Conan and the Spider God [Mass Market Paperback]

L. Sprague De Camp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1989

Conan is back, and at the top of his form!

SFWA Grand Master L. Sprague de Camp was revered in the genre of fantasy for both his fiction and nonfiction. Booklist praised his novel The Honorable Barbarian, saying: “The action is brisk, and the worlds and characters are described with de Camp's deft, light touch . . . thoroughly agreeable entertainment,” while Kirkus Reviews said of The Pixilated Peeress “the unassuming style and verve of the telling keep the pages turning. Pure prose junk-food.”

But more important, L. Sprague de Camp wrote Dark Valley Destiny, the definitive biography of Conan’s creator, Robert E. Howard, leaving little wonder as to why Conan and the Spider God is considered one of the finest novels in the canon of Conan.

Son of a blacksmith, a former slave and thief, Conan the Cimmerian has risen to the rank of Captain of the Royal Guard. But as usual, trouble is his bedfellow.

Forced to kill while defending himself, Conan must flee the vengeance of the High Priest of Erlik. Foraging through field and forest, meeting friend and foe, Conan cuts a bloody swath through assassins and bounty hunters all the way to the sinister temple of Zath, where he encounters the huge and hideous Spider God. Facing certain death, Conan becomes both the hunter . . . and the hunted.

Conan and the Spider God is a thrilling adventure of the mighty barbarian, from one of the genre's most revered authors.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The beloved barbarian returns in a reprint of the late L. Sprague de Camp's Conan and the Spider God, a "Conan pastiche" (originally published in 1980) offering more dramatic adventures of Robert E. Howard's blue-eyed, broad-shouldered, sword-wielding hero. When Conan is accused of abducting a queen, he follows her kidnappers to the temple of Zath, the spider-god of Yezud, where an epic battle ensues.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"The enduring popularity of Conan is undeniable."--Kirkus Reviews

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Ace (April 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441116094
• ISBN-13: 978-0441116096
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,786,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Young Conan in love, May 21, 2011

By 

mjare "mjare" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conan and the Spider God (Mass Market Paperback)

Lyon Spraque de Camp was one of the most successful continuator of the Ervin Robert Howard's works on Conan the Barbarian. Here I definitely have to mention Lin Carter, who also did much in this field of heroic fantasy literature together with Spraque de Camp. Book ''Conan and the Spider-God'' is a very well-written short novel with very fast action. But Sprague de Camp offered us a different ''image'' of a young Conan, because in this novel we know the deeper feelings of this great barbarian warrior for the first time. We see him in love with a beautiful young dancer, who is employed in the Temple in Yezud. In the stories on Conan written by Howard love was not a big issue as here. Even after the death of Belit, who was his first serious lover in the story ''Queen of the Black Coast'' Conan was not so affected by this fact. So... in this book, which is written in old and good style of heroic fantasy novels we have a new quality of the main literary character. I like this book, but Conan stories, which were written by Howard are my favourite ones.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not great, March 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Conan and the Spider God (Conan Series) (Hardcover)

De Camp tries to be Howard, but alas, falls flat in my opinion. The story could've had more of what makes Conan tales great; action, magic and gals.