Durandal is a forgotten treasure; a classic of the pulp fiction era and a progenitor of the modern heroic fantasy genre. A dark and dramatic epic set in the thirteenth century, it's complex, original, and written in a vivid, cinematic style by a master craftsman. It's no surprise to discover that movie director Cecil B. de Mille recognized Lamb's talents and employed him as technical advisor and screenwriter for several de Mille productions.Sir Hugh of Taranto is an idealistic young knight, part of a contingent of Frankish Crusaders supporting the Byzantine Emperor Theodore Lascaris against Islamic Turkish forces at Antioch. During the battle the Franks are callously betrayed by their allies. Only one survives slaughter by the Turks: Sir Hugh, saved from certain death by a mysterious warrior who bequeaths him Durandal, the legendary sword once owned by Charlemagne's paladin, Roland.Vowing vengeance for his comrades and pursued by Imperial agents who want no living witnesses to the Emperor's perfidy, Sir Hugh's twisting and turning path leads him ever further East, through Syria and Persia into the Caucasus, where he is captured by Mongol tribesmen, outriders of Genghis Khan's army.This is pure high adventure, full of action and intrigue, ringing with battle cries and clashing swords, and clearly in the tradition of nineteenth century authors like H. Rider Haggard, Sir Walter Scott and William Morris. It's no simplistic "Boy's Own" tale, though. There are no cardboard cutout villains inspired by xenophobia. The few women who appear are strong personalities, confident in their female power. Believable characters and settings both exotic yet realistic reflect Harold Lamb's extensive knowledge about the period and the peoples and places featured in Durandal.In this more cynical age it's refreshing to read a story which unashamedly celebrates the virtues of honor, duty and loyalty, not confined to any one race or religion, and comradeship which transcends all cultural barriers. (1931, 370 pages)Note: The rare 1931 edition of Durandal consists of three novellas first published in "Adventure" magazine, linked by additional short stories into a complete tale. This 1931 edition is the only one which contains all the original material. The 1981 edition from publisher Donald M. Grant (beautifully illustrated by Alicia Austin and George Barr; see cover art above) includes only the first part of the 1931 novel. The sequel, Sea of Ravens, about Hugh's adventures in the East, was published separately in 1983. 

A master of driving pace, exotic setting, and complex plotting, Harold Lamb was one of Robert E. Howard's favorite writers. Here at last is every pulse-pounding, action-packed story of Lamb's greatest hero, Khlit the Cossack, the "wolf of the steppes." Journey with the unsung grandfather of sword and sorcery in search of ancient tombs, gleaming treasure, and thrilling landscapes. Match wits with deadly swordsmen, scheming priests, and evil cults. Rescue lovely damsels, ride with bold comrades, and hazard everything on your brains, skill, and a little luck. This four-volume set collects for the first time the complete Cossack stories of Harold Lamb: every adventure of Khlit the Cossack and those of his friends, allies, and fellow Cossacks, many of which have never appeared between book covers. Compiled and edited by the Harold Lamb scholar Howard Andrew Jones, each volume features essays Lamb wrote about his stories, an informative introduction by a popular author, and a wealth of rare, exciting swashbuckling fiction. In the concluding volume, gallop into adventure with Khlit and Kirdy for their final challenge in The Wolf Master, out of print since 1933. Then, delve into a treasure trove of stories gleaned from rare magazines: an account of a desperate mission for Khlit's old friend Ayub; three tales of the valorous Koum and the champion swordsman Gurka; two daring ventures by Stenka Razin, the Robin Hood of the steppes; five short stories of Uncle Yarak, a Cossack fighting in World War II; and more than a half dozen other swashbuckling tales from the steppes.

Master of driving pace, exotic setting, and complex plotting, Harold Lamb was one of Robert E. Howard’s favorite writers. Here at last is every pulse-pounding, action-packed story of Lamb’s greatest hero, the wolf of the steppes, Khlit the Cossack. Journey now with the unsung grandfather of sword and sorcery in search of ancient tombs, gleaming treasure, and thrilling landscapes. Match wits with deadly swordsmen, scheming priests, and evil cults. Rescue lovely damsels, ride with bold comrades, and hazard everything on your brains and skill and a little luck. Warriors of the Steppes is the second in a four-volume set that collects, for the first time, the complete Cossack stories of Harold Lamb and presents them in order: every adventure of Khlit the Cossack and those of his friends, allies, and fellow Cossacks, many of which have never before appeared between book covers. Compiled and edited by the Harold Lamb scholar Howard Andrew Jones, each volume features never-before reprinted essays Lamb wrote about his stories, informative introductions by popular authors, and a wealth of rare, exciting, swashbuckling fiction.This second volume collects all five tales of Khlit’s greatest friend, the valorous Abdul Dost, and Dost’s comrade Sir Ralph Weyand. Life across the Roof of the World is more dangerous than ever as Khlit teams up with Abdul to thwart a gang of kidnappers, stamp out a cult of stranglers, save the dazzling Retha, and reluctantly lead an Afghani rebellion against the forces of the Mogul. Contained herein are the three never-before-collected stories of Khlit the Cossack, including the short novel The Curved Sword.

Master of driving pace, exotic setting, and complex plotting, Harold Lamb was one of Robert E. Howard’s favorite writers. Here at last is every pulse-pounding, action-packed story of Lamb’s greatest hero, the wolf of the steppes, Khlit the Cossack. Journey now with the unsung grandfather of sword and sorcery in search of ancient tombs, gleaming treasure, and thrilling landscapes. Match wits with deadly swordsmen, scheming priests, and evil cults. Rescue lovely damsels, ride with bold comrades, and hazard everything on your brains and skill and a little luck. Wolf of the Steppes is the first of a four-volume set that collects, for the first time, the complete Cossack stories of Harold Lamb and presents them in order: every adventure of Khlit the Cossack and those of his friends, allies, and fellow Cossacks, many of which have never before appeared between book covers. Compiled and edited by the Harold Lamb scholar Howard Andrew Jones, each volume features never-before reprinted essays Lamb wrote about his stories, informative introductions by popular authors, and a wealth of rare, exciting, swashbuckling fiction.In this first volume, Khlit infiltrates a hidden fortress of assassins, tracks down the tomb of Genghis Khan, flees the vengeance of a dead emperor, leads the Mongol horde against impossible odds, accompanies the stunning Mogul queen safely through the land of her enemies, and much more. This is the stuff of grand adventure, from the pen of an American Dumas.

Review“Lamb knew how to write straight-ahead adventure the way Michelangelo knew how to paint.”—S. M. Stirling(S. M. Stirling 20090930)"Rest assured that every single solitary tale within the covers of Swords From the West is worth reading."—Deuce Richardson, Cimmerian(Deuce Richardson Cimmerian )"As a young writer and history buff, I loved Harold Lamb, and this reprinting of the seventeen so-called "Crusader stories" from Adventure Magazine reminded me why. . . . His imagination, his gifts of plot and action writing, and his passion for worlds and peoples not white, not western and not like us, make the book a delight to read."—Cecelia Holland, Historical Novels Review(Cecelia Holland Historical Novels Review ) Product DescriptionBeset by enemies on every side and torn by internal divisions, the crusader kingdoms were a hotbed of intrigue, where your greatest ally might be your natural enemy. Because lives and kingdoms often rested on the edge of a sword blade, it was a time when a bold heart and a steady hand would see you far—so long as you watched your back.Here, for the first time, are all seventeen of Harold Lamb’s uncollected crusader stories in one volume. Read now of the fall of kingdoms and the fate of doomed men, of desperate battles and brave comrades, of shrewd maids and scheming nobles. Join Nial O’Gordon, a young crusader riding deep into Asia to forget his past. Venture forth with Sir Robert of Antioch to cross blades with the Mongol hordes. Join King Richard the Lionhearted for his last battle. Stand firm beside Sir John and his Arab friend Khalil against a band of traitors. And sail out with Michael Bearn on a mission of vengeance, as he risks his life to bring down a sultan and his kingdom.(20090306)

Review“Long before multiculturalism became a byword for political correctness, Lamb appreciated an authentic form of it. He once described why he wrote on the people and societies of Asia: ‘It all came out of an intense irritation over the fact that all history seemed to draw a north-south line across Europe, through Berlin and Venice, say. Everything was supposed to have happened west of that line, nothing to the east. Ridiculous, of course.’”— John J. Miller, Wall Street Journal(Wall Street Journal John J. Miller ) Product DescriptionTheir conquest was measured not in miles but in degrees of longitude. They smashed the gates of empires, overthrew kingdoms, diverted rivers, and depopulated entire countries. They were the Mongols of Genghis Khan, swift and merciless but also resourceful, bold, and cunning. Their tale has seldom been told in the West, and never by an author with the acumen of Harold Lamb.Ride with young Temujin as he outwits schemers and assassins and rises to conquer Asia as Genghis Khan. Venture to the land beneath the northern lights on a mission of vengeance with Maak the Buriat. Stand with Aruk the gatekeeper and Hugo the Frank as they hold the pass against the Sungar hordes. Lamb’s action-packed Mongolian stories, available here in one complete volume, restore the Mongols to their place in history, portraying them not as mindless barbarians but as men of honor and bravery who laid down their lives for their leader and their lands.(20090928)

A master of driving pace, exotic setting, and complex plotting, Harold Lamb was one of Robert E. Howard's favorite writers. Here at last is every pulse-pounding, action-packed story of Lamb's greatest hero, Khlit the Cossack, the “wolf of the steppes.” Journey with the unsung grandfather of sword and sorcery in search of ancient tombs, gleaming treasure, and thrilling landscapes. Match wits with deadly swordsmen, scheming priests, and evil cults. Rescue lovely damsels, ride with bold comrades, and hazard everything on your brains, skill, and a little luck. This four-volume set collects for the first time the complete Cossack stories of Harold Lamb: every adventure of Khlit the Cossack and those of his friends, allies, and fellow Cossacks, many of which have never appeared between book covers. Compiled and edited by the Harold Lamb scholar Howard Andrew Jones, each volume features essays Lamb wrote about his stories, an informative introduction by a popular author, and a wealth of rare, exciting swashbuckling fiction. In the concluding volume, gallop into adventure with Khlit and Kirdy for their final challenge in The Wolf Master, out of print since 1933. Then, delve into a treasure trove of stories gleaned from rare magazines: an account of a desperate mission for Khlit’s old friend Ayub; three tales of the valorous Koum and the champion swordsman Gurka; two daring ventures by Stenka Razin, the Robin Hood of the steppes; five short stories of Uncle Yarak, a Cossack fighting in World War II; and more than a half dozen other swashbuckling tales from the steppes.

The Harold Lamb Megapack presents 18 classic tales by one of the greatest adventure fiction writers of all time. Lamp inspired countless other authors, including Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan the Barbarian) with his historically accurate tales of exotic lands and peoples, from Cossacks to Arabs and Turks. Included here are 18 of his greatest tales.