Conan the Warrior

Not the jagged bone breaking versions as Howard wrote them but ok. DeCamp can be credited with saving the character, but he also changed the personality of Conan. Beyond the Black River is an incredible story and is probably one Howard's best. Some reviews put it off as fluff. Probably because they never read the actual Howard versions.

"Red Nails" - B (Good). Conan and a pirate woman find an ancient city isolated by a dragon [dinosaur]. The dinosaur part is pretty great, but that's only about a quarter of the novella. Inside the city there's a handful of people fighting a tiny war, which gets old fast. Some magic stuff (an ancient witch) at the end saves it.

"Jewels of Gwahlur" - C+ (Okay). Conan schemes to steal priceless jewels from a hidden temple. This one has a little bit of a sense of humor, with a "dancing girl" caught in the middle of things, which is refreshing. But it falls short on the Ancient Horrors front.

"Beyond the Black River" - C (Indifferent). Conan works as a ranger for a colonialist outpost. This is very obviously a cowboys-and-Indians story forced show more into a Conan setting. It doesn't suit the character, and it's over-long and meandering.

[Average: 3.0/5. Average weighing the novella ("Red Nails") as 2 short stories: 3.13/5]

(Nov. 2024) show less

This is one of the best Conan books - I have the Lancer edition from the 60's. Excellent cover art by Frazetta. This contains 3 stories that sum up Conan very well.

The usual nonsense from Cross Plains Texas' most famous writer. Those who like this sort of thing will like it.

This is one of the best Conan books - I have the Lancer edition from the 60's. Excellent cover art by Frazetta. This contains 3 stories that sum up Conan very well.

F/SF