Conan the Wanderer (Ace Conan Series, Vol. 4)

by Robert E. Howard, Lin Carter, L. Sprague de Camp

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441116744
• Release Date: January 1968
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 222 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Super Reader

This contains : Black Tears Shadows in Zamboula The Devil in Iron The Flame Knife Conan discovers a traitor in his band, but he has lit out, so Conan must track him into the desert. When he demands his followers go with him through a region that they know to fear, they drug and abandon the Cimmerian. He ends up rescued by some locals and informed of a demon and the sacrifice demands she makes, and the prophecy that tells of his coming as a saviour. Barbarian sword, meet Gorgon's black third eye. 2.5 out of 5 Conan is in Zamboula, and amazingly enough, comes across a girl, and she needs, and is also not what she seems. Royalty, serpent priests, and huge god-servants need some Cimmerian whup-arse, here. 3.5 out of 5 Conan, working as a hetman of the Free Peoples is on the trail of a girl he had met in camp. He comes across an odd, dreamlike area, but soon encounters yet another giant defender, but this one even he cannot kill. The same cannot be said of his rival in the opposition forces, and he takes the girl with him afterwards. 4 out of 5 Conan is still beyond the Black River, fighting the Picts with the Aquilonians. Serpent sorcery and a traitorous General are causing lots of problems. Conan's axework and fast thinking puts paid to this, and gets him a promotion. In fact, he does so much damage with the aforementioned weapon that both Kull and Druss the Legend would be more than a little impressed. 4 out of 5

Conan the Wanderer

This book contains 4 short stories. The stories "Shadows of Zaboula" and "The Devil in Iron" are two original stories by Conan's creator Robert E. Howard. The story "Black Tears" is a creation of L. Spague De Camp and Lin Carter using notes and clues found in Mr. Howard's personal papers. "The Flame Knife" is a story Mr. Howard originally wrote as an Oriental adventure that Mr. De Camp has rearranged as a Conan story.

Four tales of Conan as Raider, Thief, Pirate and Mercenary

The four tales in "Conan the Conqueror" cover most of the main aspects of the career of Robert E. Howard's character: raider, thief, pirate, and mercenary. (1) "Black Tears" by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter is one of several pastiches written by the duo based upon hints in Howard's note and letters to fill up gaps in the saga. It takes place after the classic story "A Witch Shall Be Born" (in "Conan the Freebooter") as Conan leads his band of Zuagirs eastward to raid the cities and caravans of the Turanians. King Yezdigerd reacts by sending out a strong force to entrap Conan. (2) Shadows in Zamboula" by Robert E. Howard has Conan destitute after a week of guzzling, gorging, roistering, ... and gambling. This is an above average Conan the Thief story. (3) "The Devil in Iron" by Howard has Conan returning the seas as a pirate, putting together a crew from among his old friends the kozaki and the Red Fellowship of Vilayet Sea. Conan and his crew stumbled upon an inhuman creature and mayhem ensues. (4) The longest story in this collection, "The Flame Knife" was one of four uncompleted manuscripts by Howard completed by de Camp. This novella was originally an adventure in modern Afghanistan entitled "Three-Bladed Doom" staring Francis X. Gordon, Howard's brawny, brawling Irish adventurer. De Camp transformed the story into a Conan tale. After King Yezdigerd crushes the Kozak host, Conan retreats southward with a sizeable band and joins the army of Kobad Shah, king of Iranistan and one of Yezdigred's strongest rivals. These stories are rather standard fare, evidencing in part the problems de Camp and Carter had in filling all the gaps in the Conan saga. Certainly these are stories you would read out of a sense of completeness rather than because there are any real gems to be found within.