This is not the edition I have, which is the first printing from 1984, with a photo on the cover featuring Ah-nold in his fur Fruit of the Looms from that dreadful second Conan movie of the same name. Of the same name because this is the book version of the movie, and frankly more entertaining. My edition does not seem to be listed on goodreads.I'll admit a certain weakness for trashy swords & sorcery may have biased my rating a star or so above what it really deserves. Being something of a Howard purist I could not indulge my weakness to give it more, since this is not a true R. E. Howard Conan novel. It certainly lacks the feel of a Howard story, but unlike some Howard purists I am willing to cut some of the later writers some slack.Circa 1980 the people who held the Conan intellectual property rights began inviting in authors to write new Conan stories, for reasons I expect were almost purely financial. Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp had been witing new Conan stuff for a few years by then, but Conan Properties opened the doors to admit other writers. The results were mixed. Nobody ever quite captured the true Howard style, and most of their efforts were fairly lame. Jordan did not capture the Howard style, but at least he had an entertaining if trash style of his own, which made him the best of the post-Howard writers. He avoided the traps of trying to copy Howard or revere Howard to follow his own path instead. His is not the same character, simply one the same name in a similar world, but entertaining enough in his own right. He is less dark but more lusty, and eternally about 17.This stuff is not literature, and it has no more depth than kiddy pool in your neighbor's back yard. It's lurid male fantasy clothed in no more political correctness than the minimum that popular culture demands. In other words, pure escapism. Which is why I read the stuff.
I had high expectations with these books after I read that Robert Jordan is the best Conan writer alive. Well, maybe this is true. I still have to check other books and stories from him, and although I enjoy this book there are some things Conan-related that I didn't like that much.There are some memorable moments that Jordan writes with passion. The first encounter between Conan and Taramis is great, very Howard-esque. But then he throw some secondary characters that felt that they were taken intact from the "Conan The Destroyer" movie.The party includes Malak the thief, Akiro the mage, Bombatta the warrior, Zula the savage woman and Jhenna the princess. They're fun and well developed, but they kill the grimm feeling of Hyboria, specially Malak and Akiro, that's not what I'm looking for in a Conan book.Even though I enjoyed the book and I'm eager to check the two collections that include the Jordan take on the character.
What do You think about Conan The Destroyer (1993)?
This is the first Conan I've read, apart from a few comics over the years. Also the first Robert Jordan. Here Conan is bribed into protecting an innocent maiden as she guides them to retrieve a magical artifact. Of course the princess who sent them has a secret agenda. Will Conan's fondest wish be granted? Probably not, but at least he will get some along the way. It is a pretty typical fantasy plot but I haven't read this kind of story since I was much younger so I found it nostalgic in a way. Simpler time and all that. I enjoyed it enough to pick up the next book in the series (I don't think the order really matters much.)
—Scott
