Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy" discussion

This will be our discussion area for Conan - Blood of the Serpent

Sweet

I'm really excited guys!!

Looking forward to this!

It is scheduled to come out the day before my birthday. I think this will make a nice present for me

I just got an update from Amazon.ca with an estimated delivery date; December 22. Ten days after the release date. I must truly live in the wilds of Cimmeria in order for it to take that long to get to my mountain village…🙄

What about the audiobook? That might be a good option if you have a credit lying around.

I’ve pre-ordered the book, back in June, so I’ll just have to wait patiently. I imagine the ebook will be available day of release…

The days are inching closer!

I'll be monitoring readers' opinions here because I'm definitely waiting to buy until I hear how it is. So thanks in advance to everyone!

Have you read any advance reviews yet? Here's one: https://sfbook.com/blood-of-the-serpe...

Well, that review leaves some concern...... "make Conan palatable to a modern audience" "by leaning even further into Conan's sense of honour Stirling can reign in some of Conan's appetites" ...... oh boy.

Personally, I’m holding back for a mass market paperback. Also, I’m not entirely sold on the major publisher sword and sorcery in this age of the affronted. I may be in the minority, but my reservations are sound.

Richard- You are probably correct, my friend.

I just found out that the publisher is mailing me a copy for review! Yes, I'm bragging! That's a first .

Awesome @Stephen. I look forward to reading your thoughts

I'm currently reading it. No spoilers but the characterization of Conan is perfect and the it's exceptionally well-written. I think the only way it's updated for a modern audience is that it is highly readable prose. There is still violence, viciousness, sexual references, threats of sexual violence, lust, references to cannibalism, etc. I am not finished yet but so far no complaints. Stirling is not Howard, but plays VERY well in Howard's sandbox, respectfully so.

Still waiting on my copy! :(

Here is my review: I was very excited when I heard the news this was coming out about a year ago. The story is pretty good- it fills in the time Conan and Valeria are with a band of Free Companions mercenaries. Right off you can tell Sterling is a good author. I do like how Sterling focused the story on Conan, rather that the ridiculous Tor book process that jumped from one chapter of Conan, and then one chapter of the nemesis (sorcerer/demon etc.) This way we get a full novel of Conan, rather than a 50/50 split. The problem I have with the book is Conan seems somewhat subdued, as if the editors forced Sterling to tame his Barbarian soul. His dialogue is off, and mannerisms seem changed. A copy of Howard's Red Nails is at the end of the book, and the first chapter will point out the stark differences in character and mood. Obviously, we can't expect a Robert E. Howard genius story, but I still miss The John Maddox Roberts books. He nailed the character and mood pretty well. The good thing is we have new Conan! Hopefully Titan continues this effort, maybe with an established Sword and Sorcery author. Although, I'm not sure if the editors at Titan understand. A passage from the Afterword reads " Red Nails is pure Howard, restored from his original manuscript. Raw and powerful, it's also very much of its time--written almost a century ago, when our culture could be less socially aware and genre fiction in particular often exhibited rough edges some of today's readers may find jarring." Make of that what you will. I'm hoping for more edginess. One other note- you will enjoy a nod to Burroughs' Mangani apes from Tarzan. The ritual area was pretty cool.

Great review Jim! I do agree that he seemed a lot more reserved and in a different mood than his usual self. It still felt exactly like Conan to me, but written in a grimdark way. A believable way. That's the problem with people who don't fully get sword and sorcery, is that it is supposed to be a step above real life. The impossible is not only possible but totally normal and doesn't need constant grounding in reality. Like Elric flying ships over land and stepping into other dimensions. Kane romancing a gargoyle harpy thing, or discovering a spaceship. Etc.

I do hope we get other people on board for more Conan, and I'd happily keep it going with Stirling as well (with hopefully more magic and edge!). The fact we got this at all has been an utter pleasure and I will do anything to support this cause!

Thanks Luke! Yes, too many people don't understand the concept of why this genre dominated the 60's 70's and early 80s. It is supposed to be larger than life. The weird, the impossible, the rich prose, vileness, pacing, harshness........... Yes, I agree we need to support this new Conan effort as I did by getting the Hardcover.

Still waiting for my “pre-ordered” copy. Should be here today or tomorrow. Probably won’t get reading it until the New Year as I find myself already committed to another book…

Witnessing everyone’s enthusiasm coupled with a significant discount on the Amazon website, I too have purchased the new Conan novel. I just have to wait for it to arrive.

@Steve Babb man that is awesome! I am green with envy. Review copies are sweet!

@Jim awesome review!!

Significant discount? At Amazon? Really…🙄

Good thing I pre-ordered…

Mind you it was still more than I wanted to pay. I got the hardback $17.

As usual, my appetite to read was larger than my time to read actual; I won’t be getting to this until next year

@Jim Kenzli - Yeah man I'm glad you got through it so quickly. (I am a sucker for the audio version, probably made me like it more than I would have). I can tell you are a big fan of the good stuff and want it to be true to the classic style. That's what a real fan is!

I'm not quite half way through the new story and I guess so far it seems like a fine fantasy adventure, but I'm not sure how I feel about it as a Conan story.

(And I'm guessing they did themselves no favors by including Red Nails at the end of the book.)

"I thought Cimmerians were men of few words."

Me too, Valeria. Me too.