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A review by gamato
Bran Mak Morn: The Last King by Robert E. Howard
5.0
Everybody who knows Robert E Howard knows Conan. Some go on to read his Kull stories which were written earlier. But those characters are nearly the same, the difference in the works more due to Howard's maturing as a writer and giving Conan a bit more depth of character.
I like them all, but the Bran Mak Morn stories have a different feel. This character wasn't set up to be invincible like Conan and Kull. He was conceived from the beginning as a king who fought for his people's place in the world but Howard tells us from early on Bran ultimately loses this fight. That sense of loss underlying every heroic act, in my opinion, tells us a lot about what the author was feeling. This is no super human who will succeed no matter what he does, he's much more human than that.
I only wish Howard had written more of the stories of Bran Mak Morn before he died. The Conan stories are probably better for pure high adventure, but despite being an early character for Howard, I think the Bran stories might be my favorites.
I like them all, but the Bran Mak Morn stories have a different feel. This character wasn't set up to be invincible like Conan and Kull. He was conceived from the beginning as a king who fought for his people's place in the world but Howard tells us from early on Bran ultimately loses this fight. That sense of loss underlying every heroic act, in my opinion, tells us a lot about what the author was feeling. This is no super human who will succeed no matter what he does, he's much more human than that.
I only wish Howard had written more of the stories of Bran Mak Morn before he died. The Conan stories are probably better for pure high adventure, but despite being an early character for Howard, I think the Bran stories might be my favorites.