This collection of short stories is the perfect place to start for readers new to Conan. Not only does the book provide bite sized morals of the violeThis collection of short stories is the perfect place to start for readers new to Conan. Not only does the book provide bite sized morals of the violent sword and sorcery the long running fantastical protagonist is renowned for, but it also introduces all the key elements outside of the core themes prominent in the larger forms of fiction; monsters, magicians, thievery, the undead, friendship, deceit, and battles a-plenty.
I must admit that I've not read many Conan stories so my praise for this short story collection can be taken with a grain of salt. That said, this book just worked for me; be it Conan taking on a job as a thief and winding up battling a serpent or taking down a giant slug which had destroyed a castle and its surroundings, to rescuing a damsel in distress near naked and bloodied on a battlefield, each story was rich in Hyborian lore and cleverly intertwined into the broader continuity.
Another thing that appealed to me in these stories was the references to other adventures/places/characters, notably the Sword of Skelos which coincidentally, is the only Conan novel I've read.
I couldn't draw myself away from these stories until I'd finished the book, enjoying each of them equally. It's rare that I rate a collection so highly but CONAN was surprisingly consistent throughout. Highly recommend. ...more
On one hand I thoroughly enjoyed this book. On the other, it didn't work for me...
This is a perfect case of 'it's not you, it's me'. This is the 16th On one hand I thoroughly enjoyed this book. On the other, it didn't work for me...
This is a perfect case of 'it's not you, it's me'. This is the 16th book in the Conan paperback cannon...and my first. Hmph. Yeah, I should've checked that before jumping in head first without any clue as to what happened over the course of the 15 previous stories.
The Sword of Skelos is not new reader friendly but there is enough there to help the reader push through without having read everything prior. Though I do recommend starting at book 1, or at least the first in the series written by Andrew J. Offutt (incidentally its the book prior to this one (no.15), Conan and the Sorcerer).
Sword of Skelos is choc full of brutal fight scenes (which Conan dominates) and has some really cool characters which add a little spice to the storytelling, notably Isparana (Conan's attractive companion) and Zafra (a crafty wizard) which are fun to read and are well written.
Overall I equally liked and didn't like this book but am still happy I gave it a chance. 3/5 stars. ...more
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