Customer Reviews

Conan the Freebooter

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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I just finished reading this book the other day. While not as good as Conan of Cimmeria, it still gets four stars because of the great addition it makes to the world of Conan. The new places and events sparkle with wonder. I enjoy any book that has pirates in it. See also Corsair by Chris Bunch and Doom's Break by Christopher Rowley for more great tales of piracy in different fantasy worlds.

Conan is the man and I must say I wish the character would be remade into a new set of movies.

A. Nathaniel Wallace, Jr.

This has

Conan the Freebooter : Hawks Over Shem - Robert E. Howard
Conan the Freebooter : Black Colossus - Robert E. Howard
Conan the Freebooter : Shadows in the Moonlight - Robert E. Howard
Conan the Freebooter : The Road of the Eagles - Robert E. Howard
Conan the Freebooter : A Witch Shall Be Born - Robert E. Howard

A fun passage from the intro :-

"...If, on the other hand, you insist on realism in your readin--if you must have novels about introverts suffering in a brutal world--if your

meat is something "close to the soil" or concerned with psychopathology or the state of the world, then, my friend, this book is not for you.

You'd better find yourself a hole and read Crime and Punishment. But I won't be there with you--I have an engagement in the Hyborian Age, and
will be busy all evening.

John D. Clark, PhD."

One of the rewritten from another Howard story into a Conan story jobs.

In Shem, a local king has gone the whole extremely repressive Islam style no fun city thing. No drinking, gambling, women wandering around, etc., etc. Thinks he is a god, as well.

As such, Conan is not having a great time, and is more than happy to lend a hand in changing the leadership to a variety that isn't so insane.

2.5 out of 5

Princess Yasmeela is visited by the sorceror Natokh, in an unearthly appartion. Terrified, she consults the oracle of Mitra, who tells her to make the first man she sees head of her armies.

It is her good fortune that this man is Conan. Her understands her political and military problems, and leads her army in war against the forces of Natokh, who has a resurrected monster up his sleeve.

Carnage ensues.

4 out of 5

Conan comes across an Hyrkanian battle leader who has slaughtered the mercenaries he was with. He slays him and allows a girl the dead man had captured to come with him.

Attempting escape they come across pirates, a man ape, and spooky statues at night.

4 out of 5

Another historical story adapted to a Conan tale.

Conan is now leading a Red Brotherhood band of pirates, and a general has been sent to clear them out. Bad luck for everyone, really.

A younger prince has been exiled into the care of a bandit, rather than killed.

Add in a somewhat too hasty woman, pirates, brigands, and soldiers, and some vampire monsters, and Conan is happy to leave for somewhere else.

3 out of 5

A bad problem to have - how do you tell which of two women is the very evil twin. Luckily, our favorite barbarian is a very pragmatic man. Excellent and evocative, this story.

4.5 out of 5