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Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Warrior
#7
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
29 people are currently reading
810 people want to read
About the author
Robert E. Howard
2,979 books2,642 followersRobert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
December 7, 2021
This is the seventh volume of Lancer's editions of the Conan saga. 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-early '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 (this one has a nifty Frazetta, with an interesting note acknowledging Roy G. Krenkel as "advisor"), 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, the television series and the films, 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 one features Conan in his mid- to late thirties and has three of Howard's originals: Beyond the Black River, Jewels in Gwahlur, and one of my favorites, Red Nails. All three first appeared in Weird Tales magazine in 1935 and 1936 and were reprinted in the Gnome Press Conan series in 1952 and 1953. I believe the stories appeared as Howard wrote them save for editing of racially offensive passages by de Camp, which is for the best. Howard was the consummate pulp adventure writer, and I think de Camp enhanced his legacy without tarnishing it. Conan became one of the most universally recognized literary characters of all time.
August 18, 2023
Aparecen 3 relatos el primero un pelín mas flojo que los demás, puntuaciones de cada uno de ellos:
-Uñas rojas 6.5/10
-Joyas de Gwahlur 7/10
-Mas allá del rio negro 7/10
Valoración: 6.83/10
Sinopsis: Poco antes de cumplir los cuarenta años y de coronarse a sí mismo rey de Aquilonia, Conan el cimmerio correrá una de sus mayores aventuras en compañía de la bella pirata Valeria. Huyendo de un gigantesco dragón, ambos se refugiarán en la sureña ciudad de Xuchotl, una misteriosa urbe de gran magnificencia, cuyos verdaderos habitantes desaparecieron hace tiempo. Sólo la habitan ahora dos tribus primitivas, que tratan de exterminarse mutuamente con el auxilio de las armas y de la magia.
-Uñas rojas 6.5/10
-Joyas de Gwahlur 7/10
-Mas allá del rio negro 7/10
Valoración: 6.83/10
Sinopsis: Poco antes de cumplir los cuarenta años y de coronarse a sí mismo rey de Aquilonia, Conan el cimmerio correrá una de sus mayores aventuras en compañía de la bella pirata Valeria. Huyendo de un gigantesco dragón, ambos se refugiarán en la sureña ciudad de Xuchotl, una misteriosa urbe de gran magnificencia, cuyos verdaderos habitantes desaparecieron hace tiempo. Sólo la habitan ahora dos tribus primitivas, que tratan de exterminarse mutuamente con el auxilio de las armas y de la magia.
February 10, 2022
Fantastic collection here (as well as the beautiful Frazetta cover.) Red Nails is a particular favourite, love the way Conan goes back and forth with Valeria, who is a great presence.
August 20, 2021
I had such a blast reading these Conan stories. The richly descriptive prose draws a very detailed picture of every scene and character, and it's only my personal lack of imagination that in my head it doesn't look exactly like the famous Bill Frazetta artwork that graces every book's cover. It's kind of pulpy, of course, but I was surprised how well-written the stories actually are. They are inventive, complex in narration and their development of background lore, and the action is every bit like you always wanted your video game RPGs to play out.
Conan the Warrior includes three tales, all of which are frequently cited as being among the very best of the 17 stories that Robert H. Howard had written before his untimely death.
Red Nails (1936)
"Red Nails" is of novella length and the last Conan story that Howard had written. I think many fans regard this as their favorite, and it's easy to see why. I really has it all: a hilariously dated prelude where the Cimmerian drools over the sword woman before the two face a dragon, a seemingly abandoned palace without external areas, ghostly apparitions with a burning skull for a face, an eternal feud between two races, a witch who possess the secret of everlasting youth, creatures from the catacombs, betrayal, strange rituals, the return with powerful magic, you name it.
The story gives you a very good idea as to what makes Conan so barbarous. He openly lusts after Valeria, and the first act is full of sentences like, "Do you want me to take that toy away from you and spank you with it?" or "He burned with eagerness to seize that splendid figure and crush it in his iron arms, yet he greatly desired not to hurt the girl. He was torn between a desire to shake her soundly, and a desire to caress her." Of course the depiction of women here is problematic to say the least, but at least it serves a purpose. And I liked that Valeria can stand her own in battle, and at one point she even laments "Why men let [her] live a man's life". I think one paragraph brilliantly puts into words Conan's primitivism, so I thought I would quote it here:
Jewels of Gwahlur (1935)
This is probably my favorite of the three stories collected here. It's incredibly picturesque and just so damn entertaining. From the first moment when Conan is taking the exhausting climb upon himself to get to the legendary palace of Alkmeenon I've felt fully invested in the story. He is after the Teeth of Gwahlur, precious jewels that are said to be hidden there.
I loved how the story is set up. In the past, the people of Keshan traveled to the ancient palace to find guidance by consulting an oracle, an ageless woman who sleeps in one of the palace's chambers. The tradition was violently interrupted when a king (I think it was) found his doom under mysterious circumstances. Now, over one hundred years later, the priests (lead by a man called Gorulga) decide to revive the custom and are themselves on their way to the palace. And also on his way is Zargheba, an old adversary of Conan's.
At the center of the story is the hoax with the old witch, that is the subject of more than one twist throughout the story. It is given structure by posing various questions, as to who rang the gong that Conan has heard, what happened to the servants of an old sorcerer whose account Conan had found, or who killed certain people. The outcome is predictable, of course, but especially the ceremonial approach of the priests, with their torches and speeches, was pretty fucking awesome.
What I find also noteworthy about this story is how it depicts Conan. In stark opposition to "Red Nails", he is portrayed as familiar with foreign tongues and able to decipher a scroll he finds the the pocket of a dead body outside the palace. Still, it doesn't feel incoherent with other descriptions of the barbarian at all. Quite the contrary, We know Conan as well-traveled and absorbing of the impressions he has on his many journeys and quests. It made me rethink my understanding of the character as simply brutish and archetypical, and I like him more for it.
Beyond the Black River (1935)
Another stark change of scenery, we now find ourselves in Conajohara, a swampy forest that was recently conquered by the Aquilonians in their ongoing military conflict with the dispersed clans of the Pict. Conan joins forces with a young man, Balthus, who in the beginning of the story is on his way to Fort Tuscelan, the last stand against the Picts and the place from which Conan hails too.
The main foe is the Pict wizard Zogar Sag, who is able to summon demons and who has already left five men headless (his magic had lured into the forest). The man himself remains completely faceless, but there is a great scene where the fettered Balthus wakes up in his camp and becomes witness of how the dark shaman invokes a sabertooth tiger and a gigantic serpent. The descriptions make you imagine massive beasts of limitless force and rage.
The atmosphere especially in the first half is absolutely amazing. When Conan and his raiding-party set off on the titular river in canoes, you can almost feel the sticky and damp air. The attack shortly thereafter brings in an element of horror that is continued in the before-mentioned scene in the camp.
The second half is way more action-oriented. You knew all along that the Fort doesn't have the manpower to hold off a serious attack of the Picts, especially when they come united through the leadership of Zogar Sag. On their way back to warn the other men, Conan and Balthus suddenly see the Fort in flames. They are too late, but Conan and his companion still run bravely towards battle. I liked how the story then takes an unexpected turn, and uncharacteristically for a man like Conan, they try to save as many people from the area as they can.
I thought it was pretty cool that the narrative eventually focuses on the heroic actions of Balthus. The back-to-the-wild hound at his side, he courageously fights off the barbaric attackers. He is obviously not as invincible as our muscle-packed hero and for him the stakes are much higher. The way he is praised at the end well rounds-up the story.
One last word on the glaring racism present in all three stories. At every occasion where an inferiority or superiority of people is of relevance, Howard doesn't tire of explicitly mentioning the skin color (as if that proves that it couldn't have been any other way). It isn't quite as bad as in some Solomon Kane stories, where people are portrayed as hideous or degenerate, but certainly enough to take offense. For instance, at one point Conan is surprised to find a walled city - here, so far from civilization, where only "the black people" and "the mysterious brown race" dwell. Every odd page you find a sentence like, "The people were a mixed race, a dusky nobility ruling a population that was largely pure Negro." Really annoying and enough to take half a star off my rating.
Rating: 4.5/5
Conan the Warrior includes three tales, all of which are frequently cited as being among the very best of the 17 stories that Robert H. Howard had written before his untimely death.
Red Nails (1936)
"Red Nails" is of novella length and the last Conan story that Howard had written. I think many fans regard this as their favorite, and it's easy to see why. I really has it all: a hilariously dated prelude where the Cimmerian drools over the sword woman before the two face a dragon, a seemingly abandoned palace without external areas, ghostly apparitions with a burning skull for a face, an eternal feud between two races, a witch who possess the secret of everlasting youth, creatures from the catacombs, betrayal, strange rituals, the return with powerful magic, you name it.
The story gives you a very good idea as to what makes Conan so barbarous. He openly lusts after Valeria, and the first act is full of sentences like, "Do you want me to take that toy away from you and spank you with it?" or "He burned with eagerness to seize that splendid figure and crush it in his iron arms, yet he greatly desired not to hurt the girl. He was torn between a desire to shake her soundly, and a desire to caress her." Of course the depiction of women here is problematic to say the least, but at least it serves a purpose. And I liked that Valeria can stand her own in battle, and at one point she even laments "Why men let [her] live a man's life". I think one paragraph brilliantly puts into words Conan's primitivism, so I thought I would quote it here:
"Conan was too close to the primitive himself to feel anything but a comprehending interest. To the barbarian, no such gulf existed between himself and other men, and the animals, as existed in the conception of Valeria. The monster below them, to Conan, was merely a form of life differing from himself mainly in physical shape. He attributed to it characteristics similar to his own, and saw in its wrath a counterpart of his rages, in its roars and bellowings merely reptilian equivalents to the curses he had bestowed upon it. Feeling a kinship with all wild things, even dragons, it was impossible for him to experience the sick horror which assailed Valeria at the sight of the brute's ferocity."There are numerous twists and moments of great action (as when Conan appears at the last moment to strike down five attackers), unapologetic silliness (like with Conan rolling down some steps), and gratifying revenge. The city felt unnervingly claustrophobic, as there are no windows or doors that would lead out into the open streets. The mystery of this place was truly intriguing, especially in the beginning, and I loved the level of detail when its history is developed meticulously in one of the middle chapters. So, while it's significantly longer than most of the Conan stories, it remains exciting and highly enjoyable throughout.
Jewels of Gwahlur (1935)
This is probably my favorite of the three stories collected here. It's incredibly picturesque and just so damn entertaining. From the first moment when Conan is taking the exhausting climb upon himself to get to the legendary palace of Alkmeenon I've felt fully invested in the story. He is after the Teeth of Gwahlur, precious jewels that are said to be hidden there.
I loved how the story is set up. In the past, the people of Keshan traveled to the ancient palace to find guidance by consulting an oracle, an ageless woman who sleeps in one of the palace's chambers. The tradition was violently interrupted when a king (I think it was) found his doom under mysterious circumstances. Now, over one hundred years later, the priests (lead by a man called Gorulga) decide to revive the custom and are themselves on their way to the palace. And also on his way is Zargheba, an old adversary of Conan's.
At the center of the story is the hoax with the old witch, that is the subject of more than one twist throughout the story. It is given structure by posing various questions, as to who rang the gong that Conan has heard, what happened to the servants of an old sorcerer whose account Conan had found, or who killed certain people. The outcome is predictable, of course, but especially the ceremonial approach of the priests, with their torches and speeches, was pretty fucking awesome.
What I find also noteworthy about this story is how it depicts Conan. In stark opposition to "Red Nails", he is portrayed as familiar with foreign tongues and able to decipher a scroll he finds the the pocket of a dead body outside the palace. Still, it doesn't feel incoherent with other descriptions of the barbarian at all. Quite the contrary, We know Conan as well-traveled and absorbing of the impressions he has on his many journeys and quests. It made me rethink my understanding of the character as simply brutish and archetypical, and I like him more for it.
Beyond the Black River (1935)
Another stark change of scenery, we now find ourselves in Conajohara, a swampy forest that was recently conquered by the Aquilonians in their ongoing military conflict with the dispersed clans of the Pict. Conan joins forces with a young man, Balthus, who in the beginning of the story is on his way to Fort Tuscelan, the last stand against the Picts and the place from which Conan hails too.
The main foe is the Pict wizard Zogar Sag, who is able to summon demons and who has already left five men headless (his magic had lured into the forest). The man himself remains completely faceless, but there is a great scene where the fettered Balthus wakes up in his camp and becomes witness of how the dark shaman invokes a sabertooth tiger and a gigantic serpent. The descriptions make you imagine massive beasts of limitless force and rage.
The atmosphere especially in the first half is absolutely amazing. When Conan and his raiding-party set off on the titular river in canoes, you can almost feel the sticky and damp air. The attack shortly thereafter brings in an element of horror that is continued in the before-mentioned scene in the camp.
The second half is way more action-oriented. You knew all along that the Fort doesn't have the manpower to hold off a serious attack of the Picts, especially when they come united through the leadership of Zogar Sag. On their way back to warn the other men, Conan and Balthus suddenly see the Fort in flames. They are too late, but Conan and his companion still run bravely towards battle. I liked how the story then takes an unexpected turn, and uncharacteristically for a man like Conan, they try to save as many people from the area as they can.
I thought it was pretty cool that the narrative eventually focuses on the heroic actions of Balthus. The back-to-the-wild hound at his side, he courageously fights off the barbaric attackers. He is obviously not as invincible as our muscle-packed hero and for him the stakes are much higher. The way he is praised at the end well rounds-up the story.
One last word on the glaring racism present in all three stories. At every occasion where an inferiority or superiority of people is of relevance, Howard doesn't tire of explicitly mentioning the skin color (as if that proves that it couldn't have been any other way). It isn't quite as bad as in some Solomon Kane stories, where people are portrayed as hideous or degenerate, but certainly enough to take offense. For instance, at one point Conan is surprised to find a walled city - here, so far from civilization, where only "the black people" and "the mysterious brown race" dwell. Every odd page you find a sentence like, "The people were a mixed race, a dusky nobility ruling a population that was largely pure Negro." Really annoying and enough to take half a star off my rating.
Rating: 4.5/5
October 23, 2014
This is one of the best Conan books - I have the Lancer edition from the 60's. Excellent cover art by Frazetta. This contains 3 stories that sum up Conan very well.
July 9, 2017
Три дребни красоти за баце Конан, и то от баш шефа - Робърт Е. Хауърд, а не от другите самодейци, които стават идеално за убиване на времето :)
December 29, 2017
Това вече е друго нещо и не знам как съм го пропуснал през годините.
Конан на Хауърд си е Конан на Хауърд и няма много общо с визията изградена от филмите и произведенията на другите автори. Опитен, но без да се хвали; самоуверен, но не и глупав; първичен, но знае кога хитростта изпреварва физическата сила.
Червените пирони – Конан и негова стара позната попадат в изоставен град, където два клана от подобна на Маите раса са затънали дълбоко в кръвна вражда, почти довела до унищожението им. Конан трябва да впрегне всичките си сила и изобретателност, за да се измъкнат от кроежите на клановите вожд и магьосница.
Скъпоценностите на Гвалур – Миналото на крадец отново изкушава кимерийския воин, само че има и конкуренция, която се опитва да го надхитри и противниковите лагери са повече от един. С помощта на хитра танцьорка и глупостта на фанатиците, Конан може би ще се докопа до съкровището. Само да премине през зловещите му пазачи.
Отвъд Черната река – Граничен конфликт с Пиктите потапя границите на разширяващата се империя в кървава вражда. Конан знае тайните на черната раса и е на ясно, че битката е вече изгубена. За да спаси невинните заселници, вкарани в политическите машинации, той трябва да се изправи срещу творение на божество древно поне колкото човечеството.
Конан на Хауърд си е Конан на Хауърд и няма много общо с визията изградена от филмите и произведенията на другите автори. Опитен, но без да се хвали; самоуверен, но не и глупав; първичен, но знае кога хитростта изпреварва физическата сила.
Червените пирони – Конан и негова стара позната попадат в изоставен град, където два клана от подобна на Маите раса са затънали дълбоко в кръвна вражда, почти довела до унищожението им. Конан трябва да впрегне всичките си сила и изобретателност, за да се измъкнат от кроежите на клановите вожд и магьосница.
Скъпоценностите на Гвалур – Миналото на крадец отново изкушава кимерийския воин, само че има и конкуренция, която се опитва да го надхитри и противниковите лагери са повече от един. С помощта на хитра танцьорка и глупостта на фанатиците, Конан може би ще се докопа до съкровището. Само да премине през зловещите му пазачи.
Отвъд Черната река – Граничен конфликт с Пиктите потапя границите на разширяващата се империя в кървава вражда. Конан знае тайните на черната раса и е на ясно, че битката е вече изгубена. За да спаси невинните заселници, вкарани в политическите машинации, той трябва да се изправи срещу творение на божество древно поне колкото човечеството.
May 30, 2013
Robert E Howard was a master fantasy writer,one of the greatest and perhaps most unjustly neglected architects of the genre. For me this volume demonstrates that he is infinitely superior to any of the later writers who chose to take up the sword of his enduring creation, Conan.
I found the style of these stories, in particular the deliciously dark 'Red Nails', an absolute treat(if you like it you should check out the vintage 1936 Margaret Brundage illustration from the cover of 'Weird Tales' on wikipedia). Howard's prose sketch of the dark, claustrophobic underworld of Xuchotl and its twisted inhabitants is to be relished. For me, these stories do everything that high fantasy should and more, capable of mentally transporting the reader to the raw, bleak, brilliant civilization of Howard's pre-historic 'Hyborian age'.
In terms of characterization, I really don't think its fair that Conan in these stories should be judged as a sort of perfect masculine wish fulfillment 'Mary Sue' type, any more than, say, you'd judge Tolkien's Fingolfin. An essential part of what makes Conan so great and enduring is that he has the dimensions of a true mytholigical hero, nowhere more than when battling monsters and dark magic in this collection. And it's fair to say that at least some of the portrayals of women in this collection, if not exactly transcendent, aren't fully the meek, stupid perma-naked-and-pitiful sorts that populate later renditions of Conan (I find the females in some of Jordan's Conan contributions in particular difficult to stomach...as a woman who likes sword and sorcery I accept it's not necessarily an equal rights genre, but sheesh ...) Valeria at least tends to give quite as well as she takes with Conan and any would be attackers!
Howard has been unjustly neglected and occassionally criticized by some pretty high profile writers as being variously a fantasist in the worst possible sense, a weakling because of his personal life (this charge in particular disgusts me) and even as some sort of primitive 'natural' story teller rather than a great craftsman; I think the only necessary defence of Howard needed is to pick up a copy of Conan the Warrior and start reading.
I found the style of these stories, in particular the deliciously dark 'Red Nails', an absolute treat(if you like it you should check out the vintage 1936 Margaret Brundage illustration from the cover of 'Weird Tales' on wikipedia). Howard's prose sketch of the dark, claustrophobic underworld of Xuchotl and its twisted inhabitants is to be relished. For me, these stories do everything that high fantasy should and more, capable of mentally transporting the reader to the raw, bleak, brilliant civilization of Howard's pre-historic 'Hyborian age'.
In terms of characterization, I really don't think its fair that Conan in these stories should be judged as a sort of perfect masculine wish fulfillment 'Mary Sue' type, any more than, say, you'd judge Tolkien's Fingolfin. An essential part of what makes Conan so great and enduring is that he has the dimensions of a true mytholigical hero, nowhere more than when battling monsters and dark magic in this collection. And it's fair to say that at least some of the portrayals of women in this collection, if not exactly transcendent, aren't fully the meek, stupid perma-naked-and-pitiful sorts that populate later renditions of Conan (I find the females in some of Jordan's Conan contributions in particular difficult to stomach...as a woman who likes sword and sorcery I accept it's not necessarily an equal rights genre, but sheesh ...) Valeria at least tends to give quite as well as she takes with Conan and any would be attackers!
Howard has been unjustly neglected and occassionally criticized by some pretty high profile writers as being variously a fantasist in the worst possible sense, a weakling because of his personal life (this charge in particular disgusts me) and even as some sort of primitive 'natural' story teller rather than a great craftsman; I think the only necessary defence of Howard needed is to pick up a copy of Conan the Warrior and start reading.
May 27, 2014
Book 7 in my re-read of the Conan series. Spoilers ahead!
Red Nails
I had read an assortment of Conan stories as a kid, and this is one I remember vividly, especially this passage from the beginning where Conan and a busty, blond pirate named Valeria are in a dense forest and encounter a prehistoric reptile.
"Through the thicket was thrust a head of nightmare and lunacy. Grinning jaws bared rows of dripping yellow tusks; above the yawning mouth wrinkled a saurian-like snout. Huge eyes, like those of a python a thousand times magnified, stared unwinkingly at the petrified humans clinging to the rock above it. Blood smeared the scaly, flabby lips and dripped from the huge mouth."
After their run in with the "dragon", the two seek shelter in a seemingly abandoned and walled city. In Conan's travels, ancient deserted cities are commonplace, and for the reader are like the proverbial box of chocolates in which you never know what you're going to get. Here, the city in question is Xuchotl, and is sparsely populated as turns out by two warring factions that have been locked in a Helen of Troy like dispute for as long as anyone can remember. The entire city is constructed as if it were one giant house (or an indoor shopping mall) with no open air whatsoever- just floor after floor of empty chambers and endless hallways, and the Hatfields and McCoys that live there prowl around, each with a comedically deranged love of torture that's second only to their fear of being tortured. Out of all the mysterious, haunted, dead cities Conan has set foot in, this one just might be my favorite.
"It was a ghastly, unreal nightmare existence these people lived, shut off from the rest of the world, caught together like rabid rats in the same trap, butchering one another through the years, crouching and creeping through the sunless corridors to maim and torture and murder."
Later, after much slaughter, sorcery, and the appearance of a third aggrieved party that comes shambling out of a basement packed with dead bodies and black magic, Conan and Valeria are the last pirates standing, and they decide to keep the party going with plans of plundering together.
Jewels of Gwahlur
I have no idea how heavily edited this story is, but for me, it's style felt more modern and straight forward than anything else I've previously read in this series. I still enjoyed it, but it lacked the distinctive atmosphere I would normally expect from a Howard story. It's basically a one man heist story, and opens with one of it's most compelling sequences, in which Conan scales a sheer cliff with nothing more than his bare hands. The mid-section is largely comprised of an Abbott and Costello like routine inside an abandoned palace involving the enchanted corpse of a princess that has left it perfectly preserved continually getting replaced with a lookalike slave girl much to the confusion and consternation of Conan, a group of dimwitted priests, and a couple of schemers after the same loot as Conan. The story's saving grace is the emergence of a mob of malformed men that live beneath the palace that have been feeding on corpses. They're a terrifying lot as evidenced by this passage:
"He saw a man torn in two pieces, as one might tear a chicken, and the bloody fragments hurled clear across the cavern. The massacre was as short and devastating as the rush of a hurricane. In a burst of red abysmal ferocity it was over, except for one wretch who fled screaming back the way the priests had come, pursued by a swarm of blood-dabbled shapes of horror which reached out their red-smeared hands for him."
The story ends with another display of Conan's chivalrous nature, when he chooses to save the slave girl over the jewels he risked life and limb to steal.
Beyond the Black River
At the outset, Beyond the Black River, with all of it's talk of settlers, forts, savages, and scalps, felt more like Last of the Mohicans than Conan, and it was a little disorienting, but it quickly became one of my favorite stories. A frontier settlement is terrorized by a shaman named Zogar Sag that intends to unite the clans of Picts against the whites, and Conan is charged with assassinating him, and he assembles his own dirty dozen to do the deed. Balthus, a young man Conan recently saved, volunteers for the mission, and describes his comrades as such:
"They were of a new breed growing up in the world on the raw edge of the frontier- men whom grim necessity had taught woodcraft."
They're heavily scarred and muscled, and seem formidable enough, but then he compares them to Conan:
"They were wild men, of a sort, yet there was still a wide gulf between them and the Cimmerian. They were sons of civilization, reverted to a semi-barbarism. He was a barbarian of a thousand generations of barbarians. They had acquired stealth and craft, but he had been born to these things. He excelled them even in lithe economy of motion. They were wolves, but he was a tiger."
As a whole, they're like a Hyborian Age Navy Seals team- the best of the best, but their mission unfortunately goes fubar, and Conan and Balthus are the only survivors. While on the run through the woods, Zogar Sag sends a wild leopard after them and Conan explains why only certain animals obey the shaman's commands. Apparently, once upon a time, men and animals alike worshipped something called Jhebbal Sag, and those who actually still remember this deity share a bond and speak the same language. And as it turns out, Zogar is the son of this ancient being, and also has a demonic half brother that's gunning for Conan. Later, a feral dog named Slasher (!?) with a burning hatred for all Picts after they slew his master, comes to their aid.
The trio save the lives of numerous settlers, however the fort is overrun and the nearly 800 men inside are slaughtered. Sadly, Balthus and Slasher sacrifice themselves to allow a group of women and children escape, but not before creating a heap of dead Pict warriors. Most of the secondary characters in Conan's exploits are fairly unmemorable, but the deaths of the boy and the dog feels like a real loss, and Conan vows "The heads of ten Picts shall pay for his, and seven heads for the dog, who was a better warrior than many a man".
The tale ends somberly, and a woodsman reflecting on the recent events notes cynically, " Barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph."
Red Nails
I had read an assortment of Conan stories as a kid, and this is one I remember vividly, especially this passage from the beginning where Conan and a busty, blond pirate named Valeria are in a dense forest and encounter a prehistoric reptile.
"Through the thicket was thrust a head of nightmare and lunacy. Grinning jaws bared rows of dripping yellow tusks; above the yawning mouth wrinkled a saurian-like snout. Huge eyes, like those of a python a thousand times magnified, stared unwinkingly at the petrified humans clinging to the rock above it. Blood smeared the scaly, flabby lips and dripped from the huge mouth."
After their run in with the "dragon", the two seek shelter in a seemingly abandoned and walled city. In Conan's travels, ancient deserted cities are commonplace, and for the reader are like the proverbial box of chocolates in which you never know what you're going to get. Here, the city in question is Xuchotl, and is sparsely populated as turns out by two warring factions that have been locked in a Helen of Troy like dispute for as long as anyone can remember. The entire city is constructed as if it were one giant house (or an indoor shopping mall) with no open air whatsoever- just floor after floor of empty chambers and endless hallways, and the Hatfields and McCoys that live there prowl around, each with a comedically deranged love of torture that's second only to their fear of being tortured. Out of all the mysterious, haunted, dead cities Conan has set foot in, this one just might be my favorite.
"It was a ghastly, unreal nightmare existence these people lived, shut off from the rest of the world, caught together like rabid rats in the same trap, butchering one another through the years, crouching and creeping through the sunless corridors to maim and torture and murder."
Later, after much slaughter, sorcery, and the appearance of a third aggrieved party that comes shambling out of a basement packed with dead bodies and black magic, Conan and Valeria are the last pirates standing, and they decide to keep the party going with plans of plundering together.
Jewels of Gwahlur
I have no idea how heavily edited this story is, but for me, it's style felt more modern and straight forward than anything else I've previously read in this series. I still enjoyed it, but it lacked the distinctive atmosphere I would normally expect from a Howard story. It's basically a one man heist story, and opens with one of it's most compelling sequences, in which Conan scales a sheer cliff with nothing more than his bare hands. The mid-section is largely comprised of an Abbott and Costello like routine inside an abandoned palace involving the enchanted corpse of a princess that has left it perfectly preserved continually getting replaced with a lookalike slave girl much to the confusion and consternation of Conan, a group of dimwitted priests, and a couple of schemers after the same loot as Conan. The story's saving grace is the emergence of a mob of malformed men that live beneath the palace that have been feeding on corpses. They're a terrifying lot as evidenced by this passage:
"He saw a man torn in two pieces, as one might tear a chicken, and the bloody fragments hurled clear across the cavern. The massacre was as short and devastating as the rush of a hurricane. In a burst of red abysmal ferocity it was over, except for one wretch who fled screaming back the way the priests had come, pursued by a swarm of blood-dabbled shapes of horror which reached out their red-smeared hands for him."
The story ends with another display of Conan's chivalrous nature, when he chooses to save the slave girl over the jewels he risked life and limb to steal.
Beyond the Black River
At the outset, Beyond the Black River, with all of it's talk of settlers, forts, savages, and scalps, felt more like Last of the Mohicans than Conan, and it was a little disorienting, but it quickly became one of my favorite stories. A frontier settlement is terrorized by a shaman named Zogar Sag that intends to unite the clans of Picts against the whites, and Conan is charged with assassinating him, and he assembles his own dirty dozen to do the deed. Balthus, a young man Conan recently saved, volunteers for the mission, and describes his comrades as such:
"They were of a new breed growing up in the world on the raw edge of the frontier- men whom grim necessity had taught woodcraft."
They're heavily scarred and muscled, and seem formidable enough, but then he compares them to Conan:
"They were wild men, of a sort, yet there was still a wide gulf between them and the Cimmerian. They were sons of civilization, reverted to a semi-barbarism. He was a barbarian of a thousand generations of barbarians. They had acquired stealth and craft, but he had been born to these things. He excelled them even in lithe economy of motion. They were wolves, but he was a tiger."
As a whole, they're like a Hyborian Age Navy Seals team- the best of the best, but their mission unfortunately goes fubar, and Conan and Balthus are the only survivors. While on the run through the woods, Zogar Sag sends a wild leopard after them and Conan explains why only certain animals obey the shaman's commands. Apparently, once upon a time, men and animals alike worshipped something called Jhebbal Sag, and those who actually still remember this deity share a bond and speak the same language. And as it turns out, Zogar is the son of this ancient being, and also has a demonic half brother that's gunning for Conan. Later, a feral dog named Slasher (!?) with a burning hatred for all Picts after they slew his master, comes to their aid.
The trio save the lives of numerous settlers, however the fort is overrun and the nearly 800 men inside are slaughtered. Sadly, Balthus and Slasher sacrifice themselves to allow a group of women and children escape, but not before creating a heap of dead Pict warriors. Most of the secondary characters in Conan's exploits are fairly unmemorable, but the deaths of the boy and the dog feels like a real loss, and Conan vows "The heads of ten Picts shall pay for his, and seven heads for the dog, who was a better warrior than many a man".
The tale ends somberly, and a woodsman reflecting on the recent events notes cynically, " Barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph."
May 23, 2009
CONAN THE WARRIOR is a book in the long-running anthology series, edited by L. Sprague de Camp. Thankfully, I don't think the editor interfered with these tales, and if he did it isn't evident.
Each of the stories is an example of the author at the top of his game. RED NAILS is the archetypal Conan adventure: there's danger, conflict and intrigue on every one of the 80 pages. Super plot elements include a battle with a ferocious dragon, deadly foreign fighters, the mysterious Burning Skull, an ageless witch and the slithering serpent called The Crawler. Valaria proves a strong female companion for the hero and the excitement never lets up in this one.
JEWELS OF GWAHLUR is a more predictable effort but still well written enough to enjoy. Once again there's an ancient temple and kingdom in the middle of the jungle and Conan finds himself battling a hideous race of monstrous underground men-things.
BEYOND THE BLACK RIVER has the Picts as enemies and is set in some deep, dark forest valleys. There's a demon-sorcerer summoning ancient beasts from the night forests - Conan must contend with sabre-toothed tigers, panthers, even a ghostly snake. One of his allies in this is Slasher, a fierce dog and who wouldn't want him as a pet?
JEWELS also contains one of my favourite ever quotes from the pulp magazines: "It was no ape, neither was it a man. It was some shambling horror spawned in the mysterious, nameless jungles of the south, where strange life teemed in the reeking rot without the dominance of man, and drums thundered in temples that had never known the tread of a human foot."
Each of the stories is an example of the author at the top of his game. RED NAILS is the archetypal Conan adventure: there's danger, conflict and intrigue on every one of the 80 pages. Super plot elements include a battle with a ferocious dragon, deadly foreign fighters, the mysterious Burning Skull, an ageless witch and the slithering serpent called The Crawler. Valaria proves a strong female companion for the hero and the excitement never lets up in this one.
JEWELS OF GWAHLUR is a more predictable effort but still well written enough to enjoy. Once again there's an ancient temple and kingdom in the middle of the jungle and Conan finds himself battling a hideous race of monstrous underground men-things.
BEYOND THE BLACK RIVER has the Picts as enemies and is set in some deep, dark forest valleys. There's a demon-sorcerer summoning ancient beasts from the night forests - Conan must contend with sabre-toothed tigers, panthers, even a ghostly snake. One of his allies in this is Slasher, a fierce dog and who wouldn't want him as a pet?
JEWELS also contains one of my favourite ever quotes from the pulp magazines: "It was no ape, neither was it a man. It was some shambling horror spawned in the mysterious, nameless jungles of the south, where strange life teemed in the reeking rot without the dominance of man, and drums thundered in temples that had never known the tread of a human foot."
January 12, 2014
Ah, Conan. I have always liked Conan, and I haven't been disappointed in any of the original Conan books so far. Concerning "Conan the Warrior", I liked all three stories presented in the book... "Red Nails", "Jewels of Gwahlur", and "Beyond the Black River". In "Red Nails", Conan and a pirate woman by the name of Valeria find themselves fighting a large dragon before entering an abandoned-looking city where there's a feud going on between two warring factions. Both sides are out to completely decimate each other, and a witch emerges, in the midst of the feud, to steal the youth from Valeria. In "Jewels of Gwahlur", Conan goes on an adventure for the Jewels of Gwahlur, hidden in an abandoned palace in the middle of the jungle. He finds himself fighting priests and hairy ape-like men in tunnels deep underground. In "Beyond the Black River", Conan find himself and a man by the name of Balthus in Pict territory. This story is my favorite of the three. Conan battles a wizard who has control over animals. He fights a large snake and many other large creatures. Overall, "Conan the Warrior" was a excellent book.
June 3, 2015
This collection of original CONAN stories is okay, but my favorite is still CONAN THE FREEBOOTER.
The problem with the stories in this volume is that there isn't very much romance, and there's a certain cheesiness to the cardboard backgrounds. Here's Conan in the jungles, fighting stereotypical black natives right out of TARZAN. Here's Conan in the lost cities of some sort of Mayan race, and the brown-skinned natives are all crazy fanatics. Then the priest turns up, and he's got some kind of electricity shooting wand, but Conan beats him by dancing out of the way of the electric bolts!
The last story, BEYOND THE BLACK RIVER, is probably the best. If you've ever seen the movie DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK, or LAST OF THE MOHICANS, it's just like that. It's set in the wilderness, on the frontier, and the Picts are really described as if they're stereotypical Red Skins from the days of James Fenimore Cooper. "Painted savages" wield axes and go mad whenever they get near helpless settlers.
CONAN THE FREEBOOTER is the collection you really want to buy.
The problem with the stories in this volume is that there isn't very much romance, and there's a certain cheesiness to the cardboard backgrounds. Here's Conan in the jungles, fighting stereotypical black natives right out of TARZAN. Here's Conan in the lost cities of some sort of Mayan race, and the brown-skinned natives are all crazy fanatics. Then the priest turns up, and he's got some kind of electricity shooting wand, but Conan beats him by dancing out of the way of the electric bolts!
The last story, BEYOND THE BLACK RIVER, is probably the best. If you've ever seen the movie DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK, or LAST OF THE MOHICANS, it's just like that. It's set in the wilderness, on the frontier, and the Picts are really described as if they're stereotypical Red Skins from the days of James Fenimore Cooper. "Painted savages" wield axes and go mad whenever they get near helpless settlers.
CONAN THE FREEBOOTER is the collection you really want to buy.
April 26, 2020
8- Sometimes I like my fiction to be exciting, with a dash of mystery, a lot of action, monsters and a tense resolution. Adventure stories have a place dear to my heart (and I also like to write them. I pride myself on my description of action). I now realise the master of the genre is Robert E. Howard. These stories are muscular stories, roaring along, every word intended to paint a picture in the readers mind, in a world specially thought out to allow all kinds of adventure: pirates, wars, old temples, sorcerers, prehistoric monsters, underground caverns, jewels ... And a main character who may be a musclebound warrior, but is not stupid for all that. The three stories here are all entertaining, though they missed a bit of the Lovecraftian atmosphere that I found in the other collection I read. The only reason I have to choose against a five star rating is the undercurrent of racism. These stories are not very complementary of the black cultures encountered (and these are often ruled by a white or less coloured upperclass). I know this is 'of its time' and many others in Howards day and age thought this way, but for a modern reader it jars. Also there's a bit of sexism here, but less than you would expect for stories from the thirties. Especially the pirate Valeria in the opening story is not a damsel in distress, far from it. She's of equal stature to Conan,and I applaud Howard for that. But even so it's clear these could only have been written in the beginning of the last century. They reminded me of the Indiana Jones movies (that are also set in the thirties, which is no accident probably). Temples, treasure, hidden cults, revelations and nice action scenes. Methinks Spielberg and Lucas knew the Howard stories very well before writing the Indiana Jones movies. I think this kind of adverb and adjective filled writing would not fare well today, but for me it works, and I enjoyed the action, the tension. There's a heartbreaking last stand in the third story here that to me was very well done. Also in that story having Conan described from another (more civilised) viewpoint worked well (also there's a sabertoothtiger in there and a giant snake). This is for fans of adventure novels and gory action. Not for the easily offended or those with a weak stomach ...
February 8, 2013
"Red Nails". Tauted by many as REH's best Conan story, I thought it's great but not nearly my favorite story at all. It's another story of Conan coming across another ancient lost town with strange people fighting amongst themselves in an ancestral feud. And some ancient wizard is involved. And Conan gets the girl at the end. I make it sound cliché but it is greatly written in the REH style!"
"Jewels of Gwahlur". This one I liked a little bit less than REH's usual masterpieces. Because it has some elements of a pet peeve of mine: coincidences. The premise of the story itself could have easily been altered; instead of having Conan going to Keshan and passing himself as a training for its army as coverup for his quest for the jewels, he could have found out about them after going there. The problem it creates is that too many people are going to look for the jewels at the same time, which has sat untouched for at least 100 years. Aside from that it's a decent story, although the monsters, the servants of Bit-Yakin, are not too original.
"Beyond Thunder River", a triumphant masterpiece. An epic story that plays out like a Western movie where a frontier fort is besieged by tribes of Picts, united by the magics of Zogar Sag who wields power over animals who remember Jhebbal Sag. There is just the right amount of action, emotions, chills, thrills, loyal companions such as Balthus and Slasher the dog, and a bit of the supernatural thrown in in the form of a bird-legged flame demon. This story would be perfect for a movie, and it more than makes up for the flaws of the other two stories.
"Jewels of Gwahlur". This one I liked a little bit less than REH's usual masterpieces. Because it has some elements of a pet peeve of mine: coincidences. The premise of the story itself could have easily been altered; instead of having Conan going to Keshan and passing himself as a training for its army as coverup for his quest for the jewels, he could have found out about them after going there. The problem it creates is that too many people are going to look for the jewels at the same time, which has sat untouched for at least 100 years. Aside from that it's a decent story, although the monsters, the servants of Bit-Yakin, are not too original.
"Beyond Thunder River", a triumphant masterpiece. An epic story that plays out like a Western movie where a frontier fort is besieged by tribes of Picts, united by the magics of Zogar Sag who wields power over animals who remember Jhebbal Sag. There is just the right amount of action, emotions, chills, thrills, loyal companions such as Balthus and Slasher the dog, and a bit of the supernatural thrown in in the form of a bird-legged flame demon. This story would be perfect for a movie, and it more than makes up for the flaws of the other two stories.
August 20, 2009
The continuing adventures of Robert Howard's legendary character Conan the Barbarian, here repackaged by L. Sprague deCamp. Conan the Warrior only contains three Conan short stories, but all three are Robert Howard originals and two of them, "Red Nails" and "The Jewels of Gwahlur" (also sometimes titled "The Servants of Bit-Yakin") are among Howard's very best. "Red Nails," in fact, is my personal favorite out of all Howard's Conan stories, and it was the last one that he wrote before he died. The fact that there are no pastiches or rewrites in this collection means the quality is consistenly higher than most other entries in the DeCamp/Carter paperback series. However, these have still been edited by DeCamp in order to sanitize some of Howard's writing, and for that reason I can only give it four stars instead of five. Conan the Warrior is now out of print, but all three featured stories are currently available (unedited and uncensored) in the five-star collection, "The Conquering Sword of Conan."
November 27, 2009
Robert Howard invented the barbarian "sword & sorcery" style of Fantasy writing, and no one has surpassed him at writing it. Howard's Conan is a primal entity, almost more animal than man. Many writers have carried on the stories of Conan with mixed results. It is best to seek out the volumes that collect only the Howard stories, not all the later continuations.
April 10, 2011
I really enjoyed this series and enjoyed the overall arc and intention of the project. However, there is a distinct difference between Howard's stories and the stories of Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp. Sometimes there's simply no making up for talent and Robert E. Howard had a talent for telling stories. This book is all Howard, all of the time and "Red Nails" may be Conan's finest hour.
June 4, 2007
The master of Sword and Sorcery. Great stories that scare and delight; a hero, who's strength and cunning go unrivaled, and a good dollop of other-world building that make all Conan's novels great reads.
May 27, 2014
I have a soft spot in my heart for pre-WWII pulp fiction, particularly Robert E. Howard's Conan stories. Although not exactly high literature, Howard knows how to spin a fun and entertaining yarn. It's a shame he didn't live longer.
January 3, 2009
Mostly Howard, and some of his better Conan stories. Some editing by De Camp. Proably 3 and a half stars.
December 11, 2010
Classic Conan. Action, swordplay, vicious panther-like women on all sides. For the true believers.
September 24, 2011
Pasado por el tamiz de Sprague De Camp, Conan vaga alquilando su espada en historias que cautivan en su sobrecogedora sencillez. Aventuras página tras página, que no es poco decir.
September 2, 2012
Yes, I'm a closet Conan fan and a big one at that although this "book" has been sitting in my BlackBerry for maybe over a year now. It is finally read.
March 17, 2017
I was 21 when I first came across these novels. I devoured the first ten in the series in short order. A classic and one of the all time greats. Even the ones that weren't completely Howard's words.
October 23, 2017
Това не е роман, а сборник от три несвързани разказа. Какво мога да кажа друго освен, че това е Конан Варварина, по дяволите!
October 22, 2016
Libro de Howard que contiene 3 relatos, el primero, Clavos Rojos, es uno de los mas famosos ya que introduce al personaje "Valeria", la guerrera pirata rubia que tanto se popularizó el película Conan el Barbaro (la original), los otros dos relatos son igualmente interesantes, el último te deja una sensacion de curiosidad por lo que puede venir, cosa que Howard no suele hacer, sus relatos suelen ser bastante autoconclusos.
Le pongo 5 estrellas como a todos, me encanta este personaje.
Le pongo 5 estrellas como a todos, me encanta este personaje.
May 13, 2013
Sin duda un excelente libro, me gustó mucho solo que el primer relato "Clavos Rojos" se vuelve un poco desesperante ya que todo transcurre en una ciudad totalmente techada y entre puertas y pasillos. Es como estar jugando Resident Evil sin saber bien por donde ir.
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August 3, 2011Spennende Conan.
May 6, 2012
the Conan books were the first and the best big barbarian type books
August 19, 2012
Classic Howard Conan "Red Nails" included in this volume - with a Frank Frazetta cover!
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