My original plan for Cimmerian September was to read Conan: Blood of the Serpent by S.M. Stirling and then some of the Conan paperbacks that I’ve collected over the last few years. Unfortunately, I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately and it didn’t help that I couldn’t get into Blood of the Serpent. It took me three weeks just to get through the first few chapters. I haven’t given up on it yet but I’m finding the first part really, really slow paced. So, I came up with a new plan.
At the beginning of the year, I read “Conan: The Shadow of Vengeance” by Scott Oden and I loved it. Here’s a link to my post that includes a review:
We Learn by Writing: Books I Read in February 2024
I figured now is a good time to read the other Conan stories by other authors featured in the Heroic Legends series. These stories were just what I needed.
“Conan: Lord of the Mount” by Stephen Graham Jones (Titan Books, 2023)
I enjoyed the two horror novellas I read by Stephen Graham Jones, so I was looking forward to this. It grabbed me right from the start. Fast paced, action packed, and Conan pretty much felt like Conan.
“Conan: The Child” by Brian D. Anderson (Titan Books, 2023)
Action, twists, and interesting characters. Written in a contemporary style while still feeling true to the character of Conan. Even though I could see where things were heading, this was a really fun read. Brian D. Anderson is an author new to me and this story makes me want to check out his other work. Scott Oden's story and this one are my favorite of the Heroic Legends Conan stories published so far.
“Conan: Lethal Consignment” by Shaun Hamill (Titan Books, 2023)
A young Conan is hired as a guard on a ship. Even early in his career I would have expected Conan to be more confident than he’s depicted here and some of the modern vocabulary took me out of the story. Other than that, it was a quick fun read.
“Conan: Terror from the Abyss” by Henry Herz (Titan Books, 2024)
Conan and Bêlit face a Lovecraftian horror from the deep. A fast-paced story with an abrupt ending. The strengths of this story lie in its great descriptions and use of vocabulary. Conan praying to Crom felt very out of character though.
“Conan: The Halls of Immortal Darkness” by Laird Barron (Titan Books, 2024)
I’ve heard good things about Laird Barron and have a few of his books but until now I haven’t read anything by him. After being bitten by a snake and having a weird vision, Conan is hired by a mysterious woman and an old man. As much as I liked the writing, I wasn’t sure what to make of this story until I got to the end, which really won me over. I really need to get around to reading more of Laird Barron.
There’s one story that I didn’t get to, “Conan: Black Starlight” by John C. Hocking. It takes place between his two books Conan and the Emerald Lotus and Conan and the Living Plague, both which are included in Conan: City of the Dead, which was published this year. I ordered a copy this month but it’s one of the books that I didn’t get to.
I did get to the Conan the Barbarian comic though:
Conan the Barbarian Vol. 2: Thrice Marked for Death written by Jim Zub, art Doug Braithwaite, coloring by Diego Rodriguez, and cover art by Roberto De La Torre. (Titan Comics, 2024)
Volume 2 collects issues 5-8 of Titan’s Conan the Barbarian comic. While haunted by memories of Bêlit, Conan joins a group of thieves for a heist. Of course, things don’t go as planned. Jim Zub continues to write a great Conan and the art by Doug Braithwaite is impressive, especially his splash pages.
That finishes up my Cimmerian September. I may read some spooky stuff for October but I’m not making any definite plans as I hardly ever stick with them. We’ll see what happens.
