Customer Reviews

Conan The Valorous

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Conan the Valorous is a refreshing read after some of the other Conan materiel that they've put out. It's got plenty of action, with humans, demons, gods, mages, you name it. It really gets into what life is like up in Cimmeria and the northern nations, and how those civilizations are organized. We get plenty of real Conan -- not terribly intelligent, but good in a fight and quick with his wits; not the 'detective' Conan which some authors have tried to pass off as the real thing. This is pure escapist reading, and it's better than most. It's definitely worth the few hours it will take you to read it.

This is the third Conan novel I have read by this author and one of the strongest. Like the other two tales, this one involves a far reaching quest that takes Conan thru several different countries. Most of this story takes place in the Border Kingdoms and Cimmeria.

The author does a good job of depicting just how savage the Hyborean age is, and how cheap life was in that era. At the beginning of the book the author goes into detail on some very everyday things, such as Conan trying to buy a sword, which help the reader get a clearer idea of the world he lives in. Another nice touch is the reactions of the Cimmerians when he returns home. Conan is not viewed as a returning hero, but more as a man who was too soft to handle the Northern ways and had to go South. In many of the Conan stories people are just in awe of the bronze barbarian. This was a nice change of pace.

There's really two separtate stories here, the first where he fights in the Border Kingdoms and the second fulfilling his quest in Cimmeria. The Border Kingdom story is fast paced and action packed. Things slowed down a little in the Cimmeria story, but it was still very enjoyable. If the Mr. Roberts could have kept that level of quality up throughout the book I would have given it 5 stars. The last line of the book was vintage Conan!

Conan the Valorous is a solid 3.5 adventure. Compared to some of Tor's Conan disasters, it rates even higher. "Valorous" really contains two stories which are not exactly very related to one another. This hurts the overall feel of the book.

The over-arching story has to do with Conan's return to Cimmeria to fulfill a rash vow made to a Stygian sorceress who is bent on world domination. The under-arching story has to do with Conan's being distracted with an inter-tribal dispute in the Border Kingdoms on his way back to his native Cimmeria. While passing through the Border Kingdoms, Conan is intercepted by a chieftainess/Amazon hottie, Aelfrith, who is interested in employing him as a mercenary leader against her tribe's enemies. This portion of the book is fairly quick paced and enjoyable.

After dealing with this distraction to fulfilling his vow, Conan returns to Cimmeria. The author effectively fills in a lot of detail of Cimmerian life which I found to be congruent with Robert E. Howard's vision of Cimmeria. It is in this portion that the author fills in Conan's supporting cast. He befriends a young Cimmerian kinsman, Chulainn, who is in search of his kidnapped girlfriend. Another character brought to life at this point is a Khitan wizard who accompanies Conan and Chulainn on their missions. The wizard provides comic relief, but talks like a stereotypical Chinaman throughout the book. The author is also able to create some brooding and eerie landscapes along the way, as well as some strange Lovecraftian creatures that add to the book's appeal.

On the down side, certain phrases are repeated a little too often (e.g. "speaking a tongue which no human was ever intended to speak"). Conan is sometimes described as doing gymnastics (e.g. a triple midair somersault) that seem out of character to this reader. He also gets a little too chatty at times and tends to lose a little of his gruffness along the way. Certain elements of the story are not believable, such as Aelfrith's total trust in Conan, a stranger and a froreigner, at a time of war, as well as her utter confidence in his military prowess despite not having seen him in action. There is an overly graphic scene related to disembowelment that I could have lived without (sorry for being a weanie.)

But the final battle scenes are of an epic nature, and the reader will be satisfied with the ending in my opinion. I would have enjoyed the book more had the two stories within the book been more connected. Conan's relationship with Aelfrith was bittersweet, and could have been developed a little more in the overall plot of the book. Given the substance of recent Conan novels, this one is worth your time.

If you want a Conan story that has it all, this is the book to own. I have read this book probably over 30-40 times in my lifetime and have finally been able to find it on Amazon to own it. I used to check it out at the library once every few months. This book has great battles from an epic war to slaying beasts and demons to saving maidens to killing deserving bad guys. Personally I enjoy reading about the different weapons that Conan goes through which this book has. This is one of the best Conan books out there from my favorite Conan author.

Conan the Valorous takes the reader on a long journey with the barbarian back to his Cimmerian homeland. The story is packed with action along the way. Again, Roberts has created another character-driven story, where events unfold as the logical consequence of his characters' behaviors. This gives the story a nice feel and solid pace. Roberts also harnesses imagery into his stories more so than the other Conan pastiche writers. His imagery of mountainous Cimmeria and the lands he passes through along the way are often quite stunning. Roberts handled the affect that living in different lands would have on a Cimmerian once he returned to his brutal country. The author obviously gave a lot of thought to how Conan's adventures south would change him. On the down side, there are a few moments when Conan slips out of character and when the action gets a little corny. Overall, a solid story that you should enjoy.

Conan the Valorous - John Maddox Roberts
Tor #8/1985

This is the first of the eight novels that John Maddox Roberts wrote in the fifty-book Tor Series, and the first not penned by Robert Jordan (later of The Wheel of Time fame). In William Galen Gray's chronology it is the thirtieth Conan tale, following Howard's The Bloodstained God and taking place before Howard's The Frost Giant's Daughter.

I commend Roberts for providing an excellent look at life in Cimmeria. I contrast this with the disappointing approach that Harry Turtledove used in Conan of Venarium. The barbarians live in stone huts and put up hide tents; they don't occupy what is basically a medieval village. The people are nomads and fierce warriors. They fight each other, only coming together when driven by exceptional circumstances. Maddox Roberts also depicts the enmity between the Cimmerians and the Vanheim, an important characteristic of life in the north.

The tale begins with Conan hastily swearing to perform an errand for Hathor Ka, a Stygian sorceress. Conan blindly agrees to the task without getting the details first. Really, it's hard to buy that he was so hard up for money that he just jumped into this deal. Apparently Maddox Roberts wanted to get the story moving so he skimped a bit on the Call to Adventure. Regardless, once he agrees, Conan is committed to visiting a sacred cave in his homeland and things get going.

As Joseph Campbell wrote in The Hero With a Thousand Faces (a must read for any fantasy fan):

"The first encounter of the hero journey is with a protective figure (often a little old crone or old man) who provides the adventurer with amulets against the dragon forces he is about to pass. What such a figure represents is the benign, protecting power of destiny."

A wizened old man reads Conan's future in the very first chapter. He then sells Conan a protective amulet in chapter two. Drawing on Campbell's Monomyth strengthens sword and sorcery tales and Maddox Roberts is clearly familiar with Campbell's work and works elements of the Hero's Journey into the story.

The author weaves together Conan's journey, the Cimmerians' trouble with demon raids, a Vanheim invasion into Cimmeria and a complex plot involving three competing sorcerers on a quest for god-like power. This story has a lot going on and it's all deftly handled.

The book is low on the Conan sex scale, with our hero bedding a rescued chieftaness in the Border Kingdoms. This happens almost halfway through the book and he doesn't sleep with any other females in this tale. Maddox Roberts gives us one of the most believable amorous conquests in the entire Conan saga. It doesn't follow the usual "My, what huge muscles you have, take me, you savage!" line.

I very much enjoyed Conan the Valorous. Despite the flawed opening, it's one of the better pastiches and its look at life in Cimmeria is very well done. The complex plot is more than weighty enough to carry the story forward to the very end and a highlight of the Tor series.

I was in an airport a little over 10 years ago and saw Conan the Valorous on a book shelf. I was curious after seeing the movie and picked it up. I have read fifty or more conan books since than. I still think this is on of the best. I lent it to friend and it was lost. I would like to get another copy. I hope they will print more copies in the future