Having never read Conan stories I decided to take a look at the works of a man considered to be a master storyteller and a writer that has triggered entire heroic-epic-fantasy concept (exaggeration perhaps but after reading this book I can say that he is very very good storyteller and writer). I took this book because everyone said that Howard was obsessed with Picts and that his stories about them were the best.

This one is a story of an ancient race, one that has ruled entire Europe during the stone age but after being driven away by more advanced (and aggressive) races is now left in state of complete savagery - they have even degraded both mentally and physically. Bran is the last king of these people, man whose ancestors have kept their bloodline pure [as author would say] (meaning they haven't mixed with other races) - he is truly the last of his/their kind. He tries to civilize his people and unite them again - but at the end when he falls in battle they return to their savage ways.

Sad story about the man giving his best to save his nation although he knows he will not succeed in that endeavor.

Great book, read it. I am aiming now to read other Howard's books :) ( )

Another in the Del Rey Robert E. Howard collection, and like the Kull volume chock full of assorted material to go along with the stories. Here you find more than one poem, some articles, drafts, and even a copy of some of the actual typed pages of one story. Fragments of stories, fragments of plays. Even the geeky editorial correction notes.

There is a lot of Pict to be found here. One of the most interesting things is at the end, where Howard's writing and thinking about the Pict race is traced via correspondence with H. P. Lovecraft and others, and analysed by the article writers. A very worthy inclusion, indeed.

Also a reasonable number of illustrations to be found in this volume.

Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Foreword by Gary Gianni
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Introduction by Rusty Burke
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Men of the Shadows [Bran Mak Morn]
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Kings of the Night [Bran Mak Morn; Kull]
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : A Song of the Race [Bran Mak Morn]
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Worms of the Earth [Bran Mak Morn]
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : The Dark Man [Turlogh O’Brien]
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : The Lost Race
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Poem [The Drums of Pictdom]
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Notes on Miscellanea by Rusty Burke
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : The Little People
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : The Little People—Typescript
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : The Children of the Night
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Bran Mak Morn [Bran Mak Morn]
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Bran Mak Morn—Manuscript
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Synopsis [“Bran Mak Morn Synopsis”]
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Worms of the Earth—Draft
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Fragment
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Poem
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Untitled Howard Story
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Robert E. Howard and the Picts: A Chronology
Bran Mak Morn the Last King : Robert E. Howard, Bran Mak Morn and the Picts · Rusty Burke and Patrice Louinet

4.5 out of 5

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This is Wandering Star’s comprehensive collection of Bran Mak Morn tales and it’s a stunner. It is very thorough and includes all the Bran Mak Morn tales (“Men of the Shadows”, “Kings of the Night”, and “Worms of the Earth”) and the Turlough Dubh yarn, “The Dark Man”. It also has another Pictish tale, “The Lost Race” as well as poetry, fragments, an early draft of “Worms” and a whole chronology (including excerpts from REH letters) of REH and the Picts. Even so it is still not a complete Pictology when you consider the import of Pictish supporting characters and foes in the James Allison stories, the Conan series and the Cormac MacArt tales. To get all that in there you’d need another volume.