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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 5253901" data-attributes="member: 18280">No kidding.  Conan ended up the King of Aquilonia, where he defended freedom of religion and freedom of speech, among other "Good" actions.  Frodo ended up relatively unknown in his own country, and ultimately unable to enjoy what he fought to preserve.  Who really got screwed over?Is there anywhere in any Conan story half so dark as Mordor?  Is there any character half so gritty or dark as Gollum?  (And I mean the book versions, not the movies, here!)Boromir's betrayal of not just the Fellowship, but of his own ideals and standards, is certainly darker than any betrayal a REH character endures.  Sauron is certainly more powerful an evil than anything REH served up.  REH's S&S stories are almost universally about the triumph of good over evil, even if they occur in a morally complex backdrop filled with shades of grey.  JRRT's world is far more black & white in its large-scale morality, yet it hits harder, has greater betrayals, greater evils, and more pitiful/loathsome amoral characters than REH did.  And, yes, more shades of grey in the small scale!I am a fan of both writers, but I am well aware that the Fellowship faced harder choices than ever Conan did.  Conan's path was always relatively clear to him -- that is one of the appeals of the character.  Given a choice between "save the girl" or "keep the treasure", Conan will always save the girl.  Or the child.  Or anyone who is unable to defend himself, and is not deserving of his fate.  And he is willing to risk his life to do so.  The Fellowship, conversely, is always facing hard choices, with a world balancing on the outcome of those choices.  Their way is not always clear.  An easy example is the choice to enter the Mines of Moria, and the despair Aragorn feels when the weight of leadership is thrust upon him thereafter.  "All my choices have proven ill" or words to that effect.And Howard's villians are clearly villians.  They are Evil, and need to be stopped.  JRRT also gives us orcs who would rather be farmers, and men who believe that they are doing good, but have been fooled into thinking the other side is evil.Conan lives in a world where the Big moral compass is cloudy, but the day to day moral compass that guides him is clear.  What needs to be fought, is fought.  What needs to be saved, is saved.  There is never any real doubt about where things stand on the individual level.Frodo lives in a world where the Big moral compass is clear, but the day to day moral compass that guides him is cloudy.  Is Gollum to be feared or pitied?  Or both?  Should he be killed?  Should he be trusted, and how far?  Will the elves help us, or wil they slay us if we enter Lothlorien?  Are the Rohirrim our friends, or have they fallen under the sway of Saruman?  Conan is very light reading compared to the Lord of the Rings.RC.</blockquote>

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