"Khlit the Cossack books by Harold Lamb" Topic

If you are a Harold Lamb fan (I have been since I read his 'The Cossack Chief', 'Hannibal', 'Genghis Khan', 'Tamerlane', etc. as a kid) you might be interested in these books:

link

Originally written as short stories for pulp magazines, these are now collected in 4 volumes. I ordered the first 2 books (Wolf of the Steppes and Warriors of the Steppes) and just finished them, if you are interested in Cossacks, Mongols, Turks, Chinese warlords, Moguls, Afghans, assassins, ambushes, big battles all along the Silk Road and the Roof of the World, I highly recommend these. The writing style is a little dated, and there are some non-PC references (the Jews are always greedy, the Chinese are always scheming, the Tartars are always simple and brutal) that reflect the era in which Lamb was writing. But I really enjoyed them and there are many great scenarios for historical battles, Back of Beyond-type adventures, etc. these books are great! Time to dig out the Old Glory Cossacks and start painting!

I have The Mighty Manslayer on my bookshelves. I agree the Khlit sories are great. I rate them up there with R. E. Howard's pulp stories. Did not know there were more stories. Harold Lamb is a great read.

Great books. From what i understand, Lamb was a inspiration for Robert E. Howard.

Off on a tangent (but you did mention Cossack figs ) does anybody know where I can find mounted 1/32, 54mm, or 1/35 Cossacks? Hopefully solid figs, rather than models that have to be assembled.

Thanks.

hmm Interesting ..!

Are these stories more exciting than Taras Bulba? Somewhere, on Amazon maybe, they were compared to that. I did not find Taras Bulba all that gripping.

Mysterioso, I would classify them as the male equivalent of a Harlequin romance in some ways – as I said the writing style is a little dated, and after about the fifth story you can predict the plots (if there is a slave girl, she is probably a princess in disguise; the Mongols will win every battle (Lamb really had a jones for the Mongols); Khlit will outsmart the cult of assassins/chinese sorcerer/rajput general/tartar warlord; the evil Turk/Chinese/Mogul henchman will die) but I really enjoy reading about an era and a part of the world that doesn't get much press (1600s in Central Asia). It is light reading, plots aren't too complicated, exotic locations, lots of battles and ambushes – one volume is about $14 USD on Amazon so it isn't much of a financial loss. If I had to compare them to another book, it would be the Sienkiwicz (I hate trying to spell that name) trilogy (The Deluge, Fire and Sword, etc.) – just much shorter. I hope that helps!

His name's Khlit? I can see some problems for a modern readership. Still, so long as his surname isn't Oris …

Yes I noticed that too – in the foreword of one of the books I think it said it is pronouned 'Kleet'.

Remember these stories were written in the 1920s-1930s when people were perhaps not as sexually knowlegeable as nowdays (just guessing here).

D@MN YOUR EYES, TBeyer!!!!

I was just looking at his books and giving some thought to get them… You have pushed me over the edge!!!

I was looking at them here…..
fantasticfiction.co.uk

Great place to go to research who wrote what.