Look, people, I'd find it so difficult to defend Mr. de Camp and Mr. Carter on ANY of their bastardizations of REH's Conan stories that I wouldn't even try. I admit to liking "The Treasure of Tranicos" and thinking it was quite a neat tie-in with Thoth-Amon and the revolution against Numedides in Aquilonia ... but that was still at least 90 per cent Howard anyway. I believe they made a mistake and should have stuck to what they did best themselves; in Carter's case, editing. We owe him a big debt for the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series. I loved L. Sprague de Camp's work when he was doing his own kind of thing ... his historicals like THE DRAGON OF THE ISHTAR GATE, and his Viagens Interplanetarias stories like, in particular, TOWER OF ZANID. I liked his erudition and his satirical sense of humour. His trilogy THE UNBEHEADED KING and his INCOMPLETE ENCHANTER stories with Fletcher Pratt, again, I'm a complete fan of. I loved his articles on archaeology and ancient history. His dealings with REH and Conan showed him at his worst; I don't question that. I'd say he was just treading on the wrong kind of turf with Conan. Didn't even remotely have a feel for the character.
Stuff Made Up by De Camp & Carter
Started by ap Oweyn, Jun 28 2006 04:55 PM
43 replies to this topic
#41
Keith J Taylor
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Posted 26 February 2013 - 04:45 AM
#42
Ironhand
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The Mad Playwright
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Posted 26 February 2013 - 09:31 AM
Actually, I'm happy with deCamp's coining of the name Kambuja. He described a jumped up little kingdom with a jumped up little king, not the mighty empire of Khitai.Robert E. Howard mentioned that area quite a bit. He called it "Khitai". "Kambuja" was made up (unneccesarily) by LSdC/LC.
Edited by Ironhand, 26 February 2013 - 09:32 AM.
"Did you deem yourself strong, because you were able to twist the heads off civilized folk, poor weaklings with muscles like rotten string? Hell! Break the neck of a wild Cimmerian bull before you call yourself strong. I did that, before I was a full-grown man...!" - Conan, in "Shadows in Zamboula", by Robert E. Howard
"... you speak of Venarium familiarly. Perhaps you were there?"
"I was," grunted [Conan]. "I was one of the horde that swarmed over the hills. I hadn't yet seen fifteen snows, but already my name was repeated about the council fires." - "Beyond the Black River", by Robert E. Howard
Read my Conan screenplays at The Scrolls of Ironhand (in particular my transcription of THE FROST GIANT'S DAUGHTER in Act II of "The Snow Devil") at
http://www.scrollsof...d.us/index.html or at
http://www.delicious...ic=ConanProject
"... you speak of Venarium familiarly. Perhaps you were there?"
"I was," grunted [Conan]. "I was one of the horde that swarmed over the hills. I hadn't yet seen fifteen snows, but already my name was repeated about the council fires." - "Beyond the Black River", by Robert E. Howard
Read my Conan screenplays at The Scrolls of Ironhand (in particular my transcription of THE FROST GIANT'S DAUGHTER in Act II of "The Snow Devil") at
http://www.scrollsof...d.us/index.html or at
http://www.delicious...ic=ConanProject
#43
sherlock
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Posted 26 February 2013 - 03:16 PM
Look, people, I'd find it so difficult to defend Mr. de Camp and Mr. Carter on ANY of their bastardizations of REH's Conan stories that I wouldn't even try. I admit to liking "The Treasure of Tranicos" and thinking it was quite a neat tie-in with Thoth-Amon and the revolution against Numedides in Aquilonia ... but that was still at least 90 per cent Howard anyway. I believe they made a mistake and should have stuck to what they did best themselves; in Carter's case, editing. We owe him a big debt for the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series. I loved L. Sprague de Camp's work when he was doing his own kind of thing ... his historicals like THE DRAGON OF THE ISHTAR GATE, and his Viagens Interplanetarias stories like, in particular, TOWER OF ZANID. I liked his erudition and his satirical sense of humour. His trilogy THE UNBEHEADED KING and his INCOMPLETE ENCHANTER stories with Fletcher Pratt, again, I'm a complete fan of. I loved his articles on archaeology and ancient history. His dealings with REH and Conan showed him at his worst; I don't question that. I'd say he was just treading on the wrong kind of turf with Conan. Didn't even remotely have a feel for the character.
I chuckled when I read that post. It reminded me of the Lovecraftians attitude towards August Derleth's Mythos works..
Joshua 24:15 - As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord
#44
LordYam
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Posted 26 February 2013 - 06:57 PM
Some of his ideas had potential (the lost city of Yanyoga on the edge of the world, Khambuja as a rival to Khitai ruled by God Kings, even the various magical sects like the White Hand, Scarlet Circle, and god kings of Damballah had potential.) I liked their take on Damballah partially because it seemed like a genuine african civilization, and because it spread Set outside of Stygia in ways that weren't entirely stupid (Stygia would want to expand it's influence considerably).
