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Author: Charles Gramlich

Marvel’s Conan Paperbacks

Marvel’s Conan Paperbacks

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Marvel’s Conan paperbacks: Conan the Barbarian: The Official Marvel Comics Adaptation of the Movie by Michael Fleisher and John Buscema (1982), and Stan Lee Presents Conan the Barbarian, Volumes 2 and 3, by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith (Ace Books, 1978). Covers by Earl Norem and Barry Windsor-Smith

I don’t systematically collect comic book materials but I pick up Edgar Rice Burroughs or Robert E. Howard related stuff when I see it. Found all three of the Marvel paperbacks above at various book sales.

Conan the Barbarian: The Official Marvel Comics Adaptation of the Movie stayed true to the movie plot. Being a Howard purist, I wasn’t a big fan of the movie when it came out, but it’s grown on me over time. I just don’t really think of it as a Howard Conan movie. Earl Norem did the cover for this one, based on movie images.

The Stan Lee Presents Conan volumes are in color. I don’t have Volume 1 and likely won’t be getting it since it lists at 250 bucks on Amazon, but here are 2 and 3, which I bought for a buck or so. Both were written by Roy Thomas (1940 – ) and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith (1949 – ).

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Two More Sword & Sorcery Anthologies: Savage Heroes edited by Eric Pendragon, and Heroic Fantasy, edited by Gerald W. Page and Hank Reinhardt

Two More Sword & Sorcery Anthologies: Savage Heroes edited by Eric Pendragon, and Heroic Fantasy, edited by Gerald W. Page and Hank Reinhardt

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Savage Heroes (Star, February 1977). Cover by Les Edwards

A couple more Sword & Sorcery anthology reviews: first up is Savage Heroes (Subtitled Tales of Sorcery & Black Magic) (1977), from British Publisher Star, edited by Eric Pendragon and illustrated by the great Jim Pitts, who is still working today. The cover looks to have been done by Les Edwards, however.

It contains stories by C. L. Moore (Jirel), Henry Kuttner (Elak), Clark Ashton Smith, Clifford Ball, Ramsey Campbell, Daphne Castell, Karl Edward Wagner (Kane), David Drake, and Robert E. Howard. The REH tale is “The Temple of the Abomination,” a Cormac Mac Art tale.

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A Sword and Planet Quiz

A Sword and Planet Quiz

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Can you match the fantasy world on the left with its creator on the right?

Kregen _________ 1. John Norman
Magira _________ 2. Edmond Hamilton
Newhon  ________ 3. Gardner F. Fox
Janus __________ 4. Charles Allen Gramlich
Ur_____________ 5. Jack Vance
Amber__________ 6. Adrian Cole
Skaith__________ 7. Leigh Brackett
Gor  ___________ 8. Fritz Leiber
Kaldar _________ 9. Alan Burt Akers
Tschai_________ 10. Edgar Rice Burroughs
Talera _________ 11. Andre Norton
Barsoom _______ 12. Roger Zelazny
Llarn __________ 13. Hugh Walker
Ghandor  _______ 14. Robert E. Howard
Almuric  ________ 15. Del Dowdell

Answers are here. Good luck!

A Fine Sword & Sorcery Anthology: The Spell of Seven, edited by L. Sprague de Camp

A Fine Sword & Sorcery Anthology: The Spell of Seven, edited by L. Sprague de Camp

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The Spell of Seven (Pyramid Books, June 1965). Cover by Virgil Finlay

L. Sprague de Camp was a major player in the paperback Sword & Sorcery boom of the 1960s. I had the good fortune to meet him and his wife; both were urbane and erudite. I was able to correspond with him while in the ranks of REHupa, the Robert E. Howard United Press Association. De Camp’s role in promoting Robert E. Howard — and his own work with it — is not without controversary, which I’ll address.

But not today. De Camp was also a popular and successful fiction writer, both fantasy and SF, and even nonfiction. I’ll address those aspects in time, but today I’ll just bring some of his editing work into focus. He edited a number of fine Sword & Sorcery anthologies, most of which featured REH. These include Swords & Sorcery, The Spell of Seven, Warlocks and Warriors, and The Fantastic Swordsmen. I have two copies of The Spell of Seven and will discuss it first.

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Classics of Sword & Sorcery: Echoes of Valor, edited by Karl Edward Wagner

Classics of Sword & Sorcery: Echoes of Valor, edited by Karl Edward Wagner

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Paperback editions of all three volumes of Echoes of Valor, edited by Karl Edward Wagner (Tor Books, February 1987, February 1991, and September 1991). Covers by Ken Kelly, Rick Berry, and Rick Berry

The three book Echoes of Valor anthology series from TOR was edited by Karl Edward Wagner, who wrote excellent Sword & Sorcery tales himself, and could recognize good ones when he saw them. These were not anthologies of new stories, but reprints. Each contained a Robert E. Howard tale. Here are some capsule reviews.

Echoes of Valor (1987, Cover Ken Kelly)

Contains one story each by Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, and Henry Kuttner. Howard’s story is “The Black Stranger.” It’s a Conan tale but wasn’t published in REH’s lifetime. He rewrote it as a pirate tale featuring Black Vulmea called “Swords of the Red Brotherhood.” It still didn’t sell. Long after Howard’s death, L. Sprague de Camp rewrote it as “The Treasure of Tranicos” and it was published. It didn’t really need the rewrite in my opinion, so who knows why it wasn’t published initially.

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Heroic Historicals: Robert E. Howard, Harold Lamb, Poul Anderson and James Clavell

Heroic Historicals: Robert E. Howard, Harold Lamb, Poul Anderson and James Clavell

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Robert E. Howard’s The Sowers of the Thunder (Ace Books, July 1979 and Zebra Books, March 1975) . Covers by Esteban Maroto and Jeff Jones

I define Heroic Fantasy (HF) as a type of fiction in which a heroic (bigger than life) figure uses a combination of physical strength and edged weapons (swords, axes, spears) to face bigger than life foes. The hero may be either male or female, but the focus is primarily on personal conflict between the hero and various villains.

I divide Heroic Fantasy into four categories: Sword and Sorcery, Sword and Planet, High Fantasy, and Heroic Historical. I’ve already discussed/defined S&S and S&P earlier here at Black Gate, so today I’m looking at Heroic Historical.

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Killing Dragons to Fund Your Hobby: Becoming a Book Collector in Skyrim

Killing Dragons to Fund Your Hobby: Becoming a Book Collector in Skyrim

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Exploring the frozen north for rare first editions in Skyrim

There are many fantasy role playing games (RPGs) available but I’ve hardly played any. Dungeons & Dragons is the best known. I had a couple High School friends who read fantasy and probably would have played D&D with me. If we’d known it existed. It came out in 1974, when I was the perfect age of 16, but I didn’t hear about it until my mid-twenties, when I was in graduate school and had no time for socializing. In college, friends and I played marathon Risk games so we probably would have played D&D if we’d known of it. I would have loved being a Dungeon Master. I know quite a few people now who play and I’ve been invited, but I’m just too busy. I can also be obsessive when I get caught up in something; if I started I might never quit.

However, I have an XBOX Series X and a fantasy RPG called Skyrim. I play some most weeks and during summer might go on a marathon session. I don’t have to wait for other folks to be ready and don’t have to travel farther than my living room. Skyrim is part of the Elder Scrolls series by Bethesda. There are earlier Elder Scroll games and I’ve played those, but mostly I play Skyrim.

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James Sallis, December 1944 – January 27, 2026

James Sallis, December 1944 – January 27, 2026

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I am gut punched to hear that author James Sallis (December 1944 – January 27, 2026) has died. James was the closest thing to a writing mentor I had. He was a friend, and certainly one of the most talented writers I’ve ever known.

He lived in New Orleans when I moved there and I met him at a book signing. Though he was already pretty famous in literary circles, he was incredibly down to earth, and he invited me to his house for several literary parties he and his wife, Karyn, threw. Though at that time I’d only published a few short stories, he spoke to me as a peer.

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The Sword & Sorcery of Robert Holdstock: The Berserker Series

The Sword & Sorcery of Robert Holdstock: The Berserker Series

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Robert Holdstock’s Berserker Series, published under the name Chris Carlsen. Sphere Books, 1977-1979. Covers by Melvyn Grant

A series that I wanted but had a difficult time getting was the Berserker series by Chris Carlsen. There are three books, all from Sphere Books, published in 1977, 1977, & 1979 respectively. I finally got the last one and just finished reading it. The series is:

1. Shadow of the Wolf (August 1977)
2. The Bull Chief (October 1977)
3. The Horned Warrior (1979)

ISFDB lists Melvyn Grant as the cover artist on #1 and 3, and I’m pretty sure book 2 is by him as well. These books are pot boiling, action pulp style Sword & Sorcery novels, and it was quite a surprise when I found out Chris Carlsen was really Robert Holdstock (1948 – 2009).

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The Conan novels of John Maddox Roberts

The Conan novels of John Maddox Roberts

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The Conan novels of John Maddox Roberts (Tor Books, 1985-1995). Covers by Boris, Ken Kelly, and Julie Bell

The name John Maddox Roberts (1947 – ) first came to my attention as a writer of Conan sword & sorcery pastiches from Tor. He wrote eight, and when I talk to other REH fans Roberts’ name is almost always listed near the top of the Conan pastiche writers.

Of the pastiches that were published by Tor between 1982 and 2004, I’d have to agree, although I like the earlier pastiches by Andy Offutt and Karl Edward Wagner better.

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