I have covered the Conan stories I most wanted to cover over months, maybe years. You can find the full listing of my Robert E. Howard reviews here. However, after Howard’s death there were several authors who contributed to the mythos. Given that I have read and reviewed many of Poul Anderson’s work on this blog, it is worth reviewing his sole addition to the Conan universe.
Anderson is a fine action writer. However, his style of fantasy is removed from Howard’s by decades. This book was first published in 1980, almost 50 years removed from Howard’s death. Hence, it’s going to be a different style, since fantasy literature has changed since Howard wrote.
This story is set in the middle of the short Queen of the Black Coast. As such, Belit the pirate queen is a main character, and Conan’s cohort. When their ship raids a merchant vessel, they discover that Belit’s brother is held captive by the followers of the snake god Set. With Conan and Belit together, they feel invincible, so they plan to rescue her brother. However, it is a trap laid for Conan.
Here’s an example of Anderson’s action prose:
He smote. A Stygian helmet rang. The wearer’s head snapped back. Dazed by the pain in his neck, he faltered. His shield sank. Conan’s sword screamed as it swung, into the upper spine of the soldier beside the first. Blood spouted. A third man stumbled over the falling corpse, and Conan slew him on the return swing.
Conan: The Rebel, page 74
He does a good job of establishing action and difficulty, but the descriptions lack an emotion that Howard’s had. Environments are also sparsely described, though Howard did that at times. I love Anderson’s fantasy work, but this seems so different than the work he’s done previously that it feels like a mismatch.
If you like both Conan and Poul Anderson, this is worth a read. And if you’ve exhausted Robert E. Howard’s stories of Conan, this is a good post-Howard story to read. Otherwise, I would say it’s not worth reading for general fantasy readers.
I hope to read and review Karl Edward Wagner’s Conan book as well as one of Robert Jordan’s. Look forward to that!
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You may like some of my other reviews:
Story Review: Black Amazon of Mars by Leigh Brackett
Story Review: Shambleau by C. L. Moore
Book Review: The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson
Book Review: Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
You may also like some of my other work:
Worldbuilding: Religion and Philosophy
Frank Ormond 