Cart
|
|
my account
|
wish list
|
help
|
800-878-7323
Hello, |
Login
MENU
Browse
New Arrivals
Bestsellers
Featured Preorders
Award Winners
Audio Books
See All Subjects
Used
Staff Picks
Staff Picks
Picks of the Month
Bookseller Displays
50 Books for 50 Years
25 Best 21st Century Sci-Fi & Fantasy
25 PNW Books to Read Before You Die
25 Books From the 21st Century
25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die
25 Global Books to Read Before You Die
25 Women to Read Before You Die
25 Books to Read Before You Die
Gifts
Gift Cards & eGift Cards
Powell's Souvenirs
Journals and Notebooks
socks
Games
Sell Books
Blog
Events
Find A Store
Don't Miss
Spring Sale
Big Mood Sale
Teen Dream Sale
Powell's Author Events
Oregon Battle of the Books
Audio Books
Get the Powell's newsletter
Visit Our Stores
Powell's Staff:
Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
(0 comment)
Every year, the booksellers at Powell’s submit their Top Fives: their five favorite books that were released in 2023. It’s a list that, when put together, shows just how varied and interesting the book tastes of Powell’s booksellers are. I highly recommend digging into the recommendations — we would never lead you astray — but today...
Read More
»
Brontez Purnell:
Powell’s Q&A: Brontez Purnell, author of ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt’
(0 comment)
Rachael P.:
Starter Pack: Where to Begin with Ursula K. Le Guin
(0 comment)
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
##LOC[Cancel]##
Customer Comments
Samuel Hurt has commented on (7) products
Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures
by
Robert E. Howard
Samuel Hurt
, August 28, 2015
I had no idea what to expect going into this anthology, and by the end found myself completely blown away by the sheer fun and vibrant action of the stories contained within. I was already familiar with Howard's works before reading this collection, but had never really dipped my toes into the pool of his less fantastic and more historical fiction, and I did not regret reading these tales. Everything from the Crusades to Medieval France to the end of the Viking Age at Clontarf is covered in this volume, and they're all fantastically fun, action-packed historical short stories, and made me wish for more pulpy style fiction instead of the glut of historical romance we see so much of nowadays. Highly recommended.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Finn & Hengest
by
J R R Tolkien
Samuel Hurt
, August 28, 2015
This book was outstanding, let me say first. However, it's not a book for someone completely unfamiliar with Anglo-Saxon or Old English poetry. This book was edited and compiled by a colleague of Tolkien's Alan Bliss, and unlike the academic work edited by Christopher, this was done with a more experienced scholar of Anglo-Saxon history in general instead of being forgiving to newcomers. All of that said, I would still recommend it to anyone studying the Anglo-Saxons, students of Old English, or completionists of JRR Tolkien's work without hesitation.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Savage Tales of Solomon Kane
by
Robert E Howard
Samuel Hurt
, August 28, 2015
This is an exceptional collection of sword and sorcery fiction. Howard, in these early stories only a few years removed from his period of juvenilia, was already fast becoming a top-notch storyteller, and Solomon Kane is the best example to show it. The action is fast-paced, the plots are tight and well-executed, and you even get an inversion of the tired white savior trope in Hills of the Dead. Solomon Kane isn't my favorite Howardian hero, but these stories are inarguably some of Howard's best, and well worth reading whether a brand-new Howard convert or longtime reader.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Kull Exile Of Atlantis
by
Robert E Howard
Samuel Hurt
, August 28, 2015
I'll be frank, before I even read this anthology Kull was already my favorite character of Howard's. This collection, thankfully, only bolstered my opinion, and it's because these original unaltered texts really let Kull shine as Howard's most thoughtful, and most existential, barbarian. These are stories of a king having already conquered the throne of a decaying civilized empire, and truly wondering about what his kingship will matter in the years to come. Kull feels like Howard's most personal character, just like Conan is his most successful, and Bran Mak Morn most exemplifies his itch to study history. This anthology is a rewarding read with some wonderful insight and extra material for anyone that not just low fantasy or sword and sorcery fiction, ubt likes it extra thoughtful instead of wall-to-wall action.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Bran Mak Morn The Last King
by
Robert E Howard
Samuel Hurt
, August 28, 2015
This collection is an excellent addition to Howard's canon. Bran Mak morn, much like Kull, doesn't get nearly enough love from casual or dedicated Howard fans. In Bran Mak Morn, you see nearly the culmination of his great, well known "civilization vs. barbarism" debate with Lovecraft. These stories show, more than any of his other barbarian heroes, Howard's views on human effort versus the great tides of time, and how mortality affects even the greatest if ambitions. Unfortunately, Howard's science behind his Picts is not up to par with our current understanding of them. But as stories, about his last holdouts of free barbarism versus Roman decadence and the cyclical nature of human existence, they're just as great as the best Solomon Kane or El Borak yarns. there are also some excellent Turlogh O'Brien stories in here, as well as some miscellany from different parts of Howard's career that deal with the Picts that are contextualized wonderfully by Howard scholar Rusty Burke. I wouldn't recommend this to someone just now delving into Howard, but it's for sure and anthology I'd give to someone who was already familiar with Conan or Solomon Kane and wanted more.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Beowulf a Translation & Commentary
by
J R R Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien
Samuel Hurt
, August 28, 2015
This edition of Beowulf, in addition to being one of the best translations I've read, including Haney's, had a number of positive effects on me. It gave me a much deeper appreciation of the poem and its historical significance as one of an extremely small number of extant cultural works by the Anglo-Saxons and their world. It made me regret not paying closer attention to it in high school. It made me truly understand the value of Tolkien's contributions to Northern European cultural and linguistic studies. This book is a phenomenal introduction to not only Tolkien's landmark work with this poem and Anglo-Saxon literature, but his academic work in general. Praise also goes to Christopher Tolkien for editing this book in a way that educates on the scholarship of his father while keeping the dense knowledge extremely accessible to someone like me who would read this without any preliminary knowledge of Old English or Anglo-Saxon culture. It's a dense, but rewarding, read, for beginners and established Anglo-Saxon aficionados alike, straight from the notes and writings of one of the 20th century's most pre-eminent scholars on the subject.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Imaro
by
Charles R Saunders
Samuel Hurt
, August 28, 2015
There's only one other time I've felt the excitement, glee, and interest that I felt when I read Imaro, and that was when I first discovered Robert Howard's Conan almost 10 years ago. Saunders is a criminally under-rated low fantasy author, and his alternate Africa, Nyumbani, is a phenomenally constructed continent. His cultures are well thought-out and his characters are vibrant and unique, not just in their own stories, but in low fantasy and sword-and-sorcery fiction in general. I cannot wait to get my hands on more from Saunders, and definitely recommend more people read his work.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment