The Conan Chronicles: Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle by Robert E. Howard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Conan Chronicles is a book that is often enjoyable to read despite being poorly written. Admittedly, the stories were not intended to form part of a collection; nevertheless, it is striking how repetitive the descriptive language is. Conan has smoldering blue eyes, and moves like a panther or wolf; this is repeated every few pages. Much of the characterization is also very weak. Every woman in this world, regardless of their circumstances, is waiting for Conan to arrive, where they clutch his strong arms and he 'carries them as easily as a child'. There was often a Mills and Boon feel to the romances.

There is also a strain of race science thinking that permeates the stories in a way that is striking now that that way of thinking is no longer prevalent. The author often refers to the fantasy peoples in the story as 'ape like', and gives florid descriptions of racial degeneration in a way that often becomes intrusive.

All of that being said, the stories are fast paced and have a folksy charm. The world is mysterious enough for Conan's adventures to hold an interest, despite his limitations as a character. In fact, I thought the best stories were those where he had a marginal presence. For example, in 'The God in the bowl', Conan is a murder suspect and does little other than grunt while the investigation is taking place. That story worked well because Conan has little inner life and little in the way of interesting motivation. However, as a plot device, he is often entertaining, particularly where powerful people try to use him to their advantage, only to become unstuck when he fights his way out of the traps set for him.

Although there was no obvious chronology within the stories, they were themed around his earlier life as an adventurer. I'm interested to see whether there is any development of the character in the latter stories, where, it is heavily hinted, he becomes a king.



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