Customer Reviews

Conan and the Sorcerer (Conan Illustrated)

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

 

 

First of all, it must be said that Conan, as portrayed in this novel, and the subsequent novels by the author (Conan the Mercenary and The Sword of Skelos, forming a loose trilogy)is a bit too talkative and knowledgeable for his age, which is given as 17. That aside, these three novels are simply too enjoyable for that to detract from the overall reading experience.
Offut's style is quite different form that of Robert E. Howard, Conan's creator, but is appropriate for a Conan adventure nevertheless. There is plenty of action, despicable villains, and, of course, several irresistable women. Conan wades through the bloodshed and sorcery, and emerges almost unscathed, and a little wiser for his experiences. There is also an injection of humor that enhances the novel. Along with the marvelous artwork, this book is quite a package. One should definitely seek out the larger-sized trade paperback edition if possible, but by all means, read this novel either way. It will not disappoint, and you'll find yourself seeking out the next two novels in the series.

THIS NOVEL IS SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST NOVELS ABOUT CONAN THAT YOU CAN READ. IT HAS PLENTY OF ACTION, INTRIGUE AND MYSTERY. AS MUCH AS I LIKED THIS NOVEL, I HAVE TO SAY THAT CONAN APPEARED MORE MATURE THAN THE MERELY 17 YEARS OLD HE SUPOSSEDLY HAVE IN THE NOVEL. THE ILLUSTRATIONS BY ESTEBAN MAROTO ARE WELL DONE AND A NICE ADDITION TO THE BOOK. GET THE NOVEL, READ IT AND YOU WILL BE LOOKING FOR THE TWO SEQUELS: CONAN THE MERCENARY AND THE SWORD OF SKELOS.

Pretty typical Conan fare, fairly well written,was enjoyable to read. If you are a Conan nut you will probably like it.

If you can make thru the first chapter, you have a pretty good book. Not that the first chapter was all bad, but way to much we didn't need to know was told. Chapter 7 was a little long in repetitiveness too. But good work in bringing out character development, with the people Conan meet in this adventure. The ending at the slave caravan is worth the read alone. But back at the sorcerer's castle, be find that it is really not the end. Conan's soul is still caught. Worth picking up and reading-ERIC

This was rather an oddity in the world of Conan pastiches. At first, I was a little put off by it, but, once I realized what the author was trying to do, I went along for the ride and found that I had thoroughly enjoyed it. First, let me point out that this (and its 2 sequals, "Conan the Mercenary" and "the Sword of Skelos") are novellas rather than full-length novels. With a few lavish illustrations sparingly used, these seem to be showpieces for the Conan collector, rather than epics. Indeed, the menace is a personal one: Conan must recover his stolen soul. Refreshingly, there is no hoary old "world domination by dark forces" plot here, but a story more on the scale of REH's "Rogues in the House". It would be nice if someone would publish all three parts in one large coffee-table volume, complete with Estaban Moroto's gorgeous art.

What makes these works interesting is that Andrew Offutt's writing style is the antithesis to Howard's; Offutt is much more laid back, almost introspective. He is content to watch life as it goes by, rather than chase after it. This results in a Hyborian age that one can truly feel as a real, living world, not just a stage or backdrop as in most other pastiches. Offutt's characters are well fleshed out, even the stereotypical wizard subtley made 3-dimensional. As his tone is perhaps more suited for, say, modern crime dramas or Glen Cook-style philosophical S@S fiction, none of this would work if it weren't for the fact that he knows his Conan. While most pastiche authors have recreated Howard's character with varying degrees of success, Offutt's take is perhaps the closest to REH's. The result is a familiar figure that we are viewing through somebody else's eyes, somebody very different from REH. This lends it a different feel while retaining a sense of familiarity at the same time. This is a wise choice on the author's part, I feel, because every pastiche author, including the celebrated Robert Jordan, has failed in their attempts to reproduce Howard's narrative effects. Offutt, instead, writes in his own voice, but because he has a good sense of his subject, he creates a convincing Conan story.

These novellas are nothing earth-shattering, but, if you can think outside the box and are tired of all the Howard wannabes constantly re-writing the same tired formula, give these a try. If you are new to Conan, figure these to be for Conan compleatists, and don't look left or right, but go straight for Howard's original writings only. Nothing else will do.

Conan and the Sorceror has potential, but the author just isn't right for Conan. The writing is repetitive, full of unneeded adjectives and big words. Conan is much too talkative, and his vocabulary is too large. A camel doesn't respond to his prodding, so he says, "I am going to lead youout of here, or drag your strangled carcass. Choose, old supercilious-head." Supercilious-head! At this time, right after the story, "The Tower of the Elephant," Conan is as yet unbedded, so while there is plenty of nudity, Conan is just standing around looking at it, whereas in most books he jump on the woman. Conan also gets arbitrary urges to murder people for no reason, while at other times he stands around reasoning with those trying to murder him. The explanations are overlong, and the book has a cliffhanger ending.

The artist only makes things worse. In most of the illustrations, it's very hard to make out what's going on. However, whenever there is a female involved, whether she's clothed or not in the book, the artist takes great care to make sure she's nude and posed well.

This book is really for Conan enthusiasts only; don't go out of your way to get it either!

This book could have benefitted from some serious editing. Reading it, I get the feeling that the publishing company let the author down in the editing process. The enthusiasm is there, a basically decent plot line and character development emerges from its pages. But Offutt is repetitive. For example, the tavern where we meet Conan at the start of the book is described and redescribed and described again. I did enjoy the art. More of a novelty for a Conan collection than anything else. Better yet, stay away.