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Robert Jordan's Conan Novels #5
Конан великолепния
Сред дивите канари на Кезанкианските планини Конан неочаквано среща страстната ловджийка лейди Джондра, придружавана от красивата крадла Тамира. Те попадат между заморанската армия и бритуниански бойци, тръгнали да отмъщават за загиналите си другари. Силният кемериец трябва да се бие с пълчища кезанкиански планинци, да се пребори с магията на ималата Басракан и накрая да убие съществото, което не може да бъде убито: Огнения звяр.
За да победи, за да оцелее, той трябва да бъде Конан Великолепния.
За да победи, за да оцелее, той трябва да бъде Конан Великолепния.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
15 people are currently reading
884 people want to read
About the author
Robert Jordan
681 books17.2k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the names Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.
Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel where he received an undergraduate degree in physics. After graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer. He began writing in 1977. He was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.
He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week. He lived with his wife Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.
Responding to queries on the similarity of some of the concepts in his Wheel of Time books with Freemasonry concepts, Jordan admitted that he was a Freemason. However, "like his father and grandfather," he preferred not to advertise, possibly because of the negative propaganda against Freemasonry. In his own words, "no man in this country should feel in danger because of his beliefs."
On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed in a statement that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, and that with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years, though he said he intended to beat the statistics. He later posted on his Dragonmount blog to encourage his fans not to worry about him and that he intended to have a long and fully creative life.
He began chemotherapy treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in early April 2006. Jordan was enrolled in a study using the drug Revlimid just approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis.
Jordan died at approximately 2:45 p.m. EDT on September 16, 2007, and a funeral service was held for him on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. Jordan was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston.
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the names Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.
Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel where he received an undergraduate degree in physics. After graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer. He began writing in 1977. He was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.
He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week. He lived with his wife Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.
Responding to queries on the similarity of some of the concepts in his Wheel of Time books with Freemasonry concepts, Jordan admitted that he was a Freemason. However, "like his father and grandfather," he preferred not to advertise, possibly because of the negative propaganda against Freemasonry. In his own words, "no man in this country should feel in danger because of his beliefs."
On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed in a statement that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, and that with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years, though he said he intended to beat the statistics. He later posted on his Dragonmount blog to encourage his fans not to worry about him and that he intended to have a long and fully creative life.
He began chemotherapy treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in early April 2006. Jordan was enrolled in a study using the drug Revlimid just approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis.
Jordan died at approximately 2:45 p.m. EDT on September 16, 2007, and a funeral service was held for him on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. Jordan was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
March 10, 2023
Robert Jordan's Conan pastiches are probably remembered so much more than many of the others that appeared in the '70s-'90s because he went on the have so much success with The Wheel of Time. (And perhaps because I believe the first of them were the first to appear from Tor, who kept them perpetually in print.) Jordan told entertaining stories and was an accomplished craftsman, though I don't think he captured Howard's voice as well as some of the others. His stories were lighter and more humorous, with lighter and more human-sounding dialog. This story has the requisite amount of monsters, sorcery, swordplay, (fill in your own) and (especially) scantily clad young ladies but isn't a really memorable or pivotal story for Conan. It's a good, light entertainment, and there's nothing wrong with that, by Crom!
September 12, 2023
Nothing unusual in this story, with our hero embarking on an adventure because of two very erotic and little dressed women and eventually facing yet another danger of magical forces ready to break out and cause chaos. Of course, this story is fun and exciting but I get the impression that there aren't many ideas and so the result is very simplistic. Nevertheless, through the usual images in this book, the attentive reader will identify some of the ideas that will be useful to the author later.
Τίποτα ασυνήθιστο σε αυτή την ιστορία, με τον ήρωα μας να μπλέκει σε μία περιπέτεια εξαιτίας δύο πολύ ερωτικών και ελάχιστα ντυμένων γυναικών και τελικά να αντιμετωπίζει έναν ακόμα μεγάλο κίνδυνο από μαγικές δυνάμεις έτοιμες να ξεχυθούν και να προκαλέσουν χάος. Φυσικά αυτή η ιστορία είναι διασκεδαστική και συναρπαστική αλλά έχω την εντύπωση ότι δεν υπάρχουν πολλές ιδέες και έτσι το αποτέλεσμα είναι πολύ απλοϊκό. Παρά όλα αυτά, μέσα από τις συνηθισμένες εικόνες που μας προσφέρει αυτό το βιβλίο, ο προσεκτικός αναγνώστης θα εντοπίσει αρκετές από τις ιδέες που θα φανούν χρήσιμες στον συγγραφέα αργότερα.
Τίποτα ασυνήθιστο σε αυτή την ιστορία, με τον ήρωα μας να μπλέκει σε μία περιπέτεια εξαιτίας δύο πολύ ερωτικών και ελάχιστα ντυμένων γυναικών και τελικά να αντιμετωπίζει έναν ακόμα μεγάλο κίνδυνο από μαγικές δυνάμεις έτοιμες να ξεχυθούν και να προκαλέσουν χάος. Φυσικά αυτή η ιστορία είναι διασκεδαστική και συναρπαστική αλλά έχω την εντύπωση ότι δεν υπάρχουν πολλές ιδέες και έτσι το αποτέλεσμα είναι πολύ απλοϊκό. Παρά όλα αυτά, μέσα από τις συνηθισμένες εικόνες που μας προσφέρει αυτό το βιβλίο, ο προσεκτικός αναγνώστης θα εντοπίσει αρκετές από τις ιδέες που θα φανούν χρήσιμες στον συγγραφέα αργότερα.
January 15, 2022
I had heard that Robert Jordan wrote Conan pastiches. I had read his *Wheel of Time* series and liked them somewhat. Jordan is a skilled writer. Still, my expectations were managed: the REH purists I know have made me automatically leary of Conan pastiches. So, I was expecting a slog. Instead I discovered a somewhat entertaining sword and sorcery novel. It's not high art nor is it super inspired. It's nowhere near the original Robert E. Howard tales in literary quality. But was Jordan even aiming for that? This might be exclusively appealing to Conan / Hyborian Age fans (and not necessarily REH fans). One element of this that surprised me was the quasi-comical love triangle. Conan finds himself involved with both a Zamoran noblewoman hunter, Jondra, and a beautiful gem thief of Shadizar, Tamira. It was kind of ridiculous to read about how swiftly these women fell for Conan. The first third takes place in the sultry city of Shadizar and the second two thirds take place in the Kenzankian Mountains between Brythunia and Zamora. The villain, the evil sorcerer Basrakan Imalla, was pretty two dimensional, and his pet dragon wasn't very interesting. Of all the Conan pastiches I've read, this one felt the most routine and the least ambitious. Jordan doesn't make the Hyborian Age come to life like Andrew Offut does. Nor does he render an intriguing sorcery-laden Conan tale like John C. Hocking. Jordan makes Conan fun and somewhat lighthearted. Still, this was fun enough. I'll probably read the other Jordan pastiches some day.
April 17, 2021
Another "meh" Conan pastiche attempt from Robert Jordan. A few notes:
More uses of the word "breasts" than a book about mammograms. I'll read about the fairer sex all day long, but at least switch it up a bit once and a while.
With fire-breathing dragons and magic swords, this almost felt more like a Dungeons and Dragons novel than a Conan novel.
While Jordan never wrote a very convincing Conan, our hero seems particularly un-Conan like here.
More uses of the word "breasts" than a book about mammograms. I'll read about the fairer sex all day long, but at least switch it up a bit once and a while.
With fire-breathing dragons and magic swords, this almost felt more like a Dungeons and Dragons novel than a Conan novel.
While Jordan never wrote a very convincing Conan, our hero seems particularly un-Conan like here.
October 26, 2015
Sex, violence, sexism, inappropriate clothing, ridiculous battle scenes, evil magicians, magic swords, mighty thews, deserts, mountains, cities.... and a large fire-breathing dragon. Come on, prefect holiday reading. Chewing gum for the brain, easy to fall into. Did I mention the women were intelligent and feisty? No? Must have been the whisper of silk that distracted me then. Or the glint of rubies, gold, onyx and silver. Or the glutinous glint of swords incarnadine. You get the idea.
June 15, 2017
Приятна книжка, която доказва, че когато Джордан, да се свети името му словеснодиарично, не изпада в описания, достойни за номенклатурна инвентаризация на пироните в публичен дом, всъщност пише доволно добре. Има каки, има битки, има магия... и това, само да отбележа, не е написано с патоса на български фентъзи романист, който се чуди с какво да запълни 980-те си страници фонетичен онанизъм. Сто пъти по-добро от някои рекламирани напоследък словоблудства, които вече успяха да намерят прякора си сред недоволните от измамата читатели - "Хари Шопър и софийските здрачански патрули" :)
October 1, 2021
Skabrös var ordet, sa Bull.
Denna Conan var uppriktigt underhållande, på ett låghalt, Menanderskt, sätt. Däremot är den inte litterär för fem öre. Skämten, som genomgående gränsar till oanständighet, finns på varannan sida, för det mesta i form av beskrivningar som kunde vara oavsiktliga, om de inte vara så frekventa. Alla inblandade har moraliskt förkrympta gestalter, såsom brukar vara fallet med humoristiska äventyrsböcker. Kombinationen är ett slags Flashman-äventyr med Conan som huvudperson.
Rekommenderas varmt, för alla med inre höhöande tonåringar.
Denna Conan var uppriktigt underhållande, på ett låghalt, Menanderskt, sätt. Däremot är den inte litterär för fem öre. Skämten, som genomgående gränsar till oanständighet, finns på varannan sida, för det mesta i form av beskrivningar som kunde vara oavsiktliga, om de inte vara så frekventa. Alla inblandade har moraliskt förkrympta gestalter, såsom brukar vara fallet med humoristiska äventyrsböcker. Kombinationen är ett slags Flashman-äventyr med Conan som huvudperson.
Rekommenderas varmt, för alla med inre höhöande tonåringar.
October 3, 2024
Another one of my favorite, this time written by Robert Jordan, a staple in my house in the mid to late 80’s when I was in junior high.
Like Robert E Howard, Robert Jordan writes brilliantly about Conan, his amazing tales, and keeps you turning pages. From the incredible monsters and beasts, to the villains that always controlled them.
Reminiscent of “SINBAD”, these Conan books from the 80’s, always would catch my imagination on fire, and have me drawing or painting to and with them.
My second favorite from those times.
Do yourself a favor and give them a read.
Like Robert E Howard, Robert Jordan writes brilliantly about Conan, his amazing tales, and keeps you turning pages. From the incredible monsters and beasts, to the villains that always controlled them.
Reminiscent of “SINBAD”, these Conan books from the 80’s, always would catch my imagination on fire, and have me drawing or painting to and with them.
My second favorite from those times.
Do yourself a favor and give them a read.
January 16, 2024
It’s a Conan worth your time that is not by Howard. A bit too much on the predictable side, but a fun romp.
June 2, 2022
I did not expect to enjoy Conan this much. I’ve always had trouble reading ‘retro’ fantasy due to its writing style but this one was different. 3 different storylines happening at the same time was EASY to understand. I took two long breaks (one for finals and one for Covid) while reading but I never felt lost or confused. The characters (even the ladies!!) had unique attributes and motives. Most importantly, I laughed out loud many times. This book was just funny!! I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fantasy story. I will be reading more Conans by Robert Jordan in the future.
April 1, 2024
Solid Conan story from Jordan. It meandered a bit at the beginning, but once it got going was a pretty fun read. 3.5/5
June 24, 2010
THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS UNLESS YOU HAVE NEVER READ NOR HEARD OF THE CIMMERIAN BARBARIAN IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE, AND IF THAT IS TRUE I PITY YOU.
CROM!
Undoubtedly, Robert Jordan is one of the best fantasy writers out there. Unfortunately, I don't think he had enough time/pages in which to write this Conan tale. It rang true to the Conan we all love - a robust me-tarzan-you-jane-like youth thief, sleeping with 3+ women, crazed cult leader in search of some sort of treasure, naked boobs'a'bouncin', a journey across a desert, and of course A GIANT MONSTER!
If you want a guilty pleasure with Conan in it, this is your book.
CROM!
Undoubtedly, Robert Jordan is one of the best fantasy writers out there. Unfortunately, I don't think he had enough time/pages in which to write this Conan tale. It rang true to the Conan we all love - a robust me-tarzan-you-jane-like youth thief, sleeping with 3+ women, crazed cult leader in search of some sort of treasure, naked boobs'a'bouncin', a journey across a desert, and of course A GIANT MONSTER!
If you want a guilty pleasure with Conan in it, this is your book.
October 6, 2020
I held a lower opinion of this book, as I thought it was written in the mid-Nineties. Instead, being from the early Eighties, its babes-and-barbarians bombast is actually quite in place for the time, when the genre was more Frank Frazetta than Robert E. Howard. The story is pretty straightforward the characters are very shallow, and the dialogue can be cringeworthy, but it's a fun romp in which Conan, obviously, emerges victorious. Robert Jordan, making his name here long before it would become famous, is on top of the prose and pacing, and can't resist matching the campy seriousness of the story and characters with matching writing. Overall, not bad but forgettable.
May 10, 2012
It's odd in a way, Robert E. Howard created Conan The Barbarian years before Robert Jordan had written anything, and yet...Jordan's Conan The Barbarian was better then the original creators. Howard's barbarian relied more on his brawn then his wits while Jodran's barbarian used both brain and brawn in order to get what he wanted, making Conan a far more complex and interesting character.
March 27, 2014
Not bad. Another decent Conan read. I rather liked this one because Conan is caught between to women, being scolded by them, outwitted, making love with them and rescuing them both from the clutches of yet another sorceror and his evil plot and a giant fire breathing beast.
August 18, 2014
The books I'd take to a desert island.
The books I'd save from a house on fire.
The books I read over and over.
The best of the best.
The books I'd save from a house on fire.
The books I read over and over.
The best of the best.
October 24, 2017
An excellent read in the barbarian fantasy genre.
March 19, 2021
In the last novel, Jordan teased us with going to Argos, only to pull a bait and switch and bring the "action" back to Zamora. You see, he wasn't entirely satisfied with his first novel. He liked Karela, yes -- women that are fearsome, independent warriors in the telling, and completely useless pms-ridden harpies in practice apparently do it for him. But there was a problem. A woman of Karela's background obviously would have had a lot of life experience, including with men. And that's just not as hot as a virgin, is it? And what is hotter than a virgin? That's right, two.
So this is the story of Conan seducing two virgins. "Seducing" is perhaps over-generous, it is better described as the story of two virgins tearing their clothes off and throwing themselves at Conan's feet. Apparently there's also a dragon and an Imam involved somewhere, but they get less screentime than the breasts. This might have worked for a pornographic novel, but unfortunately this isn't one.
We get more of Jordan's hot takes on Conan's code of honour. Apparently he won't sell drugs. That's not his way. Only robbery and plunder. He won't kill people who try to kill him, only innocent people doing their job (eg, the guards trying to stop him from robbing and plundering). He's concerned about little girls growing up without learning how to use make up, although given the running theme of Jordan's Conans that is not at all surprising.
At this point the series slipped from terrible, to painful to read.
To continue the Jordan-doesn't-get-Conan diatribe from the last review: Jordan doesn't get the plot. A hallmark of the Conan series is that, while Conan is an improbably impressive man, he is nevertheless a man. While magic does exist in the world, and he is occasionally forced to come to grips with it, it is something he usually avoids. He solves his problems by strengths, resolve, and barbarian savoir-faire. Jordan's Conan resolves the plot through blind luck and magical macguffins. In this episode, the dragon could only be killed by a magical sword. Conan knew nothing about this sword, nor about the dragon for that matter. A completely unrelated character brought it to the scene and tossed it to Conan in the last chapter. In the previous book, he had to clobber the bad guy with a magic stick. He learnt about this stick not through his own research or resources, but a convenient hedge wizard (who Conan happened to have in his employ, despite hating sorcery) told him all the plot-convenient details. In the unconquered, he needed some magic powder which just happened to be given to him by a shaman whom he had no reason to ever visit. The plot resolves itself, Conan is only along for the ride. Which, I suppose, is what Jordan intended, as it allows him to focus on what matters: the tits.
So this is the story of Conan seducing two virgins. "Seducing" is perhaps over-generous, it is better described as the story of two virgins tearing their clothes off and throwing themselves at Conan's feet. Apparently there's also a dragon and an Imam involved somewhere, but they get less screentime than the breasts. This might have worked for a pornographic novel, but unfortunately this isn't one.
We get more of Jordan's hot takes on Conan's code of honour. Apparently he won't sell drugs. That's not his way. Only robbery and plunder. He won't kill people who try to kill him, only innocent people doing their job (eg, the guards trying to stop him from robbing and plundering). He's concerned about little girls growing up without learning how to use make up, although given the running theme of Jordan's Conans that is not at all surprising.
At this point the series slipped from terrible, to painful to read.
To continue the Jordan-doesn't-get-Conan diatribe from the last review: Jordan doesn't get the plot. A hallmark of the Conan series is that, while Conan is an improbably impressive man, he is nevertheless a man. While magic does exist in the world, and he is occasionally forced to come to grips with it, it is something he usually avoids. He solves his problems by strengths, resolve, and barbarian savoir-faire. Jordan's Conan resolves the plot through blind luck and magical macguffins. In this episode, the dragon could only be killed by a magical sword. Conan knew nothing about this sword, nor about the dragon for that matter. A completely unrelated character brought it to the scene and tossed it to Conan in the last chapter. In the previous book, he had to clobber the bad guy with a magic stick. He learnt about this stick not through his own research or resources, but a convenient hedge wizard (who Conan happened to have in his employ, despite hating sorcery) told him all the plot-convenient details. In the unconquered, he needed some magic powder which just happened to be given to him by a shaman whom he had no reason to ever visit. The plot resolves itself, Conan is only along for the ride. Which, I suppose, is what Jordan intended, as it allows him to focus on what matters: the tits.
December 4, 2025
Conan the Hunter
Conan matches wits (and loins) with Tamira, the self-described greatest thief in all of Shadizar, City of Wickedness. The two vie to be the first to steal a priceless treasure from the tempestuous and beautiful Jondra the Huntress, which will lead them into the Kezankian Mountains as Jondra pursues a creature out of myth. Meanwhile, a Kezankian hill tribe necromancer bargains with dark powers for a weapon with which he can launch a holy war against the wicked cities of Zamora. A creature with claws like swords, scales like armor and fire for breath.
Narratively speaking, Book 5 of the Robert Jordan Conan novels may be the weakest. It struggles for a while to get going, and much of the middle consists of running around in the desert with the occasional random encounter. Jordan's playful use of language so evident in "Conan the Invincible", where he introduces the word "callimastian", is more muted in this novel. For instance, he uses "callimastian" and "callipygian" rather brusquely at the beginning of the novel and then never brings them up again. Plus, there are some typos in the Kindle edition.
However, Robert Jordan was a brilliant writer and his Conan series is not only the best of the Conan pastiches, as well as the most compellingly readable and the most just plain fun to read, but also better than most mainstream publishing books being released today. Especially by Tor. This book is no exception and remains an enjoyable reading experience for me and my fellow persons of culture.
Conan matches wits (and loins) with Tamira, the self-described greatest thief in all of Shadizar, City of Wickedness. The two vie to be the first to steal a priceless treasure from the tempestuous and beautiful Jondra the Huntress, which will lead them into the Kezankian Mountains as Jondra pursues a creature out of myth. Meanwhile, a Kezankian hill tribe necromancer bargains with dark powers for a weapon with which he can launch a holy war against the wicked cities of Zamora. A creature with claws like swords, scales like armor and fire for breath.
Narratively speaking, Book 5 of the Robert Jordan Conan novels may be the weakest. It struggles for a while to get going, and much of the middle consists of running around in the desert with the occasional random encounter. Jordan's playful use of language so evident in "Conan the Invincible", where he introduces the word "callimastian", is more muted in this novel. For instance, he uses "callimastian" and "callipygian" rather brusquely at the beginning of the novel and then never brings them up again. Plus, there are some typos in the Kindle edition.
However, Robert Jordan was a brilliant writer and his Conan series is not only the best of the Conan pastiches, as well as the most compellingly readable and the most just plain fun to read, but also better than most mainstream publishing books being released today. Especially by Tor. This book is no exception and remains an enjoyable reading experience for me and my fellow persons of culture.
June 28, 2022
At this point, it's kind of hard for me to write a Conan review. Conan is Conan, no matter who is writing him. Jordan is pretty good at it, but I must say, the main bad guy in each of the Jordan Conan books are BARELY in the book. Max, 5 scenes.
Each book starts off with the main villain doing something that sets up some sort of great power for them. Then you hang with Conan for a while until he gets sucked into the orbit of the bad guy. Conan will meet and bed some women, at least 2, as there has to be some kind of jealousy on the females part. The bad guy will needs something to make his power complete and send his followers after it. Usually, the women are caught and taken to bad guy as captive. Conan battles followers in pursuit of captured female, ends up running into the bad guy, easily dispatches them and rides off into the sunset, sometimes with the girls. I can't even remember the bad guys name from this one and I JUST finished it. Either way, the bad guy is never really around enough to seem like he poses a threat to Conan, even for a moment.
At the end of the day, you don't read Conan books to be challenged and this book will certainly NOT challenge you. If you like Conan, then this is a pretty quick and easy ride, that will hit all the points you know and expect in a Conan novel.
Each book starts off with the main villain doing something that sets up some sort of great power for them. Then you hang with Conan for a while until he gets sucked into the orbit of the bad guy. Conan will meet and bed some women, at least 2, as there has to be some kind of jealousy on the females part. The bad guy will needs something to make his power complete and send his followers after it. Usually, the women are caught and taken to bad guy as captive. Conan battles followers in pursuit of captured female, ends up running into the bad guy, easily dispatches them and rides off into the sunset, sometimes with the girls. I can't even remember the bad guys name from this one and I JUST finished it. Either way, the bad guy is never really around enough to seem like he poses a threat to Conan, even for a moment.
At the end of the day, you don't read Conan books to be challenged and this book will certainly NOT challenge you. If you like Conan, then this is a pretty quick and easy ride, that will hit all the points you know and expect in a Conan novel.
August 13, 2023
A youngish Conan must flee Shadizar because of a conflict with a person that hired him to steal an emerald goblet. In fact it had been stolen before he was able to get to it. But he'd run into the thief going out as he was going in. Before he leaves he resolves to find the other thief and disrupt her next target.
As usual for Conan his plans come to naught and he finds himself fleeing empty handed. But fate is kind and he winds up in the hunting caravan of Lady Jondra, where the thief Tamira is masquerading as a servant in order to steal two rubies from the Lady Jondra. Joining the hunt Conan learns late that Lady Jondra is after a mythical beast. The Kezankian hillman seem to be coming together in a holy cause to wipe out all their enemies. Unfortunately the beast seems to be located in the Kezankian Mountains.
There's several side characters that pop in and out but overall this is a pretty good Conan tale.
As usual for Conan his plans come to naught and he finds himself fleeing empty handed. But fate is kind and he winds up in the hunting caravan of Lady Jondra, where the thief Tamira is masquerading as a servant in order to steal two rubies from the Lady Jondra. Joining the hunt Conan learns late that Lady Jondra is after a mythical beast. The Kezankian hillman seem to be coming together in a holy cause to wipe out all their enemies. Unfortunately the beast seems to be located in the Kezankian Mountains.
There's several side characters that pop in and out but overall this is a pretty good Conan tale.
July 18, 2022
You know what?
You walk into a store fully confident to purchase a cheap, easy going, not-a-good-edition book for the beach and you end up with this one in your hands.
Ah ok, Robert Jordan! A classic read, guaranteed to keep good company. A WOT fanatic since there weren't many of that kind around. Combine that to the barbaric feel of diving into Conanverse and mission accomplished, i have a book for the beach. I checked twice and it's not part of series.
Well what did you expect? It's all about swords, muscles, callipygian girls (yes that word is in there) an unfortunate dragon and blood. Too much blood actually but that's ok since it's Conan around. Ah and heat, a friendly reminder to stay hydrated.
Overall it's enjoyable to read with a plot that keeps you on edge (kind of) and contains the Robert Jordan spark we all came here for. (Or were the callipygous girls in the first place?)
You walk into a store fully confident to purchase a cheap, easy going, not-a-good-edition book for the beach and you end up with this one in your hands.
Ah ok, Robert Jordan! A classic read, guaranteed to keep good company. A WOT fanatic since there weren't many of that kind around. Combine that to the barbaric feel of diving into Conanverse and mission accomplished, i have a book for the beach. I checked twice and it's not part of series.
Well what did you expect? It's all about swords, muscles, callipygian girls (yes that word is in there) an unfortunate dragon and blood. Too much blood actually but that's ok since it's Conan around. Ah and heat, a friendly reminder to stay hydrated.
Overall it's enjoyable to read with a plot that keeps you on edge (kind of) and contains the Robert Jordan spark we all came here for. (Or were the callipygous girls in the first place?)
August 27, 2024
This is another good, even fun, novel dealing with sword and sorcery. It seems to have been written after attending fandom conventions and watching all the cosplays— which must have decided how many characters to be inserted as various types of antagonists and sundry others. It ticked the boxes mentioning hot-blooded action with voluptuos females and others, as deemed fit, sprinkling banter and heavy dialogues liberally upon everything.
Alas! Once again Conan was there as a plaything of either the antagonists or the author. The brroding man of gigantic melancholies and proportionate mirth was nowhere to be found.
By Crom, I am almost done with Jordan's formulaic and cliche-riddled tired works. Another two books left. After they are finished, I would go to sleep with Howard's canon and keep murmuring, "Hither came Conan!"
Alas! Once again Conan was there as a plaything of either the antagonists or the author. The brroding man of gigantic melancholies and proportionate mirth was nowhere to be found.
By Crom, I am almost done with Jordan's formulaic and cliche-riddled tired works. Another two books left. After they are finished, I would go to sleep with Howard's canon and keep murmuring, "Hither came Conan!"
July 2, 2022
One of Sheffield's most imaginative works. His depiction of a society that has learned how to use biofeedback, computer software, and genetics to tailor human beings to suit the current fashions (Marilyn Monroe and William Shakespeare look-a-likes) or to adapt them for hostile environments (life underwater) is fascinating.
As for the narrator, I can't understand why they picked Laurel Lefkow. Except for a few minor characters, all are men. So why choose a woman to voice them? She doesn't have a suitable range, so big men sound like little men and they all sound a little squeaky. Disappointing.
Otherwise, the story is interesting and optimistic about humanity's future. Recommended.
As for the narrator, I can't understand why they picked Laurel Lefkow. Except for a few minor characters, all are men. So why choose a woman to voice them? She doesn't have a suitable range, so big men sound like little men and they all sound a little squeaky. Disappointing.
Otherwise, the story is interesting and optimistic about humanity's future. Recommended.
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May 9, 2021 Conan is just awesome. This story is a really good example of how writers can make him into a superman. At one point he is confronted by a fellow firing bolts from a crossbow. Conan has to move a bar across a door that is so big it would take three strong men to move it, but he does, and gets away. Isn't he a wonder?
I read this story once before, but it was good enough to read again. The first time I read it, it was a part of a three story book. I was surprised to see it by itself. I will have to look for the other two stories. One of them has the line, “A life without adventure is not worth living.” or something like that.
I read this story once before, but it was good enough to read again. The first time I read it, it was a part of a three story book. I was surprised to see it by itself. I will have to look for the other two stories. One of them has the line, “A life without adventure is not worth living.” or something like that.
January 14, 2025
Thoroughly predictable and predictably sexist, Jordan's "Conan the Magnificent" must stop every few pages to remind us that women have breasts. Even were we to put that aside (after all, it is to be expected from Conan), this has none of the wonder or ingenuity of the original Conan stories I read by Howard. Those were filled with a deep mystery, a wonder at the world and wisdom from its heroes; this was filled with a kind of tired apathy, where every outcome is utterly predictable. Maybe I should stick to the Howard stories that I prefer, though I should probably give Jordan one more try.
April 12, 2020
I have always enjoyed Jordan's Conan, far more than his other fantasy works. He seemed to capture the low fantasy world, Conan's anti-heroic indifference, and even Howard's pulpy writing, filled with odd vocabulary, Middle Eastern influences, and thirsty descriptions of every female character the protagonist comes across. This novel stands out for it's great plot of a murderous fire-breathing dragon. Lots of classic pulpy fun.
September 18, 2018
Oh jeez, this was not very good. Was it meant to be a comedy? Conan the emo teenager vs. the wobbly-breasted women. Honestly, he can’t go a paragraph without a lady’s chest shaking about for no reason. They must be seriously uncomfortable. The story is pretty rotten, too. So far his Conans are a pretty mixed bag.
June 20, 2019
p69: "...for all the breadth of your shoulders i've alway had trouble thinking of you as a man grown, for i helped your mother birth you, and wrapped your first swaddling cloths about you with these hands...."
p177. geaning back against a boulder, conan allowed himself a real smile for the first time in days.
p177. geaning back against a boulder, conan allowed himself a real smile for the first time in days.
July 11, 2018
The best of the non-Howard Conan books I've read so far. Hiccup at the ending with the unexplained sword transfer, but overall, fun Conan style. And of course, the cover art is classic.
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