Conan The Defiant

Adventures of Conan

by Steve Perry

The fate of the world rests in the hands of a young barbarian who will not let sorcery or warriors risen from the dead stay him from his vengeance. This oversize paperback original is strippable.

Genres: Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Fiction

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1987

About the author

Librarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Steven Carl Perry has written over fifty novels and numerous short stories, which have appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Perry is perhaps best known for the Matador series. He has written books in the Star Wars, Alien and Conan universes. He was a collaborator on all of the Tom Clancy's Net Force series, seven of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list. Two of his novelizations, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Men in Black have also been bestsellers. Other writing credits include articles, reviews, and essays, animated teleplays, and some unproduced movie scripts. One of his scripts for Batman: The Animated Series was an Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Writing.

Perry is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, The Animation Guild, and the Writers Guild of America, West

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this as being my favorite of the Perry Conan books. It's not Howard, but it's a lot of fast-paced Saturday-afternoon-style fun. Conan makes a friend, then gets a couple of new lady friends, encounters an evil wizard intent on world domination, and there are some cool hot zombies. And the spiders..! Fast paced adventure for a young heroic fantasy adventurer who isn't Howard-esque, but still fun.

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This deserves a 2.5 and not a 2. The first third is pretty entertaining and atmospheric. For example, Conan encounters an interesting order of monastics who live in a wasteland temple and he slays a reptillian, poison-spitting monster. Alas, the latter two thirds felt rushed and kind of sketchy and erratic, as if the author wrote this, was revising for polish, and found the submission deadline was approaching. In terms of tone and voice, there is an undeniable shift at one point: an attempt at the grim and the gritty gives way to the lighthearted and the comical. Without spoiling too much: a necromancer is about to take over the world, Conan romances two women, and there are some interdimensional escapades. Compared to the other Conan pastiches (I've read), this one seemed the least faithful to the character and the setting. (I'm starting to wonder if "faithfulness to the character" is a fair way of assessing/judging the Conan pastiches).

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok... Detta var så barnsligt dåligt att det blir riktigt roligt. Det enda som är gemensamt med Howards karaktär är namnet. Skrivandet är uruselt - en replik är bokstavligt talat att "monstret skriade 'skreee'"; innehållet är inte mycket bättre. Conan slåss mot en drake (i förbifarten), shaolinmunkar med irländska namn, och en nekromantiker. Hans allierade är en vandöd - och en ökenbarbarisk skönhet, samt en lönnmördartjuv som allierat sig med Conan på grund av ren bekvämlighet. Allt för att hämna en munks död, som Conan känt i totalt tre dygn. En av karaktärerna förföljs av mördarspindlar, utan egentlig anledning, och Conans svärd är äldre och därmed(?) bättre än de andra vapnen, och kan därför slå igenom dem. Allt på en gång. I ett område som beskrivs som bergig vildmark. Det är så många pojkfantasier och rena dumheter per sida att boken slutar att vara dålig, och blir en oavsiktlig genreparodi.

Läs den bara om du har givit dig på att läsa hela kronologin. Den är inte värd uppmärksamheten annars.

[Eric Witchey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a Conan book is always a joyful bit of male, mind-candy. Reading one written by Steve Perry is just a hoot. I have to applaud this book for several fun things. First, I give it my award for best use of spiders in a fantasy novel. Second, it gets my award for best use of sympathetic, hot-bod zombies. Finally, I have to applaud the fight scene in which no blows are struck. Just a good time in a fast read to take my mind off the niggling crap of life. Thanks, Steve Perry. You remain, as always, my hero.

[Will Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 although very formulaic for Perry this is one of his better Conan books. I felt he had a better grasp of the charter himself and the supporting cast was very colorful. I can say this one will be as memorable as the other but it still makes for a fun pulpy read.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conan the Defiant is the second of the five novels which Steve Perry wrote in the fifty-book Tor Series. In William Galen Gray's chronology it is the fourth Conan tale (following Conan of Venarium, Legions of the Dead and The Thing in the Crypt), taking place before Sean Moore's Conan the Hunter.

****MINOR SPOILERS BELOW****

The young Conan comes upon a lone priest being waylaid by five bandits. Impressed with the stranger's skill with a wooden staff, the Cimmerian wades in and helps the man dispatch his opponents. Cengh, a priest of the Suddah Oblates, is later murdered, sending Conan on a quest of justice for his short-time friend.

In typical Conan fashion, he beds Elashi, a desert-bred warrior maiden as well as Tuanne, a beautiful zombie. Yep, a zombie. Being the irresistable stud he is, the trio engage in threesomes all along their trek to the bad guy's castle. This one seems to rate higher than normal on the Conan adolescent fantasies scale.

Neg the Malefic is a necromancer who needs a gem called The Source of Light to raise and unleash a horde of undead minions to conquer the world. Both Conan's and Elisha's quests are a result of Neg's machinations, even though the evil spellcaster has no idea who they are.

There is no shortage of foes in this tale, with undead, the Men with No Eyes, Neg's lackey, the Suddah Oblates, agents in the employ of The One With No Name and an ensorcelled pack of spiders providing more than enough bad guys at every step of the way. With so many enemies to deal with, it is surprising how often Conan finds time to have sex with his two travelling partners.

The story, which is rather linear, works. There is enough tension throughout, with the time element constantly in play and moving things along. The final confrontation is a bit of a letdown and I had to read it a second time, as it didn't quite make sense on the first try. It didn't really work the second time, either.

Conan the Defiant is worth reading for fans of the muscle-bound sword swinger. On its own merits, it is not a bad heroic sorcery tale. You've got fighting, hot women, zombies and an evil sorceror bent on world domination.

[Dan Benedict · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young Conan on his first foray to the lands south of Cimmeria, this novel is generally thought to take place just after "The Thing in the Crypt" by L. Sprague de Camp and references that story briefly at the beginning.

While travelling Conan happens across a fellow traveler beset by bandits, said traveler is carrying a magical artifact coveted by a wicked necromancer who would use it's power to conquer the world. Needless to say Conan gets caught up in the adventure involving zombies, assassins, magical creatures, spiders and other assorted baddies as well as a couple of beautiful women (whom of course are easily won over by the young barbarians masculinity).

Far from my favorite Conan story, I found it to be merely passable. For people who really love Conan, yes sure go ahead and read it (just don't expect too much), for a more casual fan I might suggest skipping the novel as there are far better Conan stories and other books to read.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. No author can compare to Howard's Conan, but Perry spun a very enjoyable tale.

To comment on another reviewer... Conan doesn't cry. It was just a bit of dust, that's all.

[Stuart Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neg the Malefic wants to be the greatest necromancer of all time and he needs just one item to unleash the Zombie Apocalypse and conquer the world. Conan has just escaped from slavery in the north and only wants to get to Zingara and begin a life of honest thievery. A chance encounter sets them on a collision course that could decide the course of prehistory. An entire coterie of unrelated travelers with differing motives all lead to the steps of Neg's castle. Conan is following a thief to avenge the death of a friend. A desert girl wants to avenge the death of her father. A priest wants to kill Conan for humiliating him. A zombie girl wants to capture Neg's special item so she can die. Neg's minions want to capture the zombie girl. A spy wants to kill Conan to protect his reputation. And a bunch of spiders want to eat the thief. All paths lead to Neg.

It's not REH and that worried me. How good would Conan be written by Steve Perry? While it clearly lacks the artistry of REH, Perry's complex plotline makes for a very readable book. Conan remains Conan, even a bit more human than normal as he reacts to the company of two gorgeous wenches in the way that you would expect from any healthy 17 year old boy. The story is improved by the continuous introduction of new groups of players, including the reintroduction of characters that had been previously removed from play. A very readable story and well worth the name of Conan the Barbarian.

[Sotiris Karaiskos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conan heads for warmer climes but predictably runs into trouble along the way. So he ends up in a welcoming monastery where he finds that somehow it gets in the way of the plans of a powerful wizard. Together with a desert woman, he tries to help the situation and comes face to face with living and dead enemies, which means he has a lot of work to do. A rather interesting story, with the author setting epic goals, without necessarily achieving them. However, he creates a book full of action and fun, meeting the minimum requirements that one can expect.

Ο Κόναν κατευθύνεται προς θερμότερα κλίματα αλλά αναμενόμενα στο δρόμο βρίσκει μπελάδες. Έτσι καταλήγει σε ένα φιλόξενο μοναστήρι όπου διαπιστώνει ότι με κάποιον τρόπο μπαίνει εμπόδιο τα σχέδια ενός πανίσχυρου μάγου. Μαζί με μία γυναίκα της ερήμου προσπαθεί να βοηθήσει την κατάσταση και έρχεται αντιμέτωπος με ζωντανούς και πεθαμένους εχθρούς, κάτι που σημαίνει ότι έχει πολύ δουλειά να κάνουμε. Μία αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία, με τον συγγραφέα να βάζει επικούς στόχους, χωρίς απαραίτητα να τους πετυχαίνει. Δημιουργεί, όμως, ένα βιβλίο γεμάτο δράση και διασκέδαση, πιάνοντας το μίνιμουμ των απαιτήσεων που μπορεί κάποιος να περιμένει.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently re-discovered Robert E Howard's beloved Conan character. I was familiar with the popular Conan movies, but unfamiliar with the lore and history behind the character. After reading a few short stories by Robert E Howard and picking up a couple of Savage Tales of Conan magazines, I thought I would tackle a novel. Conan the Defiant was that novel and what a great entry book into the world of Conan. As as side note, I found reading "Legions of the Dead" and "The Thing in the Crypt" very beneficial for background knowledge. They are both very short stories and are part of the Robert Jordan Conan Chronology list.

I enjoyed Steve Perry's approach to story telling and his interpretation of the Conan character. He provides Conan with depth below the water line. Conan has moments of levity and spirited emotions and at other times shows a tender side that is often times overlooked.

Perry also develops several other characters during the novel that are memorable. He also takes the time to cleanly close the development of those characters in an impactful way.

It's a short read and a great way to escape from the stresses of life for a while. Enjoy the read!

[Mr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Perry’s second installation in the enormous Conan canon is fantasy fodder for every nerd living in grandma’s basement. In Conan, the Defiant, the Cimmerian’s female cohorts include a vixen from a desert tribe and an immaculate zombie princess – both one-dimensional characters of little import. Perry characterizes the brawny barbarian as a simpering fool who manages to overcome the trails and tribulations imposed by Neg, the Malefic. Brute strength alone aids Conan in his journey. Of course, the ladies still adore their staunch hero despite his lack of charm, wit, sense, and ability to construct a compound sentence. It only takes Conan a few grunts and beads of sweat to win the trust and amorousness of his companions as he staves off a number of adversaries. After a few skirmishes and libertine campfires, Conan saves the world from the menacing necromancer, charging into the evil-doer’s forbidden sanctum with a sword the size of his dick. With a story as banal and predictable as this, I doubt I will ever read another novel about the Cimmerian.

That being said, I loved every minute of it.

[Skimpythong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really trippy conan novel with awesome characters nad original twists and warriors....and bad guys.

Perry is along with maddox roberts and robert joradn my fav conan novel author outside robert e howard himself

awesome stuff should be made into movies!!

no social jsutice bulllshit or anti white racism like most stuff sicne 1989 in fanasy genre vox day is right scifi is in ice age since 1989

[Vämpiriüs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tomuto autorovi nejspíš příběh Conana moc nesedl. Sice je kniha dobře čtivá, děj dobře odsýpá a jsou zde bitky, ženy ale není to úplně ono a něco tomu jako celku chybí. Knihu nelze rozhodně porovnávat s originálem, ale osobně mi vůbec nesedlo zpracování zombie ani styl, jakým se dostali do pevnosti nekromanta. Za přečtení to stojí, ale není to žádná sláva.

[Capitalismissexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it. Many interesting characters. Fearsome magic. The pacing was a bit slow and I wish the figths were more numerous with some of the introduced characters. Could have been a bit longer and maybe had a few less stops in random places. The oblates deserve thier own series!

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is bad, but it is far from the worst Conan book. There is a love triangle between Conan, a warrior woman, and a zombie.

[Steve Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

This simply wasn’t good.

The writing at times was just terrible.

Conan has a three-way with a zombie and a living woman. Sigh.

[Lewis Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conan the Defiant is a fun, fast-paced addition to the Tor series, and one I greatly enjoyed. It takes place before before most (if not all) of even Howard's Conan stories, and Perry does well at depicting Conan as a capable-but-learning young warrior in his early days. Aside from Conan himself, there was a lot to be admired in this book. Conan's female companions were great, especially the undead Tuanne, and the locations were captivating, from The Temple That Will Not Fall to the spider-god worshipping city of Opkothard.

However, the book was let down a little by the unnecessary number of minor storylines and plot points that made it feel a bit jumbled. This was most evident in the second half of the book, where the story flitted between four or five different plots every paragraph or half-page. This resulted in the story often being sporadic, scenes being rushed, details being glossed over, settings not being described, and the reader not having chance to be drawn into a scene. Also, when reading a Conan book, you want the focus to be primarily on Conan... but often, I would get a page of him in a chapter that was otherwise giving me whiplash by jumping back and forth between everything else all at once. At least two minor villains could have been removed entirely, allowing more focus on Conan, and the book would have been better for it.

Overall, Conan the Defiant is a good story that could have been great were it not for the quantity-over-quality approach. Perry truly had a LOT of great ideas... but too many to fit into one 232 page book and do them all justice. This meant some - the In-Between Lands, the Curse of the Shes - were too rushed or underdeveloped as a result.

Anyway, I did really like this book despite my criticisms. However, it started out as a five star read that began to lose its way in the second half. For that it gets four stars, but it was still a damn good addition to the many legends of Conan!

[Cleanfun · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was able to keep my interests until the end so it should get a couple stars for that at least.

Conan doesn't cry. Especially when some zombie girl, which he's supposedly been ravaging nightly, is finally laid to rest. I was under the impression that Conan was a slayer of zombies and hater of all things magical.

There were a couple of parts where he was speaking a bit too intelligently. The summary states, "The youthful Conan has only just begun his journey into the civilized lands,.." but he's made to sound like a wealthy, well educated, city raised snob at some points.

Those faults aside, the villain Neg was a real creep. Much more care was taken with Neg, his castle, servants, etc... than any other part of the book.

[Sebastian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A silly story -- As i kept fading in and out, I felt as if something was missing. I didn't know that you could temporarily demobilize a zombie with saline solution. It had a chance to be erotic, when the book depicted ménage à trois between Conan, a priest's daughter, and a zombie, whom regarded each other as lovers thereafter, but that was only about two sentences long. The best part was the end, in which the antagonist with severe arachnophobia was vanquished by a cluster of ensorcelled tarantulas.

[Ben Fairchild · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is to the original (i.e. Howard) stories what a garden shed is to Buckingham Palace but it does not take itself too seriously (neither did the Howard stories until Conan started engaging in politics) but I could not help enjoying it during my stressful moving to Melbourne. I liked it when he was having a regular menage à trois with a ferocious desert tribeswoman and a goodie zombie femme fatale who were clearly into each other as well. Fairly entertaining necromancer baddie too.

[Freddy E. Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

How YOU probably would rate this book:

Four stars if you are a dedicated fan of Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age (as am I).

Three stars if you normally enjoy more or less shallow fantasy novels with simple story lines (those are not necessarily all bad!)

One or two stars if you always compare fantasy novels with Lord of the Rings, Song of Ice and Fire or even the Dragonlance series.

Enjoy - or avoid.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Conan pastiche.

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crom!!!!!!!!

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Conan heads towards to Zamora and along the way fights a necromancer and engages in threesomes with a desert woman and a zombie. Perhaps Conan the Necrophile would have been a better title.

[Keith B · Rating 3 out of 5]

An early Conan story. Not a whole lot of character but plenty of action.... AND ZOMBIES!

[tut1971 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid entry in the Tor Conan series. One of the more overtly sexual ones but there’s nothing wrong with that. Perry went on to a decent career and he shows some talent even in this simple genre.