I have to admit that although I do have a lot of sword and sorcery/fantasy author David C. Smith’s works in my library, I haven’t had the pleasure of reading them yet. This book, however, when I purchased it online, caught my attention immediately, and I decided I had to read it straight away. Why wouldn’t I when it’s about the life and works of unquestionably the greatest sword and sorcery author who ever lived?

Years ago, I saw the biopic about Robert E. Howard called “The Whole Wide World,” and while it was entertaining, it didn’t really get to the heart of who Robert E. Howard was or any other of the heroes he created besides Conan the Cimmerian. Thus when I saw this biography advertised online, and saw that it was written by none other than David C. Smith, I decided I had to purchase and read it.

Although Conan was Howard’s most famous and most interesting character, there is a slew of others he created that hardly ever get mentioned, except among fans. These include, but are not limited to King Kull of Atlantis, the Pictish king Bran Mak Morn, the Celtic hero Cormac Mac Art, the Puritan witch-hunter Solomon Kane, fighting sailor Steve Costigan, the interplanetary voyager Esau Cairn, the brooding crusader Cormac Fitzgeoffrey, the original she-devil-with- a-sword Red Sonja, the desert fighter Francis Xavier Gordon, the backwoods adventurer Breckenridge Elkins, and so many others. All of these heroes he created are referred to in Smith’s biography of Howard, except for Cormac Mac Art, the why of which I’m not entirely clear on.

Smith writes a compelling biography of R.E. Howard’s life and works that really proves itself to be a treasure that belongs in any fantasy/sword and sorcery fan’s extended library. He gives the reader insight into what kind of individual Howard was and what kind of life he led as well as where he got his inspiration. It’s revealed that Howard was extremely well-read for a man of his time and location, and it is from that that he culled a lot of his inspiration.

Also covered in this biography is Howard’s friendship and correspondence with those in the Weird Tales/Lovecraft circle, such as H.P. Lovecraft himself, C.L. Moore, E. Hoffmann Price, and others. Some of his letters are also displayed here which gives insight into how he felt about several issues of the time and writing in general.

David C. Smith gives a captivating window into Robert E. Howard’s career as an industrious author, and also his dry spells. Along with his love/hate relationship with Weird Tales magazine, in addition to his relationship with his one-time girlfriend Novalynne Price, which is covered somewhat, but not deeply, in the film “The Whole Wide World.”

The reader is taken through a journey of Howard’s life and career up to his untimely and tragic suicide in 1936, and every word of this book is to be savored. David C. Smith has penned what may prove to be the finest and most essential Robert E. Howard biography yet.

I give “Robert E. Howard: A Literary Biography” by David C. Smith a 5 out of 5.

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