Elak of Atlantis (Planet Stories)

By Henry Kuttner

Explore the origins of Sword & Sorcery with Henry Kuttner's Elak of Atlantis Published in Weird Tales to satisfy fans of Conan the Barbarian in the wake of Robert E. Howard's death, the four long stories depict a brutal world of flashing swords and primal magic, touched by a hint of Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. Never collected in a mass market edition since their publication in the late 1930s, these exciting tales helped to establish a genre and are a critical part of any fantasy library. Included as a bonus are Kuttner's two Prince Raynor stories from 1939's Strange Tales. With seminal, thrilling adventure tales from one of the most important writers in science-fiction and fantasy, Elak of Atlantis is not to be missed

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1601250460
• ISBN13: 9781601250469
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Paizo Inc.
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 1.0" x 5.0"
• Age Range: 16 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 11 and higher

Customer Reviews

"I've tasted war, and I like the draft."

I understand Kuttner was filling a void in sword-and-sorcery left by Howard's death, on some levels, but I would say that Zeulas and Conan wouldn't pal around as much as the introduction leads the reader to believe, but they would probably find benefit in an adventure or two, and relativity in talk against positions of power and celebrity. Kuttner's tales here are entertaining, well-written, and given us enough of myth and sorcery to feel at home with its intention. The action wasn't always as expected, as Zeulas tended to get the best of himself taken when fighting, but also had his own moments of beating them down. He always came out thriving in the end, either of his own volition, or the help of a good drunk, or a freedom-loving lover, or a convenient Druid. Velia is a character who found out what a suppressed woman and a free woman are, seeing not a gender issue once free, but seeing that evil knows no gender, and the Love of a good man cannot be categorized with the Lust of an evil man or woman. I definitely recommend this for collectors and dabblers.