/lit/ - Literature

You have ten seconds to name a genre fiction writer better than Robert E. Howard.

My favourite Cimmerian.

Due to most literary fiction taking place in contemporary or otherwise 'sophisticated' settings, I feel that the ability to clearly depict action is an underrated element of good writing. Some might say it's the property of genre fiction.

But being able to lay out a fight so that the reader can follow it is surely a sign of good prose, right? It's just as much of a challenge, in its own way, as writing good dialogue.

Do you have some favorite describers of action, /lit/?

Pic related, Robert E. Howard is quite good at it.

I do love wonderfully written, excellently crafted literature that examines the many facets of human existence. Some of my favorite writers are commonly considered great.

But I also fucking love pulp. Sometimes I just want to read a story where a big burly fellow has a giant sword and uses it to carve his way through vile men and horrific monsters.

Obviously Robert E. Howard is the seminal writer in this genre, and I own a collection of Conan stories. But who else should I check out for this sort of thing?

>>5179391
Have you ever read Robert E. Howard's Conan stories? I think the Conan of Howard's writing could almost certainly be said to possess master morality. He moves utterly unfettered by the shackles of 'civilized' society, showing no regard for king or lord or law, obeying only the natural world, the very real gods, and the monsters with which he clashes.

>>5164072
Howard is one of the finest crafters of prose the fantasy genre has ever produced. You almost expect him to be a writer from the 80s or 90s given the energy and intensity of his writing.

Howard feels less like a predecessor to fantasy fiction and more like a reaction to it. This is why I think he's intensely relevant today. He's everything George R.R. Martin wishes he could be as a writer.