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<blockquote data-quote="Wraith Form" data-source="post: 1329290" data-attributes="member: 10789">WHAAA--???&nbsp; &nbsp; Dude, he created many of those cliches before your so-called &quot;modern&quot; writers were even born, let alone included them in their writing.&nbsp; &nbsp;That's like saying that '20's - '50's blues are too cliche compared to Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and their contemporaries. Hunh? We're talking roots here.&nbsp; &nbsp;Howard pre-dated Tolkien, Jordan, Martin, Lieber, Salvatore and all your fantasy author-idols. I strongly argue that your &quot;modern&quot; writers use many of Howard's tropes and themes as a springboard for what they're currently doing, and without his influence (whether overt or subtle) much of what we read today wouldn't have the same depth, beauty and downright coolness.&nbsp; &nbsp;Was Howard's writing perfect? Certainly not. Considering the type of audience he was writing for, however, his re-use of certain phrases (i.e. Conan's panther/catlike speed, etc. which--even as a fan--gets old quick) was understandable. How many times did Arthur Conan Doyle use the same phrases in his Holmesian tales? That's just the way writing was done in short, serialized tales. This way new audiences got on board faster, and fans immediately recognized and associated with their familiar hero/villain/etc.&nbsp;&nbsp;Regarding whether Howard would &quot;make it&quot; in today's fantasy market....well, it's irrelevant.&nbsp; Would H P Lovecraft make it today?&nbsp; I hardly think so.&nbsp; Would Conan Doyle?&nbsp; Who cares?&nbsp; They're our current fantasy's roots and source.&nbsp; Howard did fairly well in the context of his time period, just as Jordan and Martin are doing in the context of ours.&nbsp; &nbsp; Feh.&nbsp; Kids these days.&nbsp; Oy, I tell ya.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Wraith Form, post: 1329290, member: 10789"] WHAAA--??? Dude, he [b][i]created[/i][/b] many of those cliches before your so-called "modern" writers were even born, let alone included them in their writing. That's like saying that '20's - '50's blues are too cliche compared to Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and their contemporaries. Hunh? We're talking [i]roots[/i] here. Howard pre-dated Tolkien, Jordan, Martin, Lieber, Salvatore and all your fantasy author-idols. I strongly argue that your "modern" writers use many of Howard's tropes and themes as a springboard for what they're currently doing, and without his influence (whether overt or subtle) much of what we read today wouldn't have the same depth, beauty and downright [i]coolness[/i]. Was Howard's writing perfect? Certainly not. Considering the type of audience he was writing for, however, his re-use of certain phrases (i.e. Conan's panther/catlike speed, etc. which--even as a fan--gets old quick) was understandable. How many times did Arthur Conan Doyle use the same phrases in his Holmesian tales? That's just the way writing was done in short, serialized tales. This way new audiences got on board faster, and fans immediately recognized and associated with their familiar hero/villain/etc. Regarding whether Howard would "make it" in today's fantasy market....well, it's irrelevant. Would H P Lovecraft make it today? I hardly think so. Would Conan Doyle? Who cares? They're our current fantasy's roots and source. Howard did fairly well [i]in the context of his time period[/i], just as Jordan and Martin are doing in the context of ours. Feh. Kids these days. Oy, I tell ya. [/QUOTE]

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