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The Conquering Sword of Conan Audiobook
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(4.00) - 1,648 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In a meteoric career that covered only a dozen years, Robert E. Howard defined the sword and sorcery genre. In doing so, he brought to life the archetypal adventurer known to millions around the world as Conan the barbarian.
This collection features Howard at his finest and Conan at his most savage. Truly heroic fantasy at its best, this volume contains "The Servants of Bit-Yakin," "Beyond the Black River," "The Black Stranger," "The Man-Eaters of Zamboula," and "Red Nails," which is perhaps Conan's most famous adventure.
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"Although the editor makes much of Howard's growth as a writer by this stage of his career, shortly before his suicide at age 30, only two stories in this collection are worth anything ("Beyond the Black River" and "Red Nails"). The other stories are rehashes or mediocre attempts that don't even hang together (e.g. "The Flesh Eaters of Zamboula"). And the editor entirely fails to even mention Howard's racism. Yes, he was writing at a time when racial attitudes toward African-Americans were nearly universally racist in white America, but for a reprint it should be a requirement to discuss those attitudes, or AT LEAST to comment on them. This book gets four stars from me because of the additional bibliographical material and "Red Nails" which is a fine story."
— Christopher (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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McLaren's presentation of the complexities of [Conan] makes him believable as an adventurer who has wide experience.
— AudioFile
The Conquering Sword of Conan Listener Reviews
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" I am a huge fan of Robert E. Howard's Conan series and almost all of his other writings. Just pure fun and good fantasy. Nothing heavy but well written. The most astonishing thing about Howard's vision of Conan is when you realize where he lived (in the middle of no-where Texas on the west plains) and how could a guy like that manage to write material like this. Incredible. Nothing heavy, just good he-man fighting and love making. Some creative plots and characters. Just good mindless reading for fun "
— Gary, 2/14/2014 -
" If you love any modern day fantasy, Tolkein, George R.R. Martin you owe it to yourself to read these 3 books! Robert E. Howard's stories are gripping and relentlessness. "
— Jeremy, 2/2/2014 -
" Excellent, of course. Some of Howard's best Conan stories, including "Red Nails" and "Beyond the Black River," as Howard intended them. Also contains various outlines and synopses, and another pice of the excellent essay "Hyborian Genesis" by Patrice Louinet. "
— Charles, 1/31/2014 -
" I read this when I was in the 8th grade. I really liked it. Then the movie came out and I thought the movie was just awesome with the Govenator in it. Now, the movie looks pretty bad, and I have no idea what the book reads like now that I'm 40. "
— Michael, 1/25/2014 -
" I really love the Conan stories, and these are Howard at his best, pushing the genre. Still, I grew tired of the formula and blatant misogyny. "
— Michael, 1/2/2014 -
" I do not understand how guys like Howard and Chandler are not taught in American lit classes alongside Hemingway and Poe. Okay, maybe they're not Hemingway and Poe, but still, this shit's amazing. "
— Benjamin, 1/2/2014 -
" No such thing as a bad Robert E. Howard Conan story. The creator of the character is certainly the master at writing the character. "
— Douglas, 12/11/2013 -
" It was interesting seeing how much Conan influenced RPGs. Red nails was a fun read. "
— Brandon, 12/7/2013 -
" More good stuff from REH. Includes the story 'Red Nails' Which is about as good as it gets. REH was definitely starting to chafe under the strictures of Heroic Fantasy and it shows, but 'Red Nails" is fine. "
— Thomas, 12/7/2013 -
" This collection contains longer Conan works, including "By the Black River", in which Howard laid out many of his theories and thoughts about the decadence of the civilized world. "
— Daniel, 11/25/2013 -
" The master of Sword and Sorcery. Great stories that scare and delight; a hero, who's strength and cunning go unrivaled, and a good dollop of other-world building that make all Conan's novels great reads. "
— Dev, 7/5/2013 -
" nice short stories all could be movies if hollywood weren't idiots "
— Shad, 3/28/2013 -
" I believe his sword did conquer, so the title is accurate. "
— Christopher, 10/1/2012 -
" I unashamedly love this stuff as trite as it can appear to be. The only problem with Howard's work is that he was aproduct of his day and a bit of a racist. Sword and sorcery at its best!!! "
— Alan, 8/19/2012 -
" So enthralling to me as a teenager I used to sneak it into my math class and read using my math book as a cover (note: not recommended for passing math). "
— Platte, 7/9/2012 -
" What is there to say? The Conan stories are a good, fun read. "
— Dan, 6/12/2012 -
" Awesome Robert E. Howard story. "
— Lawrence, 6/10/2011 -
" Barbarians are where it's at. "
— Adam, 6/1/2011 -
" I believe his sword did conquer, so the title is accurate. "
— Christopher, 5/14/2011 -
" I really love the Conan stories, and these are Howard at his best, pushing the genre. Still, I grew tired of the formula and blatant misogyny. "
— Michael, 4/5/2011 -
" I read this when I was in the 8th grade. I really liked it. Then the movie came out and I thought the movie was just awesome with the Govenator in it. Now, the movie looks pretty bad, and I have no idea what the book reads like now that I'm 40. "
— Michael, 3/23/2009 -
" This collection contains longer Conan works, including "By the Black River", in which Howard laid out many of his theories and thoughts about the decadence of the civilized world. "
— Daniel, 7/11/2008 -
" If you love any modern day fantasy, Tolkein, George R.R. Martin you owe it to yourself to read these 3 books! Robert E. Howard's stories are gripping and relentlessness. "
— Jeremy, 6/17/2008 -
" I unashamedly love this stuff as trite as it can appear to be. The only problem with Howard's work is that he was aproduct of his day and a bit of a racist. Sword and sorcery at its best!!! "
— Alan, 6/13/2008 -
" Brilliant fantasy from a master. Read it. "
— Gaius, 3/12/2008
About Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre. Born and raised in the state of Texas, Howard spent most of his life in the town of Cross Plains.
About Todd McLaren
Todd McLaren, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, was involved in radio for more than twenty years in cities on both coasts, including Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. He left broadcasting for a full-time career in voice acting, where he has been heard on more than five thousand television and radio commercials, as well as television promos; narrations for documentaries on such networks as A&E, Discovery, and the History Channel; and films, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit?