Quotes, Facts and Scenes from the Worlds of REH: "Red Sonja" Cameo

I wanted to start a series of posts that I could do quickly. I love reviewing and sharing literature about or inspired by Conan and/or Robert E. Howard himself; however, those posts are not a quick write. I wanted to do something I can do quickly and more frequently for the readers of Crom. In these posts you will find sometimes favorite scenes, quotes or facts pertaining to either Conan, REH or both.

This is a scene from Karl Edward Wagner's Conan pastiche, The Road of Kings. It involves KEW making a joke about the Roy Thomas/Barry Windsor-Smith created character, Red Sonja. I actually intended to mention it in my review of the book, but it slipped through the cracks. The set-up is at a masquerade that Conan and his companions plan to strike out at their enemies at. While Conan is waiting for action to begin, he is approached by a young noble lady dressed in garments that might seem familiar:

A red-haired girl, wearing only a scanty halter and G-string fashioned of interlinked silver discs and dragging a two-handed sword in an absurd portrayal of a barbarian swordswoman, tilted her smiling face toward Conan's scowl. "Why so somber, my fellow barbarian?" she trilled. "I know a quiet spot where we two can repair to wage a friendly struggle. After all, it is not yet the time for removing our...masks."

"Is it not yet midnight?" Conan asked in a thick accent. "But it is almost time for the pretty falcon to dance, as she has promised."

The girl made a face behind her mask. "If you want to watch  some fool dance, don't let me detain you."

"Bitch!" Conan mumbled, as she clanked away. 

 

Karl Edward Wagner's The Road of Kings

 Introduction: Karl Edward Wagner (B: December 12, 1945; D: October 13, 1994) is most famous for his own Sword & Sorcery hero, Kane; however, he was a great friend to Conan of Cimmeria. 1976, saw the publication of Wagner's Legion from the Shadows, a pastiche featuring the REH character Bran Mak Morn. In 1977, being a harsh critic of L. Sprague de Camp's editing and re-writes of classic Robert E. Howard tales, Wagner edited three volumes of Conan stories for Berkley Press: The Hour of the Dragon, The People of the Black Circle and Red Nails. These three volumes were pure REH with no rewrites. Between the years 1978 to 1982, Bantam Books published seven volumes of Conan pastiche. Volume four being The Road of Kings by Karl Edward Wagner.

The Skinny on the plot (spoilers free): A young Conan is rescued from a hanging by a band of outlaws that are allied with a revolutionary group calling themselves the White Rose. The White Rose are plotting a revolution to overthrow the despot ruler of Zingara. The revolution occurs with unexpected results with the help of a mysterious Stygian sorcerer. That is as much as I will tell you, and I foreshadow my summary here: find this book and read it!

The Good: KEW's description of the Pit is excellent. The Pit is a section of Zingara that ravished by earthquakes has sunken beneath the level of the rest of the city. It cycled all sorts of kewl ideas in my gamer mind. Wagner tells a fast paced tale that pulls you along. His created characters are interesting and well developed. 

The Bad: While Wagner's depiction of Conan didn't give me fits, I couldn't help thinking that his characterization of Kane seems more "Conanesque" then his Conan. This isn't enough though to keep me from highly recommending this book to fans of good Conan pastiche. 

The Ugly: Karl Edward Wagner was a great writer. If you haven't read his Kane stories, I highly encourage you to do so; however, they are a rare find and are often expensive to purchase when they are found. Unfortunately, this is the only Conan pastiche written by the late great Karl Edward Wagner.