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Conan: Blood of the Serpent
The pulse-pounding return of Conan, the most iconic fantasy hero in popular culture, with a brand-new illustrated standalone novel by New York Times bestselling author S.M. Stirling, tied directly to the famous tales written by Robert E. Howard.
Mercenary, thief, soldier, usurper…
CONAN OF CIMMERIA
As sword for hire for a mercenary troop, Conan finds himself in Sukhmet, a filthy backwater town south of the River Styx considered "the arse-end of Stygia." Serving in the company known as Zarallo's Free Companions, he fights alongside soldiers of fortune from Zingara, Koth, Shem, and other lands—a hard-handed band of killers loyal to anyone who pays them well.
In a Sukhmet tavern he encounters one soldier in particular—Valeria of the Red Brotherhood, a veteran of freebooters with whom Conan also sailed, launching raids out of the Barachan Isles on the Western Sea. Valeria's reputation is that of a deadly swordswoman, a notoriety she quickly proves to be accurate. When she runs afoul of an exiled Stygian noble, however, things take a deadly turn, embroiling them both in the schemes of a priest of the serpent god Set.
The first new Conan novel in more than a decade, Blood of the Serpent leads directly into one of Robert E. Howard's most famous sword-and-sorcery adventures, "Red Nails." As a bonus feature that story, as well, is included in this volume.
Mercenary, thief, soldier, usurper…
CONAN OF CIMMERIA
As sword for hire for a mercenary troop, Conan finds himself in Sukhmet, a filthy backwater town south of the River Styx considered "the arse-end of Stygia." Serving in the company known as Zarallo's Free Companions, he fights alongside soldiers of fortune from Zingara, Koth, Shem, and other lands—a hard-handed band of killers loyal to anyone who pays them well.
In a Sukhmet tavern he encounters one soldier in particular—Valeria of the Red Brotherhood, a veteran of freebooters with whom Conan also sailed, launching raids out of the Barachan Isles on the Western Sea. Valeria's reputation is that of a deadly swordswoman, a notoriety she quickly proves to be accurate. When she runs afoul of an exiled Stygian noble, however, things take a deadly turn, embroiling them both in the schemes of a priest of the serpent god Set.
The first new Conan novel in more than a decade, Blood of the Serpent leads directly into one of Robert E. Howard's most famous sword-and-sorcery adventures, "Red Nails." As a bonus feature that story, as well, is included in this volume.
427 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2022
172 people are currently reading
529 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Stirling
170 books1,645 followersStephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.
MINI AUTO-BIOGRAPHY:
(personal website: source)
I’m a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft. I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.
MINI AUTO-BIOGRAPHY:
(personal website: source)
I’m a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft. I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.
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December 30, 2023*Im just unhauling this, I can’t get into it. I love my Conan but I’m getting rid of a lot of things in my life now. 12/2023
I was hoping this was going to be the cover but I just preordered over on Amazon and the cover is pretty damn awesome!! The book better be!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I was hoping this was going to be the cover but I just preordered over on Amazon and the cover is pretty damn awesome!! The book better be!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
December 15, 2022
Blood of the Serpent is the latest Robert Jordan Tor Conan novel. Although this time the book is by S. M. Stirling and published by Titan books. But it is essentially a Robert Jordan Tor Conan novel.
Lest some interpret that as a criticism, I want to stress that I do not mean it as such. Robert Jordan was the first Tor Conan author and he set the pattern: Novel length stories, Horny Conan, and references to past (y’know, the really great ones, by Robert E. Howard!) adventures. It was a successful formula that worked and the first author to write Conan pastiche, L. Sprague de Camp, blessed it.
Mr. Jordan (real name: James Oliver Rigney Jr.), has since passed away and Conan is no longer a part of Tor’s future but Titan Books has taken up the mantle. This new book satisfies the Conan craving that we hophead Conan fans crave. Our last authorized fix was Harry Turtledove’s Conan of Venarium back in 2003. The Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures paperbacks that started publishing in 2005 don’t count, as those stories didn’t feature our favorite Cimmerian front and center. (There was a movie novelization by Michael A. Stackpole published in 2011 that was well done but was too associated with a failed movie to garner suitable appreciation.)
I have to admit to seeking outside dealers to satiate my Conan cravings. I purchased: King Conan and the Stygian Queen by Jess Thornton and Robert E. Howard (Middletown DE, 2016); Temple of the Black One by Robert M. Price (Columbia, SC, 2017); The Song of Belit by Rodolfo Martinez and Robert E. Howard (Sportula, 2020); and most recently I Conan: Cimmerian by L. J. Laroch (Dorrance Publishing, 2021). I have a blog called "spraguedecampfan" where I have reviewed pastiche Conan.
That product (and the various Conan comic books) got me through the last 19 years and even though there were brief periods of withdrawal I never kicked the habit completely. So when new Conan hits the streets I’m on the corner buying up any supply.
The line “Robert E. Howard’s Conan” is guaranteed to bother those short-sighted fans who merely want to virtue signal that this is NOT Robert E. Howard’s Conan. Yeah, it is. It’s the character created by REH. The same appellation “Robert E. Howard’s Conan” appears on the Modiphius Gamebooks and no one complains.
The artwork on this latest book has been the topic of some discussion. I’m sure the folks at Titan Books know better than I do. But I liked the old style covers. For some of the Tor Books (especially those by Roland Green) the covers were the best part!
Back in the old days (80s/90s) we got both beefcake and cheesecake. Covers like those would have the prudes wagging a finger today. But these old style covers were meant for Conan fans who grew up on Playboy and were fun at the time.
A snake wrapped around a sword? Meh…
By the way, Conan and the Gods of the Mountain by Roland Green is a sequel to Robert E. Howard’s “Red Nails” and Stirling’s book is a prequel. Remember those excerpts from A Probable Outline of Conan’s Career that prefaced the stories in the Lancer/Ace series? Blood of the Serpent is essentially based on the preface to “Red Nails.”
The inside illustrations by Roberto De La Terre are very good. And browsing the Internet shows us that Mr. De La Terre (when allowed) can draw female warriors. There is a particular good illustration of Valeria toward the end of the book.
The book also contains a new map (presumably by De La Torre). This new map contains more detail than the Lancer/Ace (the gold standard) maps did. I wish they had printed it in a larger size. I do have a minor complaint about fonts used in the text. The book uses both italics and bold italics. At first I thought this was a clever way of replacing quotes for the character’s thoughts. But the motif is used inconsistently.
The novel starts well. Conan is described in typical Howardian fashion: “Conan was bare to the waist and wore only knee-length loose canvas breeks, seaman-style, and the naturally pale skin of his broadshouldered, taut, heavily muscled torso was tanned the same nut-brown as his arms and legs and face, except where thin or puckered scars showed white. His hair fell to his shoulders, square-cut and as black as any Stygian’s, tied back with a strip of black silk. The eyes under his brows were volcanic blue and his features bluntly, ruggedly carved, with close-shaven jowls.”
Valeria is quickly introduced: “Keep your paws off my arse, Stygian pig,” the voice said, “or I’ll feed you your fingers and ram your severed sword hand thumb up your bunghole with the toe of my boot.” Maybe the dialogue is too coarse for REH’s Valeria and too similar to that god-awful Ablaze comic-book version of the character but Stirling needed a shorthand way to introduce her as a no nonsense warrior and it probably works for a modern audience.
Valeria’s warning doesn’t end the conflict and she ends up kicking the Stygian not so “noble”man in the balls. Male readers might not like that cliché so much.
I’m going to avoid describing the novel in too much detail from this point onward so as to avoid giving away too much plot and avoid spoilers. The novel is a fast read. I read it in two sessions and never got bored. Stirling is good with detail. You feel Conan’s sweat and the real life concern of being an outsider in a place like Stygia, where even though, you may have been invited, you are really not wanted.
The weird element that every Conan story should have is weak though. Stirling playfully throws in some Lovecraft but we never get a cosmic menace. Instead Conan is bedeviled by bewitched crocodiles, lions, rhinos, and even Edgar Rice Burroughs’ mangani.
Conan and Valeria, along with other members of Zarallo’s mercenary band, have to escort a Stygian contingent to a gold mine. A slave revolt occurs and the novel brings us some decent battle action. I always root for slaves in a slave revolt but protecting the Stygian gold and their own lives are Conan and Valeria’s concern. After the skirmish, Conan and crew, find some gold that was lost in the melee. At this point the novel appears to be going in a new direction and will be about how to finagle a gold heist with Stygians everywhere.
But the novel has to lead to the events in “Red Nails” so the potential gold heist story goes nowhere. And after Valeria takes “drastic measures to repulse a Stygian officer, Conan follows her south into the lands of the blacks.”
Conan travels south and meets a native warrior woman named Irawabon. New Edge Conan has sex with her, without protection, but he does ask her if she is worried about pregnancy after the deed:
Some time later he yawned, then stopped as a thought struck him.
“You not afraid—”
His hand shaped the air over her belly.
Irawagbon groaned softly, rolled her eyes and slapped his arm.
“Now man asks?”
He shrugged.
I’m sure in the next new Conan adventure he’ll don a lambskin bladder condom. New Edge Sword & Sorcery sensibilities shouldn’t bother Conan as long as he can still get laid.
When the last chapter of Stirling’s novel converges into REH’s “Red Nails” I was reminded of the vastly inferior Conan and the Stygian Queen by Jess Thornton. In that essentially bad fan-fic book Thornton incorporates REH’s “Beyond the Black River” as part of his narrative. Stirling does the same here but with REH’s “Red Nails.” Despite Stirling being a far far more skilled writer than Mr. Thornton I did feel a bit cheated.
I was entertained by the novel as a whole. It moves very fast and has plenty of exciting parts that I wished were developed more. Particularly the aftermath of the Stygian slave revolt and what could have been an interesting gold heist story. If Stirling hadn’t felt compelled to include “Red Nails” as his finale, the events in this novel, minus Valeria, could have been the main plot elements of a wholly original novel.
As a final statement I have to make my discontent known about a sentence made in the afterword where Stirling gives thanks: “To the folks at Titan Books, for deciding to do a new series hewing more closely to R. E. Howard’s vision.” To my ears that sounds like a slam to what came before. I sincerely doubt this book will be as successful as the Lancer/Ace series and probably not even the Tor series. I hope I’m wrong but a slam against what I (and millions, in the case of the Lancers) enjoyed before does not seem the best foot to start the new journey.
I sincerely hope this journey proves successful. I have a decade or two left and I would love it if new Conan adventures accompanied me until my end. Conan should go on forever…
Lest some interpret that as a criticism, I want to stress that I do not mean it as such. Robert Jordan was the first Tor Conan author and he set the pattern: Novel length stories, Horny Conan, and references to past (y’know, the really great ones, by Robert E. Howard!) adventures. It was a successful formula that worked and the first author to write Conan pastiche, L. Sprague de Camp, blessed it.
Mr. Jordan (real name: James Oliver Rigney Jr.), has since passed away and Conan is no longer a part of Tor’s future but Titan Books has taken up the mantle. This new book satisfies the Conan craving that we hophead Conan fans crave. Our last authorized fix was Harry Turtledove’s Conan of Venarium back in 2003. The Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures paperbacks that started publishing in 2005 don’t count, as those stories didn’t feature our favorite Cimmerian front and center. (There was a movie novelization by Michael A. Stackpole published in 2011 that was well done but was too associated with a failed movie to garner suitable appreciation.)
I have to admit to seeking outside dealers to satiate my Conan cravings. I purchased: King Conan and the Stygian Queen by Jess Thornton and Robert E. Howard (Middletown DE, 2016); Temple of the Black One by Robert M. Price (Columbia, SC, 2017); The Song of Belit by Rodolfo Martinez and Robert E. Howard (Sportula, 2020); and most recently I Conan: Cimmerian by L. J. Laroch (Dorrance Publishing, 2021). I have a blog called "spraguedecampfan" where I have reviewed pastiche Conan.
That product (and the various Conan comic books) got me through the last 19 years and even though there were brief periods of withdrawal I never kicked the habit completely. So when new Conan hits the streets I’m on the corner buying up any supply.
The line “Robert E. Howard’s Conan” is guaranteed to bother those short-sighted fans who merely want to virtue signal that this is NOT Robert E. Howard’s Conan. Yeah, it is. It’s the character created by REH. The same appellation “Robert E. Howard’s Conan” appears on the Modiphius Gamebooks and no one complains.
The artwork on this latest book has been the topic of some discussion. I’m sure the folks at Titan Books know better than I do. But I liked the old style covers. For some of the Tor Books (especially those by Roland Green) the covers were the best part!
Back in the old days (80s/90s) we got both beefcake and cheesecake. Covers like those would have the prudes wagging a finger today. But these old style covers were meant for Conan fans who grew up on Playboy and were fun at the time.
A snake wrapped around a sword? Meh…
By the way, Conan and the Gods of the Mountain by Roland Green is a sequel to Robert E. Howard’s “Red Nails” and Stirling’s book is a prequel. Remember those excerpts from A Probable Outline of Conan’s Career that prefaced the stories in the Lancer/Ace series? Blood of the Serpent is essentially based on the preface to “Red Nails.”
The inside illustrations by Roberto De La Terre are very good. And browsing the Internet shows us that Mr. De La Terre (when allowed) can draw female warriors. There is a particular good illustration of Valeria toward the end of the book.
The book also contains a new map (presumably by De La Torre). This new map contains more detail than the Lancer/Ace (the gold standard) maps did. I wish they had printed it in a larger size. I do have a minor complaint about fonts used in the text. The book uses both italics and bold italics. At first I thought this was a clever way of replacing quotes for the character’s thoughts. But the motif is used inconsistently.
The novel starts well. Conan is described in typical Howardian fashion: “Conan was bare to the waist and wore only knee-length loose canvas breeks, seaman-style, and the naturally pale skin of his broadshouldered, taut, heavily muscled torso was tanned the same nut-brown as his arms and legs and face, except where thin or puckered scars showed white. His hair fell to his shoulders, square-cut and as black as any Stygian’s, tied back with a strip of black silk. The eyes under his brows were volcanic blue and his features bluntly, ruggedly carved, with close-shaven jowls.”
Valeria is quickly introduced: “Keep your paws off my arse, Stygian pig,” the voice said, “or I’ll feed you your fingers and ram your severed sword hand thumb up your bunghole with the toe of my boot.” Maybe the dialogue is too coarse for REH’s Valeria and too similar to that god-awful Ablaze comic-book version of the character but Stirling needed a shorthand way to introduce her as a no nonsense warrior and it probably works for a modern audience.
Valeria’s warning doesn’t end the conflict and she ends up kicking the Stygian not so “noble”man in the balls. Male readers might not like that cliché so much.
I’m going to avoid describing the novel in too much detail from this point onward so as to avoid giving away too much plot and avoid spoilers. The novel is a fast read. I read it in two sessions and never got bored. Stirling is good with detail. You feel Conan’s sweat and the real life concern of being an outsider in a place like Stygia, where even though, you may have been invited, you are really not wanted.
The weird element that every Conan story should have is weak though. Stirling playfully throws in some Lovecraft but we never get a cosmic menace. Instead Conan is bedeviled by bewitched crocodiles, lions, rhinos, and even Edgar Rice Burroughs’ mangani.
Conan and Valeria, along with other members of Zarallo’s mercenary band, have to escort a Stygian contingent to a gold mine. A slave revolt occurs and the novel brings us some decent battle action. I always root for slaves in a slave revolt but protecting the Stygian gold and their own lives are Conan and Valeria’s concern. After the skirmish, Conan and crew, find some gold that was lost in the melee. At this point the novel appears to be going in a new direction and will be about how to finagle a gold heist with Stygians everywhere.
But the novel has to lead to the events in “Red Nails” so the potential gold heist story goes nowhere. And after Valeria takes “drastic measures to repulse a Stygian officer, Conan follows her south into the lands of the blacks.”
Conan travels south and meets a native warrior woman named Irawabon. New Edge Conan has sex with her, without protection, but he does ask her if she is worried about pregnancy after the deed:
Some time later he yawned, then stopped as a thought struck him.
“You not afraid—”
His hand shaped the air over her belly.
Irawagbon groaned softly, rolled her eyes and slapped his arm.
“Now man asks?”
He shrugged.
I’m sure in the next new Conan adventure he’ll don a lambskin bladder condom. New Edge Sword & Sorcery sensibilities shouldn’t bother Conan as long as he can still get laid.
When the last chapter of Stirling’s novel converges into REH’s “Red Nails” I was reminded of the vastly inferior Conan and the Stygian Queen by Jess Thornton. In that essentially bad fan-fic book Thornton incorporates REH’s “Beyond the Black River” as part of his narrative. Stirling does the same here but with REH’s “Red Nails.” Despite Stirling being a far far more skilled writer than Mr. Thornton I did feel a bit cheated.
I was entertained by the novel as a whole. It moves very fast and has plenty of exciting parts that I wished were developed more. Particularly the aftermath of the Stygian slave revolt and what could have been an interesting gold heist story. If Stirling hadn’t felt compelled to include “Red Nails” as his finale, the events in this novel, minus Valeria, could have been the main plot elements of a wholly original novel.
As a final statement I have to make my discontent known about a sentence made in the afterword where Stirling gives thanks: “To the folks at Titan Books, for deciding to do a new series hewing more closely to R. E. Howard’s vision.” To my ears that sounds like a slam to what came before. I sincerely doubt this book will be as successful as the Lancer/Ace series and probably not even the Tor series. I hope I’m wrong but a slam against what I (and millions, in the case of the Lancers) enjoyed before does not seem the best foot to start the new journey.
I sincerely hope this journey proves successful. I have a decade or two left and I would love it if new Conan adventures accompanied me until my end. Conan should go on forever…
December 31, 2022
Well, that was underwhelming as all hell. So much for the "pulse pounding" return of Conan.
I think this should have been called Conan - Plod of the Serpent because man, this book dragged. Very little actually happens, and Stirling pads out the books with explanations on...well, everything.
The food. The money. Hunting techniques. Cultural things for the various countries. Strategy. Landscape.
...so...much...explanation...
Which, if it helps the story, okay. But one of Elmore Leonard's most famous writing rules is to leave out the parts that people skip. Stirling seems to have gathered up all those skippable parts and stuffed them into this story to make it novel length when, at best, this should have been a novella.
I didn't really think Conan could be boring, but I found myself drifting all the time I was reading this.
Honestly, I think Stirling read a bunch of Conan stuff just so he could make fact lists. I think he completely ignored the snappy tautness of Robert E. Howard's writing...one of the main strengths of any Conan story. Oh, well, that and the sorcery that Stirling hints at, but doesn't really dive into with both feet like Howard did.
Absolutely not recommended. And by god, I hope to hell he doesn't write another one, but if he does, this kid's staying well away from it.
I think this should have been called Conan - Plod of the Serpent because man, this book dragged. Very little actually happens, and Stirling pads out the books with explanations on...well, everything.
The food. The money. Hunting techniques. Cultural things for the various countries. Strategy. Landscape.
...so...much...explanation...
Which, if it helps the story, okay. But one of Elmore Leonard's most famous writing rules is to leave out the parts that people skip. Stirling seems to have gathered up all those skippable parts and stuffed them into this story to make it novel length when, at best, this should have been a novella.
I didn't really think Conan could be boring, but I found myself drifting all the time I was reading this.
Honestly, I think Stirling read a bunch of Conan stuff just so he could make fact lists. I think he completely ignored the snappy tautness of Robert E. Howard's writing...one of the main strengths of any Conan story. Oh, well, that and the sorcery that Stirling hints at, but doesn't really dive into with both feet like Howard did.
Absolutely not recommended. And by god, I hope to hell he doesn't write another one, but if he does, this kid's staying well away from it.
December 19, 2022
I was very excited when I heard the news this was coming out about a year ago. The story is pretty good- it fills in the time Conan and Valeria are with a band of Free Companions mercenaries. Right off you can tell Sterling is a good author. I do like how Sterling focused the story on Conan, rather that the ridiculous Tor book process that jumped from one chapter of Conan, and then one chapter of the nemesis (sorcerer/demon etc.) This way we get a full novel of Conan, rather than a 50/50 split. The problem I have with the book is Conan seems somewhat subdued, as if the editors forced Sterling to tame his Barbarian soul. His dialogue is off, and mannerisms seem changed. A copy of Howard's Red Nails is at the end of the book, and the first chapter will point out the stark differences in character and mood. Obviously, we can't expect a Robert E. Howard genius story, but I still miss The John Maddox Roberts books. He nailed the character and mood pretty well. The good thing is we have new Conan! Hopefully Titan continues this effort, maybe with an established Sword and Sorcery author. Although, I'm not sure if the editors at Titan understand. A passage from the Afterword reads " Red Nails is pure Howard, restored from his original manuscript. Raw and powerful, it's also very much of its time--written almost a century ago, when our culture could be less socially aware and genre fiction in particular often exhibited rough edges some of today's readers may find jarring." Make of that what you will. I'm hoping for more edginess. One other note- you will enjoy a nod to Burroughs' Mangani apes from Tarzan. The ritual area was pretty cool.
June 19, 2024
В послеслова и благодарностите си авторът уточнява, че романът му е част от нова поредица на Titan Books, придържаща се по-близо до оригиналната визия на Робърт Хауърд за Конан и е вдъхновен от творбата Червени пирони, като се явява предистория, разкриваща събитията, довели до срещата на Конан с Валерия от Червеното братство. Нещо повече - финалната сцена в Кръвта на змията е почти дословен преразказ на началната в гореспоменатата новела, също включена в изданието - много, много симпатичен факт!
Стърлинг, по скромното ми мнение, се е справил повече от добре, улавяйки духа на Weird Tales творбите, затова не очаквайте някакви овъртолени сюжетни ходове и дълбоко психологически изваяни персонажи, точно обратното – ще се на��ладите на добре познатия дестилиран праволинеен екшън с двуизмерни по отношение на концепцията добро/зло герои.
Откриваме Конан в пограничния Стигийския град Сукмет, присъединил се към наемническия отряд Волните другари на Зарало, а приключенията ще го отведат в джунглите дълбоко на на юг. Смятам за излишно да уточнявам, че кимериецът просто ще прегази всичко по пътя си – вражески бойци, коварен жрец на Сет (тук има благо намигане към Ктхулу митологията) , плюс една сюрия опасни животни – лъвове, гепарди, леопарди, човекоподобни маймуни, крокодили, носорози и, разбира се, змии от всякаква марка и калибър. Абсолютен шибан кеф!
Редно е да кажем ласкави думи и за прекрасно оформеното книжно тяло – чудесна обложка, стилна мека корица, оцветени и оформящи образа на героя външни ръбчета на страниците, жестоки черно-бели вътрешни илюстрации от Роберто де ла Торе.
Сега малко допълнителни материали, понеже, не знам дали знаете, ама съм луд фен на Робърт Хауърд. Ето как самият той описва героите си:
Те са съвсем обикновени. Поставяш ги в безизходна ситуация и никой не очаква от теб да си изкълчиш мозъка в измислянето на някакъв хитър начин, по който да се спасят. Те са твърде глупави за да направят каквото и да е било друго, освен да секат, стрелят и да се измъкнат, пробивайки си път през врага.
В едно писмо до Кларк Аштън Смит от 14 декември 1933 пък прави доста любопитно признание:
Макар и да не бих отишъл толкова далече за да твърдя, че съм почерпил вдъхновение за разказите от действително съществуващи духове или подобни стихии (въпреки че не бих отрекъл изцяло каквото и да е било), понякога съм се питал дали някакви неведоми сили от миналото или от настоящето (или дори от бъдещето) не се проявяват в мислите и действията на живите хора. Това ми хрумна по-специално, когато пишех първите разкази за Конан. Знам просто, че с месеци наред главата ми беше абсолютно празна откъм идеи, че бях напълно неспособен да напиша дори и ред, който да мога да продам. И тогава Конан изведнъж започна да придобива плът в съзнанието ми, а изпод перото ми (или по-точно от пишещата ми машина) започнаха да излизат разказ след разказ и то почти без усилие от моя страна. Като че ли не създавах, а просто преразказвах вече станали събития. Епизод след епизод се преследваха с такава бързина, че едва съумявах да се движа заедно с тях. В продължение на седмици не правех нищо друго освен да пиша за приключенията на Конан. Героят напълно ме обсеби и избутваше настрани всичко, което не бе свързано с писането. Когато нарочно се опитвах да пиша за нещо друго, се оказваше, че не съм в състояние. Не се опитвам да обяснявам това с тъмни или окултни сили, но фактите остават. Продължавах да пиша за Конан с повече мощ и с повече разбиране, отколкото за който и да е друг от моите герои. Ще дойде обаче времето, когато изобщо няма да мога да пиша за него. Това вече се е случвало в миналото с почти всичките ми персонажи: изведнъж загубвах контакт с концепцията, като че ли човекът, стоящ до рамото ми и насочващ усилията ми, се бе извърнал и си бе отишъл, оставяйки ме да търся друг герой.
Стърлинг, по скромното ми мнение, се е справил повече от добре, улавяйки духа на Weird Tales творбите, затова не очаквайте някакви овъртолени сюжетни ходове и дълбоко психологически изваяни персонажи, точно обратното – ще се на��ладите на добре познатия дестилиран праволинеен екшън с двуизмерни по отношение на концепцията добро/зло герои.
Откриваме Конан в пограничния Стигийския град Сукмет, присъединил се към наемническия отряд Волните другари на Зарало, а приключенията ще го отведат в джунглите дълбоко на на юг. Смятам за излишно да уточнявам, че кимериецът просто ще прегази всичко по пътя си – вражески бойци, коварен жрец на Сет (тук има благо намигане към Ктхулу митологията) , плюс една сюрия опасни животни – лъвове, гепарди, леопарди, човекоподобни маймуни, крокодили, носорози и, разбира се, змии от всякаква марка и калибър. Абсолютен шибан кеф!
Редно е да кажем ласкави думи и за прекрасно оформеното книжно тяло – чудесна обложка, стилна мека корица, оцветени и оформящи образа на героя външни ръбчета на страниците, жестоки черно-бели вътрешни илюстрации от Роберто де ла Торе.
Сега малко допълнителни материали, понеже, не знам дали знаете, ама съм луд фен на Робърт Хауърд. Ето как самият той описва героите си:
Те са съвсем обикновени. Поставяш ги в безизходна ситуация и никой не очаква от теб да си изкълчиш мозъка в измислянето на някакъв хитър начин, по който да се спасят. Те са твърде глупави за да направят каквото и да е било друго, освен да секат, стрелят и да се измъкнат, пробивайки си път през врага.
В едно писмо до Кларк Аштън Смит от 14 декември 1933 пък прави доста любопитно признание:
Макар и да не бих отишъл толкова далече за да твърдя, че съм почерпил вдъхновение за разказите от действително съществуващи духове или подобни стихии (въпреки че не бих отрекъл изцяло каквото и да е било), понякога съм се питал дали някакви неведоми сили от миналото или от настоящето (или дори от бъдещето) не се проявяват в мислите и действията на живите хора. Това ми хрумна по-специално, когато пишех първите разкази за Конан. Знам просто, че с месеци наред главата ми беше абсолютно празна откъм идеи, че бях напълно неспособен да напиша дори и ред, който да мога да продам. И тогава Конан изведнъж започна да придобива плът в съзнанието ми, а изпод перото ми (или по-точно от пишещата ми машина) започнаха да излизат разказ след разказ и то почти без усилие от моя страна. Като че ли не създавах, а просто преразказвах вече станали събития. Епизод след епизод се преследваха с такава бързина, че едва съумявах да се движа заедно с тях. В продължение на седмици не правех нищо друго освен да пиша за приключенията на Конан. Героят напълно ме обсеби и избутваше настрани всичко, което не бе свързано с писането. Когато нарочно се опитвах да пиша за нещо друго, се оказваше, че не съм в състояние. Не се опитвам да обяснявам това с тъмни или окултни сили, но фактите остават. Продължавах да пиша за Конан с повече мощ и с повече разбиране, отколкото за който и да е друг от моите герои. Ще дойде обаче времето, когато изобщо няма да мога да пиша за него. Това вече се е случвало в миналото с почти всичките ми персонажи: изведнъж загубвах контакт с концепцията, като че ли човекът, стоящ до рамото ми и насочващ усилията ми, се бе извърнал и си бе отишъл, оставяйки ме да търся друг герой.
January 7, 2023
As a fan of Conan, I found this book a chore to read. It feels like a short story that is padded out to novel length with excessive description and explanation.
January 10, 2023
Conan of Cimmeria is back in a brand new book. He finds himself in the backend of Stygia playing the scout to a mercenary force. When this force gets a new member namely Valeria of the Red brotherhood, a former pirate, shit hits the wall, no fans in those days. Some Stygian nobles and a priest take offense with this strong lady and they find out that their feelings are the least that gets hurt.
When Valeria takes off after offing one Stygian, his brothers gives chase. Conan cursed by a Stygian priest gives chase to the Stygian who he has to get to earlier than the man gets to Valeria. While busy in the chase Conan gets attacked and does some attacking himself and saves some dames.
The story ends where REH starts with his haunted house story called Red Nails. Which as a gesture to the reader has been added to this volume.
Therein lies the big elephant in the room, REH’s story is so much more powerful as Stirlings story which is fine but feel a lot less like the Sword and Sorcery as written by Robert E Howard. He is and was the master of this genre, Red Nails in 100 pages feels like a completer tale than the 316 pages of Sword and the Serpent.
For me Sword & Sorcery like REH is not political correct but feels a lot more female enhancing than quite a few modern books, his Valeria is a tough and vulnerable lady who can take care of herself. And Conan is not a civilized person, he is a smart barbarian with great fighting skills and a great military mind.
Glad to see this continuation writer doing his best to write a prequel for Red Nails, but the main event was bloody great and the prequel fun but sometimes boring. Which is opposite of the tales of REH.
I like to mention that while I read this book I came across two b/w Savage Sword of Conan comics from the seventies, both have no ISBN numbers but where a heck lot of fun of the today political incorrectness is involved.
May Conan remain the barbarian and we a little less woke, even if the Twain never shall meet.
When Valeria takes off after offing one Stygian, his brothers gives chase. Conan cursed by a Stygian priest gives chase to the Stygian who he has to get to earlier than the man gets to Valeria. While busy in the chase Conan gets attacked and does some attacking himself and saves some dames.
The story ends where REH starts with his haunted house story called Red Nails. Which as a gesture to the reader has been added to this volume.
Therein lies the big elephant in the room, REH’s story is so much more powerful as Stirlings story which is fine but feel a lot less like the Sword and Sorcery as written by Robert E Howard. He is and was the master of this genre, Red Nails in 100 pages feels like a completer tale than the 316 pages of Sword and the Serpent.
For me Sword & Sorcery like REH is not political correct but feels a lot more female enhancing than quite a few modern books, his Valeria is a tough and vulnerable lady who can take care of herself. And Conan is not a civilized person, he is a smart barbarian with great fighting skills and a great military mind.
Glad to see this continuation writer doing his best to write a prequel for Red Nails, but the main event was bloody great and the prequel fun but sometimes boring. Which is opposite of the tales of REH.
I like to mention that while I read this book I came across two b/w Savage Sword of Conan comics from the seventies, both have no ISBN numbers but where a heck lot of fun of the today political incorrectness is involved.
May Conan remain the barbarian and we a little less woke, even if the Twain never shall meet.
January 11, 2023
This was awesome. I hope this is the first of many new Conan novels to come. It's so interesting how Stirling's sparse and direct writing style adapts to the mythology, setting, and themes of REH's famous character. Stirling's Conan is vital and fun to root for: a cosmopolitan who seeks to learn about other cultures, Conan is sometimes a principled hero driven by loyalty to friends, battle comrades, and the downtrodden; other times, Conan is a bloody mercenary who seeks freedom, personal fulfillment, adventure, and the all-too-human joys of food, drink, sleep, comfort, and... [censored]. This sustained tension between responsibility and self-actualization makes the character perennially intriguing. Also, there are clever easter eggs for fans of the Conan comics, video games, and movies. The final chapter is very artful, even literary, and will serve as a wonderful gateway to REH's sword-and-sorcery masterpiece, "Red Nails."
February 24, 2023
I’m a Conan Nut. I have been since about age 10. Eventually, I migrated from Conan Nut to Robert E. Howard Fanatic; however, Conan was my first love. Anything Conan I am happy to try. Movies. Comics. Books. I’ve read lots of drudge over the years.
When Titan announced this book and the revitalizing of NEW Conan books, I was excited. I still am, even though this one was not fantastic.
Not fantastic, but not terrible. It’s an extended chase scene built on about the first 3 or 4 pages of backstory fluff written in the REH Conan story, “Red Nails”. It is a 300-ish page prelude to a 80-ish page. novella.
So what makes it good, or at least saves it from being terrible? Stirling pays homage to the source material that nerds, such as myself, really dig. It reads like a Star Trek or Star Wars IP novel that machine guns off nod after nod, Easter Egg after Easter Egg. I won’t say he nailed Conan, but Stirling’s Conan was Conan ‘Nough. There are some admirable action scenes and I enjoyed Stirling’s Mythos nods. I received the sense Stirling is excited to write Conan and play in the REH sandbox. This one wasn’t a home run, but it has potential.
It feels about 250-ish pages too long.
All of that being said, I am still excited about Titan Books publishing more Conan and I look forward to the next volume which is by Mr. John C. Hocking.
When Titan announced this book and the revitalizing of NEW Conan books, I was excited. I still am, even though this one was not fantastic.
Not fantastic, but not terrible. It’s an extended chase scene built on about the first 3 or 4 pages of backstory fluff written in the REH Conan story, “Red Nails”. It is a 300-ish page prelude to a 80-ish page. novella.
So what makes it good, or at least saves it from being terrible? Stirling pays homage to the source material that nerds, such as myself, really dig. It reads like a Star Trek or Star Wars IP novel that machine guns off nod after nod, Easter Egg after Easter Egg. I won’t say he nailed Conan, but Stirling’s Conan was Conan ‘Nough. There are some admirable action scenes and I enjoyed Stirling’s Mythos nods. I received the sense Stirling is excited to write Conan and play in the REH sandbox. This one wasn’t a home run, but it has potential.
It feels about 250-ish pages too long.
All of that being said, I am still excited about Titan Books publishing more Conan and I look forward to the next volume which is by Mr. John C. Hocking.
October 13, 2025
Може би заради деветдесетарските книгоиздателски изстъпления у нас (ИК "Елф"!) съм силно предубеден към романи за кимериеца не от Робърт Хауърд. "Артлайн", обаче, не издават случайни неща и затова си позволих внимателен оптимизъм.
Романът е директна предистория на хауърдовия разказ "Червени пирони". Той разказа защо и как Конан и Валерия се запознават и се озовават отвъд познатите земи и близо до огромен и мистериозен град. Има доволно приключения, кръчми, проклятия и поклонници на Сет. Също, разбира се - насилие, ухажване и преследвания (последните - с две крайно противоположни намерения). Има и намигване към Ктхулу!
С.М.Стърлинг се е справил чудесно в отдаването на почин ктм бащицата на кимериеца. Сюжетът не е особено заплетен и няма втрещяващи обрати, но в история за Конан не би следвало да се очакват такива. Финалът е написан така, както започва "Червени пирони" и го преави просто перфектна предистория.
Книгата завършва с горепосочената новела на Робърт Хауърд. "Червени пирони" е последното произведение за Конан, написано от Хауърд преди да сложи край на живота си. Той разказва за преживяното от кимериеца и не по-малко опасната Валерия в мистериозен град отвъд познатия свят. Тази история е една от най-кървавите и най-хорър оригинални истории за Конан и е бомба!
В заключение е нужно да се отбележат просто перфектните илюстрации на Роберто де ла Торе, както и очаквано класните корици и вътрешно оформление на "Артлайн",
Мисля, че също като мен, почитателите на Конан, ще останат доволни от романа.
Романът е директна предистория на хауърдовия разказ "Червени пирони". Той разказа защо и как Конан и Валерия се запознават и се озовават отвъд познатите земи и близо до огромен и мистериозен град. Има доволно приключения, кръчми, проклятия и поклонници на Сет. Също, разбира се - насилие, ухажване и преследвания (последните - с две крайно противоположни намерения). Има и намигване към Ктхулу!
С.М.Стърлинг се е справил чудесно в отдаването на почин ктм бащицата на кимериеца. Сюжетът не е особено заплетен и няма втрещяващи обрати, но в история за Конан не би следвало да се очакват такива. Финалът е написан така, както започва "Червени пирони" и го преави просто перфектна предистория.
Книгата завършва с горепосочената новела на Робърт Хауърд. "Червени пирони" е последното произведение за Конан, написано от Хауърд преди да сложи край на живота си. Той разказва за преживяното от кимериеца и не по-малко опасната Валерия в мистериозен град отвъд познатия свят. Тази история е една от най-кървавите и най-хорър оригинални истории за Конан и е бомба!
В заключение е нужно да се отбележат просто перфектните илюстрации на Роберто де ла Торе, както и очаквано класните корици и вътрешно оформление на "Артлайн",
Мисля, че също като мен, почитателите на Конан, ще останат доволни от романа.
April 8, 2023
After many false starts someone has finally published a new official Conan novel. With any beloved intellectual property fans exhibited many different opinions about it. Many condemned it without reading it, many more after. The unwary can become lost down the rabbit hole of reviews online.
Personally, I welcomed the new novel, but with trepidation. When Titan listed the book initially, they only offered hardcover and kindle. A hardcover can be nice, but my Conan collection is paperback; I did not want a hardcover. Then you figure in the kindle price–seems rather inflated by comparison to other books in this genre.
After the initial euphoria wears off you realize that this isn't a complete new novel, but a prequel paired with the short story Red Nails. The 421 pages of the story is padded with a reprint of Howard's original work. Stirling's novel doesn't fare well without the inclusion, but this is a minor complaint.
You should never judge a book by its cover, but the cover for Blood of the Serpent is unassuming. It is bland. It is safe. Certainly not the eye candy fans come to expect from this type of book. The indie crowd gets it. The redemption for Titan comes with the inclusion of interior illustrations by Roberto de la Torre. This was a very nice touch and much appreciated.
The story is well written. Although, it is basically a chase story. What I mean by this is our male protagonist is in a race against time chasing our female protagonist in an attempt to help avert disaster from the antagonist. Burroughs did this with his Carson of Venus books and Resnick did this with his Ganymede books. This can make for a fast-paced story. In this instance Conan went on a few side quests while on his chase which stretched the credulity of his quarry not escaping him altogether.
The ending of Blood of the Serpent flows directly into the beginning of Red Nails. I am still unsure why Blood of the Serpent reiterates the opening of Red Nails if both stories are present together. More padding?
This was my first reading of Red Nails. Coming so late to it I cannot help but look at it with apathy. Once the players are introduced everything that happens is evident long before it happens. It certainly was not the best S&S I've ever read. The menace and horror of the setting and situation is palpable and helps make up for the transparent plot. The denouement is also rather cliché to the jaded reader.
The Afterword is a sad thing. It is an apology for the righteous and indignant for Howard's "original manuscript. Raw and powerful, it's also very much of its time–written almost a century ago, when our culture could be less socially aware and genre fiction in particular often exhibited rough edges some of today's readers may find jarring."
Overall, even though I was not blown away by the story or packaging I still found the story engaging and welcomed it to my collection. There is ample room for improvement from Titan. Perhaps they will get it right with the release of John C. Hocking's Conan in the City of the Dead due in November?
Personally, I welcomed the new novel, but with trepidation. When Titan listed the book initially, they only offered hardcover and kindle. A hardcover can be nice, but my Conan collection is paperback; I did not want a hardcover. Then you figure in the kindle price–seems rather inflated by comparison to other books in this genre.
After the initial euphoria wears off you realize that this isn't a complete new novel, but a prequel paired with the short story Red Nails. The 421 pages of the story is padded with a reprint of Howard's original work. Stirling's novel doesn't fare well without the inclusion, but this is a minor complaint.
You should never judge a book by its cover, but the cover for Blood of the Serpent is unassuming. It is bland. It is safe. Certainly not the eye candy fans come to expect from this type of book. The indie crowd gets it. The redemption for Titan comes with the inclusion of interior illustrations by Roberto de la Torre. This was a very nice touch and much appreciated.
The story is well written. Although, it is basically a chase story. What I mean by this is our male protagonist is in a race against time chasing our female protagonist in an attempt to help avert disaster from the antagonist. Burroughs did this with his Carson of Venus books and Resnick did this with his Ganymede books. This can make for a fast-paced story. In this instance Conan went on a few side quests while on his chase which stretched the credulity of his quarry not escaping him altogether.
The ending of Blood of the Serpent flows directly into the beginning of Red Nails. I am still unsure why Blood of the Serpent reiterates the opening of Red Nails if both stories are present together. More padding?
This was my first reading of Red Nails. Coming so late to it I cannot help but look at it with apathy. Once the players are introduced everything that happens is evident long before it happens. It certainly was not the best S&S I've ever read. The menace and horror of the setting and situation is palpable and helps make up for the transparent plot. The denouement is also rather cliché to the jaded reader.
The Afterword is a sad thing. It is an apology for the righteous and indignant for Howard's "original manuscript. Raw and powerful, it's also very much of its time–written almost a century ago, when our culture could be less socially aware and genre fiction in particular often exhibited rough edges some of today's readers may find jarring."
Overall, even though I was not blown away by the story or packaging I still found the story engaging and welcomed it to my collection. There is ample room for improvement from Titan. Perhaps they will get it right with the release of John C. Hocking's Conan in the City of the Dead due in November?
April 28, 2025
Не бях чела за приключенията на Конан Варварина, но все още си спомням с какъв интерес гледах навремето филма "Червената Соня".
Романът е предистория на оригиналната история на Робърт Хауърд "Червени пирони", включена през 1997 г. в сборника "Конан Воинът". Новелата присъства в настоящата книга с нов превод като естествено продължение на историята, написана от Стърлинг. В нея се разказва как Конан среща Валерия от Червеното братство. Двамата приключенстват и се сблъскват със сетски жрец, който проклина Конан и преследва Валерия.
Конан през цялото време се бори с омагьосани животни, които искаха да го унищожат - крокодили, маймуни, носорози, дори и един дракон. Инстинктите му на воин, невероятната му сила и будният му ум го предпазваха нееднократно по пътя му към Валерия в опит да я спаси от преследвача. Срещата им на хълма бележи прехода към новелата на Хауърд, където двамата преживяват още едно приключение.
Началото ми беше трудно, но после не можех да оставя книгата. Светът е много добре изграден, с много описания на начина на живот по време на митичната Хиперборейска епоха. Тогава е имало много суеверия, тайнства, вярвания в различни божества, магически ритуали и свръхестествени същества. Животните са били силни и големи. Конан е един от малкото герои, които са благородни и с чувство за справедливост на фона на описаните тъмни времена. Дори Валерия не притежаваше този морален компас.
Книгата е приключенско фентъзи, но в нея има и доста мрачни моменти и гаври с човека. Конан оцелява, благодарение на бързия ум, светкавичните реакции и силата си, но светът, в който живее, е суров и опасен.
Препоръчвам книгата, ако сте любител на фентъзито и героичните битки в свят, в който оцеляват само най-силните.
Романът е предистория на оригиналната история на Робърт Хауърд "Червени пирони", включена през 1997 г. в сборника "Конан Воинът". Новелата присъства в настоящата книга с нов превод като естествено продължение на историята, написана от Стърлинг. В нея се разказва как Конан среща Валерия от Червеното братство. Двамата приключенстват и се сблъскват със сетски жрец, който проклина Конан и преследва Валерия.
Конан през цялото време се бори с омагьосани животни, които искаха да го унищожат - крокодили, маймуни, носорози, дори и един дракон. Инстинктите му на воин, невероятната му сила и будният му ум го предпазваха нееднократно по пътя му към Валерия в опит да я спаси от преследвача. Срещата им на хълма бележи прехода към новелата на Хауърд, където двамата преживяват още едно приключение.
Началото ми беше трудно, но после не можех да оставя книгата. Светът е много добре изграден, с много описания на начина на живот по време на митичната Хиперборейска епоха. Тогава е имало много суеверия, тайнства, вярвания в различни божества, магически ритуали и свръхестествени същества. Животните са били силни и големи. Конан е един от малкото герои, които са благородни и с чувство за справедливост на фона на описаните тъмни времена. Дори Валерия не притежаваше този морален компас.
Книгата е приключенско фентъзи, но в нея има и доста мрачни моменти и гаври с човека. Конан оцелява, благодарение на бързия ум, светкавичните реакции и силата си, но светът, в който живее, е суров и опасен.
Препоръчвам книгата, ако сте любител на фентъзито и героичните битки в свят, в който оцеляват само най-силните.
December 1, 2022
Just to get this out of the way I have to say nobody will write Conan better than it’s creator Robert E Howard. Nobody. But I really like the world that was created and think it’s fun to see other authors take a opportunity to write in that setting and see their take on Conan. These stories are usually called “pastiches” by fans. I think that this one is pretty good, better than many I’ve read, but not quite up to the level of someone like John Maddox Roberts. My favorite original Conan story is Red Nails and in it Valeria mentions a meeting with Conan in Sukhmet; this story is how they originally met (according to Stirling) and what follows. Plenty of action and adventure follow this encounter! The advance copy I got had a beautiful map and occasional illustrations which was really nice. I’ll always welcome more Conan adventures!
March 15, 2023
This was such a disappointment. Slow and boring. The author's take on Conan was awful. I would definitely not recommend this book to any Conan fan. I don't normally give 1 star reviews. Because I just don't finish them. I so wanted this to get good. I just keep reading and hoping. I should have quit reading long before I finished.
January 15, 2023
😢
Although I haven't read any of his other books, I would highly urge this author to leave Conan alone...
He utterly failed to capture the spirit of the character created by Howard.
Although I haven't read any of his other books, I would highly urge this author to leave Conan alone...
He utterly failed to capture the spirit of the character created by Howard.
January 22, 2023
Once back in the 1970s and 1980s you could get two to three Conan books and the graphic novels too now Conan is out of fashion but Netflix may be bring him to the back.
Two books the first one is into the 2nd both true dark 😈 evil
Two books the first one is into the 2nd both true dark 😈 evil
March 1, 2023
It’s a fun book and an interesting idea. It’s not written like Howard but written in a way that is very digestible and page turning.
I really enjoyed the opening it captured that reckless high adventure of say a better Lin Carter story. The book is still heroic fantasy but it does take some time to do a bit more contemporary flavored world building and add some more “realistic” elements to the world through this. For more contemporary fantasy fans this might be a good bridge between modern prose style and the leaner style of classic pulp fiction. For fans of pulp fiction it may feel a bit unnecessary.
The adventure itself is a cool series of events and set pieces. It mostly uses the brutality of the natural world as threats rather than the supernatural. Which in a way works when you consider the pseudo-historical nature of the Conan stories. Overall, it’s a travelogue but one with a bunch of cool stops.l along the way.
I thought it was enjoyable but maybe a little underwhelming when I first completed Sterling’s portion of the book. But the publisher did something clever. They included the original Red Nails which this new content is a prequel to. When you read the opening chapter of Red Nails you can really see the groundwork for Sterling’s novel. Conan being a bit boastful and overly exposition laden in his dialogue informs his POV voice that Sterling used. The fight with the “dragon” that focuses on the threat of the natural world(and Conan’s understanding of it) made Sterling’s very different approach to a Conan story make sense. It really made me appreciate the new material more seeing the context that inspired it and having the story conclude with Red Nails.
As for Red Nails, it’s been probably a decade since I’ve read it. At the time I thought it was the finest Conan story. Now, I can see it has more rough edges to it than I remembered. It’s got a madness that is just brilliant. But I’m not sure if I still think it’s Howard’s finest work. It’s a wondrously insane tale and newcomers to Conan’s original material will find much to take away from one of REH’s seminal works.
I really enjoyed the opening it captured that reckless high adventure of say a better Lin Carter story. The book is still heroic fantasy but it does take some time to do a bit more contemporary flavored world building and add some more “realistic” elements to the world through this. For more contemporary fantasy fans this might be a good bridge between modern prose style and the leaner style of classic pulp fiction. For fans of pulp fiction it may feel a bit unnecessary.
The adventure itself is a cool series of events and set pieces. It mostly uses the brutality of the natural world as threats rather than the supernatural. Which in a way works when you consider the pseudo-historical nature of the Conan stories. Overall, it’s a travelogue but one with a bunch of cool stops.l along the way.
I thought it was enjoyable but maybe a little underwhelming when I first completed Sterling’s portion of the book. But the publisher did something clever. They included the original Red Nails which this new content is a prequel to. When you read the opening chapter of Red Nails you can really see the groundwork for Sterling’s novel. Conan being a bit boastful and overly exposition laden in his dialogue informs his POV voice that Sterling used. The fight with the “dragon” that focuses on the threat of the natural world(and Conan’s understanding of it) made Sterling’s very different approach to a Conan story make sense. It really made me appreciate the new material more seeing the context that inspired it and having the story conclude with Red Nails.
As for Red Nails, it’s been probably a decade since I’ve read it. At the time I thought it was the finest Conan story. Now, I can see it has more rough edges to it than I remembered. It’s got a madness that is just brilliant. But I’m not sure if I still think it’s Howard’s finest work. It’s a wondrously insane tale and newcomers to Conan’s original material will find much to take away from one of REH’s seminal works.
November 12, 2023
CONAN
Blood of the Serpent is an earlier tale set before and leading into Robert E. Howard's Red Nails. The plan was to create a story that could fit inside Howard's timeline for Conan and not outside it. I don't know what the other rules were, but instead of the usual short stories we get a brand new Conan novel, and it's a bit different from classic sword and sorcery. Is this a bad thing? Let's see!
No spoilers, but after reading this book I can say that there aren't many noticeable changes if at all to the elements of Howard's characters or world (ancient earth after the fall of Atlantis). However, the style of writing and even genre most of the time is not quite the same as Howard's legendary stories. Typically, Howard would write short stories that were quick, to the point, larger than life sword and sorcery yarns with powerful action, characters and villains. We never got a good glimpse into the mind of Conan and had to follow this enigmatic, dominating warrior from an outsider perspective, following along his barbarian exploits and trying to pin down what makes him such a grand character from his actions and dialogue. And he is certainly a far more complex character than the average dumb brute stereotype might lead some to expect from him.
So how does Stirling handle the character in his pastiche? Well, I've read every Howard Conan story, but not many pastiches, so I can't compare to other non-Howard tales. I'm no purist, but I do have some reservations about reading another person writing my all time favorite character. Not only that, but since Howard's writing is a magmatic thunderclap of literature that cannot be recreated identically, I worry about someone trying to wear those shoes. The good thing is, in my humble opinion, that Stirling does not even try to copy or imitate Howard's style. As an established author himself, Stirling knows what he does best and he stays well within the scope of his impressive talents while respectfully borrowing Howard's characters and universe to create his own story. What I expected from this book was a lot actually. My hope was that an author would become a steward to the legend and carry the torch a ways farther, similar to how Brandon Sanderson continued and concluded the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. That's a tall order, but we've had ages to come up with our own personal wishlist for continuations.
Speaking of Jordan, he did a few pastiches of Conan as well. From what I've seen, many people criticized the stories for being cliche, and Conan being a bit out of character. The reason I mention this is because unlike Jordan, Stirling in Blood of the Serpent has captured Conan almost perfectly, at least to me. His pragmatism, battle wisdom, foresight, verbiage, intentions, mirth, natural sense of command, directness, desire but also respect for women, is all here, and we spend a lot of time in and out of his head as the story follows him intimately.
Howard himself only ever wrote one Conan novel, the Hour of the Dragon, so it isn't too weird seeing the character again in novel format, but it is a deviation from the genre norm. In this book, though, I would say it teeters heavily on the side of epic low fantasy as opposed to sword and sorcery. This will likely be the biggest turn off to anyone looking for a Howardian vision of the legendary warrior's early life. There just isn't that much weirdness or magic going on here, which has become a big staple of the genre, as it's more SWORD than SORCERY.
However, as far as this fan's concerned it didn't make much difference to me. I loved what was on offer here as I found myself immensely impressed by Stirling's knowledge and command of the lore, history, geography, peoples, cultures and characters, that when things are mentioned it feels consistent with the source material. The world and people are similar enough to me that the difference of writing style and even genre to an extent do not bother me whatsoever. I absolutely love this book for all that it is. As other reviewers stated it does drag sometimes as again we are used to Conan driving the action forward and getting to the heart of a problem and resolving it (although he needed a lot of external help during Hour of the Dragon, not gonna lie). Here, in his earlier years he is not a king, and follows other masters. He is known to have been a thief, a mercenary, a soldier, a pirate, whatever warms the bed and fills the belly. This will be a little frustrating to some who prefer Conan and his villains to mostly drive the plot as he is bound to the quest of his soldiery or mercenary band.
I understand what complaints people might have but seeing him still take the lead everywhere he goes, reading about the difference in cultures and languages, outfits, gear, etc., as he fights against and alongside men and women from other regions was a welcome expansion to the world and lore that we know and love. I appreciated the little details.
I was wary at first hearing some of Conan's thoughts but of course all people think and by now it just isn't weird to hear so long as it is in his character, and it was. There are even some funny moments. Particularly I loved the line (paraphrasing) that went something like "if he was particularly inclined toward cannibalism, he still wouldn't go near that body".
Before I forget I also wanted to bring up the other main character, Valeria. If you've read Red Nails then you know who she is. If not, no worries, because this book introduces her for the first time officially. She is a stellar character, almost equal to Conan in fighting prowess and highly intelligent. Their interactions throughout are part of what makes this story compelling. I'll say no morem
Forgive my scatter-brain opinions. As much as I would love some more weird and sorcery I found myself pleasantly surprised by this book, hugely relieved to finally have a good old friend back in my life in a sense, and something I will be able to read again and again out of love. The amount of work to get into another author's world and "get it right" is probably way more difficult than just making it up as you go. I can't even imagine. Because I think he did get it right. It may not be perfect, and some people are likely going to have decades of expectations to sour the experience, but it's something special. I hope many people buy this, old fans and new, and appreciate it for everything it is. Great fantasy, great characters. Heroism, action, and a beautiful ode to one of the best fantasy writers in history all the way back to the poetic eddas or Homer's Odyssey. I highly recommend it, and give it about a 4.75 plus a smoking hot seal of approval and two snake cultists' thumbs way up.
P.S. I have the physical copy and the audio edition. I recommend anyone who loves to read on the go check out the audiobook as it is brilliantly narrated by Bradford Hastings who brings a darkly masculine grit to the voice of our favorite hero.
Blood of the Serpent is an earlier tale set before and leading into Robert E. Howard's Red Nails. The plan was to create a story that could fit inside Howard's timeline for Conan and not outside it. I don't know what the other rules were, but instead of the usual short stories we get a brand new Conan novel, and it's a bit different from classic sword and sorcery. Is this a bad thing? Let's see!
No spoilers, but after reading this book I can say that there aren't many noticeable changes if at all to the elements of Howard's characters or world (ancient earth after the fall of Atlantis). However, the style of writing and even genre most of the time is not quite the same as Howard's legendary stories. Typically, Howard would write short stories that were quick, to the point, larger than life sword and sorcery yarns with powerful action, characters and villains. We never got a good glimpse into the mind of Conan and had to follow this enigmatic, dominating warrior from an outsider perspective, following along his barbarian exploits and trying to pin down what makes him such a grand character from his actions and dialogue. And he is certainly a far more complex character than the average dumb brute stereotype might lead some to expect from him.
So how does Stirling handle the character in his pastiche? Well, I've read every Howard Conan story, but not many pastiches, so I can't compare to other non-Howard tales. I'm no purist, but I do have some reservations about reading another person writing my all time favorite character. Not only that, but since Howard's writing is a magmatic thunderclap of literature that cannot be recreated identically, I worry about someone trying to wear those shoes. The good thing is, in my humble opinion, that Stirling does not even try to copy or imitate Howard's style. As an established author himself, Stirling knows what he does best and he stays well within the scope of his impressive talents while respectfully borrowing Howard's characters and universe to create his own story. What I expected from this book was a lot actually. My hope was that an author would become a steward to the legend and carry the torch a ways farther, similar to how Brandon Sanderson continued and concluded the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. That's a tall order, but we've had ages to come up with our own personal wishlist for continuations.
Speaking of Jordan, he did a few pastiches of Conan as well. From what I've seen, many people criticized the stories for being cliche, and Conan being a bit out of character. The reason I mention this is because unlike Jordan, Stirling in Blood of the Serpent has captured Conan almost perfectly, at least to me. His pragmatism, battle wisdom, foresight, verbiage, intentions, mirth, natural sense of command, directness, desire but also respect for women, is all here, and we spend a lot of time in and out of his head as the story follows him intimately.
Howard himself only ever wrote one Conan novel, the Hour of the Dragon, so it isn't too weird seeing the character again in novel format, but it is a deviation from the genre norm. In this book, though, I would say it teeters heavily on the side of epic low fantasy as opposed to sword and sorcery. This will likely be the biggest turn off to anyone looking for a Howardian vision of the legendary warrior's early life. There just isn't that much weirdness or magic going on here, which has become a big staple of the genre, as it's more SWORD than SORCERY.
However, as far as this fan's concerned it didn't make much difference to me. I loved what was on offer here as I found myself immensely impressed by Stirling's knowledge and command of the lore, history, geography, peoples, cultures and characters, that when things are mentioned it feels consistent with the source material. The world and people are similar enough to me that the difference of writing style and even genre to an extent do not bother me whatsoever. I absolutely love this book for all that it is. As other reviewers stated it does drag sometimes as again we are used to Conan driving the action forward and getting to the heart of a problem and resolving it (although he needed a lot of external help during Hour of the Dragon, not gonna lie). Here, in his earlier years he is not a king, and follows other masters. He is known to have been a thief, a mercenary, a soldier, a pirate, whatever warms the bed and fills the belly. This will be a little frustrating to some who prefer Conan and his villains to mostly drive the plot as he is bound to the quest of his soldiery or mercenary band.
I understand what complaints people might have but seeing him still take the lead everywhere he goes, reading about the difference in cultures and languages, outfits, gear, etc., as he fights against and alongside men and women from other regions was a welcome expansion to the world and lore that we know and love. I appreciated the little details.
I was wary at first hearing some of Conan's thoughts but of course all people think and by now it just isn't weird to hear so long as it is in his character, and it was. There are even some funny moments. Particularly I loved the line (paraphrasing) that went something like "if he was particularly inclined toward cannibalism, he still wouldn't go near that body".
Before I forget I also wanted to bring up the other main character, Valeria. If you've read Red Nails then you know who she is. If not, no worries, because this book introduces her for the first time officially. She is a stellar character, almost equal to Conan in fighting prowess and highly intelligent. Their interactions throughout are part of what makes this story compelling. I'll say no morem
Forgive my scatter-brain opinions. As much as I would love some more weird and sorcery I found myself pleasantly surprised by this book, hugely relieved to finally have a good old friend back in my life in a sense, and something I will be able to read again and again out of love. The amount of work to get into another author's world and "get it right" is probably way more difficult than just making it up as you go. I can't even imagine. Because I think he did get it right. It may not be perfect, and some people are likely going to have decades of expectations to sour the experience, but it's something special. I hope many people buy this, old fans and new, and appreciate it for everything it is. Great fantasy, great characters. Heroism, action, and a beautiful ode to one of the best fantasy writers in history all the way back to the poetic eddas or Homer's Odyssey. I highly recommend it, and give it about a 4.75 plus a smoking hot seal of approval and two snake cultists' thumbs way up.
P.S. I have the physical copy and the audio edition. I recommend anyone who loves to read on the go check out the audiobook as it is brilliantly narrated by Bradford Hastings who brings a darkly masculine grit to the voice of our favorite hero.
January 9, 2023
This book takes place prior to Robert E. Howard's Red Nails. Stirling has obviously done his homework and comes up with a plausible geopolitical scenario for Stygia and the surrounding kingdoms which fits into and expands upon the groundwork that Howard laid.
The central plot revolves around a Stygian priest who lays a curse upon Conan while he is being throttled by the Cimmerian, who interrupted his child sacrifice that was calling up great alligators to attack Conan and his fellow mercenaries.
In keeping with the motivations that Howard attributed to Conan, the Cimmerian is largely motivated by lust for the blonde pirate of the Red Brotherhood Valeria, who he is serving with in Stygia. So much, that he abandons his post in Stygia and follows her, hoping that he will ingratiate himself with her by killing a vengeful Stygian sorcerer. You see, Valeria killed this sorcerer's brother when he wouldn't take no for an answer.
This book is much crasser than a Robert E Howard book. That may be because Howard was working within certain limitations of the era. Howard was known to push the boundaries of the day, but those boundaries have long since been obliterated. However, a crasser Conan story is not necessarily a better one.
Half the fun of this story is seeing how the ending will line up with the beginning of Red Nails.
In this book, Conan repeatedly swears by Manannan Mac Lir. I don't recall Conan swearing by this deity in the Howard stories. Out of curiosity, does anyone else know of an instance where Howard has Conan swear by Manannan Mac Lir? This is just curiosity, not a criticism of the book. Conan was apt to swear by whatever god or goddess who came to the tip of his tongue.
The central plot revolves around a Stygian priest who lays a curse upon Conan while he is being throttled by the Cimmerian, who interrupted his child sacrifice that was calling up great alligators to attack Conan and his fellow mercenaries.
In keeping with the motivations that Howard attributed to Conan, the Cimmerian is largely motivated by lust for the blonde pirate of the Red Brotherhood Valeria, who he is serving with in Stygia. So much, that he abandons his post in Stygia and follows her, hoping that he will ingratiate himself with her by killing a vengeful Stygian sorcerer. You see, Valeria killed this sorcerer's brother when he wouldn't take no for an answer.
This book is much crasser than a Robert E Howard book. That may be because Howard was working within certain limitations of the era. Howard was known to push the boundaries of the day, but those boundaries have long since been obliterated. However, a crasser Conan story is not necessarily a better one.
Half the fun of this story is seeing how the ending will line up with the beginning of Red Nails.
In this book, Conan repeatedly swears by Manannan Mac Lir. I don't recall Conan swearing by this deity in the Howard stories. Out of curiosity, does anyone else know of an instance where Howard has Conan swear by Manannan Mac Lir? This is just curiosity, not a criticism of the book. Conan was apt to swear by whatever god or goddess who came to the tip of his tongue.
October 1, 2023
I was happy that when I saw that Stirling had written a Conan novel, my reaction was "Awesome. Sign me up." without actually reading anything about it. As a result, I was not aware that this is a prequel to Howard's last Conan story "Red Nails." until I got most of the way through it. Stirling did an excellent job of adapting Conan to a slightly less pulp-y style. He managed to combine the action, adventure, monsters and magic of Conan with more realistic characters and combat (and much less purple prose, racism and sexism). The writing styles are thrown into sharp contrast as the book includes Howard's "Red Nails," which starts up as BLOOD OF THE SERPENT ends. Like Howard, Stirling has plundered actual history for inspiration, but again, with less, you know, racism. The story takes place in the Hyborean “Fantasy Egypt,” Stygia and "Fantasy West Africa," Darfar and Abomey) and introduces additional elements from actual history. Stirling's version of Conan's world includes more Lovecraftian horror elements as well (Howard usually wrote these as separate stories). The plot isn't anything groundbreaking but does an excellent job of capturing the feel of the original Conan stories. 4 stars. “Red Nails” (originally published in serialized form) is another “lost city” Conan story, but the inhabitants, while naturally degenerate, are not sunk into sloth and dreams rather they are locked in a generations-old three-way battle in the halls and rooms of a city-sized palace, using swords, knives, and magical weapons that they could scavenge from the tombs of the previous inhabitants. As a bonus, Conan fights a resurrected dinosaur.
February 19, 2023
Conan – Blood of the Serpent is blatantly a Conan novel written by S. M. Stirling, and not something that could be mistaken as a lost Howard tale. This is all die-hard Conan fans need to know. If Howard’s distinctive blood and thunder authorial style is a requirement for a prospective reader to enjoy a Conan story, this book may be skipped. But newcomers to Conan and existing fans who love the character and are open to other voices are encouraged to take a look. This volume delivers an engaging and approachable new adventure along with one of the very best of the classic stories. Regardless of whether or not future novel plots are directly connected to the events of the original stories, I would love to see Titan Books continue to package new stories with the classics.
Read my full review at Grimdark Magazine!
Read my full review at Grimdark Magazine!
February 23, 2023
It reminded me of reading the original R.E. Howard books back when I was in my teens.
January 5, 2023
This is a pastiche novel by S.M. Stirling that serves as a prequel to the "Red Nails" story by Robert E. Howard. In fact it doesn't even have a proper conclusion except to set the characters in the right setting and situation for the beginning of Red Nails, which is included at the end of the volume.
This isn't seamless however. Pacing, characterization, and tone are all starkly different from one to the other. It makes me wish that Stirling had opted to create an entirely adventure that didn't connect with anything else. Especially since some of the characterizations in Red Nails would probably have fallen flat for a modern audience (especially that of Valeria).
This wasn't the only issue. Stirling's pacing was slow, and at times painfully slow. Stakes felt low for the first quarter of the book, which got it off to a poor start. Stirling seemed very interested in exploring Conan's world and explaining and describing everything he could. Some of this was quite interesting but the amount of exposition was excessive and bogged down the story.
I will say that there was enough fun action in Blood of the Serpent to elevate it to a passing grade for me. For example the mystical elements, especially the curse that one of the characters receives, worked well for me. There was a cool random encounter in cave. And yes, when the action happens it's a lot of fun.
But overall this was somewhat lackluster and didn't live up to my expectations from an author who has written better pulp style novels (see "The Sky People" and "In the Courts of the Crimson Kings"). Rating: 3.0/5.0 (Fair)
This isn't seamless however. Pacing, characterization, and tone are all starkly different from one to the other. It makes me wish that Stirling had opted to create an entirely adventure that didn't connect with anything else. Especially since some of the characterizations in Red Nails would probably have fallen flat for a modern audience (especially that of Valeria).
This wasn't the only issue. Stirling's pacing was slow, and at times painfully slow. Stakes felt low for the first quarter of the book, which got it off to a poor start. Stirling seemed very interested in exploring Conan's world and explaining and describing everything he could. Some of this was quite interesting but the amount of exposition was excessive and bogged down the story.
I will say that there was enough fun action in Blood of the Serpent to elevate it to a passing grade for me. For example the mystical elements, especially the curse that one of the characters receives, worked well for me. There was a cool random encounter in cave. And yes, when the action happens it's a lot of fun.
But overall this was somewhat lackluster and didn't live up to my expectations from an author who has written better pulp style novels (see "The Sky People" and "In the Courts of the Crimson Kings"). Rating: 3.0/5.0 (Fair)
December 19, 2022
I had high hopes for this novel given some of Stirling's past novels, and the fact that he was taking over such a storied character in such an undeveloped time period. So few novelists ever deal with the bronze age. It is a virtually untouched era for historical fiction other than the great Empire novels by Sam Barone. With all that possibility at his fingertips, Stirling delivers a boring, uninspired plot and two dimensional characters. I was sadly disappointed.
October 16, 2022
Having long been a fan of Conan I was intrigued to see what the author would do with our Cimmerian in this book, I was not disappointed, it evoked memories of my first reading the books and then the comics (I still read those) great story, more please
November 9, 2023
The book starts with about 35 pages of exposition, and three or four times Conan thinks things that are responses to the exposition, as if the narrator is talking directly to him. It was absolutely terrible and one of my fastest DNFs in recent memory.
December 17, 2022
An unexpected ARC - sadly I find both Stirling and Howard consistent in my first experience of Conan stories - boring, dry and full of cliches - not for me
February 10, 2023
I knew this was a start of a new series going in, but the cliffhanger really annoyed me. I had been so enjoying the story that it just seemed too abrupt. I guess this is a backhanded compliment to how much it drew me in, and it was not the S.M. Stirling Conan I imagined beforehand, but even better.
March 14, 2024
Very fun Conan story, and I am usually wary of non-Howard stories. I think the author did a good job of writing the essential nature of Conan out, along with Valeria's, and I also appreciate the story being directly tied into the Howard classic, "Red Nails".
Not disappointed at all.
Not disappointed at all.
October 5, 2023
There were some things I wish weren't added but overall good read.
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