'By This Axe I Rule!' - Robert E. Howard

You have a collection of short stories in your hand, how do you pick the one that you're going to read? I have my own methods which vary depending on my mood, most of the time I'll open a page at random, and read the story that's closest, but I've also been known to play it safe, start at the beginning of the book and go from there. My planned reading is not going to plan, at the moment, so I thought I'd finally pick up the 'Kull: Exile of Atlantis' and read something from there instead. I took one look at the contents and 'By This Axe I Rule!' pretty much chose itself as the most 'metal' title on the page. It's not how I'd normally pick a story to read but here we are. It was a good choice though if I do say so myself...

It's fair to say that Kull is not enjoying his life as King; the long established law of the land stops him from ruling how he wants and his subjects really aren't keen on him. Even now, a group of nobles (and a bard, for some reason) have bribed an officer of the Red Guard to leave Kull's quarters unguarded and open to attack. One King against twenty conspirators, will there be a new King in the morning...?

You look at the first few pages of 'By This Axe I Rule' and it has two very different plot strands running through it, the attempt on Kull's life and Kull's own struggle to rule. If you're like me, you'd be wondering how on earth Howard could make the two strands go together but he does, and in a way that feels natural, no contrivance here. The end result is a short story that is a healthy mix of action and an air of thoughtfulness that I wasn't expecting to come across. Lets talk about that for a minute.

'The trouble with me, Brule, I did not dream far enough. I always visualised merely the seizing of the throne – I did not look beyond... I prepared myself to seize the throne – not to hold it.'

Now there's something you don't come across every day... A barbarian king who fervently wishes that he'd put a little bit more thought into what it would mean to actually be the new king after killing the old king. Kull then is already a more introspective lead than other 'Howard characters' (that I've come across anyway) but I think we're also coming up against the ol' 'barbarism versus civilisation' argument taken to it's logical conclusion. You can argue about which is better but it's very clear that they don't mix. The people of Valusia don't trust an outlander barbarian on the throne while Kull is clearly unable to rule in the manner that they need him to. Kull even knows that Ridondo, the bard, is plotting against him but is unable to act as Ridondo's music affects him deeply. It's a relationship where neither party is suited to the other and something has to change, but can it...? The answer is of course an emphatic yes and in answering that question, Howard lets us know not only what side of the 'barbarism vs. civilisation' argument he sits in (like we didn't already know but anyway...) but also seems to suggest that the people of Valusia aren't too bothered about where their king comes from, they just want a strong king to take charge and lead them. It's a good job that Kull couldn't keep his temper under control then, isn't it? ;o)

The big fight almost feels like an afterthought and to be honest, Kull's 'deep thoughts' are a lot more interesting to me. Howard does give us a decent spectacle though with Kull taking on all comers and holding his own handsomely until help arrives (not a spoiler as it's really obvious that Kull will make it to the end, it's the whole point of the book and of Howard's short stories in general). I just wish that the 'Kull' movie had been as fun to watch.

'By This Axe I Rule' was a very entertaining read, a good indicator of what Kull is about and what we can expect from him in the future. And it is strangely comforting to know that sometimes, it really is ok to take a large axe to your problems... ;o)