Conan of the Isles (Conan #12) [Paperback]

Robert E. Howard (Author), L. Sprague De Camp (Author), Lin Carter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1986

As the Red Terror, a bizarre, magical dark force whose victims disappear without a trace, descends upon Aquilonia, King Conan sets out to destroy its source, evil, conquest-hungry sorcerer-priests from across the sea. Reissue.

Product Details

• Paperback: 189 pages
• Publisher: Ace (September 15, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044111623X
• ISBN-13: 978-0441116232
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,307,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Final Adventure, June 30, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Conan of the Isles (Conan #12) (Paperback)

Back in the mid-60's, when Lancer Books reissued the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, they enlisted the aid of L. Sprague DeCamp and Lin Carter to polish Howard's grammar, soften his more "politically incorrect" statements, and fill out the saga with pastiches. This, the last of the stories, is 100% pastiche, but it still has the flavor of Howard's barbarian. I first read it as a teenager, but now that I have passed the half century mark, the story has new resonance. In this adventure Conan anticipates George Foreman by several millenia. He may be old; he may not be the man he once was; but he can still outmuscle most foes, and those he can't outmuscle, he can outfox. At the conclusion of the book you might just get a little misty-eyed when Conan ends his adventure and sails off into the mists of time, never to be heard from again.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars While not the best..., January 20, 2000

By 

M. Im Flinkenberg "bergenflink" (Wellington, Nth Island New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conan of the Isles (Conan #12) (Paperback)

The book starts extremely well with one of the best scenes ever written about Conan (The tavern scene). It's forever burned into my brain. Burn it into yours. The second half lags a bit but over all it's very entertaining. The Isles is an important book in the Conan series because it's the last Conan story. Conan shows that even at 60+ he's still got more than it takes. Great ending.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An above-average non-Howard Conan novel, September 4, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: Conan of the Isles (Conan #12) (Paperback)

When Lancer set out to produce the complete Conan saga in the 1960s, it called upon L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter, and Bjorn Nyberg to fill in the gaps and complete the saga. For the most part, they comported themselves well.

This is the final tale in that series, and for a non-REH story, it's pretty good. Carter and de Camp both had been around Conan enough by the time they produced this that they get the general flavor of what makes Conan, well, Conan. I probably should give it more stars, simply because of all the pure pablum that has been produced by would-be REH imitators over the past 20 years or so, but its still not quite anything more than an above average book.

Regardless, its well written and clearly attempting to honor REH's Conan tales. In this book, Conan is in his twilight years and is still looking for one final adventure, or adventures, as the case may be. Clearly, Conan has no intention of dying of old age in a bed surrounded by grandchildren.

The early chapters of the book are probably the best as Conan evenutally sets off sailing and finds himself in a new, unknown world (presumably America). Naturally, this being a Conan tale, he soon finds himself enmeshed in adventures in this new world. And, relying on not only muscle but guile, Conan naturally triumphs.

Given the fact that I am now in my 40s, this tale may resonate more with me. The fact that a 60-ish Conan is still vital and more than willing to fight kind of inspires me. The ending actually leaves the door open for further adventures, even though this was to be the final tale in the Conan saga (of course, others decided there was still money to be made off the poor guy, so all kinds of junk is still being written about Conan today).

Stick to the Lancer series and its reprints and ignore all that other junk.