Original D&D Discussion - Francis Xavier Gordon

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May 18, 2013, 12:37pm

Original D&D Discussion :: Other :: Howard and Hyboria :: Francis Xavier Gordon

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Topic: Francis Xavier Gordon (Read 295 times)

Ghul
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Francis Xavier Gordon
« Thread Started on Sept 5, 2011, 12:46pm »

So, I've read all the Kull, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, and Conan yarns. I've also read a few collections of horror tales. The Conan yarns perhaps three times over since my preteen years. I should re-read the Kull and Solomon Kan tales, simply because it's been so long (maybe 20 years) and I fear that I've forgotten a lot, though I'm sure most of you experience the same as I do when re-reading a book you assume to have forgotten much about -- the synapses connect, and like good times with old friends, it all begins to come back to you. I digress. The one book on my shelf that haunts me is El Borak. Francis Xavier Gordon is a Howard character I know little to nothing about. Any fans here?

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arcadayn
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Re: Francis Xavier Gordon
« Reply #1 on Sept 5, 2011, 5:04pm »

El Borak is one of my favorites. I have a compilation book from Ace called, Son of the White Wolf. It's very inspiring for a pulp era campaign.

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kesher
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Re: Francis Xavier Gordon
« Reply #2 on Sept 7, 2011, 11:15am »

Huh---I don't think I've ever heard of El Borak! Awesome.

Kull is really my all-time favorite. Kicks ass like Conan, but is a philosopher at heart. The Mirrors of Tzune Thune may be the best story he ever wrote (imo).

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Re: Francis Xavier Gordon
« Reply #3 on Sept 7, 2011, 2:22pm »

The El Borak stories are great; if you have an e-reader you can find them at Project Gutenberg Australia for free. Definitely worth reading!

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Ghul
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Re: Francis Xavier Gordon
« Reply #4 on Sept 8, 2011, 8:02pm »

Sept 7, 2011, 11:15am, kesher wrote:

Despite Conan being one of my favorite characters in any fiction (genre or otherwise), I think my favorite Howard tale might be Worms of the Earth.

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rabindranath72
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Re: Francis Xavier Gordon
« Reply #5 on Sept 16, 2011, 5:14am »

Sept 8, 2011, 8:02pm, Ghul wrote:

Sept 7, 2011, 11:15am, kesher wrote:

Despite Conan being one of my favorite characters in any fiction (genre or otherwise), I think my favorite Howard tale might be Worms of the Earth.

+1
Plus, Hour of the Dragon. Brilliant stuff.

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Re: Francis Xavier Gordon
« Reply #6 on Sept 16, 2011, 5:24am »

My top three REH characters are probably Conan, Soloman Kane, and Francis Xavier Gordon. My order of preference changes with my mood.

Gordon lives in a more modern era (not sure REH pins down an exact date but probably around 1900 or so, I'd guess) in Afghanistan. The setting reminds me a lot of those old French Foreign Legion movies. There are basic rifles but no automatic weapons, and Gordon uses knives and swords a lot as well. Really great action-adventure pulp tales of treasure hunting, damsel-in-distress saving, and so on.

I'd reccommend the stories quite highly!

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