What do you think?
Rate this book
Robert Jordan's Conan Novels #1-3 omnibus
The Conan Chronicles: Volume 1
Three classic Conan novels from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wheel of Time
Before Robert Jordan conquered the bestseller lists with the Wheel of Time, he revived the legendary fantasy hero Conan the Cimmerian. These widely acclaimed adventures introduced the world-famous barbarian to a whole new generation of enthusiastic readers. Here are three powerful sagas, featuring all the storytelling magic and epic splendor that have made Robert Jordan one of the most beloved fantasy authors in history.
Conan the Invincible : Less than nineteen years old and new to the snares and enticements of civilization, the young Conan must join forces with a dangerously seductive female bandit to storm the palace of Amanar, a supremely evil necromancer, and confront the dreaded Eater of Souls.
Conan the Defender : As revolution brews in the shadowy streets of Belverus, Conan braves the traps and treacheries of the Royal Palace of the Dragon. Pursued by the luscious and shameless Sularia, the mighty warrior challenges a magic-spawned menace that cannot the invincible Simulacrum of Albanus.
Conan the Unconquered : Conan defies the sorcerous power of the Cult of Doom for the sake of a beautiful young woman known only as Yasbet. From the glory of fabled Aghrapur to the demon-haunted wastes of the Blasted Lands, Conan proves himself the greatest hero of a bygone era of high adventure.
Before Robert Jordan conquered the bestseller lists with the Wheel of Time, he revived the legendary fantasy hero Conan the Cimmerian. These widely acclaimed adventures introduced the world-famous barbarian to a whole new generation of enthusiastic readers. Here are three powerful sagas, featuring all the storytelling magic and epic splendor that have made Robert Jordan one of the most beloved fantasy authors in history.
Conan the Invincible : Less than nineteen years old and new to the snares and enticements of civilization, the young Conan must join forces with a dangerously seductive female bandit to storm the palace of Amanar, a supremely evil necromancer, and confront the dreaded Eater of Souls.
Conan the Defender : As revolution brews in the shadowy streets of Belverus, Conan braves the traps and treacheries of the Royal Palace of the Dragon. Pursued by the luscious and shameless Sularia, the mighty warrior challenges a magic-spawned menace that cannot the invincible Simulacrum of Albanus.
Conan the Unconquered : Conan defies the sorcerous power of the Cult of Doom for the sake of a beautiful young woman known only as Yasbet. From the glory of fabled Aghrapur to the demon-haunted wastes of the Blasted Lands, Conan proves himself the greatest hero of a bygone era of high adventure.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
130 people are currently reading
790 people want to read
About the author
Robert Jordan
672 books17.1k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the names Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.
Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel where he received an undergraduate degree in physics. After graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer. He began writing in 1977. He was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.
He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week. He lived with his wife Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.
Responding to queries on the similarity of some of the concepts in his Wheel of Time books with Freemasonry concepts, Jordan admitted that he was a Freemason. However, "like his father and grandfather," he preferred not to advertise, possibly because of the negative propaganda against Freemasonry. In his own words, "no man in this country should feel in danger because of his beliefs."
On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed in a statement that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, and that with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years, though he said he intended to beat the statistics. He later posted on his Dragonmount blog to encourage his fans not to worry about him and that he intended to have a long and fully creative life.
He began chemotherapy treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in early April 2006. Jordan was enrolled in a study using the drug Revlimid just approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis.
Jordan died at approximately 2:45 p.m. EDT on September 16, 2007, and a funeral service was held for him on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. Jordan was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston.
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the names Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.
Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel where he received an undergraduate degree in physics. After graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer. He began writing in 1977. He was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.
He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week. He lived with his wife Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.
Responding to queries on the similarity of some of the concepts in his Wheel of Time books with Freemasonry concepts, Jordan admitted that he was a Freemason. However, "like his father and grandfather," he preferred not to advertise, possibly because of the negative propaganda against Freemasonry. In his own words, "no man in this country should feel in danger because of his beliefs."
On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed in a statement that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, and that with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years, though he said he intended to beat the statistics. He later posted on his Dragonmount blog to encourage his fans not to worry about him and that he intended to have a long and fully creative life.
He began chemotherapy treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in early April 2006. Jordan was enrolled in a study using the drug Revlimid just approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis.
Jordan died at approximately 2:45 p.m. EDT on September 16, 2007, and a funeral service was held for him on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. Jordan was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
February 21, 2009
This is what I refer to as my "dessert reading;" the kind of pulpy, high action that I resort to after a certain hour of the night when I am just to tired to deal with the subtlties in Plutarch or Shakespeare or the histories. Given my recent readings in history, I suspect that the character of Conan invented by Robert E. Howard and continued here by Robert Jordan is a much less complex sort of human being than those who actually lived in those times. But when I've just pulled a couple of forty hour shifts and it's closing on midnight, I am not in the mood for plots I have to guess at--give me a good formula with variations much like a good classical riff of Ravel's Bolero--and characters I have to work to understand. I'll save that for times when I am fresh, wide awake, and looking for some mental stimulation. I liked these three novels: they range over a wide territory, the action keeps coming, and the characters, if not deep, are quirky. There probably aren't any lessons to be learned here. After all, how could stories about courageous individuals trying their best to survive in a world full of greedy merchants, corrupt leaders, raving priests, mad cultists and servile minions possibly provide inspiration for those of us dealing with modern reality? . . . .Maybe I better sharpen that sword, just in case.
December 1, 2009
Crom! Innkeeper, hast your serving wench sunk her legs in a bog? It is I, Conan, that stands before you. Fetch me ale, man, or end this hour shorter by a head!!
I just made that up. Hah hah. But these stories were great. Really excellent. (Apparently several writers have done them). Conan just rambles around what appears to be a fictional, fantastical, magical Babylon, kicks ass, takes what he wants, fights wizards, drinks, and hangs with hookers. And saves naked damsels from sacrifice to vile demons sometimes. Never boring.
I just made that up. Hah hah. But these stories were great. Really excellent. (Apparently several writers have done them). Conan just rambles around what appears to be a fictional, fantastical, magical Babylon, kicks ass, takes what he wants, fights wizards, drinks, and hangs with hookers. And saves naked damsels from sacrifice to vile demons sometimes. Never boring.
February 8, 2014
Robert Jordan wrote the best CONAN stories this side of Robert E. Howard. All three of the stories in this collection are pretty good, but the middle one, CONAN THE DEFENDER, is the best. Conan actually meets a bunch of Beatnik college kids and sets them straight!
August 18, 2017
I read this omnibus around the time it came out and was nonplussed. But I have a greater appreciation for Jordan’s Conan books now that I’ve read both The Wheel of Time and Howard’s Conan stories. I walked back in not expecting them to be either. Jordan doesn’t really get Conan. But Jordan is a very fine storyteller. He may not quite get Conan, but his Conan is charismatic and clever, not just strong. The barbarian versus civilization theme is dropped entirely, even though Jordan’s Conan is young. I think I would probably have rather seen Jordan write an older Conan. Jordan’s Conan who doesn’t understand women is a little off. That was of course a theme Jordan would return to, and you see hints of several themes that Jordan would explore much more fully in his own epic fantasy: prophecy, the twisting of rumor, politics, a battle of the sexes.
Jordan writes Conan’s feminine foils with a lot of moxie, but superficial similarities notwithstanding, they are different in kind from Howard’s. Red Nails is the closest Howard story in structure to Jordan’s as far as the women go. There are usually at least two in Jordan’s stories, and at least one of those antagonistic to Conan throughout, even if she does succumb to her carnal attraction to him. The romance is very much in the vein of the bodice ripper. This sort of thing works much better in The Wheel of Time, where it is toned way down, there are (many, many) female POV characters, and the whole battle of the sexes thing is baked right into the worldbuilding.
Jordan isn’t the stylist Howard was, and he didn’t try to be. But his Conan books feature his finest prose, especially the latter books. He didn’t laden it with as much description as he later would. He gets a little overambitious with the vocabulary, but the results can be beautiful.
The Conan Chronicles featuring Conan the Invincible, Conan the Defender, and Conan the Unconquered. It also includes a really beautiful map by Ellisa Mitchell based on Howard’s map. Mitchell also did the map for The Wheel of Time.
Conan the Invincible
This is the only mediocre original Conan story that Jordan wrote. Unfortunately, it was also his first. This isn’t by accident. Tor got the rights to Conan and wanted to put a book out very quickly thereafter to capitalize on the 1982 movie. Jordan was picked because Tor knew he could write “muscular fantasy” and write fast. They were right, but Conan the Invincible really shows as a rush job. This is Jordan’s most generic Conan and his most generic world, and it features out of place worldbuilding like the lizardmen who serve the evil sorcerer villain. I would say skip it entirely, but the one thing it is notable for is introducing the secondary characters Karela and Hordo, each of whom appear again.
3 of 5 Stars.
Conan the Defender
This was the only book I remember much of from reading the first omnibus back in the late 90s. It is still my favorite book from the first omnibus, and vies with Conan the Victorious for my favorite overall of the Jordan pastiches.
Conan falls in with an artists’ commune (yes, really, and mostly for a girl and the free wine), starts a Free Company, and foils a coup. The obligatory evil sorcerer’s plot to seize power is genuinely clever and is one of the things I remember from my original read. I can even forgive Conan losing a fight to a soft nobleman with a magic sword.
4.5 of 5 Stars.
Conan the Unconquered
The Unconquered benefits from a more eastern setting (Aghrapur in Turan, with a trip across the Vilayet Sea to the Mongol-inspired Hyrkania). The cult leader who serves as the villain is a nice twist on the usual evil sorcerer, and his Khitan bodyguards were a highlight when I first read the book and a highlight now.
“The air hummed as if a thousand hornets had been loosed. Arrows sliced through the space where they had stood, toward the man in black. And before Conan’s astounded gaze the man, hands darting like lightning, knocked two shafts aside, seized two more from the air, then seemed to slide between the rest and disappear.”
4 of 5 Stars.
Jordan’s Conan books are fine to read in publication order, but according to his own chronology, the chronological order is: Conan the Destroyer, Conan the Magnificent, Conan the Invincible, Conan the Victorious, Conan the Unconquered, Conan the Defender, Conan the Triumphant.
Jordan writes Conan’s feminine foils with a lot of moxie, but superficial similarities notwithstanding, they are different in kind from Howard’s. Red Nails is the closest Howard story in structure to Jordan’s as far as the women go. There are usually at least two in Jordan’s stories, and at least one of those antagonistic to Conan throughout, even if she does succumb to her carnal attraction to him. The romance is very much in the vein of the bodice ripper. This sort of thing works much better in The Wheel of Time, where it is toned way down, there are (many, many) female POV characters, and the whole battle of the sexes thing is baked right into the worldbuilding.
Jordan isn’t the stylist Howard was, and he didn’t try to be. But his Conan books feature his finest prose, especially the latter books. He didn’t laden it with as much description as he later would. He gets a little overambitious with the vocabulary, but the results can be beautiful.
The Conan Chronicles featuring Conan the Invincible, Conan the Defender, and Conan the Unconquered. It also includes a really beautiful map by Ellisa Mitchell based on Howard’s map. Mitchell also did the map for The Wheel of Time.
Conan the Invincible
This is the only mediocre original Conan story that Jordan wrote. Unfortunately, it was also his first. This isn’t by accident. Tor got the rights to Conan and wanted to put a book out very quickly thereafter to capitalize on the 1982 movie. Jordan was picked because Tor knew he could write “muscular fantasy” and write fast. They were right, but Conan the Invincible really shows as a rush job. This is Jordan’s most generic Conan and his most generic world, and it features out of place worldbuilding like the lizardmen who serve the evil sorcerer villain. I would say skip it entirely, but the one thing it is notable for is introducing the secondary characters Karela and Hordo, each of whom appear again.
3 of 5 Stars.
Conan the Defender
This was the only book I remember much of from reading the first omnibus back in the late 90s. It is still my favorite book from the first omnibus, and vies with Conan the Victorious for my favorite overall of the Jordan pastiches.
Conan falls in with an artists’ commune (yes, really, and mostly for a girl and the free wine), starts a Free Company, and foils a coup. The obligatory evil sorcerer’s plot to seize power is genuinely clever and is one of the things I remember from my original read. I can even forgive Conan losing a fight to a soft nobleman with a magic sword.
4.5 of 5 Stars.
Conan the Unconquered
The Unconquered benefits from a more eastern setting (Aghrapur in Turan, with a trip across the Vilayet Sea to the Mongol-inspired Hyrkania). The cult leader who serves as the villain is a nice twist on the usual evil sorcerer, and his Khitan bodyguards were a highlight when I first read the book and a highlight now.
“The air hummed as if a thousand hornets had been loosed. Arrows sliced through the space where they had stood, toward the man in black. And before Conan’s astounded gaze the man, hands darting like lightning, knocked two shafts aside, seized two more from the air, then seemed to slide between the rest and disappear.”
4 of 5 Stars.
Jordan’s Conan books are fine to read in publication order, but according to his own chronology, the chronological order is: Conan the Destroyer, Conan the Magnificent, Conan the Invincible, Conan the Victorious, Conan the Unconquered, Conan the Defender, Conan the Triumphant.
July 28, 2025
I mean, it's Conan, what do you expect?
I'm joking. Partly.
Anyone going into this book with a 2020s understanding of misogyny, objectification and incel culture is in for a nasty shock. Anyone who has previous experience of Conan and the things it is notorious for will get exactly what they bargained for. And I'm not defending the writing of scantily-clad women who throw themselves at our Gary Stue protagonist, or the delightfully cheesy evil sorcerers who are everything that fantasy once had a bad name for. And I certainly don't think it would get traditionally published today. But there is also a kind of nostalgia factor to this unashamedly extravagant high fantasy.
This is my first time reading Conan as written by Robert Jordan (beloved for Wheel of Time) and I was pleased to find Jordan's writing as devourable as it always has been for me. Though the plots are undeniably Howard-esque, I couldn't help feeling that the side characters were a lot more Jordan; there are limits to what you can do in a Conan novella but you can almost feel Jordan straining to give his characters some development, giving gruff warriors a softer side and damsels in distress a chance to find their own inner strength. All within limitations, of course.
The three stories in this bind-up are nicely differentiated, each with a very different flavour that keeps a worn story format fresh and enticing. From bandit brigades to insurrection to evil cults, Jordan shows that there is a lot you can do with the barbarian/evil mage/pretty girl trio.
The big questions are always, Would I recommend this? and Would I read more? and in this case the answers are both a cautious Yes. I would read more. Despite the evident flaws and elements that made me cringe, I will always be a lover of old-school high fantasy, and these stories have that level of simple, enjoyable escapism you just don't get from more modern books in the genre. It's fun to watch a hero being good at everything he does. It's fun to see him effortlessly beating up bad guys and having all the skills he needs to solve his problems. It's uncomplicated dopamine. We need more of that. I would, however, be cautious about who I recommend this to. See my first paragraph.
Honestly, in short, it's Jordan, and it's fantasy, and for all the problems I had a good time. And that's really all you need to make reading a delight.
I'm joking. Partly.
Anyone going into this book with a 2020s understanding of misogyny, objectification and incel culture is in for a nasty shock. Anyone who has previous experience of Conan and the things it is notorious for will get exactly what they bargained for. And I'm not defending the writing of scantily-clad women who throw themselves at our Gary Stue protagonist, or the delightfully cheesy evil sorcerers who are everything that fantasy once had a bad name for. And I certainly don't think it would get traditionally published today. But there is also a kind of nostalgia factor to this unashamedly extravagant high fantasy.
This is my first time reading Conan as written by Robert Jordan (beloved for Wheel of Time) and I was pleased to find Jordan's writing as devourable as it always has been for me. Though the plots are undeniably Howard-esque, I couldn't help feeling that the side characters were a lot more Jordan; there are limits to what you can do in a Conan novella but you can almost feel Jordan straining to give his characters some development, giving gruff warriors a softer side and damsels in distress a chance to find their own inner strength. All within limitations, of course.
The three stories in this bind-up are nicely differentiated, each with a very different flavour that keeps a worn story format fresh and enticing. From bandit brigades to insurrection to evil cults, Jordan shows that there is a lot you can do with the barbarian/evil mage/pretty girl trio.
The big questions are always, Would I recommend this? and Would I read more? and in this case the answers are both a cautious Yes. I would read more. Despite the evident flaws and elements that made me cringe, I will always be a lover of old-school high fantasy, and these stories have that level of simple, enjoyable escapism you just don't get from more modern books in the genre. It's fun to watch a hero being good at everything he does. It's fun to see him effortlessly beating up bad guys and having all the skills he needs to solve his problems. It's uncomplicated dopamine. We need more of that. I would, however, be cautious about who I recommend this to. See my first paragraph.
Honestly, in short, it's Jordan, and it's fantasy, and for all the problems I had a good time. And that's really all you need to make reading a delight.
January 17, 2009
EVERYONE knows Jordan from his masterful Wheel of Time series, but all too often his Conan books have been overlooked and underappreciated by the masses. Jordan's Conan is THE BEST out of all the author's who have chronicled the mighty Cimmerian, including his creator Robert Howard AND L. Sprague DeCamp, in my opinion. I devoured Jordan's Conan novels in High School like a fiend, and always was left wanting more. It says much that when I met Jordan at Marcon years ago, I set aside a WOT novel to get my Conan Chronicles vol 1 signed.
January 10, 2024
It’s pretty short and sweet. This was my first intro to Conan and it was good enough to make me want more. Some stuff is a bit out dated… but still pretty good.
October 16, 2025
Jordan was trying way too hard to channel Howard’s edginess and it just came off as immature. If you’re just a casual fantasy fan these books are great but for fans of Howard’s Conan its insulting
December 30, 2016
This is a collection of three Conan books by Jordan that were originally published in the early 1980's. Jordan does a fair job of representing one of the all-time-favorite sword and sorcery heroes, portraying him as the hard, no-nonsense, lover of gold and women that Robert E. Howard introduced so long ago. These stories are nothing like Jordan's later work with the epic Wheel of Time series, but they are not meant to be. The Conan Chronicles are fast-paced, exciting, simple, and predictable, a guilty pleasure for lovers of old-school fantasy. All three books involve evil wizards bent on obtaining power at the cost to the masses, and in all three Conan finds himself in a to-the-death battle with said wizards. One thing that stands out in these books is the blatant stereotypes and cliches that Jordan's characters take on. Wizards are dark and sinister, women are young and beautiful (and usually naked), men are greedy and dirty, and almost everyone is poor and desperate. Oily and unclean Iranistanis, and sneaky and deadly assassins (ninjas) from the far-east were particularly amusing to me.
The first book, Conan the Invincible, tells of Conan accepting a job that turns out to be more than he expected. A strange wizard pays him to steal some jewels from the king of Zamora, but somebody beats him to it. As he tracks the thieves, he encounters a number of interesting characters that'll show up in following novels, including Hordo and Karela. Evil wizards and snake men pose quite a challenge to the young Conan, but nothing he can't handle.
In Conan The Defender (Conan), our hero finds himself embroiled in a plot to overthrow the king of Nemedia. Lots of double dealing and behind-the-scene scheming make this one read almost like a mystery, with Conan playing the part of the detective. Once again, the antagonist is a dark and evil sorcerer with aims on the throne, and once again Conan cleaves through his enemies like a hot knife through butter. Hordo and Karela reappear here to aid (or hinder?) Conan in his goals. Compared to the first book, this one was more enjoyable to me, with a slightly more complex plot and with the characters becoming better developed.
The third book, Conan the Unconquered (Conan), is my personal favorite. In this tale Conan finds himself traveling to distant lands to search for the means to slay a necromancer heading the 'Cult of the Doomed'. The pace is very quick and the overall plot is better developed than the first two books. The opposition to Conan and the dangers he faces seem more deadly and his new traveling companions add flavor to this one.
All three books are enjoyable and simple. If you come for the right reasons (pure shallow entertainment) you'll be pleased.
The first book, Conan the Invincible, tells of Conan accepting a job that turns out to be more than he expected. A strange wizard pays him to steal some jewels from the king of Zamora, but somebody beats him to it. As he tracks the thieves, he encounters a number of interesting characters that'll show up in following novels, including Hordo and Karela. Evil wizards and snake men pose quite a challenge to the young Conan, but nothing he can't handle.
In Conan The Defender (Conan), our hero finds himself embroiled in a plot to overthrow the king of Nemedia. Lots of double dealing and behind-the-scene scheming make this one read almost like a mystery, with Conan playing the part of the detective. Once again, the antagonist is a dark and evil sorcerer with aims on the throne, and once again Conan cleaves through his enemies like a hot knife through butter. Hordo and Karela reappear here to aid (or hinder?) Conan in his goals. Compared to the first book, this one was more enjoyable to me, with a slightly more complex plot and with the characters becoming better developed.
The third book, Conan the Unconquered (Conan), is my personal favorite. In this tale Conan finds himself traveling to distant lands to search for the means to slay a necromancer heading the 'Cult of the Doomed'. The pace is very quick and the overall plot is better developed than the first two books. The opposition to Conan and the dangers he faces seem more deadly and his new traveling companions add flavor to this one.
All three books are enjoyable and simple. If you come for the right reasons (pure shallow entertainment) you'll be pleased.
August 22, 2024
I just finished reading Robert E. Howard’s original Conan stories and they were awesome - dark, gritty and tinged with supernatural horror. Having loved The Wheel of Time, I thought I’d give Robert Jordan’s take on this classic character a try.
Though Jordan’s Wheel of Time series is one of the best of the genre, his Conan tales are flat out awful. I have far more sympathy for Brandon Sanderson (who finished The Wheel of Time after RJ’s untimely demise) now that I’ve seen Jordan in the same position.
This volume compiles the first three of Jordan’s Conan novels. One of the major differences in writing that I’ve noticed is that he takes a little more time fleshing out these characters - which may sound like a good thing, but actually serves to change the whole Conan dynamic. Nobody cared about Howard’s characters per se, what they liked were the violence, magic, and horror.
Instead of the grim lone wolf who finds himself disemboweling demon-spawn nightmare creatures in the ruins of ancient temples, we get a softer Conan who likes to yuck it up with old pals and spend time in medieval communes full of artists and poets. I made it halfway through the third book, but just couldn’t do it anymore. When I left off, Conan had spent ten minutes teaching an extremely naive and innocent girl, who’d never held a sword before, to wield one with enough competency to defeat the best swordsman on the ship they were sailing on. Totally believable, right?
If you want Conan, stick with Robert E. Howard’s original stories - which are awesome. If you want Robert Jordan, stick with The Wheel of Time - also awesome. If you want to ruin your perception of both Conan and Robert Jordan, read these.
Though Jordan’s Wheel of Time series is one of the best of the genre, his Conan tales are flat out awful. I have far more sympathy for Brandon Sanderson (who finished The Wheel of Time after RJ’s untimely demise) now that I’ve seen Jordan in the same position.
This volume compiles the first three of Jordan’s Conan novels. One of the major differences in writing that I’ve noticed is that he takes a little more time fleshing out these characters - which may sound like a good thing, but actually serves to change the whole Conan dynamic. Nobody cared about Howard’s characters per se, what they liked were the violence, magic, and horror.
Instead of the grim lone wolf who finds himself disemboweling demon-spawn nightmare creatures in the ruins of ancient temples, we get a softer Conan who likes to yuck it up with old pals and spend time in medieval communes full of artists and poets. I made it halfway through the third book, but just couldn’t do it anymore. When I left off, Conan had spent ten minutes teaching an extremely naive and innocent girl, who’d never held a sword before, to wield one with enough competency to defeat the best swordsman on the ship they were sailing on. Totally believable, right?
If you want Conan, stick with Robert E. Howard’s original stories - which are awesome. If you want Robert Jordan, stick with The Wheel of Time - also awesome. If you want to ruin your perception of both Conan and Robert Jordan, read these.
July 11, 2008
before he started WOT, R. Jordan wrote a series of Conan stories.
And, you can tell he is still learning the ropes. While i guess you can't expect much from a conan story, hack and slash seems to go hand in hand with what its all about, i still was hoping for a bit more
and, you can still see, he just doesn't like women.
And, you can tell he is still learning the ropes. While i guess you can't expect much from a conan story, hack and slash seems to go hand in hand with what its all about, i still was hoping for a bit more
and, you can still see, he just doesn't like women.
November 28, 2016
Gave it an extra star because it was RJ. Didn't finish, or even really get that far. Not big on classic 80's "bro" fantasy - the ravishing of maidens, the drinking, the stereotypical bad guys etc. Not what I expected from RJ (albeit early RJ), but probably just what I would have expected from a Conan book if I'd really thought about it.
November 14, 2008
3 books, packed into one neat package :) Really enjoyed this series. It's complete fantasy! Conan is undefeatable, covered in scars, young incredibly strong, and his mere presence makes women wet between the legs. Ladies rarily wear more then scarves, but still a fun read :)
July 23, 2014
I expected more because I love WoT. But it didn't appeal to me at all. It was crudely written and cliché and too full of objectified tits for me to like. So I didn't finish it. Therefore don't take my review too seriously.
January 27, 2010
I assume he wrote this before the wheel of time, and so it was a practice run. Its OK if you just suspend reality (it is fantasy, after all) and read with a non critical mind.
June 26, 2019
Jordan's prose is beautiful as always, but even that's not enough to save the dull characters and meandering plots. Read the Wheel of Time instead.
November 26, 2017
TLDR: Read if into Conan (like me), check better options otherwise.
It took me long to read this book as I had to start and stop it twice. Once to leave for studies (and then stay forever in the country I studied) and then when I had to stop my holidays. I decided to get it to my new home in UK and read it in one go which was a mistake and a bet on "I will read it after almost 10 years damn-it"
As I have read probably from another person in GoodReads, Robert Peterson is great at giving amazing descriptions of the people and places where the stories take place. You can almost feel the deserts, the mountains and the sea, and also sense the dust of the battles as well as the scent and looks of the gorgeous while sometimes wicked women :).
The plot of the individual stories not so great and that Robert E. Howard feeling is not exactly there. It really feels like the plot is a means to an end which is take you from place to place. Also the three stories share a very loosely similar plot.
Something that I did not like is the role of magic in Jordan's world. Sorcerers are a little bit too powerful and capable for Hyborian world standards, having real power to manifest entities and craft powerful spells, something a bit too far for this specific universe.
I would suggest this book to people that are really into Conan like me and want something more. For this very reason I will read the second volume of Chronicles at some time in the future. People not interested to Conan tales should better look elsewhere, while newcomers could be better served with the writings of RE Howard. In either case if you choose to invest your time it is better to read stories with at least a small time gap between them.
It took me long to read this book as I had to start and stop it twice. Once to leave for studies (and then stay forever in the country I studied) and then when I had to stop my holidays. I decided to get it to my new home in UK and read it in one go which was a mistake and a bet on "I will read it after almost 10 years damn-it"
As I have read probably from another person in GoodReads, Robert Peterson is great at giving amazing descriptions of the people and places where the stories take place. You can almost feel the deserts, the mountains and the sea, and also sense the dust of the battles as well as the scent and looks of the gorgeous while sometimes wicked women :).
The plot of the individual stories not so great and that Robert E. Howard feeling is not exactly there. It really feels like the plot is a means to an end which is take you from place to place. Also the three stories share a very loosely similar plot.
Something that I did not like is the role of magic in Jordan's world. Sorcerers are a little bit too powerful and capable for Hyborian world standards, having real power to manifest entities and craft powerful spells, something a bit too far for this specific universe.
I would suggest this book to people that are really into Conan like me and want something more. For this very reason I will read the second volume of Chronicles at some time in the future. People not interested to Conan tales should better look elsewhere, while newcomers could be better served with the writings of RE Howard. In either case if you choose to invest your time it is better to read stories with at least a small time gap between them.
July 13, 2020
It’s hard for me to adequately describe how I felt about these three novellas. I think a lot of us have books that we revered when we were younger but revile as adults. Going back to some authors from the 1980s there is a certain peaceful charm to the old tried and true tropes that’s bring me back to the imagination of my youth.
With Robert Jordan it’s a little bit different. I feel like he was the last and most popular bastion of fantasy from the 80s and 90s that was characterized by the classical tropes, but drawn out into much longer epics. I found these short stories more tolerable than reading the Wheel of Time because they are short and pulpy... the story is over before you have a chance to get too bored with the reams of irrelevant description and chapter after redundant chapter of Nynaeve tugging her braid, crossing her arms, grasping the One Power, men commenting on not understanding women, women commenting on not understanding men, seemingly ad infinitum.
Robert Jordan is one for very heavy description. But comparing this to modern authors, this kind of beautiful, flowery prose feels plastic. When I read a book by Joe Abercrombie or Brandon Sanderson, I know that the author is using ever single thing he puts on the page. Nothing is for no reason. But with Robert Jordan, despite his excellent command of the English language and robust lexicon, I often get the sense that he is just putting together the story as he goes along, there is no grand scheme, no moral, the plot is simple and thin. But again, I find this much more tolerable for pulpy 175 page novellas than the commitment of reading 14 thousand page monstrosities with no concrete synthesis, dimensionless characters (especially women), and major, major pacing issues.
With Robert Jordan it’s a little bit different. I feel like he was the last and most popular bastion of fantasy from the 80s and 90s that was characterized by the classical tropes, but drawn out into much longer epics. I found these short stories more tolerable than reading the Wheel of Time because they are short and pulpy... the story is over before you have a chance to get too bored with the reams of irrelevant description and chapter after redundant chapter of Nynaeve tugging her braid, crossing her arms, grasping the One Power, men commenting on not understanding women, women commenting on not understanding men, seemingly ad infinitum.
Robert Jordan is one for very heavy description. But comparing this to modern authors, this kind of beautiful, flowery prose feels plastic. When I read a book by Joe Abercrombie or Brandon Sanderson, I know that the author is using ever single thing he puts on the page. Nothing is for no reason. But with Robert Jordan, despite his excellent command of the English language and robust lexicon, I often get the sense that he is just putting together the story as he goes along, there is no grand scheme, no moral, the plot is simple and thin. But again, I find this much more tolerable for pulpy 175 page novellas than the commitment of reading 14 thousand page monstrosities with no concrete synthesis, dimensionless characters (especially women), and major, major pacing issues.
January 10, 2020
This is what it is...and that's no bad thing...what it is is (lots of us of the word is I know) is a anthology of three Conan novels written not by the original author of the Conan stories though much in that spirit.
The author is I understand well known for his own canon of tales which I haven't read yet but I did enjoy his Conan tales ..I'm some ways alike with a Bond or Holmes pastiche there is some common ground in these tales ..there's usually a evil necromancer somewhere..Conan usually fights some conjured demon of some sort and there's a Conan girl who has fallen under the spell of his subtle wooing technique..a technique that is often Weinsteinesque in its surety.
These books feel of testerone if found in the Olympic village they would fail the drugs test Conan is a uber man and although this is somewhat laughable in the modern context it's harmless enough...I can only suspect that if they are still writing Conan by now he is racked with some guilt over his previous womanizing and henchmen body count.
In honesty he slashes slightly less in this the body count was notably down there are some of these books dripping in blood but I'm regard that these books are kind of reserved.
Did I enjoy the tales for all my moaning about the formulaic nature..yes I did...I don't really want an enlightened Conan really a barbarian who is maybe also Vegan and knits his own chainmail?...Nah I will pass on that.
The author is I understand well known for his own canon of tales which I haven't read yet but I did enjoy his Conan tales ..I'm some ways alike with a Bond or Holmes pastiche there is some common ground in these tales ..there's usually a evil necromancer somewhere..Conan usually fights some conjured demon of some sort and there's a Conan girl who has fallen under the spell of his subtle wooing technique..a technique that is often Weinsteinesque in its surety.
These books feel of testerone if found in the Olympic village they would fail the drugs test Conan is a uber man and although this is somewhat laughable in the modern context it's harmless enough...I can only suspect that if they are still writing Conan by now he is racked with some guilt over his previous womanizing and henchmen body count.
In honesty he slashes slightly less in this the body count was notably down there are some of these books dripping in blood but I'm regard that these books are kind of reserved.
Did I enjoy the tales for all my moaning about the formulaic nature..yes I did...I don't really want an enlightened Conan really a barbarian who is maybe also Vegan and knits his own chainmail?...Nah I will pass on that.
June 8, 2021
So being a WOT fan since I first read it in high school, I had never got around to reading any of Robert Jordan's other novels. Fallon Blood never peaked my interest because of the civil war era theme. Warriors of Altaii was very recent. And I always knew he had written Conan novels.
"But Conan's not Epic!" My brain said for the longest time. "It's Sword and Sorcery, and that's beneath me!"
How wrong I was. I read Robert E. Howards original stories, which were awesome and fun. And then I finally got around to reading Jordan's take on it.
Both are great fun, I think, it might be blasphemy to say, but I prefer Robert Jordan's take. In this rare case, someone else writing in the authors world is better than the original. This one RARE case though.
I thouroughly enjoyed these books. Holy shit, this is just pure masculine fun! What a Conan novel should be. You definitely wouldn't be able to get away with writing this today. Haha. But whatever, this is why older books rock, why 90's fantasy rocks.
My favorite part, one of my favorites, the SFW part, is how there are this group of villains that are reminiscent of 'The Forsaken'. He didn't even need to describe them so well, could just be generic bad guys, but they all have their personalities, their flaws/weaknesses, their separate motivations and plots. It's F'ing great.
I love the pacing. I love the variety of things that happen. It's not just all bar fights and big battles, there's a strength contest, at one point a villain just lets Conan and co into his house sip wine and bargain.
And Conan just is a great character. Not a big dumb brute in the least bit, but an intelligent, thoughtful, yet maybe rash and unwise because he's still young. He didn't have any strong fear or apprehension of sorcery as in the original novels, which I found interesting.
Sword and Sorcery isn't just stereotypical knight kills dragon/wizard saves princess, Conan is worth reading even if you're strictly an epic fantasy guy.
These are just pure fun. Period. Read them. Read Howard as well.
"But Conan's not Epic!" My brain said for the longest time. "It's Sword and Sorcery, and that's beneath me!"
How wrong I was. I read Robert E. Howards original stories, which were awesome and fun. And then I finally got around to reading Jordan's take on it.
Both are great fun, I think, it might be blasphemy to say, but I prefer Robert Jordan's take. In this rare case, someone else writing in the authors world is better than the original. This one RARE case though.
I thouroughly enjoyed these books. Holy shit, this is just pure masculine fun! What a Conan novel should be. You definitely wouldn't be able to get away with writing this today. Haha. But whatever, this is why older books rock, why 90's fantasy rocks.
My favorite part, one of my favorites, the SFW part, is how there are this group of villains that are reminiscent of 'The Forsaken'. He didn't even need to describe them so well, could just be generic bad guys, but they all have their personalities, their flaws/weaknesses, their separate motivations and plots. It's F'ing great.
I love the pacing. I love the variety of things that happen. It's not just all bar fights and big battles, there's a strength contest, at one point a villain just lets Conan and co into his house sip wine and bargain.
And Conan just is a great character. Not a big dumb brute in the least bit, but an intelligent, thoughtful, yet maybe rash and unwise because he's still young. He didn't have any strong fear or apprehension of sorcery as in the original novels, which I found interesting.
Sword and Sorcery isn't just stereotypical knight kills dragon/wizard saves princess, Conan is worth reading even if you're strictly an epic fantasy guy.
These are just pure fun. Period. Read them. Read Howard as well.
April 28, 2020
I love WoT series. I believe it influenced me more than LoTR to love high fantasy. And, Robert Jordan is a master of fantasy. Having said that, I had no high expectations on Conan series (c'mn all Conan movies were cheesy, over the top action, melodrama, vulgar etc) as they were mostly for teenage boys. They date back to 30s and lot of generation-al influence is associated w/ the books. It's an influential work & there is an old-fashioned feel to it but it's so simplistic.
Same thing applies to RJ's work as well. This book is well written and is more light-hearted. The plot is surprisingly good and it flows quite well. The characters are one dimensional & forgettable. The villains are more likable sometimes. Women would hate the chauvinistic narrative but, its about a barbarian and we should give it a pass.
Always wanted to read to check if there were any influences on WoT. I think there were few and I liked the book for that :) 3/5!
Same thing applies to RJ's work as well. This book is well written and is more light-hearted. The plot is surprisingly good and it flows quite well. The characters are one dimensional & forgettable. The villains are more likable sometimes. Women would hate the chauvinistic narrative but, its about a barbarian and we should give it a pass.
Always wanted to read to check if there were any influences on WoT. I think there were few and I liked the book for that :) 3/5!
November 1, 2016
Conan at his sword-swinging finest
Robert Jordan's finest works in my opinion. I love his take on Robert Howard's creation. He adds a depth of character to the grim barbarian that Howard failed to instill. Also, Jordan's sense of humor is imbued in his works. I love all his Conan novels and will continue to reread them for the rest of my life.
Robert Jordan's finest works in my opinion. I love his take on Robert Howard's creation. He adds a depth of character to the grim barbarian that Howard failed to instill. Also, Jordan's sense of humor is imbued in his works. I love all his Conan novels and will continue to reread them for the rest of my life.
March 13, 2018
Conan the Barbarian defines pulp fantasy, and Jordan does a fine job of capturing the spirit of that kind of book. Additionally, it's entertaining to read early Jordan, and it is interesting to see Jordan grow into his own voice in these three novels.
September 18, 2018
Well written, but this Conan never seems to have any fun, despite the profusion of “well-rounded” bosoms. (Seriously, RJ is constantly harping on about how round the women’s bosoms are. It’s a bit weird.)
May 21, 2023
Hyborian intro
A great introduction to the world of Conan and the great stories written about his life. I grew up reading the large collection of Conan novels and loved them. This chronicle reminded me why.
A great introduction to the world of Conan and the great stories written about his life. I grew up reading the large collection of Conan novels and loved them. This chronicle reminded me why.
May 30, 2017
Conan the Barbarian!!!
July 31, 2017
Good old swashbuckling fun with lots of action and sorcery.
January 8, 2018
Jordan is as talented as Howard in writing Conan
March 21, 2018
Very good take on the Conan story. Will have to see if I can fine Volume 2.
October 15, 2019
The women are a bit one-sided, they all have big breasts and big butts, but honestly if that's the taste Conan is supposed to have I guess it makes sense that all his love interests look the same.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews