Conan the Conqueror (Conan #9) [Paperback]

Robert Howard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1983

A plot to assassinate Conan, the ruler of Aquilonia, sends the warrior to the neighboring kingdom of Nemedia, where the rightful but evil heir to Aquilonia and his loyal followers lie waiting for him. Reissue.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ace (May 15, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441116035
• ISBN-13: 978-0441116034
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,298,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

(1906-1936) Robert Erwin Howard was born and rasied in rural Texas, where he lived all his life. The son of a pioneer physician, he began writing professionally at the age of fifteen. Howard killed himself in June 1936 when he learned that his beloved mother had fallen into a coma.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enduring Champion in an Epic Chronicle, June 29, 2000

By 

George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Conan 09/conqueror (Conan Series) (Paperback)

When Lancer Books started reissuing the Conan saga back in the mid-60's, they enlisted L. Sprage DeCamp and Lin Carter to spruce up Howard's grammar and soften some of the more "politically incorrect" views he voiced. They chose well. Although 9th in the series, "Conan the Conqueror" was the first book issued because of copyright problems. It was a good start. I read the book and was hooked. I haunted the bookstores waiting for each new Conan book to come out. Later I had the opportunity to read "Hour of the Dragon," Howard's book as originally written. Not quite as polished as "Conan the Conqueror," but entertaining nonetheless. Anyone who enjoyed the movie "Conan the Barbarian" should like "Conan the Conqueror."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The one that got me hooked on REH, August 21, 2003

By 

James Sadler (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conan 09/conqueror (Conan Series) (Paperback)

When I was ten years old I stumbled across the Lancer edition of this book,their edition of Howard's "The Hour of the Dragon," which actually ran as a serial in "Weird Tales" in the 1930s (none of REH's work was actually published as a novel during his lifetime, with the possible exception of "Almuric," which I can't remember for certain but it may have been). At that age I probably had no business reading it, but I made my first purchase ever of a book when I bought it. Amazingly, even though that was over thirty-five years ago, I still own the book.

The book is fast-paced, action packed, and carries the eerie atmopshere that so many Howard stories do (what is it about authors who shoot themselves that seems to tie them so closely to great story-telling?). Conna faces insurmountable odds in losing his kingdom, and naturally, he eventually overcomes them. The fun of the tale is in following his adventures as he travels the world to find the means to defeat his enemies.

Obviously, Howard isn't everyone's cup of tea. There is an air of fatality and finality looming over all of his best works, including this one. Despite Conan's ultimate victory, you almost sense that Howard knew, and by extension Conan knew, that all victories are short lived and would soon pass.

Regardless, if you have an interest in sword and sorcery, this is must reading and probably a good starting point for people new to the genre. Howard is essentially the father of the genre and is still the best in that area in my opinion.

Just looking at a lot of the deriviative junk that has grown around the whole Conan mythos, you really have to wish that Howard had lived longer and continued to write more about Conan, although at the time of his death, Howard was moving away from the genre to what he considered better paying markets.

I give it five stars because it is in many ways the peak of Howard's writing. And thirty-five years later, I still occassionally pick it up and re-read it, which may say a lot about how well-written it is, since I long ago left fantasy reading behind me.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Conan unseated from his throne, January 25, 2002

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Conan 09/conqueror (Conan Series) (Paperback)

A prosperous Aquilonia flourishes under Conan's firm rule, but Conan is deposed by an evil plot that originates with his neighbors in Nemedia. Black arts are engaged to defeat the great barbarian, but Conan makes a journey to find a way to save Aquilonia from usurpation.

L. Sprague de Camp does an admirable job as editor. The Conan books are not precisely my cuppa tea, but are an essential read for people interested in the history of the fantasy genre.