Not the best Conan pastiche, but not the worst. Poul Anderson is a successful and prolific sci fi and fantasy author. He's a good writer and the result is a pretty well told story about everybody's favorite barbarian. However, not everything is roses in Hyboria.The most hilarious part of Conan The Rebel is when Tothapis and Nehekba making a hissing noise any time they mention the god, Mitra:"And once he is corrupted in the priggish eyes of Mitra... s-s-s-s... once he is enslaved to me, ah, then we have him, whether he recognizes it or not. His destiny will be lost, his soul rudderless- and yet, while he lives, none else can have the honor or being the god's warrior. For is it not written that, "The pledges of Mitra... s-s-s-s... are for eternity?"It screams Monty Python or Mel Brooks. I doubt Anderson's intent was hilarity but he pretty much nails it on that one.Another funny passage:"They had scrubbed their faces and Conan had shaved. Otherwise they depended on clothes to hide grime, since they dared not draw washwater from the Styx and felt it best to conserve what they had that was potable. They were not unduly gamy, having been outdoors nearly the whole time in dry air."At that point in this gripping tale of high adventure, I was totally worrying if Conan and friends had gotten too gamy. I know I hate going on a mission unbathed and unshaven.What's with Daris using a belt as a weapon throughout the novel? I can see making do in a pinch but I'd be grabbing a sword the second I found one.I think Anderson is the only Conan pastiche author to call Ophireans "Ophirites."Perhaps the most incredible part of the book is when Anderson predicts instant messaging:"He has no reason to suppose they are not well ahead of even the fastest carrier pigeon. But you can send an instant message to Ramwas, ordering he keep clandestine watch on the Ophirite embassy and stand prepared to take the gang when they approach."Now that's what I call foresight!Anderson is another of the pastiche authors who doesn't do too well with Conan's dialogue. His Conan could be more or less any fantasy hero. Maybe it's the fact that I grew up reading the original Marvel Conan The Barbarian, which I thought nailed the Cimerrian, but a lot of these authors don't even seem to be trying. And I don't think Conan would ever shout "hoy-ah" for any reason.More illustrations of boats and armor and candlesticks from Tim Kirk. I don't know who Zorin is, but his cover art ain't bad. Conan kind of looks more like Tarzan, though.
Conan the Barbarian is to fantasy fiction as Pabst Blue Ribbon is to cheap American beer: he is an atavism, a retro-throwback to a simpler time. Kids on the playground can say “My fantasy hero can kick your fantasy hero’s ass!”He-Man and the Masters of the Universe? Please.Katniss Everdeen, Beatrice Prior?My point exactly.Hey, Conan, what is best in life?“To crush enemy, see him driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the vomen.”Thank you.And so we come to Poul Anderson’s contribution to the franchise: Conan the Rebel.“You got some entrails on you, pal”In this journeyman edition, a reader gets to visit with Conan through the vision of Grandmaster Poul Anderson. A writer’s got to write … and eat. Not one of his better outings, but not bad at all either, and HEY! it’s Conan! Published in 1980, around the time that a certain Austrian was making the role his own.This is a Conan story, but it is also Poul Anderson, and his writing is as good as ever. Anderson’s tremendous world building powers are in full bloom and he makes the most of the work that has come before him, adding detail, design and history to an already rich legacy of fiction.
What do You think about Conan The Rebel (1980)?
This was a fun easy read, but I'd have to agree with some of the other reviews here. Conan is not the same Cimmerian Robert E. Howard fans are accustomed to. Granted the violence is par for the course where Hyborian adventure is concerned. The elritch creatures Conan and company must fight and the magics they endure are likewise typical of Robert E. Howard's world. But Conan's dedication and loyalty to his mate Belit seems very boyish at times and his motivation to please her because her joy is his joy and her pain is his pain just makes the barbarian look like a lovesick puppy. And this is rather odd when you take into account how sickening he finds Falco's love for Senufer. Granted the love is definitely more blind in Falco's case. However another main character - Daris - falls for Conan who spurs her advances for the loyalty in his heart towards Belit. Which is fine. But at one point Conan becomes jealous after he sees Daris and Falco disappearing for a while. It's a real "what-the-hell" moment. Maybe there's sorcery in the air. Regardless, it boils down to a small group of people who fall in love easily when they aren't killing, maiming, or otherwise incapacitating people and undead left and right. But if you can stomach the lovesick crap, the rest of the story is pretty entertaining."Wakonga mutusi!"
—Dwayne Caldwell
