JAN 01, 2024

Howard’s a way better wordsmith than Lovecraft*

[*] I got to it right after “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”, wanting more of this “pre-Tolkien” fantasy. The Dream-Quest is great, and I adore its worldbuilding and aesthetics – but, man, it's way easier to read Howard than Lovecraft! The sentences are dynamic and vivid; the writing is simple and easy to read, yet still can pounce on you with its eloquence.

Same as with the Dreamlands, the world of Conan has great worldbuilding, all those “Athlantians descending into apedom” and elephant-headed children of Yog.