Just ordered In a Lonely Place, Sword of the Four Winds, and Tarnsman of Gor.

Thanks, gang!  Keep the suggestions coming.

Carl Critchlow's "Thrud the Barbarian" was my favorite.

Peter and David Paul

Quote from: Persimmon on May 04, 2023, 05:48:30 PM
Just ordered In a Lonely Place, Sword of the Four Winds, and Tarnsman of Gor.

Thanks, gang!  Keep the suggestions coming.

You might like the Dray Prescot books by Alan Burt Akers ( a pen name for Kenneth Bulmer).  Dray's not a barbarian, as such (he's an 18th Century English sailor who finds himself on another world, like John Carter) but he is prone to dressing in nothing but a breechclout and swinging a two-handed sword.  I like them a great deal.  The old DAW paperbacks can be had pretty cheaply, but many of books have been collected into hardcover omnibus editions.  The first one is called "The Delian Cycle."  ["Cycles" are a series of books related around a central plot point, usually consisting of 3 to five books).  Bulmer got into RPGS for a while and man, can you ever tell.  There's one whole cycle of books where Dray goes dungeoneering (or "ten foot poling" as he calls it).

Just curious -- why did you get In a Lonely Place?  You do know it's a collection of contemporary horror stories that has nothing to do with Kane or heroic fantasy of any sort, right?  It's an excellent book -- I bought it and read it earlier this year, after waiting years for a reprint -- but if you're expecting Kane, forget it.

Quote from: I on May 04, 2023, 10:39:16 PM
You might like the Dray Prescot books by Alan Burt Akers ( a pen name for Kenneth Bulmer).  Dray's not a barbarian, as such (he's an 18th Century English sailor who finds himself on another world, like John Carter) but he is prone to dressing in nothing but a breechclout and swinging a two-handed sword.  I like them a great deal.  The old DAW paperbacks can be had pretty cheaply, but many of books have been collected into hardcover omnibus editions.  The first one is called "The Delian Cycle."  ["Cycles" are a series of books related around a central plot point, usually consisting of 3 to five books).  Bulmer got into RPGS for a while and man, can you ever tell.  There's one whole cycle of books where Dray goes dungeoneering (or "ten foot poling" as he calls it).

You guys are aware of the Dray Prescott AD&D module, Beneath Two Suns, from Mayfair?

Quote from: Baron on May 04, 2023, 10:49:37 PM

You guys are aware of the Dray Prescott AD&D module, Beneath Two Suns, from Mayfair?

I am.  Played through it, too.  I wish there had been more of them, but the Prescot books never took off the way they should have.  The cover art may have been a factor -- it was usually terrible.

Quote from: I on May 04, 2023, 10:39:16 PM

Quote from: Persimmon on May 04, 2023, 05:48:30 PM
Just ordered In a Lonely Place, Sword of the Four Winds, and Tarnsman of Gor.

Thanks, gang!  Keep the suggestions coming.

You might like the Dray Prescot books by Alan Burt Akers ( a pen name for Kenneth Bulmer).  Dray's not a barbarian, as such (he's an 18th Century English sailor who finds himself on another world, like John Carter) but he is prone to dressing in nothing but a breechclout and swinging a two-handed sword.  I like them a great deal.  The old DAW paperbacks can be had pretty cheaply, but many of books have been collected into hardcover omnibus editions.  The first one is called "The Delian Cycle."  ["Cycles" are a series of books related around a central plot point, usually consisting of 3 to five books).  Bulmer got into RPGS for a while and man, can you ever tell.  There's one whole cycle of books where Dray goes dungeoneering (or "ten foot poling" as he calls it).

Just curious -- why did you get In a Lonely Place?  You do know it's a collection of contemporary horror stories that has nothing to do with Kane or heroic fantasy of any sort, right?  It's an excellent book -- I bought it and read it earlier this year, after waiting years for a reprint -- but if you're expecting Kane, forget it.

I'm a big horror fan too, and that was the only one of his books still in print.

Quote from: Persimmon on May 04, 2023, 11:21:30 PM

Quote from: I on May 04, 2023, 10:39:16 PM

Quote from: Persimmon on May 04, 2023, 05:48:30 PM
Just ordered In a Lonely Place, Sword of the Four Winds, and Tarnsman of Gor.

Thanks, gang!  Keep the suggestions coming.

You might like the Dray Prescot books by Alan Burt Akers ( a pen name for Kenneth Bulmer).  Dray's not a barbarian, as such (he's an 18th Century English sailor who finds himself on another world, like John Carter) but he is prone to dressing in nothing but a breechclout and swinging a two-handed sword.  I like them a great deal.  The old DAW paperbacks can be had pretty cheaply, but many of books have been collected into hardcover omnibus editions.  The first one is called "The Delian Cycle."  ["Cycles" are a series of books related around a central plot point, usually consisting of 3 to five books).  Bulmer got into RPGS for a while and man, can you ever tell.  There's one whole cycle of books where Dray goes dungeoneering (or "ten foot poling" as he calls it).

Just curious -- why did you get In a Lonely Place?  You do know it's a collection of contemporary horror stories that has nothing to do with Kane or heroic fantasy of any sort, right?  It's an excellent book -- I bought it and read it earlier this year, after waiting years for a reprint -- but if you're expecting Kane, forget it.

I'm a big horror fan too, and that was the only one of his books still in print.

Since you like horror, you may or may not be aware that a couple of Wagner's Kane stories were published in The Year's Best Horror Series V and VI.  These contain, respectively, "Sing a Last Song of Valdese" and "Undertow."  Both are excellent, especially "Undertow" which stayed with me for a long time after I read it.

It depends on your definition of Barbarian. I see the name meaning someone from a less civilised culture than the main setting. Many of the heroes mentioned don't quite fit this.


For classic Barbarians? Even Conan didn't have as big a place in my imagination back pre-Millennium as Slaine mac Roth did. His not being mentioned here could mean he's more a British thing, as he comes from the 2000AD comic strip of the same name.

He's been around since the 80s. Sadly, as the years went by the quality of the artwork increased in direct proportion to the quality of the writing. The original black-and-white comics were pure Sword & Sorcery gold. The most recent comics have every panel being amazing fantasy art but the story is distinctly Meh.

The various Eric John Stark stories from Leigh Brackett are very good. It is all high-quality sword & planet material influenced by Burroughs, hard-boiled detective fiction, and a romantic sensibility. Disregard the SJW warbling in the wiki article, it is irrelevant to the quality of this stuff.

Quote from: Feratu on May 04, 2023, 05:53:01 PM
Carl Critchlow's "Thrud the Barbarian" was my favorite.

Thrud, no contest. Well, maybe 2000AD's Sláine.

Quote from: Baron on May 04, 2023, 10:49:37 PM

You guys are aware of the Dray Prescott AD&D module, Beneath Two Suns, from Mayfair?

Never knew, and now I do: off to find a copy!

Quote from: I on May 04, 2023, 10:39:16 PM
You might like the Dray Prescot books by Alan Burt Akers ( a pen name for Kenneth Bulmer).  Dray's not a barbarian, as such (he's an 18th Century English sailor who finds himself on another world, like John Carter) but he is prone to dressing in nothing but a breechclout and swinging a two-handed sword.  I like them a great deal.  The old DAW paperbacks can be had pretty cheaply, but many of books have been collected into hardcover omnibus editions.  The first one is called "The Delian Cycle."  ["Cycles" are a series of books related around a central plot point, usually consisting of 3 to five books).  Bulmer got into RPGS for a while and man, can you ever tell.  There's one whole cycle of books where Dray goes dungeoneering (or "ten foot poling" as he calls it).

Kenneth Bulmer was apparently also friends with Phil Barker: hence the "Filbarrka na Filbarrka" character in the Dray Prescot books, and references from Phil Barker in Hordes of the Things.

Quote from: Vile Traveller on May 05, 2023, 08:47:15 AMThrud, no contest. Well, maybe 2000AD's Sláine.

ohh how did I forget Sláine the Warped with Brainbiter crushing skulls and Ukko the Royal Parasite! Ohh yeah.. peak 2000AD!

Quote from: Persimmon on April 30, 2023, 11:57:20 PM
Still, some of these knock-offs, like Thongor and Brak, have their own charms.  So give me your recommendations for summer brain candy S&S fiction. 

I've enjoyed Gardner Fox's stories---Kothar (5 slim 70s novellas) and Kyrick (4 novellas), as well as Karl Edward Wagner's Kane novels and stories (5 books in total as I recall). 

I also recently read Zelazny's Dilvish the Damned tales, and while they're not partiularly barbarian-focused (a bit more of a Vancian vibe than I'm used to from RZ), they were quite fun. 

Allan.