The Sowers of the Thunder

"The Sowers of the Thunder" is a historical fiction short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, originally published in Oriental Stories, Winter 1932. It takes place in Outremer (the Crusader states) in the time of General Baibars and deals with the General's friendly/adversarial relationship with Cahal Ruadh O'Donnell, an Irish Crusader with a troubled past cut in the Howardian mold. Both the Siege of Jerusalem (1244) and the Battle of La Forbie feature in the plot.

For the 1973 collection named after this story, see The Sowers of the Thunder (collection).
"The Sowers of the Thunder"
AuthorRobert E. Howard
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Historical fiction
Published inOriental Stories
Media typePulp magazine
Publication dateWinter 1932

As is common for Howard's historical fiction, this tale is tragic as much as it is heroic, pitting the protagonist's superhuman strength and resolution against a world that is yet stronger, and too harsh to resist. Another trait of the story common to Howard's historical tales is the mix of historical figures and events (here Baibars, Walter of Brienne, Al-Mansur and others, and the prelude to Baibars' Mamluk empire) with totally imaginary ones (such as deposed "King of Ireland" Cahal).

Reception

In an article on Howard's historical fiction, Don D'Ammassa wrote that "The Sowers of the Thunder" "is perhaps Howard's most historically rich tale, filled with colorful images and descriptive passages that demonstrate the careful research that must have taken place before these stories were written." He also described "The Sowers of the Thunder" as "one of Howard's finest stories, despite an over reliance on coincidence."[1]

References
  1. Don D'Ammassa, in Darrell Schweitzer, "Howard's Oriental Stories", in The Robert E. Howard Reader. Wildside Press, Rockville, Md., 2010. ISBN 9781434411655 (p. 117).
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