Conan: Blood of the Serpent in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Dec 19, 2022 Jim Kuenzli rated it liked it

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery

I was very excited when I heard the news this was coming out about a year ago. The story is pretty good- it fills in the time Conan and Valeria are with a band of Free Companions mercenaries. Right off you can tell Sterling is a good author. I do like how Sterling focused the story on Conan, rather that the ridiculous Tor book process that jumped from one chapter of Conan, and then one chapter of the nemesis (sorcerer/demon etc.) This way we get a full novel of Conan, rather than a 50/50 split. ...more

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Jan 06, 2023 Chris rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy, books-library

As a fan of Conan, I found this book a chore to read. It feels like a short story that is padded out to novel length with excessive description and explanation.

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Jan 11, 2023 Jason Ray Carney rated it it was amazing

This was awesome. I hope this is the first of many new Conan novels to come. It's so interesting how Stirling's sparse and direct writing style adapts to the mythology, setting, and themes of REH's famous character. Stirling's Conan is vital and fun to root for: a cosmopolitan who seeks to learn about other cultures, Conan is sometimes a principled hero driven by loyalty to friends, battle comrades, and the downtrodden; other times, Conan is a bloody mercenary who seeks freedom, personal fulfill ...more

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Feb 12, 2023 Robin rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Conan – Blood of the Serpent is blatantly a Conan novel written by S. M. Stirling, and not something that could be mistaken as a lost Howard tale. This is all die-hard Conan fans need to know. If Howard’s distinctive blood and thunder authorial style is a requirement for a prospective reader to enjoy a Conan story, this book may be skipped. But newcomers to Conan and existing fans who love the character and are open to other voices are encouraged to take a look. This volume delivers an engaging ...more

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Mar 14, 2023 Dartharagorn rated it did not like it

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery

This was such a disappointment. Slow and boring. The author's take on Conan was awful. I would definitely not recommend this book to any Conan fan. I don't normally give 1 star reviews. Because I just don't finish them. I so wanted this to get good. I just keep reading and hoping. I should have quit reading long before I finished. ...more

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Dec 25, 2022 Dustin Reade rated it liked it

A fine, functional Conan pastiche. I didn't love it, though, and here's why: a lot of it is surprisingly dull, with numerous sections reading as too long and quite draggy. Also, the author goes crazy with descriptions. So much so that, more than once, I lost the thread entirely and had NO IDEA how to visualize the thing being described. I mean, there is a two line sentence at one point describing the fans being used to cool off a nobleman.
Near the end of the book there comes a scene in which Co ...more

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Dec 30, 2022 Michael rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction-fantasy

Many years ago, I took a graduate level English class called "Literature of the African Diaspora." The professor--a Harvard PH.D, assigned us the book Maps, and said--in the most smug, NPR voice imaginable--"You'll find this book most satisfying." I didn't: it was awful magical realism about flying men who menstruate (or something), but I have always remembered the line: "You'll find this book most satisfying."

I found this book most satisfying indeed. The author does not try to ape Robert E. Ho Many years ago, I took a graduate level English class called "Literature of the African Diaspora." The professor--a Harvard PH.D, assigned us the book Maps, and said--in the most smug, NPR voice imaginable--"You'll find this book most satisfying." I didn't: it was awful magical realism about flying men who menstruate (or something), but I have always remembered the line: "You'll find this book most satisfying."

I found this book most satisfying indeed. The author does not try to ape Robert E. Howard's style, and does not try to re-create Conan as anything other than what he is: an adventurer, a wanderer, a reaver, a slayer. Honest and fair-dealing, Conan is most likely my favorite literary hero, and I was most satisfied to read more of his adventures in this book. There have been no lack of Conan pastiches over the decades; some are good (Conan: The Road of Kings, some are horrible (Conan the Invincible), but none capture the Howardness of Howard.

This one, though: good stuff. It is not a sweeping epic of Conan's rise to the kingship of Aquilonia, nor is it some cosmos-shattering conflict between Conan the the dread forces of Hyperborea. Instead, it is a prequel of one of Howard's most beloved stories, Red Nails, and does a commendable job of telling a good story of Conan's life as a mercenary, as a tracker, and as a warrior wandering in the lands south of Stygia. I enjoyed it very much!

It is not a novel that has some enormous central conflict: it is almost anecdotal in that first Conan is here, then he's there, then he's someplace else, fighting and exploring and being an honorable badass all the while. I have read a few complaints about a part of the story regarding slaves, and some other blah blah blah about economics. Whatever. This is a fun tale about a Cimmerian warrior wandering through a dangerous world fighting snake-worshiping Stygian sorcerers, menacing African animals, and giant man-eating ape guys, all the while hooking up with an hot Kushian warrior babe and finding his steady girlfriend, Valeria.

Most satisfying indeed. Well done, Mr. Stirling. Write more! ...more

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