Conrad's Quest for Rubber (Adventures of Conrad Stargard) [Mass Market Paperback]

Leo A. Frankowski (Author)

Book Description

Series: Adventures of Conrad Stargard | Publication Date: October 31, 1998

ONWARD AND OUTWARD

Conrad Stargard has come a long way since he was first transported from the twentieth century to the thirteenth. Thanks to his knack for "inventing" such astonishing things as steam engines, machine guns, radios, and riverboats, he's turned Medieval Poland into a military powerhouse--capable of repelling invasions by marauding Mongols and Teutonic troops alike.

Now, with enemies vanquished, industry booming, and peace in the land, it is time to continue Poland's remarkable technological progress. And doing so requires harvesting raw materials only Lord Conrad knows where to "discover." Thus is founded the Explorer's Corps, whose intrepid members set out to map new frontiers from the Arctic Circle to the Amazon. But can even Conrad's knowledge of the far future prepare him and his subjects for what lies just beyond the borders of their kingdom?

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

ONWARD AND OUTWARD

Conrad Stargard has come a long way since he was first transported from the twentieth century to the thirteenth. Thanks to his knack for "inventing" such astonishing things as steam engines, machine guns, radios, and riverboats, he's turned Medieval Poland into a military powerhouse--capable of repelling invasions by marauding Mongols and Teutonic troops alike.

Now, with enemies vanquished, industry booming, and peace in the land, it is time to continue Poland's remarkable technological progress. And doing so requires harvesting raw materials only Lord Conrad knows where to "discover." Thus is founded the Explorer's Corps, whose intrepid members set out to map new frontiers from the Arctic Circle to the Amazon. But can even Conrad's knowledge of the far future prepare him and his subjects for what lies just beyond the borders of their kingdom?

From the Back Cover

"It's good to have the adventures of Conrad Stargard continued after a long hiatus. They gave us a fascinating view of medieval Poland in a vigorous, enjoyable story, together with insights of technology and even, subtly, economics. By now we're into a complete world-of-if, equally fun to explore."
--POUL ANDERSON

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; First Edition edition (October 31, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345368509
• ISBN-13: 978-0345368508
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #909,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, but flawed, July 31, 2000

By 

silliman89 "silliman89" (Burke, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conrad's Quest for Rubber (Adventures of Conrad Stargard) (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed this most recent addition to the Conrad series, and hope there will be more coming. I see a fundamental problem for the author in continuing this series however. Life has become too easy for Conrad. By this point in the series he has done it all, he's way ahead of the competition, and it's hard for the author to come up with any more challenges for him. I believe that is why Conrad was relegated to the status of a minor character in this book, i.e. so that the story could focus on the challenges of a "mere mortal" character. Understanding this, didn't make it any more enjoyable though. Conrad is the character I came back to see more of. It was disappointing to only see him in passing.

What was more disappointing though was that the author did create a challenge for Conrad, and he couldn't handle it. In the end he got outside help, which was almost like cheating. I want to see the protagonist rise to the occasion and overcome his own obstacles, not have them solved for him.

I was not offended by the gratuitous sex throughout the book myself, but I can see how some of the other reviewers were. As sex goes, this was really very mild. It is only because this is supposed to be a science fiction/fantasy book and not an erotic novel that it is even noticable. That said, I would like to point out that it is rather repetitious that the girls are always 14 years old, even the ones who have been around for years now. I understand that life expectancy was shorter in the middle ages, and people were old in their 20's and dead in their 30's, but the author could mix it up a bit with some 15 or 16 year old girls, just for variety.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Frankowski leaves Poland on a concrete boat..., July 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Conrad's Quest for Rubber (Adventures of Conrad Stargard) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Adventures of Conrad Stargard series is excellent. Frankowski delivered a refreshing take on medieval Poland. A sort of " I wonder what would happen if..." experience. Can't put it down kind of storytelling. The newest addition to the series - 'Quest for Rubber', leaves much to be desired, however it does give the reader enough of a 'fix' to get by. Those of us who waited so long for this addition to the series were not disappointed, but this book does not rise to the level of say Book 3. The four and five star reviews should be reserved for earlier Frankowski tales. He seems to have left his formula behind. Most of the book's action take place outside of Poland. Conrad makes only minimal appearances. The main character, I forget his name (you see what I mean), is a slightly modified Piotr. Not much engineering going on in this book. Only glimpses of the technological advances made my Conrad and his people. I miss Francine, Anna, Henryk, Tadeos, and Vladimir. Mr. Frankowski - take us back to Poland.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fed the Fix but still hungry for more, March 1, 2000

By 

John Stevens (King of Prussai, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conrad's Quest for Rubber (Adventures of Conrad Stargard) (Mass Market Paperback)

I zipped through this yarn and enjoyed it, somewhat. It was better than its predecessor, Conrad's Lady. And she only had a brief walk-on cameo in this book. I have followed Conrad since the first printing of CTE ('80s). If one looks at the back cover of that one gets the impression that there were to only be the four. Yes the first 50 pages are rehash; however, in Leo's defense, by providing a new perspective of familiar events you don't have to re-read the prior novels (its both old and new). Writing from a 1st person perspective ain't an easy task either. That is all part of the formula. (As is the wonton and often pedophile sex, which I could do without.) One thing that I have felt is that Leo watched James Burke's Connection series and modified it to push his hero's engineering wonders. Please don't take that as a criticism. Incorporating an idea into good story is still a difficult feat. Still he did rush the end. I hope the next book will feature more engineering and more Conrad. Also, the next text will either explore the sea or aim for space before Conrad passes on. Father Iggy will be pope and Conrad may get canonized before he dies. I do hope there is a new book, I am still a fan-just looking for a stronger story than the past two.