Conan: City of the Dead

Conan: City of the Dead #2

by John C. Hocking

The long awaited follow up to 'Conan And The Emerald Lotus', Hocking once again proves to be amongst the best of the Conan pastiche writers. Sent to recover treasure from a plague-wracked city, not only must Conan avoid its deranged survivors, but battle a deadly disease given humanoid shape. To save himself - and perhaps the world - he allies with a scheming sorcerer to traverse a demon-haunted abyss in a desperate bid to destroy the Living Plague.

Genres: Fantasy

512 pages, Paperback

Published July 8, 2025

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just how I like my Conan. A macabre adventure full of Lovecraftian horrors and all manner of bloodthirsty ghoulish monstrosities amidst bone chilling settings including ancient crypts, an eerily empty city and even an alternate dimension or two full of eldritch cosmic horrors. The creeping dread is intense, as is the skull busting and monster slaying action, with hardly a moment spared for brooding or skulking. Conan's party is made up of some interesting characters, including a prince who is clearly motivated by the plunder, a wizard who's motivations seem a tad more obscure if not nefarious, an old mercenary buddy and a young archer.

[S.wagenaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good Conan story; I think it’s better than Conan and the Emerald Lotus, and that’s a damn good yarn. Mr Hocking knows Conan as a character, but more importantly he respects Robert E Howard’s creation and setting. Hocking’s Conan doesn’t do anything that Howard’s Conan wouldn’t do, and that’s important. You will find a great deal of sorcery in this story, perhaps a bit more than usual, but he makes it work. There are some pretty nasty beasties to deal with, not to mention some rather Lovecraftian entities! Hocking’s strength is his ability to invoke the feel and spirit of the pulps of yesteryear, that Weird Tales vibe that was sorely lacking in most of the Tor pastiche novels of the 90’s. This is Conan doing his thing in the Hyborian Age in a way that even Howard would appreciate, and it all culminates in a mind-boggling, thunderous climax! Definitely well worth your time and money to seek out. Recommended!

[Otto Munoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fun read. Hocking is great at writing action passages. I wish Conan himself had been more fleshed out as Hocking had written him in the previous book, but I still had a blast reading it. Nice touch to see Conan use a tiny bit of sorcery to get himself out of a jam at one point.

[Eric Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Rating: 3.5/5.0]

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow feels both classic Conan while also very modern. Nails the Conan formula with evil sorcerors, dank crypts to explore, and a lovable (and detestable) cast of characters. Only thing missing in The Living Plague is some sort of awkward romance, but what was gained is a couple of very unexpected eldritch twists that I greatly enjoyed. If you like any of the Robert Jordan tale of the Cimmerian, then you'll love this!