The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian

“Springing back, sword high, he saw the horror strike the floor, wheel and scuttle toward him with appalling speed – a gigantic black spider, such as men see only in nightmare dreams.”

Overview

Robert E. Howard created the iconic character who is “Conan the Barbarian”. Most modern fantasy novels will follow the main character from cradle to grave. Conan is different as his story is told in several short stories. The stories were not published in chronological order and Howard did not intend for them to be reorganized and read in that matter. Howard wanted Conan’s stories to be told in a way you might tell a story around a campfire. You don’t start from the dreary beginning but step right into the action.

Pros

Pulpy high intensity stories that get straight to the point. You get what is expected. A Barbarian fighting cult leaders, armies, sorcerers, demons, etc. You don’t get a backstory for the most part. Conan shows up kicks ass and gets the women.

A lot happens in a short amount of time. Each short story feels almost like a final chapter in a modern day fantasy series. The hero defeats the baddie, gets the girl, and barley escapes with his life. There is not much pointless filler.

The stories can be read in any order and it does not hinder the enjoyment of the story. Each tale is it’s own and does not have to rely on knowing the past deed’s of Conan.

Cons

Conan is as agile as a Panther and any mere “civilized” man would be dead but Conan’s barbaric upbringing has kept him alive. The enemy Conan faces have a sinister smile that is terribly evil. Every story will have the repetition of the above.

The story’s follow a pretty straightforward formula. Conan appears and kills the baddies while saving the girl in the process. He escapes with his life barley. The women he saves is replaced with a different women in the next story.

The stories come out in the 30’s and have some racist undertones. Conan himself is not the most moral character but it does get a little annoying when he has to save a white princesses form the black baddies time after time.

Should You Read It?

Yes. The stories or often short and action packed. They do not have to be read in order and can be very entertaining. Little time is wasted even if you dislike them as they are typically short. If you like the works than you can enjoy them at your leisure. Finish one story and read another months later and nothing is lost. Compare that to a modern fantasy series with 500+ pages and 3+ book series where you struggle to remember characters and what is exactly going on. Some stories have aged better than others but overall Howard is worth a read.