darn good in a lot of ways.

But, I keep asking myself if I _should_ have tried to get past the racism. I mean it's not like reading Sir Richard Francis Burton, and forgiving him for being a product of his time while reading fantastic stories of real life adventures of someone larger than life. These Solomon Kane stories are fantastic stories of fictional adventures and so there's less reason to forgive and less reason to choose to read them and more reason to choose to fill my time with other things.

In the end, I don't regret reading these stories. I'm just a bit embarrassed by having read them for that reason. And, I certainly have to wonder how much if anything the filmmakers will salvage of the actual stories for the forthcoming film nominally Solomon Kane, or if the name and general characteristics will be all that's left after denaturing the offensiveness out. ( )

I find short story collections some of the hardest books to read. It's hard to get into a rhythm, and the impetuous to continue on is not there. This book was no exception. Solomon Kane is a fantastical man who sees only right and wrong and goes around the world defeating evil. I found the stories to be rather gothic in emotion and style, and I really had a hard time caring what happened next to this character. Overblown, dramatic, and boring. Not a good combination. ( )

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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.

★★★☆☆ ( )

There a bunch of pulpy goodness here, much of it a product of its time (for better or for worse). I'm amazed at 1) how many incomplete Kane stories there actually were, and 2) how often every character shrugs their shoulders. ( )