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Conan the Barbarian
Conan of Aquilonia
Howard had no part in writing any of these four tales. They are set during the (fairly) peaceful time of King Conan of Aquilonia, with his recovered Queen by his side.
. . Witch of the Mists
. . Black Sphinx of Nebthu
. . Red Moon of Zembabwei
. . Shadows in the Skull
. . Witch of the Mists
. . Black Sphinx of Nebthu
. . Red Moon of Zembabwei
. . Shadows in the Skull
Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
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About the author
L. Sprague de Camp
759 books312 followersLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of non-fiction, including biographies of other fantasy authors. He was a major figure in science fiction in the 1930s and 1940s.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 14, 2024
High adventure, sinister sorcery, and bizarre beasts fuel this tale of King Conan and his quest to finally crush his arch nemesis Thoth-Amon. Four interconnected short stories tell this story as Conan, his son Conn, and his close advisors pursue the wicked wizard to the End of the World for one final showdown. These pulp stories flow fast, full of action and suspense.
December 10, 2021
This is the eleventh volume of Lancer's editions of the Conan saga, though it was the last published by far. L. Sprague de Camp, with the help of Lin Carter, expanded Howard's original Conan stories and edited them into chronological sequence in a twelve-volume series in the late 1960's into the '70's, and the controversy has never quite died off completely. Many people believe that only Howard's original versions of the complete stories are acceptable, and many believe that the Lancer series with the original Frazetta covers (though this last one to appear does not have a Frazetta, but one by Boris Vallejo) are canon, and then there are those who accept or reject the Bantam titles, the Robert Jordan series (and/or/or not the other Tor titles), the comics versions, and on and on and on... They're all right and all wrong.... This Lancer series is the one I read while growing up, so I'm all for it. I can accept comics hero stories by different writers, and pulp heroes frequently had different writers under a house name, so... This is the one that everyone waited for for a very long time... Lancer went broke and never published the book, and there were court cases that tied the series and character up for a decade. Conan would have settled it swiftly by beheading them all, or perhaps just banishing them all to a Stygian pit. This one features an old Conan, in his sixties and has no content by Howard. It has four novelettes by de Camp and Carter, and though they're not bad sword & sorcery tales, they lack the feel of Conan. They're about an old guy and his son battling an evil wizard and adventuring aplenty. I suppose if they'd just written stories about Nanoc they would have better received. Howard was the consummate pulp adventure writer, and I think de Camp and Carter enhanced his legacy without tarnishing it, though the last two didn't help it much. After all is said and done, though, they helped Conan become one of the most universally recognized literary characters of all time.
October 27, 2018
Conan of Aquilonia is a collection of short-stories sequentially building up to King Conan's final and decisive showdown with his arch-enemy Thoth-Amon. The stories are not as good as the original Howard Conan tales. But then I never expected them to be. Howards writing was uniquely endowed by his storytelling genius and gift for evoking moods and atmosphere. His style can be imitated up to a point but never surpassed ( at least not up to now.) So, with my expectations adjusted accordingly I read this book and enjoyed it for what it was; fast food Conan rather than a gastronomic feast.
The copy I read had cover artwork by Frank Frazetta depicting an older King Conan swinging an axe. Apparently, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter did not approve of Frazetta's covers. They constantly nit-picked and criticized his work. This disgruntlement probably stemmed from the lavish praise the covers got which often overshadowed their writing. Its a shame the writers couldn't rise above their insecurities to acknowledge the debt they owed Frazetta. For there is no doubt that the seventies paperbacks would not have been as popular as they were without those stunning covers. Frazetta's artwork complimented Howards writing as no other artists work ever has and when those two geniuses came together in one package well! The combination remains unsurpassed to this day.
The copy I read had cover artwork by Frank Frazetta depicting an older King Conan swinging an axe. Apparently, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter did not approve of Frazetta's covers. They constantly nit-picked and criticized his work. This disgruntlement probably stemmed from the lavish praise the covers got which often overshadowed their writing. Its a shame the writers couldn't rise above their insecurities to acknowledge the debt they owed Frazetta. For there is no doubt that the seventies paperbacks would not have been as popular as they were without those stunning covers. Frazetta's artwork complimented Howards writing as no other artists work ever has and when those two geniuses came together in one package well! The combination remains unsurpassed to this day.
November 25, 2025
It’s not Rian Johnson levels of butchery, but I would’ve chosen a Robert E. Howard ‘Conan’ instead had I known more about the series. 🗡️🐉
March 28, 2018
Okay, this is not great literature...but you knew that.
It's not even great Conan, as it's edited and filled in pieces by a couple of authors/admirers of Howard's barbarian, but their stuff isn't quite as good.
But still, I for one will occasionally read about Conan's philosophy of not worrying about things you can't change, and thrusting swords through the ones you can.
Fun read, though the inclusion of "baby Conan," his son Conn, made this one a little more hokey than most of the books.
It's not even great Conan, as it's edited and filled in pieces by a couple of authors/admirers of Howard's barbarian, but their stuff isn't quite as good.
But still, I for one will occasionally read about Conan's philosophy of not worrying about things you can't change, and thrusting swords through the ones you can.
Fun read, though the inclusion of "baby Conan," his son Conn, made this one a little more hokey than most of the books.
September 28, 2009
This is one of the Lancer Conans. Some of you will hate them because they are not only NOT the pure Howard stories, but they also include stories made from notes and pastiches by other authors. I enjoyed them, maybe not so much as the pure Howard stories, but they are good. I don't have all of them anymore and they are hard to find...if you can find them they are worth a try. Wish someone would reissue them.
October 20, 2008
Hard to beat the original Conan. The character never dies... Conan is forever.
October 26, 2020
My first experience reading the de Camp King Conan stories came via the Marvel Comics King Conan comic book series so I was familiar with all 4 of the stories presented in this collection. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around Conan having a mustache. I would have gone for a full beard and mustache, but to me it didn't work reading about it when he was described.
The stories themselves were not bad Conan yarns. Essentially, Conan is beset by his long time foe Thoth Amon and the stories follow each other in Conan's hunt to find and slay this Stygian sorcerer and put an end to him once and for all. Aiding Conan is his young son Conn along with his stalwart companion Trocero and some others that show up not to spoil anything.
I found myself at times comparing what I was reading with how Howard himself might have handled these stories and there were many glaring differences in the presentations, but overall I enjoyed reading these stories and they read fast. Mention was made in the last story of Conan on the good side and Thoth Amon on the evil side and I found that part to be one that not only Howard wouldn't have put in there, but something that didn't even need mentioning. By now I think we know who is on what side in the grand scheme of things. In other words, more show and less tell.
The stories themselves were not bad Conan yarns. Essentially, Conan is beset by his long time foe Thoth Amon and the stories follow each other in Conan's hunt to find and slay this Stygian sorcerer and put an end to him once and for all. Aiding Conan is his young son Conn along with his stalwart companion Trocero and some others that show up not to spoil anything.
I found myself at times comparing what I was reading with how Howard himself might have handled these stories and there were many glaring differences in the presentations, but overall I enjoyed reading these stories and they read fast. Mention was made in the last story of Conan on the good side and Thoth Amon on the evil side and I found that part to be one that not only Howard wouldn't have put in there, but something that didn't even need mentioning. By now I think we know who is on what side in the grand scheme of things. In other words, more show and less tell.
January 3, 2019
This was all rather typical. Nothing really stuck out and I was hoping, as Conan's son Conn, was joining him on this set of four connected adventures that there might be some interesting twists. Sadly that was not the case. Nothing really wrong with anything, just nothing really outstanding either.
November 24, 2020
Unimpressive set of four short stories by de Camp and Carter, basically describing the last steps of the war between King Conan and Stygian uber-baddie Thoth-Amon. On the other hand, from another perspective, the plot could be "Thoth-Amon throws a bunch of other evil sorcerers under the bus trying to kill Conan."
April 17, 2022
En rätt ointressant genomgång av Conan konungs slutstrider mot Thoth Ammon. Rekommenderas inte.
January 29, 2016
Conan is in his late fifties in this tale, which is an interesting concept in itself, though I refuse to accept that he’d grow a long moustache if he lived to be 500. Dragons, women that change into snakes, magic rings, and many other fantasy concepts I’m willing to suspend belief and accept, but giving Conan a lengthy moustache is a step too far.
Anyway, this isn’t one of the best tales from the Conan saga, though that’s not too shocking when considering that the barbarian’s creator – Robert E. Howard – had no input whatsoever. These gap-filler books are welcome enough in general, but this one seemed lacking in various respects.
First off, there’re far too many drawn-out travelling scenes, describing what Conan’s just walked past, etc.
Certain info is needlessly repeated, while some of the dialogue feels unnatural, owing to characters relaying info for the reader’s benefit. This sort of thing should be presented in the narration.
Finally, I felt that certain sections were somewhat corny, at times verging on melodramatic, which doesn’t belong in a Conan novel.
Some good scenes here and there have compelled me to rate “Conan of Aquilonia” three stars instead of two.
Anyway, this isn’t one of the best tales from the Conan saga, though that’s not too shocking when considering that the barbarian’s creator – Robert E. Howard – had no input whatsoever. These gap-filler books are welcome enough in general, but this one seemed lacking in various respects.
First off, there’re far too many drawn-out travelling scenes, describing what Conan’s just walked past, etc.
Certain info is needlessly repeated, while some of the dialogue feels unnatural, owing to characters relaying info for the reader’s benefit. This sort of thing should be presented in the narration.
Finally, I felt that certain sections were somewhat corny, at times verging on melodramatic, which doesn’t belong in a Conan novel.
Some good scenes here and there have compelled me to rate “Conan of Aquilonia” three stars instead of two.
February 7, 2018
Writing is not as good as Howards, while telling one extended story it is laid out as 4 shorter stories. These were reasons to not like it as much, but in the end I had to give it 4, instead of 3 stars. The action and adventure were great fun, unbelievable, yes, but great fun. I loved that the author's brought in Conan's son, it was a great chance to see another side of him. And, of course, the old, constant enemy.
July 31, 2014
In Conan of Aquilonia (book 11), Conan takes on Thoth-Amon and the evil wizards of the Black Ring to win back his kidnapped son Conn. Conan is a little older and his son is about twelve years old. As all the other Conan books I've read, I really enjoyed reading Conan of Aquilonia. This book is basically one story, but contains four short stories... "The Witch of the Mists", "Black Sphinx of Nebthu", "Red Moon of Zembabwei", and "Shadows in the Skull". Conan finds himself battling men and monsters and travels all over the known and unknown world.
May 16, 2016
Another Conan Pastiche by Messrs. De Camp and Carter, enjoyable as ever, though some will regard that as near-blasphemy. Conan's son Conn is a bit of a 'Scrappy-Doo' add on in this book, but I still enjoyed it. The book is essentially a novel, split into four consecutive stories.
If you like De Camp and Carter's pastiche work, this book is probably one you'll enjoy, if you are of the 'Howard, Howard and only Howard' mindset, then steer well clear!
If you like De Camp and Carter's pastiche work, this book is probably one you'll enjoy, if you are of the 'Howard, Howard and only Howard' mindset, then steer well clear!
September 24, 2011
Sprague De Camp y Lin Carter prolongan las crónicas del cimmerio en una aventura palaciega que lo muestra en su faceta más madura. Peligros, traiciones y el futuro de una estirpe son los ingredientes para una aventura que no destiñe.
August 9, 2014
Good pop-corn literature. Does not even come close to Howard's works but makes for a fun read if you are a a fan of the Cimmerian. To be taken as published fan fiction since it derogates to many principles of the Howard's stories.
August 12, 2011
I love the sword and sorcery, I think this is my favourite title.. of Aquilonia.. what a neat sounding place.
September 26, 2011
For it's time (1977) this book is pretty awesome fantasy. Definitely a classic.
September 28, 2011
KIng Conan and his son Conn face off against the sorcerer Thoth-Amon, Conan's nemesis.
April 16, 2018
Conan has been king of Aquilonia for 20 years. Now he has a bit of grey in his hair, a few wrinkles, and he's sporting a 'stache. But two decades of kingly luxury hasn't made him any less of a barbarian at heart, as can be easily seen by his choice of red wine with pork. Conan has also finally produced an heir, and he takes his boy Conn out to teach him the ins and outs of woodcraft, hunting, camping, and skull crushing. Conn is kidnapped, and thus we have linked stories as Conan pursues his oldest foe Thoth-Amon from the frozen North to the veritable end of the world.
There's a good deal of hate on this site for L. Sprague de Camp's treatment of Robert E. Howard's unfinished Conan tales, most of it unwarranted. It's no easy thing to fill out a story from a rough outline in someone else's style, and in general de Camp does a reasonable job. The man was a Grand Master of Science Fiction, after all. But this series of stories completely devoid of REH's influence show how even a Grand Master can fail to measure up in comparison. It's just not easy to write a convincing story that sounds like it's written by the original author. De Camp is excellent in his own work, but here not so much. REH fills his tales to overflowing with imagery and lush description, and it all flows naturally from the page. De Camp's attempt to imitate is repetitive and forced, like a guy trying to impress everyone with his ability to use a thesaurus. That's not to say it's not a good book, just not an exceptional book. Since Robert E. Howard wasn't going to be writing any more Conan stories, it's a decent addition to the cycle.
There's a good deal of hate on this site for L. Sprague de Camp's treatment of Robert E. Howard's unfinished Conan tales, most of it unwarranted. It's no easy thing to fill out a story from a rough outline in someone else's style, and in general de Camp does a reasonable job. The man was a Grand Master of Science Fiction, after all. But this series of stories completely devoid of REH's influence show how even a Grand Master can fail to measure up in comparison. It's just not easy to write a convincing story that sounds like it's written by the original author. De Camp is excellent in his own work, but here not so much. REH fills his tales to overflowing with imagery and lush description, and it all flows naturally from the page. De Camp's attempt to imitate is repetitive and forced, like a guy trying to impress everyone with his ability to use a thesaurus. That's not to say it's not a good book, just not an exceptional book. Since Robert E. Howard wasn't going to be writing any more Conan stories, it's a decent addition to the cycle.
November 5, 2022
I am always in for another Conan the Barbarian tale. Even if it is written by L. Sprague de Camp, one of the most essential and controversial continuator of R.E.H.'s legacy. Not because he wrote a load of Conan stories but becuase he re-wrote R.E.H.'s original tales in order to fit the Conan storyline. However this particular book consists original material written by L.S.D.C.
Therefore this is a four short stories collection, or a novel in four parts since each story continues the tale from the previous one. The theme of the novel is the final confrontation between Conan and the evil wizard Thoth-Amon and his allies, a dazzling battle that leads to the ends of the earth.
I found this book to be quite amusing. L.S.D.C. is a prolific writer with vivid imagination and elaborated proze. One could find distincitve differences between L.S.D.C.'s writing style and modern blanc "cinematic" proze that most writers tend to use. Storytelling is fluid, full of emotions as if L.S.D.C. was in front of you and narrated the story himself. Yet sometimes L.S.D.C.'s ideas are somewhat naive, events just happen, Conan is saved by a stroke of luck, things that might be discourage readers who are not fond of this kind of literature.
To sum up i'd say that this is another fine piece of pulp literature. A remnand of another time, however sometimes is seems more sparky and daunting that modern "industrialized" novels.
Therefore this is a four short stories collection, or a novel in four parts since each story continues the tale from the previous one. The theme of the novel is the final confrontation between Conan and the evil wizard Thoth-Amon and his allies, a dazzling battle that leads to the ends of the earth.
I found this book to be quite amusing. L.S.D.C. is a prolific writer with vivid imagination and elaborated proze. One could find distincitve differences between L.S.D.C.'s writing style and modern blanc "cinematic" proze that most writers tend to use. Storytelling is fluid, full of emotions as if L.S.D.C. was in front of you and narrated the story himself. Yet sometimes L.S.D.C.'s ideas are somewhat naive, events just happen, Conan is saved by a stroke of luck, things that might be discourage readers who are not fond of this kind of literature.
To sum up i'd say that this is another fine piece of pulp literature. A remnand of another time, however sometimes is seems more sparky and daunting that modern "industrialized" novels.
September 13, 2023
Quick little entry in the saga of Conan. By this time, he's taken his crown and is now King Conan and has a son. The book SEEMS like 4 short stories, and in a way they are, but they all link up into a single narrative which is basically Conan pursuing an enemy wizard.
You can pretty much pick up any Conan book, at any time, and read through it and it won't really matter. You could theoretically read them all in a chronological sequence, but that would involve very different books by very different authors. Obviously, Howard's stuff will always be the best, but Sprague de Camp does a pretty decent job telling Conan tales.
In the end though, nothing new here, just more bits of Conan that you can crush pretty quickly. As such, these are killer plane books for me.
Special note that this copy was gifted down to me after one of my really good friends passed, and any time I run across ANYTHING Conan related, it always makes me think of him in the best ways. As such, I am incredibly happy that this book passed through my hands.
You can pretty much pick up any Conan book, at any time, and read through it and it won't really matter. You could theoretically read them all in a chronological sequence, but that would involve very different books by very different authors. Obviously, Howard's stuff will always be the best, but Sprague de Camp does a pretty decent job telling Conan tales.
In the end though, nothing new here, just more bits of Conan that you can crush pretty quickly. As such, these are killer plane books for me.
Special note that this copy was gifted down to me after one of my really good friends passed, and any time I run across ANYTHING Conan related, it always makes me think of him in the best ways. As such, I am incredibly happy that this book passed through my hands.
April 13, 2020
I don’t like pastiches. These Conan books just don’t quite get Howard or Conan. Though Conan being about 60 in this one, him being a little off makes a bit more sense.
This book consists of 4 stories forming a greater narrative. They are a mixed bag.
1) the Witch of the Mists. My favorite of the 4. It’s just good Saturday morning cartoon stuff. 4/5.
2) Blank Sphinx of Nebthu. I really did not like this one. It’s not poorly written or anything but it’s so off from the source material. White magic in Hyperborea, Conan using magic etc. it just is so far from Howard I couldn’t enjoy it. 2/5
3) Red Moon Over Zimbabwei. This one is a decent S&S story. 3/5
4) Shadows in the Skull. This was just bad. This is how the mighty Thoth-Amon ends? Just felt anticlimactic and extra-cringy post 2x divorces Lin carter writing.
Overall this collection was a mixed bag.
This book consists of 4 stories forming a greater narrative. They are a mixed bag.
1) the Witch of the Mists. My favorite of the 4. It’s just good Saturday morning cartoon stuff. 4/5.
2) Blank Sphinx of Nebthu. I really did not like this one. It’s not poorly written or anything but it’s so off from the source material. White magic in Hyperborea, Conan using magic etc. it just is so far from Howard I couldn’t enjoy it. 2/5
3) Red Moon Over Zimbabwei. This one is a decent S&S story. 3/5
4) Shadows in the Skull. This was just bad. This is how the mighty Thoth-Amon ends? Just felt anticlimactic and extra-cringy post 2x divorces Lin carter writing.
Overall this collection was a mixed bag.
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September 26, 2024I enjoyed this loose collection of short stories well enough, but I don't think they hold up to the vigor and rawness of the original Howard Conan stories. Conan often seems like a passive observer at times, and once he even claimed, when facing evil wizards, that only sorcery can defeat sorcery. He then produced a magical item and a friendly wizard into the fight. That doesn't sound like Howard's Conan at all. That said, taking Conan in a new direction - as married with children - was a new choice that added new dimensions to the character, as Conan tried to balance paternal affection with his usual gruff aloofness.
August 4, 2024
Conan Of Aquilonia by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter.
This book begins with the kidnapping of Conan's eldest son by his life-long enemy, the greatest dark sorcerer of the age, Thoth-Amon.
These four connected stories tell of Conan and his host of Aqulionian warriors in their hunt to put an end to the foul magician once and for all, toppling kingdoms and evil cults on the way.
I did enjoy this book but it doesn't quite stand up to precious books in the series.
This book begins with the kidnapping of Conan's eldest son by his life-long enemy, the greatest dark sorcerer of the age, Thoth-Amon.
These four connected stories tell of Conan and his host of Aqulionian warriors in their hunt to put an end to the foul magician once and for all, toppling kingdoms and evil cults on the way.
I did enjoy this book but it doesn't quite stand up to precious books in the series.
December 20, 2019
I read this as a kid and loved it, but the Marvel Conan the Barbarian comic series was one of my favorites, so I loved all things Conan. As an adult I realize this was lightweight fluff, originally published as four short stories, later tied together with a few passages, to lead to a book about Conan's final battle with his arch nemesis. I still have the mass market paperback from the late 70's.
September 16, 2020
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Mighty Barbarians
1 cup of evil scorcerer
1 race of snake people
deus ex machina to taste (can be replaced with timely rescue as a vegan alternative)
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle liberally with steely thews, and serve.
Tasting notes:
Not the finest or most original of the bunch, but an enjoyable romp nontheless.
1 1/2 Mighty Barbarians
1 cup of evil scorcerer
1 race of snake people
deus ex machina to taste (can be replaced with timely rescue as a vegan alternative)
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle liberally with steely thews, and serve.
Tasting notes:
Not the finest or most original of the bunch, but an enjoyable romp nontheless.
November 27, 2020
1.5 Stars. Pastiche work by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter that tries to elevate one of Howard's throwaway villains into Conan's lifelong adversary. Although presented as four short stories it's a single serialized adventure of the final showdown between Conan and Thoth-Amon. The added addition of Conan's heir neither adds nor detracts too much from the story.
March 13, 2022
Not-very-good Conan. Conan is pulp, this does not reach that level. L.Sprague de Camp is a better author than this but perhaps attempting to emulate or pastiche Robert E. Howard is not playing to his strength.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews