Jun 28, 2011 -- 3:50AM, CharikIeia wrote:

Jun 27, 2011 -- 8:30AM, rocketjsquirell wrote:

Chari

You liked the Conan movie?

Not exactly. I didn't watch it when it came out, considered it to be 100% stupid and presumably due to the Schwarzenegger cast quite "primitive" of sorts. When I saw it later on TV, I couldn't understand how this would have attracted a larger audience. In terms of fantasy, I always preferred Tolkien style, loading heavily on culture & traditions, and the tragedy these imply for individuals. Very European... the Conan story is lightweight, not very complex.

Conan is based on a series of short stories written for the pulps in the 1930's, and the author killed himself in 1936. The longest story was "The Hour of the Dragon" Howard's only novel and it was much shorter than "The Hobbit" and perhaps shorter than "The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe" Howard wrote for a different kind of audience and in a different time.

The only glimmer he shows of the political situation in Europe is when he Wrote "Hour of the Dragon" in which Nemedia (the Hyborian Germany) enlists an arch mage from the dead and begins  an occultic campaign to conquer her western neighbor.

This man is done with any political career on these shores.  He also is done in Hollywood (a political base he would lack in Europe.

Does the EU Presidency have the power to lesson the sentences of convicted murderers related to political cronies at the last minute?  If not, this would be a step down in power for the man.  Unless the EU Presidency also has the power veto budgets and request cuts in home care services for elderly shut-ins and education for the visually handicapped;  this is once again a step down in power.

Europe does have its share of ugly maids, though.   So, there must be some appeal to the job for him.