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Adventures of Conan
Conan the Formidable
On his way to seek his fortune at Shadizar, Conan of Cimmeria comes face to face with bandits, an evil duke and his four-armed henchman, sorcerous schemes, Jatte the giant, and the cannibal Vargs
274 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1990
3 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
Steve Perry
309 books358 followersLibrarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Steven Carl Perry has written over fifty novels and numerous short stories, which have appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Perry is perhaps best known for the Matador series. He has written books in the Star Wars, Alien and Conan universes. He was a collaborator on all of the Tom Clancy's Net Force series, seven of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list. Two of his novelizations, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Men in Black have also been bestsellers. Other writing credits include articles, reviews, and essays, animated teleplays, and some unproduced movie scripts. One of his scripts for Batman: The Animated Series was an Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Writing.
Perry is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, The Animation Guild, and the Writers Guild of America, West
Steven Carl Perry has written over fifty novels and numerous short stories, which have appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Perry is perhaps best known for the Matador series. He has written books in the Star Wars, Alien and Conan universes. He was a collaborator on all of the Tom Clancy's Net Force series, seven of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list. Two of his novelizations, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Men in Black have also been bestsellers. Other writing credits include articles, reviews, and essays, animated teleplays, and some unproduced movie scripts. One of his scripts for Batman: The Animated Series was an Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Writing.
Perry is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, The Animation Guild, and the Writers Guild of America, West
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 12, 2022
This is a fun fantasy adventure/swords & sorcery novel. If it's approached with the hope of a breezy and light D & D read it works well, but anyone hoping for Howard's (or even de Camp's) Conan canon will be disappointed. There are several quirky characters straight out of a lusty and imaginative D & D game (including the werewolf on the cool grey cover of the original trade edition, one of Kirk Reinert's best), as well as hellhounds, giants, vargs, a catwoman, etc. It's set in the same young Conan framework as Perry's previous Conan books but stands on its own. I was amused by the title; formidable isn't really that formidable of a word, is it? They were running out of imposing descriptors... if Perry had stayed with the franchise another couple of years, would we have seen Conan the Competent? Conan the Adequate? Conan the.... the possibilities are endless... or are they?
April 1, 2022
This was the last of the four Conan books Steve Perry was contracted to write for TOR. Judging by this effort Mr Perry was over Conan by this point so he just phoned it in.
Someone at TOR should have had the gumption to send it back to him with a note saying "not good enough." But it seems TOR didn't care either. Shame on them.
Someone at TOR should have had the gumption to send it back to him with a note saying "not good enough." But it seems TOR didn't care either. Shame on them.
September 3, 2023
Things are more complete in this book, with the plot making more sense. In this our hero fights against those who want to deprive him of his freedom and in the context of this fight to free others as the institution of slavery is something that particularly bothers him. For this he needs a plan in addition to his physical abilities and the writer needs more work and it shows in the final result. Not bad at all.
Τα πράγματα είναι περισσότερο ολοκληρωμένα σε αυτό το βιβλίο, με την πλοκή να έχει μεγαλύτερη λογική. Σε αυτό ο ήρωας μας αγωνίζεται ενάντια σε αυτούς που θέλουν να του στερήσουν την ελευθερία και στα πλαίσια αυτού του αγώνα να απελευθερώσει και άλλους καθώς ο θεσμός της δουλειας είναι κάτι που τον ενοχλεί ιδιαίτερα. Για αυτό χρειάζεται σχέδιο εκτός από τις σωματικές του ικανότητες και ο συγγραφέας χρειάζεται περισσότερη δουλειά και αυτό φαίνεται στο τελικό αποτέλεσμα. Καθόλου άσχημα.
Τα πράγματα είναι περισσότερο ολοκληρωμένα σε αυτό το βιβλίο, με την πλοκή να έχει μεγαλύτερη λογική. Σε αυτό ο ήρωας μας αγωνίζεται ενάντια σε αυτούς που θέλουν να του στερήσουν την ελευθερία και στα πλαίσια αυτού του αγώνα να απελευθερώσει και άλλους καθώς ο θεσμός της δουλειας είναι κάτι που τον ενοχλεί ιδιαίτερα. Για αυτό χρειάζεται σχέδιο εκτός από τις σωματικές του ικανότητες και ο συγγραφέας χρειάζεται περισσότερη δουλειά και αυτό φαίνεται στο τελικό αποτέλεσμα. Καθόλου άσχημα.
March 23, 2022
This was just barely a 3* for me. The writing is done well and the characters are flushed out but the story itself was just not that great. Perry is very hit or miss for me when it comes to his Conan books. Sometimes as in the case of this book it feels as if he is just shoe horned into another story the author wanted to write but then in the case of “ fearless” and “ freelance” he is written as central to the plot. When I think of Howard’s Conan I think dark and gritty, when I think of Perry’s Conan I think of the Saturday morning cartoon version of him.
January 4, 2023
This is the last of Steve Perry's five Conan pastiches in the Tor series, and it shares basically all the same features as his previous two; both the good and the bad.
The better aspects of Conan the Formidable are that it's a fun, easy read with a colourful cast and a not-too-complicated plot of Conan VS sorcery. There's a decent amount of bloodletting, some cool settings, and no MAJOR sins other than the book being far sillier and more juvenile than anything Robert E. Howard would ever have written.
The shortcomings are (in standard form for Perry's last trio of Conan pastiches) a quantity over quality approach, with the book constantly flitting between way too many characters without ever really fleshing any of them out. Despite a brisk pace, this still makes the book drag on at times. On top of this, Conan is lacking his usual "fire" in this book. He spends a lot of time running, but I suppose there are just enough scenes of our favourite Cimmerian in combat to not make him a total departure from Howard's character.
All in all, a decent but daft read. Not so much a great sword and sorcery novel as a wacky fantasy adventure. It was fun at times and I didn't hate it, but it's basically a less exciting rehash of all the same elements found in Perry's previous instalments. The silly schtick of Conan bumbling around with a bunch of goofy oddballs has gotten old at this point, and while Conan the Formidable just barely scrapes 3 stars from me, I'm glad to be done with Perry's books in this run.
On to the next one!
The better aspects of Conan the Formidable are that it's a fun, easy read with a colourful cast and a not-too-complicated plot of Conan VS sorcery. There's a decent amount of bloodletting, some cool settings, and no MAJOR sins other than the book being far sillier and more juvenile than anything Robert E. Howard would ever have written.
The shortcomings are (in standard form for Perry's last trio of Conan pastiches) a quantity over quality approach, with the book constantly flitting between way too many characters without ever really fleshing any of them out. Despite a brisk pace, this still makes the book drag on at times. On top of this, Conan is lacking his usual "fire" in this book. He spends a lot of time running, but I suppose there are just enough scenes of our favourite Cimmerian in combat to not make him a total departure from Howard's character.
All in all, a decent but daft read. Not so much a great sword and sorcery novel as a wacky fantasy adventure. It was fun at times and I didn't hate it, but it's basically a less exciting rehash of all the same elements found in Perry's previous instalments. The silly schtick of Conan bumbling around with a bunch of goofy oddballs has gotten old at this point, and while Conan the Formidable just barely scrapes 3 stars from me, I'm glad to be done with Perry's books in this run.
On to the next one!
July 8, 2018
Conan is on his way to begin a life of thievery in Shadizar, just like he has been for 3 books now. He ends up in a deadly swamp with a race of giants and their natural enemies, dwarves. An itinerant wizard comes by looking to add to his collection of freaks so he can become the world's first P.T. Barnum. He already has a wolfman, a catwoman, and a man with four arms. Adding a giant and a green dwarf would surely add to the draw. Better if it were a dwarf and the green giant.
The wizard collects his giant and dwarf with a barbarian thrown in for free and begins his travel to Shadizar. Yay! Conan is finally going to get to Shadizar! But another giant and another dwarf want to get their people back, and when the group meets up with a child molester Conan loses his patience. When Conan is impatient people get dead quick.
While still a chase novel like the 3 previous Perry works I've read, this time it's not a long, drawn out chase with lots of chasers. Just a few guys following a wagon. Conan spends most of the time in captivity so he has to use his brain more than normal. He still manages to break things and set a village on fire. The conflict between the giants and the dwarves is interesting, and the wizard's single minded goal to become a rich circus mogul is a refreshing change to the world destroying plans of previous wizards. An easy read that moves along nicely. And brings Conan within shouting distance of Shadizar. Finally.
The wizard collects his giant and dwarf with a barbarian thrown in for free and begins his travel to Shadizar. Yay! Conan is finally going to get to Shadizar! But another giant and another dwarf want to get their people back, and when the group meets up with a child molester Conan loses his patience. When Conan is impatient people get dead quick.
While still a chase novel like the 3 previous Perry works I've read, this time it's not a long, drawn out chase with lots of chasers. Just a few guys following a wagon. Conan spends most of the time in captivity so he has to use his brain more than normal. He still manages to break things and set a village on fire. The conflict between the giants and the dwarves is interesting, and the wizard's single minded goal to become a rich circus mogul is a refreshing change to the world destroying plans of previous wizards. An easy read that moves along nicely. And brings Conan within shouting distance of Shadizar. Finally.
July 31, 2020
This is Steve Perry's final Conan novel. Unusually for authors in the Tor Conan series, Perry created a series within a series starting with his second Conan novel, Conan the Defiant, and concluding with this.
Shortly after the events of the execrable Conan the Free Lance, Conan is still on his way to Zamora to become a thief. (Perry seems to have only cursorily read the series since Conan should be going to the City of Thieves rather than Shadizar.)
In any event, the Cimmerian falls in with some giants--one of whom he beds as Perry seems to feel the need to have Conan engage in sex with at least one non-human woman per book--and soon finds himself enthralled to a wizard with a controlling spell. Other oddities in the book include a four-armed man, a cat-woman, a wolfman, and some green dwarfs.
Eventually the overlong book mercifully ends after a series of D&D-style chases. This isn't Perry's worst Conan novel, but he clearly lacked any passion for the story and tried to remake the Hyborian Age as a gaming module in the Gary Gygax mold. It could have been better with some editing, but overall I wasn't thrilled with it.
Early in his Conan books--and certainly in his solo work such as Matador--Perry wrote far better than this. I'm glad he stopped after this novel as Perry's Conan is one of the worst representations of the character.
Shortly after the events of the execrable Conan the Free Lance, Conan is still on his way to Zamora to become a thief. (Perry seems to have only cursorily read the series since Conan should be going to the City of Thieves rather than Shadizar.)
In any event, the Cimmerian falls in with some giants--one of whom he beds as Perry seems to feel the need to have Conan engage in sex with at least one non-human woman per book--and soon finds himself enthralled to a wizard with a controlling spell. Other oddities in the book include a four-armed man, a cat-woman, a wolfman, and some green dwarfs.
Eventually the overlong book mercifully ends after a series of D&D-style chases. This isn't Perry's worst Conan novel, but he clearly lacked any passion for the story and tried to remake the Hyborian Age as a gaming module in the Gary Gygax mold. It could have been better with some editing, but overall I wasn't thrilled with it.
Early in his Conan books--and certainly in his solo work such as Matador--Perry wrote far better than this. I'm glad he stopped after this novel as Perry's Conan is one of the worst representations of the character.
May 26, 2018
Another Conan adventure.
Walking, Conan was on his way to the wicked delights of fabled Shadizar when suddenly he finds himself in the middle of giants and their enemies dwarf green skinned people who have had children kidnapped by a treacherous wizard with limited skills and dreams of making it big showing freaks. Conan finds himself a member of this troop controlled by a mind controlling spell of the wizard.
Walking, Conan was on his way to the wicked delights of fabled Shadizar when suddenly he finds himself in the middle of giants and their enemies dwarf green skinned people who have had children kidnapped by a treacherous wizard with limited skills and dreams of making it big showing freaks. Conan finds himself a member of this troop controlled by a mind controlling spell of the wizard.
July 16, 2019
Definitely not one of my favorite Conan books. As with the other Conan adventures, Steve Perry adds just too many ridiculous characters and sub-plots for me.
January 6, 2023
Excellent supporting cast. Twists and Turns throughout that keep you going. And a satisfying ending worthy of being called Conan.
September 23, 2010
Wow what a terrible book.
I've generally always been a fan of the Conan verse, but Steve Perry totally kills it for me.
His novel felt more like a poorly mapped out first draft of a short story that was in dire need of editing. He also WAY overused the word "mayhaps", probably because it sounds Conan-y. The "novel" was also riddled with Yoda-esque phrases. Things like: "Help you I will", "Hungry I am"...and so on and so forth, again it just had that Conan-y sound.
I zoned out and planned meals for the week while reading this book as well...didn't miss a thing. It is essentially one long, drawn out chase.
I've generally always been a fan of the Conan verse, but Steve Perry totally kills it for me.
His novel felt more like a poorly mapped out first draft of a short story that was in dire need of editing. He also WAY overused the word "mayhaps", probably because it sounds Conan-y. The "novel" was also riddled with Yoda-esque phrases. Things like: "Help you I will", "Hungry I am"...and so on and so forth, again it just had that Conan-y sound.
I zoned out and planned meals for the week while reading this book as well...didn't miss a thing. It is essentially one long, drawn out chase.
February 9, 2013
Altogether, I enjoyed this book. It enforces Conan's hatred of slavery and his leadership skills. Even though Conan was enthralled most of the book, it didn't seem as he was being led the entire time. Too often in the last few Perry novels he was being pushed along his path, only to win at the end.
This is the last of my Perry books and I move on to read Jordan. It was a strange trip aand Conan himself worried that life would be dull upon his journey to Shadizar. I for one know it will be anything but.
This is the last of my Perry books and I move on to read Jordan. It was a strange trip aand Conan himself worried that life would be dull upon his journey to Shadizar. I for one know it will be anything but.
July 6, 2016
As always, Steve Perry writes a decent/average fantasy story but not one the mighty Conan deserves. It was extremely predictable from start to finish.
Set up as one of Conan's early adventures, Conan deals with a quasi-wizard who uses his powers only for greed. Unfortunately Conan doesn't really seem to make any of the decisions that move the story forward. Compared to other Conan books the end result is trivial, you'll find no plots to resurrect old gods or overthrow whole kingdoms here.
Set up as one of Conan's early adventures, Conan deals with a quasi-wizard who uses his powers only for greed. Unfortunately Conan doesn't really seem to make any of the decisions that move the story forward. Compared to other Conan books the end result is trivial, you'll find no plots to resurrect old gods or overthrow whole kingdoms here.
December 4, 2015
This book might be redeemed by the fact that it could be used as toilet paper in an emergency, but the standard paperback size makes this impractical.
September 6, 2014
Conan is usually a fun read, and this one is no exception.
March 31, 2016
I've never been a big Conan fan so this book wasn't great for me but I do like Steve Perry and think he did a credible job.
May 3, 2017
I have read other books by Steve "I am not the guy from Journey" Perry. Perry is a solid storyteller. I was less than thrilled with his efforts on Conan the Formidable. The best Conan stories will always be those written by his creator, Robert E Howard. This novel is a very slapdash and watered down imitation-essentially Perry phoned it in. I remain convinced there are good stories to tell about Conan. This just wasn't a particularly fine example of one. Hopefully we will never be treated to Conan the Slightly Miffed or Conan the Neurotic. This character is essentially the literary godfather of "swords and sorcery" fantasy fiction. He deserves better.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews