33 replies to this topic

[Strom]

How can I wear the harness of toil

And sweat at the daily round,

While in my soul forever

The drums of Pictdom sound?

Robert E. Howard

In ages past, the Picts ruled all of Europe. But the descendants of those proud conquerors have sunk into barbarism...all save one, Bran Mak Morn, whose bloodline remains unbroken. Threatened by the Celts and the Romans, the Pictish tribes rally under his banner to fight for their very survival, while Bran fights to restore the glory of his race.


from the back cover Bran Mak Morn - The Last King, Del Rey 2005

Have a favorite Bran Mak Morn story? Please vote in our poll and share your thoughts on why that story is your favorite.

If you haven't read Robert E. Howard's Bran Mak Morn stories, you can find all of them just as Howard wrote them in one trade paperback:

Bran Mak Morn - The Last King

[PaulMc]

"Worms of the Earth". Not just my favorite Bran story, but my favorite Howard story. (at least, of his fantasy stuff - "Pigeons from Hell" is one fine horror tale.)

[Kieran]

Has to be Kings of the Night. Love the way all the bad guys pile on top of Kull and he keeps fighting.

[Sermon Bath]

maybe im weird but ive always been fascinated by that litte fragment where Bran (calling himself something else) meets a viking and then a really strange girl out in the middle of nowhere.........the entire thing is so beautiful,its almost like poem.....its the one that starts out "A gray sky arched........." I have always wondered where Howard was going with that and sure as heck wish he'd finished it.......Maybe by some miracle some day some more of it will turn up in somebody's attic in texas...ha

[deuce]

maybe im weird but ive always been fascinated by that litte fragment where Bran (calling himself something else) meets a viking and then a really strange girl out in the middle of nowhere.........the entire thing is so beautiful,its almost like poem.....its the one that starts out "A gray sky arched........." I have always wondered where Howard was going with that and sure as heck wish he'd finished it.......Maybe by some miracle some day some more of it will turn up in somebody's attic in texas...ha

Hey XS. Yeah, that one had possibilities. You see BMM using his "Partha Mac Othna" alias (CMA used it too! Musta worked.). We also get to see Bran wrestling with "Ginger". How often does that happen!?!

[Sermon Bath]

yeah, that was some beautifully written little bit of text...........it was also so unique......some of the best things Howard wrote remain incomplete.....including the slave princess and shadow of the hun

[thomas64]

Worms of the Earth was most clearly about Bran.

The Dark Man focused more on Turlogh than on Bran's ghost.

Kings of the Night divided the focus between Bran and Kull.

[Heavy Chevy]

Hi gang,
I liked 'Men of the Shadows" the best.
But i also liked all of the Bran stories.

Mike

[skrapmetal]

I liked The Dark Man but there all good stories.

[Fernando]

Hi, everyone!

My favourite Mak Morn's tale was Men of the Shadows. And I wonder... what is the chronological placement of the poem Song of a Race and the Fragment - in which Bran finds a beautiful red-haired woman and, as in WotE, he uses the nickname of Partha Mac Othna?

Edited by Fernando, 13 March 2008 - 03:11 PM.

[Branelite]

For me, WoE is the finest work ever by REH.

I read it every year or so- it is just as interesting each time.

Those poor Romans...

[crossplain pilgrim]

I voted some time ago for "Worms" for the same reasons as everyone else. Fantastic piece of literature. I didn't vote for "The Dark Man" because it's really a Turlogh O'Brien tale. But I love that story. Great, great resonance. It seems to linger in my mind more comfortably than "Worms," which was a pretty creepy read. I think, despite the clear superiority of "Worms," as the years pass, I'll be reading "Dark Man" more often.

[Old Garfield]

"Worms" was my pick as well. I enjoyed all the Bran stories, but Worms puts Bran's time and place in perspective. It also showed the ultimate futility and hopelessness of his position.

[Fernando]

I wish I know: WHY The Lost Race is - several times, in several places - mentioned as a BMM's story, since it happens centuries before Bran's days, when the Romans hadn't came yet to England?

[Strom]

Bran Mak Morn!

[Amaron]

I would love to see a good Bran Mak Morn movie, and while I like Kings of the Night better than Worms of the Earth, I wouldn't want Kull to upstage Bran, but considering Hollywood will never get it right, it's not really a worry.

[crossplain pilgrim]

I would love to see a good Bran Mak Morn movie, and while I like Kings of the Night better than Worms of the Earth, I wouldn't want Kull to upstage Bran, but considering Hollywood will never get it right, it's not really a worry.

There is an admittedly thin Bran Mak Morn film thread you can visit, Amaron. Producer Paul Berrow and Working Titles Films have gone as far as commissioning scripts for the project.

[Libaax]

"Worms of the Earth" is not my favourite REH story but its the best story with Bran Mak Morn. Also because its Bran's POV makes it great.

Its alittle unfair to the other stories because i think Kings of The Knight is the better S&S story than Worms,the most exciting Bran story. Very historical feel and awesome battle. I havent read any Kull story other than KotK where he shows immense potential for awesomeness

The Dark Man is very Bran Mak Morn story to me cause of what the story is about and a great story too. Turlogh O'Brien i must read more of soon.

Edited by Libaax, 29 June 2009 - 06:48 PM.

[drush9999]

Finished the Del Rey volume recently, though patchy as a collection, the big highlight is definitely Worms of the Earth. The ending is perfect and makes Bran Mak Morn a more complex character than the likes of Kull or Conan.

Shame the fragment was never developed further, wish there were more BMM stories.

[Libaax]

Thats how you always feel afer finishing BMM stories. I felt so stronly that i was sad by the fact.


Bran was very complex compared to Conan. The guy had much more things to worry about. Shame it feels like you never got to know who he was. It was most about him as a leader,king,pict.