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Robert Jordan's Conan Novels #7
Conan the Victorious
In the fabled, mysterious land of Vendhya, Conan seeks an antidote to the unknown poison that threatens his life. Entangled in the intrigues of Karim Singh, advisor to the King of Vendhya, pursued by the voluptuous noblewoman Vyndra, threatened by the evil mage Naipal, Conan has yet to conquer the most terrifying adversaries of his life--the Sivani, demon-guardians of the ancient tombs of Vendhyan kings. To survive, he must be Conan the Victorious.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
16 people are currently reading
921 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 43 reviews
November 14, 2024
Pues con este volumen se cierra la serie de la editorial de Martinez Roca.
Ha sido todo un viaje, nada mas y nada menos que 24 libros, de las andanzas de este peculiar personaje, todo un icono de la fantasia y del tipo de espada y brujería.
No ha estado mal esta historia, pero esperaba quizá algo más.
Valoración: 6.75/10
Sinopsis: Conan se encuentra en las legendarias tierras de Vendhia buscando el antídoto de un veneno que amenaza con poner fin a su vida. Enredado en las intrigas de Karin Singh, consejero del rey de Vendhia, perseguido por la voluptuosa aristócrata Vindra, y amenazado por el mago maligno Naipal, Conan tendrá que derrotar a los enemigos más terroríficos de toda su vida, los Sivani, demoníacos guardianes de la antigua tumba de un rey vendhio.
Ha sido todo un viaje, nada mas y nada menos que 24 libros, de las andanzas de este peculiar personaje, todo un icono de la fantasia y del tipo de espada y brujería.
No ha estado mal esta historia, pero esperaba quizá algo más.
Valoración: 6.75/10
Sinopsis: Conan se encuentra en las legendarias tierras de Vendhia buscando el antídoto de un veneno que amenaza con poner fin a su vida. Enredado en las intrigas de Karin Singh, consejero del rey de Vendhia, perseguido por la voluptuosa aristócrata Vindra, y amenazado por el mago maligno Naipal, Conan tendrá que derrotar a los enemigos más terroríficos de toda su vida, los Sivani, demoníacos guardianes de la antigua tumba de un rey vendhio.
March 8, 2023
Conan the Victorious was the seventh and last of Jordan's Conan books; he devoted the rest of his career to rolling the Wheel of Time. It has the somewhat overly familiar McGuffin of the protagonist being poisoned and setting off on a quest for the antidote before it's too late. It's set relatively early in Conan's chronology; he's making his way as an independent young smuggler, and there are the usual collection of evil sorcerers, monsters, demons, and attractive young women. Jordan was one of the best writers of Howard pastiches, and it's an entertaining buckler of swashes and derring-do, though there's nothing really innovative. It also includes L. Sprague de Camp's Conan the Indestructible, an essay in which he attempts to shoe-horn all of the Conan stories into a plausible chronology, an undertaking upon which they gave up soon after as the number of volumes became vaster.
July 22, 2024
Another rock solid, well-plotted, fast-paced adventure in this series. I feel the last two in this omnibus were the strongest. Jordan's sometimes overly descriptive writing style works perfectly in these lighter stories, as it adds some depth to these quick reads.
April 19, 2022
This was a moderately entertaining Conan pastiche novel showcases the land of Vendhya, the Hyborian Age version of medieval India. The main plot device is somewhat contrived: Conan is poisoned by an assassin and he needs to find an antidote. His search for an andidote gets him involved in a sorcerer's plot to use a demon to summon an army of monsters. Jordan is a talented writer and this was generally well-written (i.e. atmospheric, good dialog, fun characterizations). But it felt somewhat rote and uninspired when compared to the other Conan pastiches. At this point I've read several Conan pastiches and I have a pet theory: contrary to stereotypes, the pastiches aren't that bad "individually," but when an enthusiast inevitably reads a lot of them (10+), they start feeling stale and formulaic. (This is less commentary on Conan the Victorious and more commentary on Conan pastiches in general). With that said, I'm glad I read this one. It was moderately entertaining. It felt like Conan's world. And Masrok the demon was memorable.
September 14, 2023
The last book of the author's wandering in the world of Conan. An ordinary "male" adventure, with fewer nude female appearances and even fewer ideas that have not reappeared. After that, the writer wisely devoted himself to his great work, The Wheel of Time, after winning the recognition of the world of fantasy and having tried some of his ideas. After reading all seven books I can say that all are at a satisfactory level and show some nuance of his talent and surely the admirers of the great author should not bypass them.
Το τελευταίο βιβλίο της περιπλάνησης του συγγραφέα στον κόσμο του Κόναν. Μία συνηθισμένη "αντρική" περιπέτεια, με λιγότερες γυμνές θηλυκές παρουσίες και ακόμα λιγότερες ιδέες που δεν έχουν ξαναεμφανιστεί. Μετά από αυτό πολύ σοφά ο συγγραφέας αφοσιώθηκε στο μεγάλο του έργο, τον Τροχό του Χρόνου, έχοντας κερδίσει την αναγνώριση του κόσμου της φαντασίας και έχοντας δοκιμάσει κάποιες από τις ιδέες του. Μετά την ανάγνωση και των εφτά βιβλίων μπορώ να πω ότι όλα είναι σε ικανοποιητικό επίπεδο και δείχνουν κάποια ψήγματα του ταλέντου του και σίγουρα οι θαυμαστές του σπουδαίου συγγραφέα δεν θα πρέπει να τα προσπερνάνε.
Το τελευταίο βιβλίο της περιπλάνησης του συγγραφέα στον κόσμο του Κόναν. Μία συνηθισμένη "αντρική" περιπέτεια, με λιγότερες γυμνές θηλυκές παρουσίες και ακόμα λιγότερες ιδέες που δεν έχουν ξαναεμφανιστεί. Μετά από αυτό πολύ σοφά ο συγγραφέας αφοσιώθηκε στο μεγάλο του έργο, τον Τροχό του Χρόνου, έχοντας κερδίσει την αναγνώριση του κόσμου της φαντασίας και έχοντας δοκιμάσει κάποιες από τις ιδέες του. Μετά την ανάγνωση και των εφτά βιβλίων μπορώ να πω ότι όλα είναι σε ικανοποιητικό επίπεδο και δείχνουν κάποια ψήγματα του ταλέντου του και σίγουρα οι θαυμαστές του σπουδαίου συγγραφέα δεν θα πρέπει να τα προσπερνάνε.
May 28, 2019
Робърт Джордановият Конан понякога ме радва повече от този на Хауърд и не напразно вторият филм с бате Арни е по негова книга (хм, било обратното, книгата е по сценария, няма значение, пак е яка). За съжаление, или може би не, от осемте (ако се не лъжа(лъжа се, седем са) романа на български останаха преведени четири. Това обаче ме накара да си издиря останалите в оригинал, иначе никога нямаше да разбера точно колко добре си подбира Джордан изразните средства. Лекият стил на писане е примесен с точно необходимото количество архаизми, за да създаде една атмосфера на отдавна отминало време.
В този роман Конан вече е поотрастнал и оставил далеч на запад кривите улици на Шадизар и попрището си на крадец. В Султанапур, столицата на Туран, той и верният му приятел Хордо се занимават с контрабанда. Един нелеп инцидент ще ги замеси в политически интриги, които ще ги отведат чак до екзотична Вендя, където ги очакват неизброими опасности и приключения.
Въпреки че отново имаме стандартния шаблон на романите му – амбициозен магьосник, недостъпна красавица, сеч – тук сюжетът успя да ме изненада на моменти, придавайки на приключението форма на шпионска интрига. Няколкото допълнителни сюжетни линии, макар и плитки, доста добре уплътниха книжката. 200 страници кеф.
В този роман Конан вече е поотрастнал и оставил далеч на запад кривите улици на Шадизар и попрището си на крадец. В Султанапур, столицата на Туран, той и верният му приятел Хордо се занимават с контрабанда. Един нелеп инцидент ще ги замеси в политически интриги, които ще ги отведат чак до екзотична Вендя, където ги очакват неизброими опасности и приключения.
Въпреки че отново имаме стандартния шаблон на романите му – амбициозен магьосник, недостъпна красавица, сеч – тук сюжетът успя да ме изненада на моменти, придавайки на приключението форма на шпионска интрига. Няколкото допълнителни сюжетни линии, макар и плитки, доста добре уплътниха книжката. 200 страници кеф.
July 13, 2019
on the cover, conan's sword does not coincide with the story
p42: "my lord, the prince's ways with women are well know...."
p178: five animals were in the other pary as well, and conan almost laughed with relief when he saw those leading the beasts.
p223: yet even they fought a loosing battle against the forest.
what do you know?
my epub copy has the same exact errors
p42: "my lord, the prince's ways with women are well know...."
p178: five animals were in the other pary as well, and conan almost laughed with relief when he saw those leading the beasts.
p223: yet even they fought a loosing battle against the forest.
what do you know?
my epub copy has the same exact errors
April 19, 2021
Jordan's final Conan novel.
Poorly reviewed when it first came out and now poorly reviewed again by yours truly, this book falls into the same traps that other Jordan Conan novels do: it feels very similar to most of his other Conan novels (There's an evil wizard, a monster, and Conan has to go on a journey. At least this time it isn't through mountains yet again) and Jordan writes Conan as a white knight rather than as a grim barbarian killer.
But, forgiving all of that, it still suffers from the one unforgivable sin of any novel: it's boring. This feels like Jordan--who never had very many good Conan ideas to begin with--is just trying to squeeze one last Conan story out of his ass so he can cash his check. It slowly meanders on and on, making it feel twice as long as it is.
Poorly reviewed when it first came out and now poorly reviewed again by yours truly, this book falls into the same traps that other Jordan Conan novels do: it feels very similar to most of his other Conan novels (There's an evil wizard, a monster, and Conan has to go on a journey. At least this time it isn't through mountains yet again) and Jordan writes Conan as a white knight rather than as a grim barbarian killer.
But, forgiving all of that, it still suffers from the one unforgivable sin of any novel: it's boring. This feels like Jordan--who never had very many good Conan ideas to begin with--is just trying to squeeze one last Conan story out of his ass so he can cash his check. It slowly meanders on and on, making it feel twice as long as it is.
September 4, 2022
Ganska bra liten intrigsaga. Conan är i smugglartagen, och låter sig involveras i ett barslagsmål. Effekten gör att han behöver fly snabbt, vilket drar in honom i ännu en smugglarräd. Godset som smugglas är omstritt, och Conan förgiftas av en dolk, från en part som menar att smugglarna måste stoppas. Resten av boken är hans jakt på ett motgift som han inte behöver, för vilkens skull han skyddar en apotekare som håller honom halvdrogad för att övertyga honom om att han behöver detta mystiska motgift. I själva verket är han denna magus distraktion för att dra attacker ifrån honom själv. 5 distinkta parallella intriger; alla logiska inom sig själva. Utmärkt genrehantverk, men utan karaktärsdjup och tydliga kostnader.
March 28, 2021
Conan is trying to make an honest living as a smuggler, so when a dodgy looking Vendhyan asks him to smuggle some sealed chests across the Vilayet, he naturally demands to see what's in them. Crom forbid it should be drugs, after all. We're criminals, not drug dealers! The Vendhyan naturally takes offence to his privacy being violated, so the choice falls to Hordo, the head of the operation. Hordo, a cutthroat and a murderer, who made a living of slaughtering caravans, and when we first met him was planning to torture Conan to death just for the thrill of it. What does Hordo think about the prospect of smuggling drugs? Yeah, it's beyond the pale for him too. So a scuffle breaks out with the Vendhyan and Conan, thanks to his preternatural reflexes and catlike grace, gets stabbed with a poisoned dagger. The only way to get an antidote is to travel to Vendhya, apparently. It just so happens that a diabolical wizard in Vendhya is trying to raise an undead army, and Conan, despite himself, ends up stopping it.
Despite the incredibly stupid premise, this is probably the best of Jordan's Conans. Nothing grated too much, and at times it was even enjoyable. But the stupid premise segues nicely into the last of the Jordan-doesn't-understand-Conan snippets: Jordan doesn't understand Conan.
Conan may be a beast of a man, but he is more than a walking wall of muscles -- Hyboria is a dangerous place, and it takes more than that to survive. He is stealthy, cunning, preternaturally aware of his surroundings, makes timely and generally effective decisions, and his barbarian good sense keeps him from being drawn into needless risks. He makes his own destiny. What about Jordan's Conan? Somewhere, he acquired a code of ethics that, not only stops him from smuggling drugs himself, but forces him to put his life at risk to stop others from doing so. He thinks it's a good idea to grapple with a man who is probably armed, with no plans whatsoever for dealing with the dagger when it inevitably comes out. He is aware that a chest may be trapped, but opens it anyway in the hope that his plot armour will protect him. He rides through what he knows is an enemy camp to get shot at, gets shot at, and comes out alive through sheer luck alone. He constantly gets ambushed, because he doesn't know, and doesn't care, what's going on around him. And, of course, he blushes more than a gothic heroine. This is not Conan. This is a Lawful Good Paladin who discovered the use of the quick save button.
Despite the incredibly stupid premise, this is probably the best of Jordan's Conans. Nothing grated too much, and at times it was even enjoyable. But the stupid premise segues nicely into the last of the Jordan-doesn't-understand-Conan snippets: Jordan doesn't understand Conan.
Conan may be a beast of a man, but he is more than a walking wall of muscles -- Hyboria is a dangerous place, and it takes more than that to survive. He is stealthy, cunning, preternaturally aware of his surroundings, makes timely and generally effective decisions, and his barbarian good sense keeps him from being drawn into needless risks. He makes his own destiny. What about Jordan's Conan? Somewhere, he acquired a code of ethics that, not only stops him from smuggling drugs himself, but forces him to put his life at risk to stop others from doing so. He thinks it's a good idea to grapple with a man who is probably armed, with no plans whatsoever for dealing with the dagger when it inevitably comes out. He is aware that a chest may be trapped, but opens it anyway in the hope that his plot armour will protect him. He rides through what he knows is an enemy camp to get shot at, gets shot at, and comes out alive through sheer luck alone. He constantly gets ambushed, because he doesn't know, and doesn't care, what's going on around him. And, of course, he blushes more than a gothic heroine. This is not Conan. This is a Lawful Good Paladin who discovered the use of the quick save button.
January 10, 2018
I really enjoyed this story, it wasn't the best Conan story I've read, but it was still interesting and fun and it kept me looking forward to reading each chapter or two a night. If you love the Conan books I don't think you'll be disappointed.
September 25, 2018
Conan is in Turan living the life of a successful smuggler. As per usual, an argument over a wench ends up with a city guard dead and Conan on the run. While trying to get out of town Conan is poisoned by a man from far Vendyha. This poison, which makes Conan occasionally feel bad and sometimes gives him a headache but otherwise has no effect other than being eventually fatal, can only be counteracted by an antidote found only in Vendyha. Conan hooks up with a caravan to Vendyha, angers the two most powerful men in the caravan and the most powerful woman, all individually. Although he has already killed the man who poisoned him, Conan swears to kill his employer and that man's employer in turn, and anybody else peripherally involved, which includes a wizard. He also spends a lot of time riding around on horseback with naked women.
Jordan does an excellent job portraying Conan, though the women seem to all be somewhat psychotic. He manages a travel story without it being a tedious trudge but also without suddenly teleporting the group across the world. If you mixed Robert Jordan's plotting and themes with L. Sprague de Camp's use of words you would have a truly exceptional writer, someone like Robert E. Howard.
Jordan does an excellent job portraying Conan, though the women seem to all be somewhat psychotic. He manages a travel story without it being a tedious trudge but also without suddenly teleporting the group across the world. If you mixed Robert Jordan's plotting and themes with L. Sprague de Camp's use of words you would have a truly exceptional writer, someone like Robert E. Howard.
August 27, 2013
It's so weird that the best Conan books weren't written by Robert E Howard, but that's the way it is. I can't remember how many writers have contributed to the pretty sizable Conan canon (yuk yuk), but I'm guessing that Robert Jordan was probably the best. His Wheel of Time books are awfully mighty and well-written.
This is a pretty regular Conan story: Conan, while drinking and whoring around town, gets embroiled in a plot involving assassinations, double-identities, wizards, multi-limbed demons, hot chicks who throw daggers, an army of dead warriors, a lost city in the jungle, double and triple crosses, magic weapons, and tons and tons of blood and corpses.
But the BEST part of this book, this particular edition, at least, is the thirty-page summary tacked on at the end of all Conan's exploits by all the authors who had written Conan stories up to that point, written by L. Sprague De Camp. It was 30 pages of the most badass, exciting adventure ever. He must have had a huge ass task of fitting all the stories together in a somewhat chronological form. It really really makes me want to read every single Conan book.
This is a pretty regular Conan story: Conan, while drinking and whoring around town, gets embroiled in a plot involving assassinations, double-identities, wizards, multi-limbed demons, hot chicks who throw daggers, an army of dead warriors, a lost city in the jungle, double and triple crosses, magic weapons, and tons and tons of blood and corpses.
But the BEST part of this book, this particular edition, at least, is the thirty-page summary tacked on at the end of all Conan's exploits by all the authors who had written Conan stories up to that point, written by L. Sprague De Camp. It was 30 pages of the most badass, exciting adventure ever. He must have had a huge ass task of fitting all the stories together in a somewhat chronological form. It really really makes me want to read every single Conan book.
March 26, 2023
This my the first Conan novel by Robert Jordan, having just read two by Maddox Roberts (to avoid confusion we'll call them both 'Rob'), and their styles are certainly different. With all the politics, double-dealing, backstabbing, and intrigue that goes on in this book it hurts my head to think what a massive multi-novel saga would be like. Robert E. Maddox goes on to write one called 'Weaveworld.'
So by Crom and Mitra be blessed, another TOR Conan book shot in the head and buried. My next one is Conan and the Amazon by John Maddox Roberts. I'm doing another by him so I can further study his style next to Robert Jordan's. The only problem I'm having with this is this particular paperback is hard to find and can be expensive. My copy is Fine as hell and I don't want rough it up. I guess there could be such a thing as - 'Near Fine, lightly read'. As long as I don't get so overwhelmed by the rousing adventure that I crush the pages with my eager grasping.
So by Crom and Mitra be blessed, another TOR Conan book shot in the head and buried. My next one is Conan and the Amazon by John Maddox Roberts. I'm doing another by him so I can further study his style next to Robert Jordan's. The only problem I'm having with this is this particular paperback is hard to find and can be expensive. My copy is Fine as hell and I don't want rough it up. I guess there could be such a thing as - 'Near Fine, lightly read'. As long as I don't get so overwhelmed by the rousing adventure that I crush the pages with my eager grasping.
February 13, 2022
Conan is barely 20 and in Turan posing as a fisherman (a group of thieves that do light raiding on shipping and caravans coming into Sultanapur). Conan is on the run when he accidentlly kills a Turan soldier in a barroom fight. Trying to get out of Turan Conan is lightly cut with a poisoned blade. Thus begins his quest to find the cure, which may lie in Vendhya, a land of plots and intrigues.
The author does not focus on Conan exclusively but tells the story of the villain that is plotting to overthrow the current king of Vendhya. This is because Conan must eventually face said villain, a wizard of course trying to find an ancient crypt and raise an army of 'undead' warriors to do his bidding.
Not a bad story, certainly better than most non-Howard, Conan tales.
The author does not focus on Conan exclusively but tells the story of the villain that is plotting to overthrow the current king of Vendhya. This is because Conan must eventually face said villain, a wizard of course trying to find an ancient crypt and raise an army of 'undead' warriors to do his bidding.
Not a bad story, certainly better than most non-Howard, Conan tales.
November 30, 2024
So many plot points are dropped or simply brushed aside:
- what was the powdery substance that Conan and crew smuggled out of Sultanapur? Shown but never explained.
- why did the powder have to be smuggled? Why not simply ship it?
- what was the evil wizard’s ultimate goal?
- why were the street kids taken off the street?
- the poison blade, which drove the entire plot, turned out to be a dud.
- the second evil wizard, who took down the first evil wizard, didn’t appear until the final 10% of the book. There was no set up.
- the demon, I guess, just goes back into the evil dimension?
The worst part of the book was the incessant padding, like the entire chapter (!!) devoted to Conan and party splitting the horses and the supplies, in excruciating detail, as they go separate ways.
The fight scenes were good, which raised my overall score.
- what was the powdery substance that Conan and crew smuggled out of Sultanapur? Shown but never explained.
- why did the powder have to be smuggled? Why not simply ship it?
- what was the evil wizard’s ultimate goal?
- why were the street kids taken off the street?
- the poison blade, which drove the entire plot, turned out to be a dud.
- the second evil wizard, who took down the first evil wizard, didn’t appear until the final 10% of the book. There was no set up.
- the demon, I guess, just goes back into the evil dimension?
The worst part of the book was the incessant padding, like the entire chapter (!!) devoted to Conan and party splitting the horses and the supplies, in excruciating detail, as they go separate ways.
The fight scenes were good, which raised my overall score.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2024
While some of the interactions with women do not age well, they are at least sincere and more true to Robert E Howards Conan (who was a "gentleman" barbarian when it came to female relationships).
This story includes plenty of both Swords and Sorcery and feels like a series of Frazetta paintings.
I found this novel to be one of the best Conan Pastiches. Highly recommend for those Robert E Howard fans looking for more Conan ...
This story includes plenty of both Swords and Sorcery and feels like a series of Frazetta paintings.
I found this novel to be one of the best Conan Pastiches. Highly recommend for those Robert E Howard fans looking for more Conan ...
September 1, 2019
Otro libro de Conan de Robert Jordan, se nota la diferencia de estilo, hay más intrigas de las que suele haber en los libros de Howard, lo que lo hace más dinámico.
Último de la saga "Todo Conan" 5 años y más de 5000 páginas para leer todo lo publicado sobre el cimmerio, una asignatura que tenía pendiente desde jovencito, ahora cuando tenga ganas de Howard, tendré que buscar los libros de Kull.
Último de la saga "Todo Conan" 5 años y más de 5000 páginas para leer todo lo publicado sobre el cimmerio, una asignatura que tenía pendiente desde jovencito, ahora cuando tenga ganas de Howard, tendré que buscar los libros de Kull.
January 22, 2020
The Conan books written by Jordan get better with each book and this one was very entertaining as well. Jordan has a different style from Howard, but he's an excellent storyteller and his characters are interesting and original. Sure, a lot of elements reappear from one book to the other, but they are still fine tales and good Conan books. I had fun and I recommend them all.
April 14, 2020
Conan faces off against a monstrous demon in another of Jordan's fun pulpy adventures. This one doesn't break any molds and delivers exactly what you expect from a longer Conan tale. They aren't exactly formulaic, but they feel comfortable and familiar, like a good rpg adventure. Not my favorite of the series but still lots of classic low fantasy fun.
September 1, 2024
Once again Jordan writes a well-paced and decently structured novel against a pseudo-Asiatic (Middle-East and India) backdrop. It has plenty of action. Alas, it uses Conan as a pawn who keeps being moved from one place to another courtesy other's whims and plots.
But you know what was the best thing about this novel?
It marked the end of Jordan's run with Conan, by Crom!
But you know what was the best thing about this novel?
It marked the end of Jordan's run with Conan, by Crom!
December 8, 2017
concepts again good but action n plot not intricate or realistic enough so deus ex machina has to kinda swoop in and end things for you. Many interesting characters and good idea just they were watered n given subnlight.. Like pizza even cold a conan is good.
September 19, 2018
This was actually pretty good right up until the end, which stank. As soon as he started going on about round breasts again I knew it was going to go downhill. But the part where he’s not indulging himself with describing nude ladies is good.
April 16, 2025
This book, this series, and this character were something I was a fan of as a very young person. My tastes evolved. I prefer the Marvel Comics version of Conan. This is typical sword and sorcery, and it is not at all memorable.
August 25, 2025
3.5-3.75 stars
This was a fun retreat from real life. I kept picturing 80’s “Arnold” as Conan doing all of these things. I also kept seeing Robert Jordan’s touch (I read the Wheel of Time series and loved it).
This was a fun retreat from real life. I kept picturing 80’s “Arnold” as Conan doing all of these things. I also kept seeing Robert Jordan’s touch (I read the Wheel of Time series and loved it).
August 5, 2020
My last of Robert Jordan's Conan books. A fun read - not the best of his six, but still entertaining, though it was a tad slow and tame. Still, there was much to be enjoyed by any Conan fan.
December 21, 2020
Last of Robert Jordan's Conan books and belter at that, really an enjoyable and fun read....😁
July 2, 2022
Tons of fun
This series gets better as it goes along! Highly recommended. Great space opera; this time the enemy is a bitter foe of all living beings.
This series gets better as it goes along! Highly recommended. Great space opera; this time the enemy is a bitter foe of all living beings.
October 30, 2024
Wasn't a bad read, but was used to his longer books with greater depth and narrative
April 7, 2025
Jordan is good at fleshing out the characters, but the plot is a compilation of stupidities and it does occasionally stumble into tedium.
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