Thursday, August 31, 2017
I'm currently reading "El Borak and Other Desert Stories" by Robert E.
I'm currently reading "El Borak and Other Desert Stories" by Robert E. Howard (IIRC Wayne Rossi recommended this a few years ago). It's a great collection; Howard's prose is just a joy to read. Anyway, I just realized that Holmes named the caravan master El Borak in the Boinger and Zereth tale The Adventure of the Lost City (originally in Alarums & Excursions, now reprinted in Tales of Peril). The two characters are not really similar beyond the name and the desert locations, however.
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en.wikipedia.org - El Borak - Wikipedia
ReplyDeleteNo carefully planned NPC persona survives contact with PCs. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI have been collecting anything relating to REH since the mid-70's
ReplyDeleteI'm a lifelong fan and self-proclaimed "Howardian" (arm-chair scholar).
El Borak is not highly popularized, it's nice to see someone digging a little deeper. :-)
'Worms of the Earth" is probably my top 'non-mainstream' story (though it's a BMM yarn, Not E.B.) If you haven't already I highly recommend checking it out, I mean 'Highly', it's one of his very best.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course I'm obsessed with anything to do with Solomon Kane but that's a whole DIFFERENT hyper-graphic rant.
:-D
El Borak is the kind of deep cut that I am happy to share. Howard was great at that kind of story. The recent "Raiders of the Lost Artifacts" would be a good game for it.
ReplyDeleteFrancis Xavier Gordon, aka "El Borak," is my second favorite REH character. There is a strength and economy about the character that I admire so much. Happy reading, Zach!
ReplyDeleteRobert Fairbanks Thx. I also have the Del Rey horror comp, I think Worms is in there. Though I plan on getting the rest of them : )
ReplyDeleteWayne Rossi I described El Borak to my wife as an Indiana Jones movie where the lead is played by Conan
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've enjoyed about Borak are all of Haggard-esque pulp elements - lost civilizations, cursed gems, madmen, and loads of secret passages.
ReplyDeleteZach H so much of pulp is, mutatis mutandis, Haggard.
ReplyDeleteConan is more emotional, IMO, subject to dark moods and dark humor. He enjoys drinking, and he loves women. He is, as the author describes him, "...a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth..."
ReplyDeleteTo me, this doesn't really describe El Borak. He is more of an "all business" sort, who strives for justice in a world that is rife with greedy and power-hungry warlords.
He's much smaller of stature, too, but he shares that iron, indomitable will. At least that's my take. :)