Customer Reviews

Conan The Formidable

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

OK, first things first. I am not a Conan purist, but I have purist tendencies. I like the grim, fatalistic atmosphere, the clenched-jaw determination, and all that. That being said, I do enjoy innovation when it comes to Conan...very judicious innovation. Perry pulls it off in my opinion.

At the story's outset, Conan is just moseying along, with a sword, loincloth, a few Shemitish coppers or somesuch and the usual destination of Shadizar or Arenjun or wherever in mind to go steal/kill/get hired as a merc. The usual. He's minding his own business when he encounters a set of circumstances that invlove a race of giants, their mortal enemies the little green jungle dwarves (chiseled teeth, poison speers, etc) and a spell casting travelling showman with his own captive freakshow, to which he adds Conan for a time.

So Conan gets involved in three story lines that all converge in one battle on a barren, rocky plateau. He kills, conquers, hews and cleaves and generally lives true to form. Conan stays in character for the most part, gets lusty thoughts, goes berserk here and there in a crazed barbarian bloodlust and spends an appropriate amount of time brooding gloomily.

As I said, this is offbeat, but serves as an interlude between other, larger stories and is as such entertainingly bizarre. Conan in this story relies on instinct, native cunning, barbarian vitality and undaunted courage. While the backdrop is outlandish even by Howard's standards, it's an enjoyable interruption from the ordinary and the character is true to form. No, not everybody will like it, but not everybody enjoys Conan in the first place. Keep in mind that this is sheer escapist fun and you'll be good to go.

As Conan books go, this is a little off of the norm, not bad, just different. The life styles, and customs of the groups of characters, are interwoven well and gives the reader a sense of empathy for each individual group, even if they are in deathly opposition. The ending was of no great suprise, but the book was well written, and held interest with subtle & blatent plot & character alliances and changes.

Conan encouters little green men, giants, a wolfman, a catwoman, a wizard, and a four armed mutant -- all this and less in a story only a juvenile can enjoy. Thankfully, the book was short.

I don't know why so many people are saying negative things about this book. If you like small chapters and like an easy but an adult read then this is a okay book. One thing that bothers me about the two covers that come with this book, the first being a Wolf man attacking Conan, and the second, the currently used cover, is a large four armed guy fighting Conan. You can't judge a book by its cover of course and this is a fine example of that, because in this book Conan doesn't fight either a Wolf man or a four armed man, but instead they are allies, which is opposite of the cover.

A pretty passable, if perhaps a little less intense Conan pastiche.

Here, the young barbarian works to make use of his mighty muscles and unarmed brawling, combat and wrestling skills, as well as the usual thievery and confrontation and dispatching of nefarious sorcerers.

Still on the road to Shadizar, he goes.

This book started entertaining enough, but after the part where they join the merchant's caravan, it goes downhill. The beginning with the giant village was pretty cool, and the ensuing action. I also thought it was interesting how there were actually three different stories going on for at least 3 or 4 chapters. But I thought the end was weak-it was just stupid. I wouldn't recommend this book, but its has its good parts. I'd give it 2.5 stars if I could.

This is a very offbeat story for Conan. Taking place over just a few days. And Conan's companions this time around are some of his weirdest, a giant woman and her brother and sister, little dwarfs, a wolf man, a cat woman, and a four armed man. The main villain, Dake, is a want to be wizard/illusionist who has a traveling freak show, that Conan ends up in with the before mentioned companions. As far as Conan villains go, Dake is next to nothing, but Conan falls under his spell by mishap, and even when he discovers he can escape, he will not leave until the others can.

The story starts off good, and has several plots going at once, middle drags a little, but the ending brings the story back to a fast paced ending, and a good morale one too about enemies becoming friends over a common enemy (in the end the children pick up where the fathers failed), and how ones views changed over slavery and torture, when they became the slave.

Not the the most brilliant Conan book written, and better than Perry's last two efforts (Conan the Indomitable, and the Freelance) and as good as his first Conan the Defiant. Over all a good entertaining read