This review is written with
a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede
all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing
without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at
WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Conan the Victorious
Series:
Conan the Barbarian
Author: Robert Jordan
Rating:
3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages:
227
Words: 81K
Conan gets poisoned and has to face
down two wizards, a demon, a bunch of soldiers and lots of adventure.
This was Robert Jordan’s final Conan
novel and I rather enjoyed it. I didn’t rate it any better than his
previous books because it’s a Conan pastiche and even when I’m
thoroughly enjoying them, they just aren’t good literature. They
are good adventure stories though. Fantastic pulp if you ask me.
Conan getting poisoned and then double
crossed by a wizard who he thought was on his side was pitch perfect.
Conan has always hated magic and magic users and we’re shown a
perfect reason for that kind of thinking here. I know that Jordan has
shown a wizard or two as not being bad, but they are always the
outlyers and not the norm. As it should be. Wizards and the powers
they consort with are evil and if you see one, make sure you run him
through with your trusty steel sword and then chop his head off just
in case. You can’t be too careful after all.
I do wish that Jordan had taken a stab
at telling a story about Conan’s time as a sea pirate. That is
referenced several times in the original stories by Howard and it is
one time in Conan’s life that I am actually curious about. Oh well.
But if Captain Conan ever steers his ship into Commodore
Bookstooge’s area of influence, well, there will be a bloody battle
to tell your kids about. And if Conan just stays a land lubber in all
the other stories I plan on reading, well, no one can blame even him
for being afraid of the Dwead Piwate Bookstooge!
★★★☆☆
From Conan.fandom.com/
Naipal, court wizard to King Bandharkar
of the city-state of Ayodha in Vendyha, prepares to bargain with a
demon, Masrock, to win control of the kingdom and rid himself of his
rivals, the Black Seets of Mt. Yimsha. Meanwhile, in the Turanian
city of Sultanapoor, a Vendhyan-supported plot has resulted in the
assassination of a prince. Conan, employed in guarding a smugglers'
ship, is rumored to have been hired to commit the crime. Turanian
spymaster Lord Khalid sends his apprentice, Jelal, into Vendhya to
find out if a northerner was truly involved.
Running for his life, Conan eventually
makes it to the docks and to his friend/fellow smuggler Hordo, whom
he met during his time with Karela the Red Hawk. Hordo suggests that
Conan leave with him on his next delivery of "fish" and he
agrees. While examining the chests, they feel strangely light and,
when questioned, the Vendhyan merchant who owns the crates flees.
However, as he escapes, the merchant accidentally slices Conan with a
hidden blade. The crates contain nothing except dried leaves of an
unknown origin. Unfortunately, the blade was poisoned and Conan
discovers that the antidote may lie in Vendhya, the original
destination of their cargo.
At the mouth of the Zaporaska River in
Vendhya, the smugglers question a tribe of Vendhyan warriors who are
receiving their cargo. After discovering their chests have been
tampered with, the warriors accept Hordo's explanation in a
suspicious way. Moments later, Conan and his crew learn that the
Vendhyans were planning to kill them once their cargo was delivered.
Soon, an army of Vendhyan tribesmen attack and set their ship alight,
stranding them. During the battle, Conan gets close enough to see a
caravan loading their crates. Unsure if the caravan will be friendly
or not, the crew split up, one will follow the caravan, another will
return home by walking along the coast.
Conan's crew eventually close the
distance and, by nightfall, have come within feet from the caravan's
distant bonfire. Conan assumes the identity of a Vendhyan merchant
and, after a brief conversation with the captain of the caravan
guard, they learn that the owner will speak with them in the morning.
During the night, a Khitan merchant approaches the smugglers and
offers in hiring them as his guards.
In Vendhya, Naipal discovers Conan has
become embroiled in his schemes. Believing Conan's involvement is
purposeful, he plans to kill both the Cimmerian and his companions.
After his agents in the caravan attempt without success in slaying
Conan, Naipal lays a trap for him in the lost city of Gwandikian.
Soon, Conan takes the bait. Lured into an ancient tower, he's
attacked by a swarm of cobras and narrowly escapes. Afterwards, Conan
searches for an antidote to his poisoned wound in a nearby forest,
where he has been told it can be located. Soon, he discovers the
herbalist who originally treated him and learns he was in fact cured
by his first treatment; the man had lied about it then to secure the
Cimmerian's aid. He, presumably, is Naipal's true adversary. A final
conflict between the two sorcerers ensues, in which both end up dead
at the hands of the demon each tried to control, and the demon itself
is destroyed by the spells they had lain on it.
Conan, surviving, decides to return
home. On the way, he encounters Lord Khalid's agent Jelal. The spy
has completed his investigations and cleared the Cimmerian of
complicity in the Vendhyan plot against Turan. He gives Conan a
parchment and instructs him to present it at the headquarters of the
Turanian army on his return to Sultanpoor.