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Thongor #7
Young Thongor
Lin Carter's greatest creation, the barbarian swordsman Thongor of Lemuria, returns in his first new book in more than 20 years! "Young Thongor" collects Carter's short stories about Thongor's earliest adventures. Drawing on Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian and Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars, Lin Carter has created an enduring new character sure to please all who treasure sword & sorcery in the classic vein.
218 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2012
About the author
Lin Carter
429 books175 followersLin Carter was an American author, editor, and critic best known for his influential role in fantasy literature during the mid-20th century. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, he developed an early passion for myth, adventure stories, and imaginative fiction, drawing inspiration from authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and J. R. R. Tolkien. After serving in the U.S. Army, Carter attended Columbia University, where he honed his literary skills and deepened his knowledge of classical and medieval literature, myth, and folklore — elements that would become central to his work.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 16, 2023
Really nice collection of short stories giving us background on Thongor's origins from the frozen barbaric North of ancient Lemuria, as well as, many great adventures as he travels to the South and beyond! This fills in any gaps prior to the great series of Thongor books published in the 60's and 70's. It's nice to find this collection in one location, as fans have always tried to piece these together from a myriad of hard to find sources. A couple of new stories are included by joint executor of the Lin Carter Estate, Robert Price. There is also an excellent, informative introduction by Adrian Cole.
August 1, 2022
Really nice to get some backstory on Thongor. Hard to give a single rating really because its a book filled with many short stories (all of which I could happily rate on their own) so I am giving my rating based on overall enjoyment.
Some fantastic shorts in there, a couple that weren't as riveting and one that really should have been fleshed out into a full Thongor novel. But all that aside, it was just nice to get some extra stories about Thongor and some blanks neatly filled in for us.
The song at the start of the book about the last days of the Thousand Year War is utterly heroic and, unquestionably, my favourite part of this whole book.
Some fantastic shorts in there, a couple that weren't as riveting and one that really should have been fleshed out into a full Thongor novel. But all that aside, it was just nice to get some extra stories about Thongor and some blanks neatly filled in for us.
The song at the start of the book about the last days of the Thousand Year War is utterly heroic and, unquestionably, my favourite part of this whole book.
June 12, 2015
The stories have more of a Robert E Howard feel than Edgar Rice Burroughs, but this also means that the features making Carter's Lemuria different--the weird science amalgamated with wizardry--have been downplayed or eliminated. What's left is more traditionally sword and sorcery.
There's some repetition in storyline. Both "Keeper of the Emerald Flame" and "Black Moonlight" can be summarized as "Thongor and crew go into a dangerous ruined X in search of fabled treasure Y, but are being slowly picked off by mystic guardian Z. Thongor goes off by himself, stupidly, into extreme peril and stumble into the solution."
But "The City in the Jewel", despite being reminiscent of "Red Nails" in certain ways, was a standout. Thongor stumbles into the secret, deathless city of Ithomaar the Eternal, ruled over by the mad Zazamanc the Veiled Enchanter. The poor inhabitants do not even have the escape of death from the cruel, decadent warping of their ruler. It's a vaguely Moorcockian / Melnibonean setting that deserved more attention.
There's some repetition in storyline. Both "Keeper of the Emerald Flame" and "Black Moonlight" can be summarized as "Thongor and crew go into a dangerous ruined X in search of fabled treasure Y, but are being slowly picked off by mystic guardian Z. Thongor goes off by himself, stupidly, into extreme peril and stumble into the solution."
But "The City in the Jewel", despite being reminiscent of "Red Nails" in certain ways, was a standout. Thongor stumbles into the secret, deathless city of Ithomaar the Eternal, ruled over by the mad Zazamanc the Veiled Enchanter. The poor inhabitants do not even have the escape of death from the cruel, decadent warping of their ruler. It's a vaguely Moorcockian / Melnibonean setting that deserved more attention.
February 21, 2024
Assembled in this collection are the stories written of Thongor of Valkarth when he was a young warrior, before he crushed the rule of the druidic orders and took the throne of Patanga as Supreme Sark. It includes stories published in various magazines, as well as stories published here for the first time. There are not only stories by Lin Carter, but also a couple by sword and sorcery scholar Robert M. Price.
The contents are as follows:
“Black Hawk of Valkarth” by Lin Carter : Of how young Thongor came down from the frozen Valkarth of the North, when his clan, the Balck Hawk People, were slaughtered by the Snow Bear Clan.
“The City in the Jewel” by Lin Carter: As Thongor travels further out of the Northlands he happens upon a fantastical city imprisoned within a mystical jewel, and is drawn within, to find it is ruled by a maniacal, sadistic sorcerer.
“The Demon of the Snows” by Lin Carter: Reaching the edge of the Northlands, Thongor comes upon a foreboding fortress upon a mountainside belonging to a tyrannical baron, and finds that all within have been killed by some inhuman horror.
“The Creature in the Crypt” by Robert M. Price: Chased by hellish Talondos Hounds, Thongor hides in a cave in the Mountains of Mommur, and comes upon a strange and macabre discovery.
“Mind Lords of Lemuria” by Robert M. Price: Now in the military service of Arzang Pome, the wicked Sark of Shembis, Thongor encounters a weird and otherworldly force deep in the jungles with his troop of soldiers.
“Silver Shadows” by Robert M. Price: When he is approached by a strange woman in the employ of Arzang Pome to search for an ancient treasure that, according to legend, belonged to the sinister Dragon Kings, Thongor has little inkling of the danger he is about to face.
“Keeper of the Emerald Flame” by Lin Carter: While escaping from Arzang Pome’s soldiers deep into the jungles of southern Kovia, Thongor and the gang of bandits he now leads happen upon an impossibly aeons-old gargantuan black citadel, rumored to be the lair of a demoniacal sorcerer.
“Black Moonlight” by Lin Carter: Now the leader of a cutthroat band of pirates, Thongor happens upon a mysterious island that holds a dangerous and dastardly secret.
“Thieves of Zangabal” by Lin Carter: Having run afoul of the pirates of the Red Brotherhood when he kills the king of the buccaneer city-state of Tarakus, Thongor is once again on his own, as a lone thief, and is hired by a corrupt, scheming high priest to steal a magical artifact of great power.
Like the novels by Lin Carter, the stories within are mainly fun, swashbuckling sword and sorcery adventures. Nothing really groundbreaking here, but I found these stories enjoyable. I think there was only one I didn’t like. What’s more is that the stories are much tighter and stronger than the novels, at least in my opinion.
I give Young Thongor by Lin Carter w/Robert M. Price a 4 out of 5.
The contents are as follows:
“Black Hawk of Valkarth” by Lin Carter : Of how young Thongor came down from the frozen Valkarth of the North, when his clan, the Balck Hawk People, were slaughtered by the Snow Bear Clan.
“The City in the Jewel” by Lin Carter: As Thongor travels further out of the Northlands he happens upon a fantastical city imprisoned within a mystical jewel, and is drawn within, to find it is ruled by a maniacal, sadistic sorcerer.
“The Demon of the Snows” by Lin Carter: Reaching the edge of the Northlands, Thongor comes upon a foreboding fortress upon a mountainside belonging to a tyrannical baron, and finds that all within have been killed by some inhuman horror.
“The Creature in the Crypt” by Robert M. Price: Chased by hellish Talondos Hounds, Thongor hides in a cave in the Mountains of Mommur, and comes upon a strange and macabre discovery.
“Mind Lords of Lemuria” by Robert M. Price: Now in the military service of Arzang Pome, the wicked Sark of Shembis, Thongor encounters a weird and otherworldly force deep in the jungles with his troop of soldiers.
“Silver Shadows” by Robert M. Price: When he is approached by a strange woman in the employ of Arzang Pome to search for an ancient treasure that, according to legend, belonged to the sinister Dragon Kings, Thongor has little inkling of the danger he is about to face.
“Keeper of the Emerald Flame” by Lin Carter: While escaping from Arzang Pome’s soldiers deep into the jungles of southern Kovia, Thongor and the gang of bandits he now leads happen upon an impossibly aeons-old gargantuan black citadel, rumored to be the lair of a demoniacal sorcerer.
“Black Moonlight” by Lin Carter: Now the leader of a cutthroat band of pirates, Thongor happens upon a mysterious island that holds a dangerous and dastardly secret.
“Thieves of Zangabal” by Lin Carter: Having run afoul of the pirates of the Red Brotherhood when he kills the king of the buccaneer city-state of Tarakus, Thongor is once again on his own, as a lone thief, and is hired by a corrupt, scheming high priest to steal a magical artifact of great power.
Like the novels by Lin Carter, the stories within are mainly fun, swashbuckling sword and sorcery adventures. Nothing really groundbreaking here, but I found these stories enjoyable. I think there was only one I didn’t like. What’s more is that the stories are much tighter and stronger than the novels, at least in my opinion.
I give Young Thongor by Lin Carter w/Robert M. Price a 4 out of 5.
July 9, 2021
A highly enjoyable collection of Thongor short stories, compiled and published in a single volume. As a new fan of Thongor, having only recently finished reading Lin Carter's original six novels this year, it was fun to revisit the realm of Lemuria and read up on the adventures of Thongor during his earlier years.
I personally enjoyed the stories set in the north the most, before Thongor passed into southern lands, as it was nice to enjoy this change of scenery from jungles and cities. We don't really get to see Thongor in his frozen homelands in the novels, so it was thrilling to experience some chapters of the character's life here. Demon of the Snows was my personal favourite!
Overall, a great collection. Granted, Thongor isn't groundbreaking literature, and it's clear many of these stories were written after the novels despite being set before them - the one major flaw for me was that, after reading the events in Young Thongor, one cannot help but question why these very significant events in the character's life and history are not once mentioned again in the entire six-book series that chronologically follows, making it rather obvious that these tales were only written/added to the saga after-the-fact. I suppose that's just a problem that was bound to arise when adding earlier parts to a character's journey when the main saga was already written.
Nonetheless, this is fun, exciting escapism that I'm happy to have on my bookshelf alongside my other Thongor paperbacks. If the older Thongor books aren't for you, obviously you should avoid... but if you're a fan of Lin Carter's previous works on the character, this should be your cup of sarn!
I personally enjoyed the stories set in the north the most, before Thongor passed into southern lands, as it was nice to enjoy this change of scenery from jungles and cities. We don't really get to see Thongor in his frozen homelands in the novels, so it was thrilling to experience some chapters of the character's life here. Demon of the Snows was my personal favourite!
Overall, a great collection. Granted, Thongor isn't groundbreaking literature, and it's clear many of these stories were written after the novels despite being set before them - the one major flaw for me was that, after reading the events in Young Thongor, one cannot help but question why these very significant events in the character's life and history are not once mentioned again in the entire six-book series that chronologically follows, making it rather obvious that these tales were only written/added to the saga after-the-fact. I suppose that's just a problem that was bound to arise when adding earlier parts to a character's journey when the main saga was already written.
Nonetheless, this is fun, exciting escapism that I'm happy to have on my bookshelf alongside my other Thongor paperbacks. If the older Thongor books aren't for you, obviously you should avoid... but if you're a fan of Lin Carter's previous works on the character, this should be your cup of sarn!
February 21, 2018
A "Prequel" to the Swords & Sorcery Hero of Lemuria!
Thongor was a Swords & Sorcery hero created by Lin Carter, similar in many respects to Howard's Conan. Thongor lived in the world of Lemuria, a forgotten prehistoric age of strange beasts, black magic, and glimpses of lost super-science. This collection of stories forms a sort of "prequel" to the Thongor who appears in earlier books - hence, "young" Thongor. These stories have a much less ambiguous fantasy feel, with far less of the science fiction elements the original stories hinted at. Great Appendix N inspiration!
Thongor was a Swords & Sorcery hero created by Lin Carter, similar in many respects to Howard's Conan. Thongor lived in the world of Lemuria, a forgotten prehistoric age of strange beasts, black magic, and glimpses of lost super-science. This collection of stories forms a sort of "prequel" to the Thongor who appears in earlier books - hence, "young" Thongor. These stories have a much less ambiguous fantasy feel, with far less of the science fiction elements the original stories hinted at. Great Appendix N inspiration!
July 11, 2018
Lin Carter is a very hit or miss author. The first Thongor is fantastic. The rest of the series varies from mediocre to decent but never reaches the height of the first. I think a lot of these stories do. It’s more Howard than Burroughs. My only complaint is the Harold Price stories aren’t very good.
June 11, 2016
This is an entry type set of short stories about Thongor of Lemuria, one of Lin Carter's many heroic subjects. Written in the style and with flavor from Robert E. Howard, and L. Sprague DeCamp, who was Carter's mentor, these short stories were compiled later, but we're not actually published for years. This is good old sword and Sorcery and it is just something that satchel the itch of pulp readers such as myself. It's just good writing, folks and it's short, usually read within one sitting. Very good experience, and ones I will always remember.
Give the Thongor books a try. You never know, they might grow on you too!
Danny
Give the Thongor books a try. You never know, they might grow on you too!
Danny
January 16, 2013
Surprisingly enjoyable, especially given the crappiness of the novels. More REH pastiche than ERB, these stories are fairly exciting and fun. Thongor really doesn't develop much character but it's a good ride.
September 29, 2013
In this book some stories are better than others, but overall I liked it.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews