Customer Reviews

Conan and the Manhunters (Conan (Tor))

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John Maddox Roberts is my favorite Conan writer other than originator Robert E. Howard. In Manhunters, Roberts is doing something on a grand scale. This tale involves a battle between first rank wizards (Thoth Amon makes an appearance here) and a god that determines the fate of the world. In the middle is Conan, the unwitting thief drawn into galactic melee. At first I thought this story was a little overreaching, but I started to get into it as Roberts started to rein in plot line to focus more on Conan's storyline. The conflict with the manhunters who are tracking Conan down is a bit of an anticlimax and really isn't that much the focus of the story. But it works, because the hired guns after Conan really aren't terribly interesting. I ended up enjoying this book. This may be one of Robert's lesser stories, but it's still better than most of the Conan tales written by other writers.

I particularly like the writing style: not only presenting a story, but with fine description of the details, the surroundings, the atmostphere, the characters, etc. That tends to drag you into the story rather than listening to a story on the outside. The story itself is attractive too, with wizards, evil gods, etc., much like the old Conan stories in the 80s. The drawback is that is there's a little difference in Conan's personality from the Conan I was familiar with in the 80s.

Conan and the Manhunters was my first Conan book. Having just finished it, I left the experience with little more than a glimpse into the Cimmerian's character and general disposition as a brute bandit.

The description of this book notes that Conan and his crew are wrapped up amongst a powerful god seeking to destroy the earth. Additionally, they're to be pursued by a powerful band of "manhunters" seeking to bring them a swift death. As climactic as it may sound, both of these plot points are very uninspired and lack depth. The temple of Ahriman is touched on within the first few chapters, then left completely alone until the final 20-30 pages. The manhunters in pursuit of Conan and his entourage are briefly described and lack any sort of depth. Without any sort of character development whatsoever, they appear weightless and one sided. At no point in the story was I worried about them clashing with Conan.

On a lighter note, I found the story to move nicely. While nothing made me gasp in disbelief, it was easy to follow along as a spectator and simply enjoy what Conan and the guys were going to do next. The characters were interesting as was the writing. The most enjoyable parts of the book were sitting back and enjoying the ride.

I really enjoyed reading this book as will other fans of the fantasy genre. Don't expect anything spectacular, but it's a thoroughly enjoyable experience.