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Conan: Cult of the Obsidian Moon
A new chapter of the Titan comics & Heroic Signatures massive narrative The Battle of the Black Stone. A thrilling story about Conan the Barbarian facing incomprehensible Lovecraftian horrors written by New York Times Bestselling author James Lovegrove.Still mourning Bêlit and flush with gold after a heist, Conan attempts to drink away his sorrows. In his tavern-hopping journey he meets and befriends married couple Hunwulf and Gudrun and their son, Bjørn. A decade ago, Hunwulf eloped with Gudrun after killing her betrothed, they live on the run from her tribe, who are desperate for revenge.Bjørn has the makings of a shaman, while Hunwulf is prone to having strange fits which bring him visions of past and future lives. When a descendant warns Hunwulf of imminent danger, he and his wife ride out to ambush the tribe, leaving Bjørn with Conan, who vows to protect the boy with his life.Unfortunately, Conan is betrayed by a former accomplice, and Bjørn is kidnapped by the tribe. Conan and Bjørn’s vengeful parents search for the lad. They catch up to the tribe, only to find Bjørn has been taken by murderous bat-winged figures, who fought with talon and sword. The boy, and other “gifted” children have been taken to the Rotlands, a place plagued by a contaminating supernatural force that warps all who go there. To save Bjørn, the trio must go to the heart of the Rotlands, where strange, horrifying fates await at every turn.
- GenresFantasySword and Sorcery
304 pages, Hardcover
First published November 19, 2024
29 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
James Lovegrove
152 books660 followersJames Lovegrove is the author of several acclaimed novels and books for children.
James was born on Christmas Eve 1965 and, having dabbled in writing at school, first took to it seriously while at university. A short story of his won a college competition. The prize was £15, and it had cost £18 to get the story professionally typed. This taught him a hard but necessary lesson in the harsh economic realities of a literary career.
Straight after graduating from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, James set himself the goal of getting a novel written and sold within two years. In the event, it took two months. The Hope was completed in six weeks and accepted by Macmillan a fortnight later. The seed for the idea for the novel — a world in microcosm on an ocean liner — was planted during a cross-Channel ferry journey.
James blew his modest advance for The Hope on a round-the-world trip which took him to, among other places, Thailand. His experiences there, particularly what he witnessed of the sex industry in Bangkok, provided much of the inspiration for The Foreigners.
Escardy Gap was co-written with Pete Crowther over a period of a year and a half, the two authors playing a game of creative tag, each completing a section in turn and leaving the other to carry the story on. The result has proved a cult favourite, and was voted by readers of SFX one of the top fifty SF/Fantasy novels of all time.
Days, a satire on consumerism, was shortlisted for the 1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award (losing to Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow). The book’s genesis most probably lies in the many visits James used to make as a child to the Oxford Street department store owned by his grandfather. It was written over a period of nine months while James was living in the north-west suburbs of Chicago.
Subsequent works have all been published to great acclaim. These include Untied Kingdom, Worldstorm, Provender Gleed, The Age Of Ra and the back-to-back double-novella Gig. James has also written for children. Wings, a short novel for reluctant readers, was short-listed for several awards, while his fantasy series for teens, The Clouded World, written under the pseudonym Jay Amory, has been translated into 7 other languages so far. A five-book series for reluctant readers, The 5 Lords Of Pain, is appearing at two-monthly intervals throughout 2010.
He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times, specialising in the Young Adult, children’s, science fiction, fantasy, horror and graphic novel genres.
Currently James resides in Eastbourne on the Sussex Coast, having moved there in August 2007 with his wife Lou, sons Monty and Theo, and cat Ozzy. He has a terrific view of the sea from his study window, which he doesn’t sit staring out at all day when he should be working. Honest.
James was born on Christmas Eve 1965 and, having dabbled in writing at school, first took to it seriously while at university. A short story of his won a college competition. The prize was £15, and it had cost £18 to get the story professionally typed. This taught him a hard but necessary lesson in the harsh economic realities of a literary career.
Straight after graduating from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, James set himself the goal of getting a novel written and sold within two years. In the event, it took two months. The Hope was completed in six weeks and accepted by Macmillan a fortnight later. The seed for the idea for the novel — a world in microcosm on an ocean liner — was planted during a cross-Channel ferry journey.
James blew his modest advance for The Hope on a round-the-world trip which took him to, among other places, Thailand. His experiences there, particularly what he witnessed of the sex industry in Bangkok, provided much of the inspiration for The Foreigners.
Escardy Gap was co-written with Pete Crowther over a period of a year and a half, the two authors playing a game of creative tag, each completing a section in turn and leaving the other to carry the story on. The result has proved a cult favourite, and was voted by readers of SFX one of the top fifty SF/Fantasy novels of all time.
Days, a satire on consumerism, was shortlisted for the 1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award (losing to Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow). The book’s genesis most probably lies in the many visits James used to make as a child to the Oxford Street department store owned by his grandfather. It was written over a period of nine months while James was living in the north-west suburbs of Chicago.
Subsequent works have all been published to great acclaim. These include Untied Kingdom, Worldstorm, Provender Gleed, The Age Of Ra and the back-to-back double-novella Gig. James has also written for children. Wings, a short novel for reluctant readers, was short-listed for several awards, while his fantasy series for teens, The Clouded World, written under the pseudonym Jay Amory, has been translated into 7 other languages so far. A five-book series for reluctant readers, The 5 Lords Of Pain, is appearing at two-monthly intervals throughout 2010.
He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times, specialising in the Young Adult, children’s, science fiction, fantasy, horror and graphic novel genres.
Currently James resides in Eastbourne on the Sussex Coast, having moved there in August 2007 with his wife Lou, sons Monty and Theo, and cat Ozzy. He has a terrific view of the sea from his study window, which he doesn’t sit staring out at all day when he should be working. Honest.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 31, 2024
It’s nice to finally get new Conan novels. Sure there are differences and they are not Howard, but still they entertain. This is definitely one of the better modern Conan’s, it features everything you love from Howard’s stories - sorcery, swordplay, to monsters and creepy, eldritch locations.
November 27, 2024
This book is a mixed bag. On one hand it’s actually a sword and sorcery book, unlike most of Sterling’s Conan book. On the other hand, it doesn’t compare well to a sword and sorcery author like Hocking and his Titan publication. At times, Conan was indomitable as he should be, at other times he was a glorified baby sitter and general do-gooder . His dialogue and that of his companions was too modernized for the Hyborian age. Too much of the book seemed like filler as the group spent eons traveling or captured. The captured theme needs to go, by the way. The final nemesis was pretty good, other than too much modern language dialogue. I liked the cosmic rent and what was beyond, conceptually. It’s hard to write a novel length sword and sorcery book in the first place, so I think Titan needs to unleash their authors , pay attention to Hocking’s stories, go back and look at some John Maddox Roberts Tor stuff, and publish some more visceral, raw Conan novels.
December 19, 2024
Book Review: Conan: Cult of the Obsidian Moon
When I first picked up Conan: Cult of the Obsidian Moon, I wasn’t sure how well it would fit into Conan’s world. Lovecraftian horror combined with Conan’s raw barbarism, plus the return of characters like Hunwulf and Gudrun from The Garden of Fear, seemed like an ambitious mix. But James Lovegrove pulled it off remarkably well, creating a story that feels faithful to Howard’s vision while introducing fresh and compelling elements.
One of the highlights of the book is its framing device. It opens and closes with a letter from James Allison to the editor of a fictional pulp magazine. As fans of Howard know, Allison is one of his characters who recalls past lives. In this story, Allison recounts his life as Hunwulf, tying the tale back to Howard’s mythos in a clever and satisfying way. It’s a nice touch that adds depth and authenticity to the narrative.
The story follows Conan as he becomes entangled in the lives of Hunwulf, his wife Gudrun, and their son Bjørn. What starts as a straightforward quest soon turns into something much darker, with the introduction of the Rotlands—a corrupted, otherworldly place filled with horrific dangers. Lovegrove weaves the Lovecraftian horror into the story seamlessly, complementing Conan’s brutal and direct approach to challenges rather than overshadowing it.
I was hesitant when I first read about the book, especially given how easy it is to mishandle cross-genre elements like these. But Lovegrove’s respect for Howard’s work shines through. He brings back familiar characters, adds subtle nods to Howard’s original tales, and crafts a story that feels like a natural extension of Conan’s adventures.
Overall, Conan: Cult of the Obsidian Moon is a solid addition to the Battle of the Black Stone series and a must-read for fans of Conan. Lovegrove’s ability to blend action, horror, and Howard’s iconic characters makes this book a standout. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Conan and appreciates well-crafted storytelling that stays true to its roots.
When I first picked up Conan: Cult of the Obsidian Moon, I wasn’t sure how well it would fit into Conan’s world. Lovecraftian horror combined with Conan’s raw barbarism, plus the return of characters like Hunwulf and Gudrun from The Garden of Fear, seemed like an ambitious mix. But James Lovegrove pulled it off remarkably well, creating a story that feels faithful to Howard’s vision while introducing fresh and compelling elements.
One of the highlights of the book is its framing device. It opens and closes with a letter from James Allison to the editor of a fictional pulp magazine. As fans of Howard know, Allison is one of his characters who recalls past lives. In this story, Allison recounts his life as Hunwulf, tying the tale back to Howard’s mythos in a clever and satisfying way. It’s a nice touch that adds depth and authenticity to the narrative.
The story follows Conan as he becomes entangled in the lives of Hunwulf, his wife Gudrun, and their son Bjørn. What starts as a straightforward quest soon turns into something much darker, with the introduction of the Rotlands—a corrupted, otherworldly place filled with horrific dangers. Lovegrove weaves the Lovecraftian horror into the story seamlessly, complementing Conan’s brutal and direct approach to challenges rather than overshadowing it.
I was hesitant when I first read about the book, especially given how easy it is to mishandle cross-genre elements like these. But Lovegrove’s respect for Howard’s work shines through. He brings back familiar characters, adds subtle nods to Howard’s original tales, and crafts a story that feels like a natural extension of Conan’s adventures.
Overall, Conan: Cult of the Obsidian Moon is a solid addition to the Battle of the Black Stone series and a must-read for fans of Conan. Lovegrove’s ability to blend action, horror, and Howard’s iconic characters makes this book a standout. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Conan and appreciates well-crafted storytelling that stays true to its roots.
November 4, 2025
Γι΄ αρχή να πω πως οτιδήποτε γράφει Conan το πιάνω στα χέρια μου με συγκίνηση και δέος. Κάθε νέα ιστορία του αγαπημένου μας Βάρβαρου είναι ένα χαρμόσυνο γεγονός για εμένα. Από εκεί και πέρα, το παρόν βιβλίο είναι ένα καλό βιβλίο Sword n Sorcery. Ίσως όχι, μια πολύ καλή ιστορία Conan, αλλά μια καλή ιστορία γενικά. Σε κάποια σημεία ένιωθα την παρουσία του Κιμμέριου, άλλες απλά δεν καταλάβαινα ποιος είναι ο κύριος! Προφανώς και όποια σύγκριση με τις ιστορίες του Howard είναι περιττή. Είμαι fanboy και τίποτα και κανένας δε φτάνει την πένα του Τεξανού. Αλλά υπάρχει ζουμί εδώ... απλά ήθελα ένα περισσότερο τραχύ κείμενο. Παραείναι μοντέρνο για τα γούστα μου, αλλά μου άρεσε εν τέλει.
January 13, 2025
Conan the Babysitter?
I liked the story conceit of the novel. Combining James Alison and Conan is an awesome idea and a great homage to both Howard’s most iconic and one of his more obscure characters.
The book itself I think falls short of the ambition. It’s decently enjoyable. A junk food sword and sorcery novel. If you like the passable Lin Carter, Gardner F. Fox, and John Jake’s S&S novels you’ll probably find this enjoyable enough. If you’re a purest this isn’t for you.
For me my largest problems with it was that Conan didn’t feel like Conan. He had a few good lines and moments of philosophizing but felt mostly off the mark. Too noble and eager to use magic.
The prose is a mixed bag. Some of it is archaic with its use of words, which is fitting, but this is mixed with very contemporary dialogue and it’s just doesn’t mix well. So too is the often modern sentiments and reflections of the characters which feel out of place with the world they inhabit.
I also think the threat of the winged men is all over the place. In the beginning they’re horrific and threatening. Towards the end they are almost comical in how easily they are to overcome. It feels anti-climatic.
So too is the sense of foreboding the novel builds. The threat when finally realized just doesn’t reach the heights the premonitions imply. It just feels a bit impotent or incomplete.
It’s not bad. I enjoyed it for the most part but felt underwhelmed. Would recommend for fans of S&S who enjoy the more low rent entries in the genre, but can’t recommend to those who have more exacting standards.
For me it’s a 2.5.
I liked the story conceit of the novel. Combining James Alison and Conan is an awesome idea and a great homage to both Howard’s most iconic and one of his more obscure characters.
The book itself I think falls short of the ambition. It’s decently enjoyable. A junk food sword and sorcery novel. If you like the passable Lin Carter, Gardner F. Fox, and John Jake’s S&S novels you’ll probably find this enjoyable enough. If you’re a purest this isn’t for you.
For me my largest problems with it was that Conan didn’t feel like Conan. He had a few good lines and moments of philosophizing but felt mostly off the mark. Too noble and eager to use magic.
The prose is a mixed bag. Some of it is archaic with its use of words, which is fitting, but this is mixed with very contemporary dialogue and it’s just doesn’t mix well. So too is the often modern sentiments and reflections of the characters which feel out of place with the world they inhabit.
I also think the threat of the winged men is all over the place. In the beginning they’re horrific and threatening. Towards the end they are almost comical in how easily they are to overcome. It feels anti-climatic.
So too is the sense of foreboding the novel builds. The threat when finally realized just doesn’t reach the heights the premonitions imply. It just feels a bit impotent or incomplete.
It’s not bad. I enjoyed it for the most part but felt underwhelmed. Would recommend for fans of S&S who enjoy the more low rent entries in the genre, but can’t recommend to those who have more exacting standards.
For me it’s a 2.5.
August 13, 2025
This is a good illustration of how hard it is to capture the magic of Robert E Howard's Conan. Lovegrove is a great writer, and I'm a particular fan of his Holmes/Cthulhu mash-ups and Firefly novels. This is a good story, but it doesn't seem completely Howardian.
Conan allows himself to be extorted by a child, and later, they venture into the Rotlands, which seems like a concept better suited for an Elric novel. I don't recall anything quite like that in Howard lore. If you've got an example to show I'm mistaken, please mention it.
However, Lovegrove does a good job tying in the tragic history of Conan's once-lover Belit to explain some of Conan's melancholy and motivations.
I think it's just next to impossible to capture Howard's lightning-in-a-bottle, no matter how great a writer you are. There are very few pastiches that seem to do that. The ones that come closest are essentially rewrites of non-Conan stories written by Howard, such as the Flame Knife. And if I were given the job of producing a Conan pastiche, I would likely take the same tack of wholesale plagiarism to capture that spirit.
Conan allows himself to be extorted by a child, and later, they venture into the Rotlands, which seems like a concept better suited for an Elric novel. I don't recall anything quite like that in Howard lore. If you've got an example to show I'm mistaken, please mention it.
However, Lovegrove does a good job tying in the tragic history of Conan's once-lover Belit to explain some of Conan's melancholy and motivations.
I think it's just next to impossible to capture Howard's lightning-in-a-bottle, no matter how great a writer you are. There are very few pastiches that seem to do that. The ones that come closest are essentially rewrites of non-Conan stories written by Howard, such as the Flame Knife. And if I were given the job of producing a Conan pastiche, I would likely take the same tack of wholesale plagiarism to capture that spirit.
March 19, 2025
Things I Didn’t Like
• I didn’t like that the first chapter was pointless. It’s self-contained and doesn’t tell us anything about Conan we don’t already know and it doesn’t move the plot forward. Yank this chapter out, and it doesn’t change the story one iota. Conan and a companion go to rob a place, but it’s empty. A sabretooth tiger guards the grounds and kills the companion. Conan escapes empty handed. It went nowhere and established nothing the second chapter doesn’t establish. Why would someone start the book off with an irrelevant chapter?
• Not giving the reader the plot of the novel in Chapter 1.
• The introduction of Gudrun and Hunwulf in chapter two was painfully predictable and badly done.
• Conan sounds like the Tor Conan, not the REH Conan. Sometimes he even sounds like the Arnold Schwarzenegger “Conan the Destroyer” version. I know… this is all in my head, but it’s there. Something about Conan’s dialogue in this book feels off from REH. Especially the “in your heart of hearts” speech Conan gave to a captain of the guard.
• A child able to blackmail Conan on the threat of lying to his parents about being beaten by him. Seriously, look at the painting of Conan by Frank Frazetta called “The Barbarian.” Do you think that guy would let a child blackmail him?
• Chapter four in its entirety. This was bad. Along with Chapter 1, any future reprints of this novel should exclude Chapter 4.
• Chapter 5 should be deleted also.
• I should not be five chapters in and wonder what the story is about.
• Chapter 6 is too long, with unconvincing dialogue, and is essentially a chapter-long exposition, an infodump extraordinaire. This chapter should be deleted also, and the information about Hunwulf simplified and given in spurts later.
• I didn’t like the heavy-handed way Conan, Gudrun, and Hunwulf was removed from around Bjørn in chapter 7.
• The dialogue is generally bad. None of Gudrun’s dialogue sounds like it is spoken by an Æsir woman. Everyone speaks using more sophisticated words than most use when speaking, and everyone is particularly precise in what they say, as though they are on a witness stand and don’t want to get caught saying something imprecise. Even when the Stygian carpenter talks about his kid being kidnapped in Chapter 12, he tells the story perfectly, calmly, and precisely, as though he were on a witness stand. On page 200, the villain literally says he wants to cross-examine Conan. Everyone speaks and thinks like they are in court, called upon to justify their actions.
• There is no plot until Chapter 8. The plot after that is “Rescue the Kidnapped Kid.” Seriously. Give us the plot in Chapter 1 or 2. Unfortunately, Chapters 8 & 9 are a false plot. The actual plot doesn’t get going until Chapter 10.
• The monster that appears in Chapter 10 has no set-up, no rumors, no foreshadowing, no hints. It just shows up and kills the bad guys for no reason and kidnaps the kid for no reason. This is spectacularly unsatisfying. Chapter 10 is where the true plot begins.
• We get the “As you know, Bob” trope in spades on page 127, a hallmark of bad writing.
• Their journey from Shem to Kush made no geographic sense.
• The author doesn’t understand that this is Sword & Sorcery, where magic is weird and frightening, not a generic fantasy novel where magic is taken as just another facet of life. He has kids being born able to control elements and perform magic, and no one is bothered by this.
• Conan and the Æsir get to talk about their religious beliefs, but the Kushite does not get to express his – and I am left wondering if the Kushite wasn’t white enough to be allowed that privilege by the author.
• It took 189 pages to get to the Cult of the Obsidian Moon. The book is almost finished. It’s a cult of winged lizard men who worshipDonald Trump a priest named Khotan-Kha who holds pep-rallies where he simply exclaims how wonderful he is and everyone inexplicably cheers and chants his name. They also don’t call themselves the Cult of the Obsidian Moon. They call themselves the Folk of the Featherless Wings.
• Why is the main villain called “Khotan-Kha”? The villain of Black Colossus was named Khotan. It seems weird to use the same name twice in a saga. It’d be like having the same Captain Kirk run across two villains named Khan. Sure, one is named Khan Noonian Singh, and the other is Khan Sinclair, but… is that really a good idea?
• The dialogue on page 202 was particularly bad. Conan and crew are trussed up and being cross-examined by the villain. A boy traveling with them goofed and gave away their position, so Conan and Hunwulf (one of the other prisoners) have a debate, right in front of the villain, whether that boy was a disappointment or not. Literally everything must be debated and justified in this novel, even if the moment for that isn’t quite right.
• The last paragraph on page 204 where the villain justifies giving a “Bond villain” confession of his entire plan to Conan. Wow. And uncommon words should not be part of dialogue (like “parlous”). Everyone sounds like they are in court. Here:
• Nowhere in the novel is the “Black Stone” mentioned. Why is this “A Black Stone Novel”?
• This author really likes the verb “to barge.” Conan barges into everything. It’s not a bad word, and he isn’t using it wrong… he just uses it A LOT. More than just about any author I can think of. If Conan is rushing someone, he is barging them.
Things I Did Like
• I liked the James Allison connection. The prologue was a huge win for me.
• Chapters were not given pretentious “quotes” at the start like a would-be Frank Herbert. Normally I wouldn’t notice this, but the last couple of S&S books I read had them and they sucked, so it was nice to see these weren’t there.
• No one explicitly grinned. The author let the character’s facial expressions be unsaid, determined by context, as it should be. Normally, I wouldn’t mention this, but the last several Sword & Sorcery books I read had people grinning like loons all the time. I’m glad this author was professional enough not to do that.
• Characters had regionally appropriate names and cultural attitudes.
• I liked the Rotlands. When we reached them in Chapter 14, that was the first time in the novel something weird, something that belonged in a Sword & Sorcery novel, was present (that wasn’t just a rehash, like the winged monster).
• Combat is described REALLY well, outside of dialogue.
Themes
The biggest theme I found was that everyone’s behavior had to be justified to the reader and to the characters themselves. It felt like either behavior itself was being examined or that the author just felt the need to over-explain (mansplain) everything to the nth degree. I did not enjoy the constant mental justifications every other character had to go through every time they made a choice to do anything. Most of the time, the reason they were making the choice they made was evident and didn’t need justification.
Toward the end, a theme showed up that really wasn’t in the rest of the book: a distinctly anti-Trump theme. The cult priest sounded more like a political figure announcing how wonderful he is, and everyone around him going inexplicably nuts, thrilled beyond all thrills they were there to hear the man say how wonderful he is. There was no religion in that religion, just the worship of a narcissistic demagogue who keeps telling them they know what he is referring to when he doesn’t want to name it outright. On page 232, the lizard-people don’t believe Khotan-Kha might be wrong, that his plan might fail, because they were too invested in its success. So, they heap praise upon their leader. The leader’s greed eventually destroys him. I don’t mind political allegory, but I wish it had been present throughout the book instead of just showing up here at the end. This feels tacked on instead of woven throughout.
The Plot
It takes 10 chapters (out of 24) to get to the main plot, but here it is: A race of winged lizard-men is gathering magical children in hopes to turn them into magical winged lizard-men, so they kidnap Bjørn (a child magic-user) from his kidnappers. Conan, Gudrun, and Hunwulf go to rescue Bjørn.
Seriously, it takes 10 chapters to set this up and get it going. Up until then, you have no idea what is going to happen next or what anyone’s goals are, or what they are doing in this novel. Most novels give you the plot in the first chapter. A few wait until chapter 2. Only novels written by these mercenary genre-writers make you wait until Chapter 10.
Note on the Title
The novel should have been called Conan and the Folk of the Featherless Wings. Although the Folk worship their leader, Khotan-Kha, they are simply waiting for the Night of the Obsidian Moon (a new moon) for a particular ritual. They don’t worship an Obsidian Moon.
Notes on the Geography
It would help if the publishers would provide a map showing the routes taken by the heroes than a huge, ugly map that is of no use whatsoever because there are no city placements. The route taken by our heroes makes NO SENSE. They go into Stygia, swing wide to the east to Sukhmet, then head back east, north, then east again to Kush.
But this author also doesn't know the difference between east and west. On page 1 he claims Argos is due east of Shem when it is clearly to the west of Shem.
Note that the book’s map makes the easternmost portion of Kush a huge-ass lake, and doesn’t leave room for the southern desert, Xuthal, or Tombalku. If the map doesn’t have room for the stories REH wrote, then it’s not worth much as a map.
Conclusion
This novel did not feel like Sword & Sorcery – it felt like High Fantasy. With the exception of one line, I didn’t even feel like this was the same Conan REH wrote about. There is absolutely no excuse for a novel to take 10 chapters out of 24 to get to the main plot. Everyone spoke like they were on a witness stand in the courtroom – even if they were in the middle of combat! Every action or thought had to be justified. I still don’t know what “A Black Stone Novel” means. I read the whole book and… I have nothing concerning a black stone. The combat scenes were written well, but the dialogue was some of the worst I’ve ever read.
Was it even Sword & Sorcery?
Well, let’s look at it. What comprises Sword & Sorcery? Sword & Sorcery is a subgenre of fantasy that focuses on fast-paced, action-driven stories featuring heroic warriors, dark magic, and personal stakes rather than epic world-altering conflicts. Some key elements include:
• Roguish or Antiheroic Protagonists. I guess Conan qualifies here normally, but he didn’t come across as either roguish or antiheroic in this story at all. He was blackmailed by a kid to be his tutor, for God’s sake. I feel like the book failed here.
• Intense Action and Combat. Toward the end we got some of this, but they weren’t central to the story-telling. Indeed, the monster basically defeated itself. I feel like the book failed here. Conan just as often talked himself out of a problem as fought himself out of it.
• Magic is typically dark, mysterious, and corrupting rather than a widespread force. Well, it was corrupting, in the sense of the Rotlands, but it wasn’t corrupting for all the magic children, which was definitely a widespread thing going on. I’ll call this one a draw.
• Exotic and Dangerous Settings. I’ll give the novel a success here.
• Personal and Immediate Stakes. Unlike high fantasy, there is rarely a grand prophecy or an ultimate evil to defeat. I will give the novel a draw here. Conan losing the kid was pretty personal, but we had a lot of grand prophecies and ultimate evils.
• Themes of Strength, Cunning, and Survival. I really don’t get these as the main themes of the novel. Sure, Conan uses these things, but none of them come across as a theme of the story. I’ll call this a fail.
Ultimately, I did not enjoy this novel. It didn’t read like a Conan story. In terms of dialogue, it read more like a courtroom drama. In terms of story, it really meandered until chapter ten. Then it focused and got down to brass tacks, but it was too late. Combat was described well, but the effect was diminished by the really courtroom witness-stand dialogue interspersed throughout. The fact that Conan was blackmailed by a child into teaching him how to throw knives really put me into a sour mood regarding the author’s characterization. I look at the cover of the Ace/Lancer “Conan the Adventurer” and I can’t see that guy being blackmailed by a seven-year-old to do anything.
If you want more details, I wrote a blog post that goes chapter by chapter.
Notes on Cult of the Obsidian Moon
• I didn’t like that the first chapter was pointless. It’s self-contained and doesn’t tell us anything about Conan we don’t already know and it doesn’t move the plot forward. Yank this chapter out, and it doesn’t change the story one iota. Conan and a companion go to rob a place, but it’s empty. A sabretooth tiger guards the grounds and kills the companion. Conan escapes empty handed. It went nowhere and established nothing the second chapter doesn’t establish. Why would someone start the book off with an irrelevant chapter?
• Not giving the reader the plot of the novel in Chapter 1.
• The introduction of Gudrun and Hunwulf in chapter two was painfully predictable and badly done.
• Conan sounds like the Tor Conan, not the REH Conan. Sometimes he even sounds like the Arnold Schwarzenegger “Conan the Destroyer” version. I know… this is all in my head, but it’s there. Something about Conan’s dialogue in this book feels off from REH. Especially the “in your heart of hearts” speech Conan gave to a captain of the guard.
• A child able to blackmail Conan on the threat of lying to his parents about being beaten by him. Seriously, look at the painting of Conan by Frank Frazetta called “The Barbarian.” Do you think that guy would let a child blackmail him?
• Chapter four in its entirety. This was bad. Along with Chapter 1, any future reprints of this novel should exclude Chapter 4.
• Chapter 5 should be deleted also.
• I should not be five chapters in and wonder what the story is about.
• Chapter 6 is too long, with unconvincing dialogue, and is essentially a chapter-long exposition, an infodump extraordinaire. This chapter should be deleted also, and the information about Hunwulf simplified and given in spurts later.
• I didn’t like the heavy-handed way Conan, Gudrun, and Hunwulf was removed from around Bjørn in chapter 7.
• The dialogue is generally bad. None of Gudrun’s dialogue sounds like it is spoken by an Æsir woman. Everyone speaks using more sophisticated words than most use when speaking, and everyone is particularly precise in what they say, as though they are on a witness stand and don’t want to get caught saying something imprecise. Even when the Stygian carpenter talks about his kid being kidnapped in Chapter 12, he tells the story perfectly, calmly, and precisely, as though he were on a witness stand. On page 200, the villain literally says he wants to cross-examine Conan. Everyone speaks and thinks like they are in court, called upon to justify their actions.
• There is no plot until Chapter 8. The plot after that is “Rescue the Kidnapped Kid.” Seriously. Give us the plot in Chapter 1 or 2. Unfortunately, Chapters 8 & 9 are a false plot. The actual plot doesn’t get going until Chapter 10.
• The monster that appears in Chapter 10 has no set-up, no rumors, no foreshadowing, no hints. It just shows up and kills the bad guys for no reason and kidnaps the kid for no reason. This is spectacularly unsatisfying. Chapter 10 is where the true plot begins.
• We get the “As you know, Bob” trope in spades on page 127, a hallmark of bad writing.
• Their journey from Shem to Kush made no geographic sense.
• The author doesn’t understand that this is Sword & Sorcery, where magic is weird and frightening, not a generic fantasy novel where magic is taken as just another facet of life. He has kids being born able to control elements and perform magic, and no one is bothered by this.
• Conan and the Æsir get to talk about their religious beliefs, but the Kushite does not get to express his – and I am left wondering if the Kushite wasn’t white enough to be allowed that privilege by the author.
• It took 189 pages to get to the Cult of the Obsidian Moon. The book is almost finished. It’s a cult of winged lizard men who worship
• Why is the main villain called “Khotan-Kha”? The villain of Black Colossus was named Khotan. It seems weird to use the same name twice in a saga. It’d be like having the same Captain Kirk run across two villains named Khan. Sure, one is named Khan Noonian Singh, and the other is Khan Sinclair, but… is that really a good idea?
• The dialogue on page 202 was particularly bad. Conan and crew are trussed up and being cross-examined by the villain. A boy traveling with them goofed and gave away their position, so Conan and Hunwulf (one of the other prisoners) have a debate, right in front of the villain, whether that boy was a disappointment or not. Literally everything must be debated and justified in this novel, even if the moment for that isn’t quite right.
• The last paragraph on page 204 where the villain justifies giving a “Bond villain” confession of his entire plan to Conan. Wow. And uncommon words should not be part of dialogue (like “parlous”). Everyone sounds like they are in court. Here:
“You persist in trying to antagonize me, Conan of Cimmeria, but all you are accomplishing is making me admire you. For that reason, I am going to tell you and your two comrades why we need those children. Under any other circumstances I would send you three to your deaths in a state of ignorance. But you have earned the right to be edified. Consider it a courtesy. My gift to you. This is the story of the Folk of the Featherless Wing – how we came to be and how we have arrived at the parlous state we find ourselves in. Listen well and be enlightened.”
• Nowhere in the novel is the “Black Stone” mentioned. Why is this “A Black Stone Novel”?
• This author really likes the verb “to barge.” Conan barges into everything. It’s not a bad word, and he isn’t using it wrong… he just uses it A LOT. More than just about any author I can think of. If Conan is rushing someone, he is barging them.
Things I Did Like
• I liked the James Allison connection. The prologue was a huge win for me.
• Chapters were not given pretentious “quotes” at the start like a would-be Frank Herbert. Normally I wouldn’t notice this, but the last couple of S&S books I read had them and they sucked, so it was nice to see these weren’t there.
• No one explicitly grinned. The author let the character’s facial expressions be unsaid, determined by context, as it should be. Normally, I wouldn’t mention this, but the last several Sword & Sorcery books I read had people grinning like loons all the time. I’m glad this author was professional enough not to do that.
• Characters had regionally appropriate names and cultural attitudes.
• I liked the Rotlands. When we reached them in Chapter 14, that was the first time in the novel something weird, something that belonged in a Sword & Sorcery novel, was present (that wasn’t just a rehash, like the winged monster).
• Combat is described REALLY well, outside of dialogue.
Themes
The biggest theme I found was that everyone’s behavior had to be justified to the reader and to the characters themselves. It felt like either behavior itself was being examined or that the author just felt the need to over-explain (mansplain) everything to the nth degree. I did not enjoy the constant mental justifications every other character had to go through every time they made a choice to do anything. Most of the time, the reason they were making the choice they made was evident and didn’t need justification.
Toward the end, a theme showed up that really wasn’t in the rest of the book: a distinctly anti-Trump theme. The cult priest sounded more like a political figure announcing how wonderful he is, and everyone around him going inexplicably nuts, thrilled beyond all thrills they were there to hear the man say how wonderful he is. There was no religion in that religion, just the worship of a narcissistic demagogue who keeps telling them they know what he is referring to when he doesn’t want to name it outright. On page 232, the lizard-people don’t believe Khotan-Kha might be wrong, that his plan might fail, because they were too invested in its success. So, they heap praise upon their leader. The leader’s greed eventually destroys him. I don’t mind political allegory, but I wish it had been present throughout the book instead of just showing up here at the end. This feels tacked on instead of woven throughout.
The Plot
It takes 10 chapters (out of 24) to get to the main plot, but here it is: A race of winged lizard-men is gathering magical children in hopes to turn them into magical winged lizard-men, so they kidnap Bjørn (a child magic-user) from his kidnappers. Conan, Gudrun, and Hunwulf go to rescue Bjørn.
Seriously, it takes 10 chapters to set this up and get it going. Up until then, you have no idea what is going to happen next or what anyone’s goals are, or what they are doing in this novel. Most novels give you the plot in the first chapter. A few wait until chapter 2. Only novels written by these mercenary genre-writers make you wait until Chapter 10.
Note on the Title
The novel should have been called Conan and the Folk of the Featherless Wings. Although the Folk worship their leader, Khotan-Kha, they are simply waiting for the Night of the Obsidian Moon (a new moon) for a particular ritual. They don’t worship an Obsidian Moon.
Notes on the Geography
It would help if the publishers would provide a map showing the routes taken by the heroes than a huge, ugly map that is of no use whatsoever because there are no city placements. The route taken by our heroes makes NO SENSE. They go into Stygia, swing wide to the east to Sukhmet, then head back east, north, then east again to Kush.
But this author also doesn't know the difference between east and west. On page 1 he claims Argos is due east of Shem when it is clearly to the west of Shem.
Note that the book’s map makes the easternmost portion of Kush a huge-ass lake, and doesn’t leave room for the southern desert, Xuthal, or Tombalku. If the map doesn’t have room for the stories REH wrote, then it’s not worth much as a map.
Conclusion
This novel did not feel like Sword & Sorcery – it felt like High Fantasy. With the exception of one line, I didn’t even feel like this was the same Conan REH wrote about. There is absolutely no excuse for a novel to take 10 chapters out of 24 to get to the main plot. Everyone spoke like they were on a witness stand in the courtroom – even if they were in the middle of combat! Every action or thought had to be justified. I still don’t know what “A Black Stone Novel” means. I read the whole book and… I have nothing concerning a black stone. The combat scenes were written well, but the dialogue was some of the worst I’ve ever read.
Was it even Sword & Sorcery?
Well, let’s look at it. What comprises Sword & Sorcery? Sword & Sorcery is a subgenre of fantasy that focuses on fast-paced, action-driven stories featuring heroic warriors, dark magic, and personal stakes rather than epic world-altering conflicts. Some key elements include:
• Roguish or Antiheroic Protagonists. I guess Conan qualifies here normally, but he didn’t come across as either roguish or antiheroic in this story at all. He was blackmailed by a kid to be his tutor, for God’s sake. I feel like the book failed here.
• Intense Action and Combat. Toward the end we got some of this, but they weren’t central to the story-telling. Indeed, the monster basically defeated itself. I feel like the book failed here. Conan just as often talked himself out of a problem as fought himself out of it.
• Magic is typically dark, mysterious, and corrupting rather than a widespread force. Well, it was corrupting, in the sense of the Rotlands, but it wasn’t corrupting for all the magic children, which was definitely a widespread thing going on. I’ll call this one a draw.
• Exotic and Dangerous Settings. I’ll give the novel a success here.
• Personal and Immediate Stakes. Unlike high fantasy, there is rarely a grand prophecy or an ultimate evil to defeat. I will give the novel a draw here. Conan losing the kid was pretty personal, but we had a lot of grand prophecies and ultimate evils.
• Themes of Strength, Cunning, and Survival. I really don’t get these as the main themes of the novel. Sure, Conan uses these things, but none of them come across as a theme of the story. I’ll call this a fail.
Ultimately, I did not enjoy this novel. It didn’t read like a Conan story. In terms of dialogue, it read more like a courtroom drama. In terms of story, it really meandered until chapter ten. Then it focused and got down to brass tacks, but it was too late. Combat was described well, but the effect was diminished by the really courtroom witness-stand dialogue interspersed throughout. The fact that Conan was blackmailed by a child into teaching him how to throw knives really put me into a sour mood regarding the author’s characterization. I look at the cover of the Ace/Lancer “Conan the Adventurer” and I can’t see that guy being blackmailed by a seven-year-old to do anything.
If you want more details, I wrote a blog post that goes chapter by chapter.
Notes on Cult of the Obsidian Moon
November 8, 2025
This is Terrible
Did Not Finish (DNF). I made it to about page 85. I paid good money for this book so I kept trying to forgive it until I just couldn't anymore.
Hunwulf and Gudrun were a couple of northern nomads who ran off from their tribe after Hunwulf bashed Gudrun's fiance over the head with a rock. Now they, and Conan, talk like extras at a Renaissance Faire dreaming of being noticed by a traveling Shakespeare festival. I tried to forgive that, since well, they're not speaking English, they're speaking some Hyborian traveling trader cant that maybe expresses many shades of meaning.
Conan acts like a thug, talking openly about intimidating a shopkeeper to ride off with his horse. It's like someone told this author that Conan was "amoral", and portrayed him according to his limited understanding of how it applied to the character. Conan was a thief, a mercenary sword for hire, a pirate, and ruthless, but he lived by a code, and that code had rules. He was subtle and cunning, not boorish and cruel. The Conan portrayed in (at least the first 85 pages of) this novel wasn't Conan the Barbarian, he was a minor henchman the original Conan would spend about fifteen seconds outsmarting, overpowering, and leaving for dead. I tried to forgive that too, since well, this is younger Conan grieving the death of Belit.
Gudrun occasionally teases, taunts, provokes and attempts to manipulate Conan, even condescends to him if the situation calls for it. Again, I felt it was jarring. This was someone who claimed to be an Aesir but talked like a Stygian priestess. In "Gardens of Fear" Gudrun literally smashed through a locked, reinforced door to physically attack a winged horror because Hunwulf's life was in danger. Women in Robert E. Howard stories aren't characters in a Dorothy Parker story. Women like Gudrun and Belit didn't outsmart, out-think or one-up men in tiresome battles of wits, they didn't need to. They were primal forces of nature, equal to Conan and Hunwulf in fire and fury, and woe to any fool who crossed their path. I tried to forgive that too, since well, she's been on the road for ten years, she's got to adapt, etc.
Then Conan reflects on how he's such a plaything for women, and I was like, eh... I mean Conan definitely has a weakness for the ladies, and it's something he has even admitted to himself frankly, but, "plaything"? Um...
Then, after Gudrun and Hunwulf bind Conan to his solemn word to look after Bjorn, he ends a chapter "praying" for their safe return. I could literally hear Crom laughing when I read that. Then he decides to go out drinking with Drusus, tells Bjorn to lock the door and promptly gets hit over the head by the city watch, leaving Bjorn by himself. ... What?! I mean - he couldn't tell Drusus something like, hey man, it's 9 AM in the morning and I'm on the job, check me later? WHAT? Why did the City Watch even need him to come into an alley to take him prisoner? Couldn't they just storm the house, swords swinging? Maybe they were concerned he'd notice them coming, even if they were stealthy about it, but this guy calling himself Conan clearly isn't equipped to notice subterfuge.
I think this was the point that I could no longer forgive this book, because even if this were some generic fantasy novel that had nothing to do with Conan the Barbarian or Gardens of Fear, and it didn't have Robert E. Howard's shadow all over it, at this point I would still want to put the book down and wash my brain out with something more readable, like, I don't know, The Eye of Argon by Jim Theis.
I pondered that later in the novel, Gudrun and possibly Hunwulf - but I'm thinking it would just be Gudrun - would angrily chastise Conan for lying down on the job and breaking his solemn vow, and Conan would have to apologize, ruefully admit that he'd made a mistake, and throw himself on her mercy for the pathetic miserable dog he is. But it wasn't you who made the mistake, Conan! It was the AUTHOR WHO WROTE YOU DOING THAT. He's the miserable dog!
These are just the most glaring parts of the novel that drove me up the wall. I kept telling myself I was just nitpicking, but in the end I just couldn't keep making excuses for this novel no matter how much I paid for it, and I had to stop reading it because I felt legitimately concerned I would literally be dumber by the time I finished it. To be fair, it would be inaccurate to portray this novel as having a plot where everyone has to act like idiots for the narrative to move forward, nor is the story a death by a thousand cuts of poor characterization, continuity (and even a few grammatical) errors and questionable plot choices... It's both.
Did Not Finish (DNF). I made it to about page 85. I paid good money for this book so I kept trying to forgive it until I just couldn't anymore.
Hunwulf and Gudrun were a couple of northern nomads who ran off from their tribe after Hunwulf bashed Gudrun's fiance over the head with a rock. Now they, and Conan, talk like extras at a Renaissance Faire dreaming of being noticed by a traveling Shakespeare festival. I tried to forgive that, since well, they're not speaking English, they're speaking some Hyborian traveling trader cant that maybe expresses many shades of meaning.
Conan acts like a thug, talking openly about intimidating a shopkeeper to ride off with his horse. It's like someone told this author that Conan was "amoral", and portrayed him according to his limited understanding of how it applied to the character. Conan was a thief, a mercenary sword for hire, a pirate, and ruthless, but he lived by a code, and that code had rules. He was subtle and cunning, not boorish and cruel. The Conan portrayed in (at least the first 85 pages of) this novel wasn't Conan the Barbarian, he was a minor henchman the original Conan would spend about fifteen seconds outsmarting, overpowering, and leaving for dead. I tried to forgive that too, since well, this is younger Conan grieving the death of Belit.
Gudrun occasionally teases, taunts, provokes and attempts to manipulate Conan, even condescends to him if the situation calls for it. Again, I felt it was jarring. This was someone who claimed to be an Aesir but talked like a Stygian priestess. In "Gardens of Fear" Gudrun literally smashed through a locked, reinforced door to physically attack a winged horror because Hunwulf's life was in danger. Women in Robert E. Howard stories aren't characters in a Dorothy Parker story. Women like Gudrun and Belit didn't outsmart, out-think or one-up men in tiresome battles of wits, they didn't need to. They were primal forces of nature, equal to Conan and Hunwulf in fire and fury, and woe to any fool who crossed their path. I tried to forgive that too, since well, she's been on the road for ten years, she's got to adapt, etc.
Then Conan reflects on how he's such a plaything for women, and I was like, eh... I mean Conan definitely has a weakness for the ladies, and it's something he has even admitted to himself frankly, but, "plaything"? Um...
Then, after Gudrun and Hunwulf bind Conan to his solemn word to look after Bjorn, he ends a chapter "praying" for their safe return. I could literally hear Crom laughing when I read that. Then he decides to go out drinking with Drusus, tells Bjorn to lock the door and promptly gets hit over the head by the city watch, leaving Bjorn by himself. ... What?! I mean - he couldn't tell Drusus something like, hey man, it's 9 AM in the morning and I'm on the job, check me later? WHAT? Why did the City Watch even need him to come into an alley to take him prisoner? Couldn't they just storm the house, swords swinging? Maybe they were concerned he'd notice them coming, even if they were stealthy about it, but this guy calling himself Conan clearly isn't equipped to notice subterfuge.
I think this was the point that I could no longer forgive this book, because even if this were some generic fantasy novel that had nothing to do with Conan the Barbarian or Gardens of Fear, and it didn't have Robert E. Howard's shadow all over it, at this point I would still want to put the book down and wash my brain out with something more readable, like, I don't know, The Eye of Argon by Jim Theis.
I pondered that later in the novel, Gudrun and possibly Hunwulf - but I'm thinking it would just be Gudrun - would angrily chastise Conan for lying down on the job and breaking his solemn vow, and Conan would have to apologize, ruefully admit that he'd made a mistake, and throw himself on her mercy for the pathetic miserable dog he is. But it wasn't you who made the mistake, Conan! It was the AUTHOR WHO WROTE YOU DOING THAT. He's the miserable dog!
These are just the most glaring parts of the novel that drove me up the wall. I kept telling myself I was just nitpicking, but in the end I just couldn't keep making excuses for this novel no matter how much I paid for it, and I had to stop reading it because I felt legitimately concerned I would literally be dumber by the time I finished it. To be fair, it would be inaccurate to portray this novel as having a plot where everyone has to act like idiots for the narrative to move forward, nor is the story a death by a thousand cuts of poor characterization, continuity (and even a few grammatical) errors and questionable plot choices... It's both.
November 29, 2024
I was very skeptical before purchasing James Lovegrove’s Conan book. Titan Books’ record of Conan books so far left much to be desired. The first book in their Conan revival, S.M. Stirling’s Blood of the Serpent in 2022, was a disappointment for me. It didn’t have the feel of a Conan book and its plot wasn’t anything special. Then came the long-awaited John C. Hocking novella duo combined into City of the Dead. It was an okay read but, in the end, I found those two tales to be overrated and failing to grip me the way the Conan pastiches of the ‘80s had. In between, Titan reprinted the 1982 Conan the Barbarian novelization by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin carter, and that book at least was fantastic.
Then Cult of the Obsidian Moon was announced. A tie-in to The Battle of the Black Stone comic book saga written by the great Jim Zub. Titan Comics has been hitting it out of the park with their new Conan the Barbarian comic book series and the 4-issue Black Stone mini-series (issue #4 will be out next week at the time of writing this review) has been phenomenal. It’s a convergence of major players in the Howardverse—Robert E. Howard created a plethora of memorable characters and the most important ones come together in Battle of the Black Stone (Solomon Kane, James Allison, Dark Agnes, Conrad & Kirowan, and El Borak). Set shortly after the events in Howard’s “Queen of the Black Coast” tale where Conan’s beloved Bêlit perished, the black-maned barbarian embarks on a journey with two more of Howard’s classic characters, Hunwulf and Gudrun, to save their son from the clutches of winged lizard-men. The novel’s prologue and epilogue feature Howard’s James Allison who’s a pulp writer from Texas in the 1930s and who’s lived many past lives, Hunwulf being one of them.
From the get-go, I was hooked. Hunwulf and Gudrun appeared in one of Howard’s best non-Conan Sword & Sorcery tales, “The Garden of Fear”, of which that story’s events are referenced here. Cult of the Obsidian Moon immerses the reader into Howard’s world and feels like a tale the master himself could’ve written. If you’ve read Howard’s Conan tales and/or the Titan comics, you’ll get an extra kick out of this book. If you haven’t, no matter; it works perfectly as a stand-alone novel. There isn’t a single dull moment in this adventure and the stakes feel important in the grand scheme of things within the confines of the Black Stone saga. It’s a story that adds to the events of the comic mini-series and serves to solidify the menace and malevolence of the mysterious Black Stone. This is Titan’s best Conan book by a mile so far and it will be hard to beat. Next year it will be author Tim Waggoner’s turn to unleash his version of Conan in his own novel due out in October 2025. I’m very much looking forward to that!
Then Cult of the Obsidian Moon was announced. A tie-in to The Battle of the Black Stone comic book saga written by the great Jim Zub. Titan Comics has been hitting it out of the park with their new Conan the Barbarian comic book series and the 4-issue Black Stone mini-series (issue #4 will be out next week at the time of writing this review) has been phenomenal. It’s a convergence of major players in the Howardverse—Robert E. Howard created a plethora of memorable characters and the most important ones come together in Battle of the Black Stone (Solomon Kane, James Allison, Dark Agnes, Conrad & Kirowan, and El Borak). Set shortly after the events in Howard’s “Queen of the Black Coast” tale where Conan’s beloved Bêlit perished, the black-maned barbarian embarks on a journey with two more of Howard’s classic characters, Hunwulf and Gudrun, to save their son from the clutches of winged lizard-men. The novel’s prologue and epilogue feature Howard’s James Allison who’s a pulp writer from Texas in the 1930s and who’s lived many past lives, Hunwulf being one of them.
From the get-go, I was hooked. Hunwulf and Gudrun appeared in one of Howard’s best non-Conan Sword & Sorcery tales, “The Garden of Fear”, of which that story’s events are referenced here. Cult of the Obsidian Moon immerses the reader into Howard’s world and feels like a tale the master himself could’ve written. If you’ve read Howard’s Conan tales and/or the Titan comics, you’ll get an extra kick out of this book. If you haven’t, no matter; it works perfectly as a stand-alone novel. There isn’t a single dull moment in this adventure and the stakes feel important in the grand scheme of things within the confines of the Black Stone saga. It’s a story that adds to the events of the comic mini-series and serves to solidify the menace and malevolence of the mysterious Black Stone. This is Titan’s best Conan book by a mile so far and it will be hard to beat. Next year it will be author Tim Waggoner’s turn to unleash his version of Conan in his own novel due out in October 2025. I’m very much looking forward to that!
January 11, 2025
Unfortunately, the Conan in this novel, which seems to target the young adult market rather than attempt to please readers over the age of twelve, has more in common with the protagonist of de Camp's (or his wife's, as it is rumored that it was ghost-written by her) Conan and the Spider God and the Marvel comic book hero than with the character created by Robert E. Howard for Weird Tales. Lovegrove's Conan is a happy-go-lucky do-gooder with a few rough edges, a sort of late 19th century Australian larrikin transported back to a mythical time. He is, as one would expect, dressed like a generic comic book barbarian, and he also has the limited intelligence of one.
Lovegrove attempts to link his novel to Howard's much superior short story, The Garden of Fear. One chapter of Cult of the Obsidian Moon includes what is essentially an inferior retelling of that story, and it feels shoehorned in as The Garden of Fear does not take place in the Hyborian Age. The reader is also treated to a lot of reincarnation nonsense. Howard's James Allison remembered some of his former lives, including that of Hunwulf, but the characters he remembered did not get visions of the future. It is, however, helpful when cheating at dice, which Hunwulf does regularly in Cult of the Obsidian Moon. Not all ideas are good ideas, and the kitchen sink should be left in the kitchen.
Cult of the Obsidian Moon also features an irritating kid- something which has sunk many a movie - who even gets his own chapters so he can really bore the readers, and his mother, Gudrun, is physically so superior to other women that the reader might suspect her of being a transwoman. Were the story set in contemporary America, she would undoubtedly dominate any female sport that she cared to participate in, much to the frustration of Riley Gaines, Martina Navratilova, and J.K. Rowling. In other words, another improbable female character created by a male author. Or rather reimagined in this case, since Lovegrove's Gudrun bears little resemblance to Howard's Gudrun.
Parts of Cult of the Obsidian Moon reads like an inferior version of Howard's Queen of the Black Coast. Both Howard and the readers deserve better than this misfire.
Lovegrove attempts to link his novel to Howard's much superior short story, The Garden of Fear. One chapter of Cult of the Obsidian Moon includes what is essentially an inferior retelling of that story, and it feels shoehorned in as The Garden of Fear does not take place in the Hyborian Age. The reader is also treated to a lot of reincarnation nonsense. Howard's James Allison remembered some of his former lives, including that of Hunwulf, but the characters he remembered did not get visions of the future. It is, however, helpful when cheating at dice, which Hunwulf does regularly in Cult of the Obsidian Moon. Not all ideas are good ideas, and the kitchen sink should be left in the kitchen.
Cult of the Obsidian Moon also features an irritating kid- something which has sunk many a movie - who even gets his own chapters so he can really bore the readers, and his mother, Gudrun, is physically so superior to other women that the reader might suspect her of being a transwoman. Were the story set in contemporary America, she would undoubtedly dominate any female sport that she cared to participate in, much to the frustration of Riley Gaines, Martina Navratilova, and J.K. Rowling. In other words, another improbable female character created by a male author. Or rather reimagined in this case, since Lovegrove's Gudrun bears little resemblance to Howard's Gudrun.
Parts of Cult of the Obsidian Moon reads like an inferior version of Howard's Queen of the Black Coast. Both Howard and the readers deserve better than this misfire.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2024
Another month, another Conan story, a novel in this case. It apparently ties into the current comic book story line Battle something something Black Stone in which we try and cash in other Howard characters by doing a grand crossover arc. A trick that Marvel tried before Titan and it didn't really work.
I can't say how this interacts with the comic book story line, because I haven't read it. It does cross over with a pair of Howard characters, or three depending how you count. Gudrun and Hunwulf from Garden of Fear, a very short story with a monster in it. Also the fictional author of Garden of Fear 'James Allison', who channeled past lives in a number of Howard stories, many collected in Marchers of Valhalla.
Gudrun and Hunwulf are rather flavorless. James Allison's letters to the editor of Anomalous Adventures, a stand in for the real life Weird Tales, are wonderful.
The book itself is...fine. It meanders in the beginning. None of the characters, including Conan, are particularly riveting. After the meandering we travel a lot. Always a hard transition at the speed of horseback. Once we get to Africa, I mean Kush, we are back on track. The bad guy spends a ton of time monologuing so we get the full backstory.
I feel like these new pastiches haven't hit their stride yet, but the novels are better than the short stories. Though haven't read Sterling yet. Never liked him, so I've skipped it. For the first time since they started coming out there is nothing I can see that is scheduled to be out. I've been pre ordering and then reading them. Maybe Sterling will make the team, or maybe not. There's a Red Sonja novel out...
I can't say how this interacts with the comic book story line, because I haven't read it. It does cross over with a pair of Howard characters, or three depending how you count. Gudrun and Hunwulf from Garden of Fear, a very short story with a monster in it. Also the fictional author of Garden of Fear 'James Allison', who channeled past lives in a number of Howard stories, many collected in Marchers of Valhalla.
Gudrun and Hunwulf are rather flavorless. James Allison's letters to the editor of Anomalous Adventures, a stand in for the real life Weird Tales, are wonderful.
The book itself is...fine. It meanders in the beginning. None of the characters, including Conan, are particularly riveting. After the meandering we travel a lot. Always a hard transition at the speed of horseback. Once we get to Africa, I mean Kush, we are back on track. The bad guy spends a ton of time monologuing so we get the full backstory.
I feel like these new pastiches haven't hit their stride yet, but the novels are better than the short stories. Though haven't read Sterling yet. Never liked him, so I've skipped it. For the first time since they started coming out there is nothing I can see that is scheduled to be out. I've been pre ordering and then reading them. Maybe Sterling will make the team, or maybe not. There's a Red Sonja novel out...
March 19, 2025
I grew up reading a lot of fantasy, and of course I was familiar with the Conan character. But it was just a year or so ago that I read a collection of some of Robert E. Howard's original Conan stories.
Howard himself has been gone for nearly 90 years now, and many other authors have written Conan stories. When I saw that James Lovegrove, who wrote my favorite Firefly novels, had written one, I knew I needed to read it.
I wasn't disappointed. Interestingly, Lovegrove was able (in my opinion) to capture something of the language and cadence of the original Conan stories from the 1930s. Other authors may have done as well or better, but I'll admit I haven't read those stories -- I just noticed that, like when I read Howard's stories, I found the prose to be a little stilted at first but then quickly fell into the rhythm of the story and dialogue.
In this story, Conan encounters a couple whose son is kidnapped by a strange winged lizard-man. Normally, this wouldn't necessarily concern the muscle-bound Cimmerian, but in this case Hunwulf and Gudrun's son, Bjorn, was under Conan's care and tutelage. As such, he feels compelled to accompany the couple as they track down the boy and his kidnapper, and in the meantime encounter plenty of action and adventure.
I won't give too much away, because if you're prone to reading such stories this one goes pretty quickly and it would be better for you to just experience it. I had a pretty good time reading it, though.
Howard himself has been gone for nearly 90 years now, and many other authors have written Conan stories. When I saw that James Lovegrove, who wrote my favorite Firefly novels, had written one, I knew I needed to read it.
I wasn't disappointed. Interestingly, Lovegrove was able (in my opinion) to capture something of the language and cadence of the original Conan stories from the 1930s. Other authors may have done as well or better, but I'll admit I haven't read those stories -- I just noticed that, like when I read Howard's stories, I found the prose to be a little stilted at first but then quickly fell into the rhythm of the story and dialogue.
In this story, Conan encounters a couple whose son is kidnapped by a strange winged lizard-man. Normally, this wouldn't necessarily concern the muscle-bound Cimmerian, but in this case Hunwulf and Gudrun's son, Bjorn, was under Conan's care and tutelage. As such, he feels compelled to accompany the couple as they track down the boy and his kidnapper, and in the meantime encounter plenty of action and adventure.
I won't give too much away, because if you're prone to reading such stories this one goes pretty quickly and it would be better for you to just experience it. I had a pretty good time reading it, though.
June 11, 2025
So far, the modern run of Conan novels has some hits and misses. Hocking’s collected novellas in City of the Dead is the best of the bunch, with the Emerald Lotus beating the titular novella by a nose. S.M. Stirling’s Blood of the Serpent is perhaps a tad too long, but serves as an effective lead-in to the much loved Red Nails by Robert E. Howard. I’d rank Cult of the Obsidian Moon as the last of these, and that’s a shame because there are some good ideas in here. The use of memories from former and future lives is excellent, as are the first few chapters where we get our heroes together. But there’s a lot of traveling, and a lot of time where Conan and company are just locked up receiving exposition from a primary or secondary antagonist. The use of lore is rich! But we just receive so much exposition from a primary antagonist who should be frightening and otherworldly but this character just comes across as a normal human with grand ambitions. The last two chapters are fun, which makes me think that, just as in Blood of the Serpent, maybe this novel should have been edited down in length to a short story length, which is where sword and sorcery weaves its foul spells most effectively.
November 18, 2024
Conan befriends married couple Hunwulf and Gudrun and their son, Bjørn. A decade ago, Hunwulf eloped with Gudrun after killing her betrothed, so they're on the run from her tribe. When the couple plan to ambush the tribe, they leave Bjørn with Conan. Bjørn is kidnapped when Conan is betrayed, so Conan and Bjørn’s parents search for him. Bjørn and other “gifted” children were taken by murderous bat-winged figures from the Rotlands. The trio must go to the heart of the Rotlands, where strange, horrifying fates await at every turn.
We meet Conan early on, before he befriends Hunwulf, Gundrun and their son. While at first it seems like extra detail, we see Conan fighting at his best and the reasons why he is later betrayed. We also learn the couple's history and Hunwulf's ability to see into the past or future through his other lifetimes, using that information to help him in his current one. This aids the trio in their search for Bjørn, and when they learn about the Rotlands about halfway through the book.
We meet Conan early on, before he befriends Hunwulf, Gundrun and their son. While at first it seems like extra detail, we see Conan fighting at his best and the reasons why he is later betrayed. We also learn the couple's history and Hunwulf's ability to see into the past or future through his other lifetimes, using that information to help him in his current one. This aids the trio in their search for Bjørn, and when they learn about the Rotlands about halfway through the book.
January 21, 2025
This was my first experience reading anything 'Conan the Barbarian,' my only introduction being the first Arnold film. However, as a purveyor of all things James Lovegrove, I was obliged to give it a read. I can see the infinite appeal of the literary character, and I feel he was done justice by the author. By the end, I just wanted to prove my worth with as many feats of strength and cunning as I could muster. At times the book proceeded with such adherence to formula that I was galled a bit, but maybe that's just the point. I think also at times the characters began morphing into the same characters I've witnessed time again in other Lovegrove reads, but these are minor critiques. An enjoyable romp!
December 10, 2024
Good Stuff
I have enjoyed Lovegrove's Holmes/Cthulhu mash up, now his Conan vs heinous outer gods book shows how much he needs to do more. This is also part of the Black Stone tale that crossed comic and magazine, and included many of Howard's heroes from multiple genres. I hope more events like this happen. Check it out.
I have enjoyed Lovegrove's Holmes/Cthulhu mash up, now his Conan vs heinous outer gods book shows how much he needs to do more. This is also part of the Black Stone tale that crossed comic and magazine, and included many of Howard's heroes from multiple genres. I hope more events like this happen. Check it out.
January 18, 2025
Perfectly cromulent Conan, even if he’s a bit too sentimental for my taste. Nice pastiche of elements from REH, with modern touches that humanize the monsters (that, of course, get viciously slaughtered). Not much of a connection to the Black Stone crossover, but I imagine it’s more important that these books stand alone.
January 20, 2025
This was a great Conan read! Love how well James understands the Conan character and the world he is in. After Blood of the Serpent I was quite hesitant to dive back in. This was a great time through and through and if you enjoy Conan it’s definitely worth a read! I have a packed TBR but if I get a chance this year I will definitely pick up City of the Dead as well
April 10, 2025
Conan The Babysitter!
70 pages in and I'm about to close this book.
It's an insult to Robert E Howard, Conan as a character and Conan fans all around the world.
The whole thing about the clairvoyanced father, the card games... it doesn't make any sense. That's not how clairvoyance works.
Stay away from this waste of money.
70 pages in and I'm about to close this book.
It's an insult to Robert E Howard, Conan as a character and Conan fans all around the world.
The whole thing about the clairvoyanced father, the card games... it doesn't make any sense. That's not how clairvoyance works.
Stay away from this waste of money.
January 19, 2025
Conan the Barbarian, my guilty pleasure. I'm so happy to see Titan Books printing new stories. I can't get enough of the giant Cimmerian. Lovegrove does a great job here. He is a life long fan and it shows in his work.
January 26, 2025
3.5 rounded up.
I'll be interested to see if I catch references to this when I read Conan Black Stone comics collection that is coming out soon.
I'll be interested to see if I catch references to this when I read Conan Black Stone comics collection that is coming out soon.
February 24, 2025
Conan the babysitter???????
February 25, 2025
A fun Conan yarn, like a pen and paper rpg story. Easy to read.
July 6, 2025
A tale of sword and sorcery that I find little fault in. Not a dull moment found within its pages. It also increased my vocabulary!
March 9, 2025
This was a fun Conan story. It was a little weird how it felt like it was 2 stories that were merged together. The first half started strong but got bogged down once Conan becomes the baby sitter of a young boy. The second half
picked up nicely once the child was kidnapped.
The way Conan seemed to care for the boy seemed slightly out of character, but after thinking about it, this story takes place immediately after Conan’s love Belit is killed so Conan is in a vulnerable place emotionally and that would explain why he’s more open to helping strangers and caring about random children. At least that how I’m explaining it.
I mainly picked this up because it was supposed to tie in to the Titan Conan comics event, Battle of the Black Stone, but I was sad to see so little of that in it. There was really nothing that tied in until the final 3rd of the book.
Overall it was fun but not even close to my favorite Conan stories.
picked up nicely once the child was kidnapped.
The way Conan seemed to care for the boy seemed slightly out of character, but after thinking about it, this story takes place immediately after Conan’s love Belit is killed so Conan is in a vulnerable place emotionally and that would explain why he’s more open to helping strangers and caring about random children. At least that how I’m explaining it.
I mainly picked this up because it was supposed to tie in to the Titan Conan comics event, Battle of the Black Stone, but I was sad to see so little of that in it. There was really nothing that tied in until the final 3rd of the book.
Overall it was fun but not even close to my favorite Conan stories.
August 4, 2025
In James Love Grove’s Cult of the Obsidian Moon, we get more tie in to the black stone which if you have been keeping up with the comics has been a really good and fun read brought to us by Jim Zub. Not to take anything away from all the fascinating artist that have been contributing to the stories both in the regular Conan comics but Savage Sword as well. This has just been an amazing time thus far. I read mix reviews of this book before I picked it up and read it for myself. Again, I enjoyed this book for what it was and though, you did not have to read the comics to enjoy this one, and it did sprinkle a little here and there to the whole black stone leading up to it all. The pace was good for me and I enjoyed getting to know these new characters that brought some much-needed missing elements from the recently past novels that were read. I’d like to get some side stories exploring more of Hunwulf and Gudrun characters. Nothing big but perhaps in the line of HS new digital releases. Quick burns I call them.
April 12, 2025
30% in and ... where's the Conan? Where's the Swords and Sorcery?
Wait, Conan is staying back from a fight to tutor a young boy?
And his friend's magical power is to predict dice rolls?
If you came looking for anything close to REH Conan, you will be disappointed. I wanted to love this book and love Conan pastiche as much as REH, but I just could not continue reading from disappointment.
Wait, Conan is staying back from a fight to tutor a young boy?
And his friend's magical power is to predict dice rolls?
If you came looking for anything close to REH Conan, you will be disappointed. I wanted to love this book and love Conan pastiche as much as REH, but I just could not continue reading from disappointment.
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