Reviews for The devil's instrument

The average rating for The devil's instrument based on 2 reviews is 1.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-05-24 00:00:00 Alfredo Barroga This small collection of some of Robert E. Howard's short stories is an excellent illustration of Howard's skill. I've been a Howard fan since 1975 and it is clear to me why; few writers create the depth in characters and atmosphere that Howard could and Howard did it with such a concise, concentrated, economical use of words that made his prose much more powerful than that of lesser skilled writers. The stories in The Dark Man Omnibus: Volume 1 are of nicely varied themes including lost civilizations, supernatural horror, historical fantasy and even a western. His protagonists have a tendency to transcend normal human physical ability and occasionally intellectual ability in a way that could be considered a precursor to our modern superheroes, and most of us like to read about individuals that appear to be at the pinnacle of human evolution whether they are sports heroes or superheroes! My favorite attribute of Howard stories is how quickly he is able to fully illustrate and familiarize the reader with the characters including making the reader interested in the well-being or future of the character. Howard did just that in each of the stories in this collection as well. As a longtime fan I highly recommend each of these stories as excellent examples of what made Howard such an influential writer. This collection was published in 1978 so it may not be available today as a collection, but I would recommend searching for a used copy or searching for collections that contain one or more of these stories. The Dark Man Omnibus: Volume 1 contains: The Voice of El-Lil Pigeons from Hell The Dark Man The Gods of Bal-Sagoth The Man on the Ground In the Forest of Villefere

Review # 2 was written on 2019-05-28 00:00:00 Anthony Kiedis (3.5 ⭐) I really appreciate that this collection isn't all the moment of the atomic bombs but stories of afterwards and where atomic aftermath would be a subtle. I flowed with some better than others. I didn't feel like I managed to access the final story (The Rite) at all and the feeling of what I was reading went over my head. But overall a good collection.