The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. HOWARD

Official Blurb

The Hour of the Dragon, also known as Conan the Conqueror, is a fantasy novel by American writer Robert E. Howard featuring his sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was one of the last Conan stories published before Howard's suicide although not the last to be written. The novel was first published in serial form in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1935 through 1936.

My Review

A classic of pulp era fantasy story telling. Conan starts in this story as a king but is soon thrown down to the level of a wandering vagabond. But if you know Conan, like I know Conan, then you know that he won't take that lying down!

This is one of the best Conan stories from the master, it features a great story arc and the unrelenting tenacity of Conan's character comes right through. Yet at the same time, you find that Conan is no machine, he feels fear, and yes even runs from a foe now and then!

If your only experience with Conan is the first film, then you might recognise some the names and places mentioned in this story as the first film seems to have lifted many of the names it used from this story, although not the plot. This story is straight up heroic adventure from beginning to end, a good pace that never lets up.

As to the reading, well. Awesome. Another Mark Nelson classic.

Reading 3/3
Production 2/3
Story 3/3

Total Score 8/9

Listen to the first chapter.
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Jetta of the Lowlands by Ray Cummings

Official Blurb

Fantastic and Sinister Are the Lowlands into Which Philip Grant Descends on His Dangerous Assignment.

My Review

That has to be the shortest Official Blurb! I even searched the internet looking for a better one. It doesn't exist! I'm not sure any of the people that are selling this book have even bothered to read it.

Anyway.

This is classic sci fi. Adventure and excitement, a hero who falls in love and nothing, repeat, nothing will stop him from saving his love when she's kidnapped. Classic style, her love for him is as instant and all encompassing as his. This really is the stuff that makes these older tales so good.  I may be a bit of a softy at heart but I love this stuff.

The bad guy knows that Jetta's worth a pretty penny and intends to take that for himself. So we have the good guy sweeping in to burn down the bad guys and rescue the princess but nothing is ever easy and things start to go wrong.

The reader for this librivox story is Richard Kilmer and I love his voice. Sadly in this story his pacing seems off, or maybe it's the original writing (it appeared in a pulp magazine). That aside his voice is easy on the ears and like it, its the audio equivalent of pop corn. :)

Reading 2/3
Production 2/3
Story 1/3

Total Score 5/9

Listen to the first chapter.
Download it from Librivox