The Chronicles of Conan, Vol. 1

July 10, 2022 Update: I have finished the last of the three Conan novels in this book and have reweighted my overall review to 4 starts for the entire book.Conan the Invincible 3 Stars:This is a story from Conan’s youth in Zamora, the “thief phase” if you will. Conan is 18 or perhaps 19 and therein lies the problem – more on this in a bit.Jordan has crafted a well told story, however it is a well worn one as well, the so called McGuffin Tale. Multiple factions are after the same object, two sorcerers, a group of bandits (led by a Red Sonjaesque Bandit Queen), Conan (the thief), a troop of Zamorian cavalry (the authorities), and to top it all off the Kezankian Mountain Hillman who would like them all dead and gone.Pros:*Jordan introduces some supporting characters who are likable and when it was done, I’d like to see again. And indeed there is a strong possibility of that, as this was the first of seven Conan novels he wrote, so I expect to see one or more of them again.*Jordan keeps the story moving without resorting to a lot of exposition or information dumps.*Jordan seems to have a firm understanding of the Hyborian Age and where this tale fits in Conan’s timeline.Cons:*Given his age, this should be an inexperienced Conan and yet he seems to have all the answers and counsels characters much older & experienced then himself on what is happening, and what should be done. I would have liked to have seen him be a bit more impulsive and reckless. And perhaps take note of what the “growups” did right or wrong.*Jordan appears to have leaned heavily on a thesaurus as the story is littered with 10 cent words when simpler ones would have sufficed - thaumaturgical, callimastian to name a couple, but there are so, so many more. They are distracting and tended to take me out of the story.In the end this was a good enough first attempt that I am willing to read more of Jordan’s Conan.Conan the Unconquered 5 Stars:This story comes chronologically on the heels of Conan the Victorious just following Conan’s “smuggler phase” on the Vilayet Sea. Conan is 20 years old give or take a year.This was the third Conan novel Jordan penned and the third of which I have read (and the best of the three). At this point Jordan had a good grip on Conan and the Hyborian Age as well. The story roams from the Capital of Turan, out to the Hykarian Steppes, and back again.Jordan has Conan encounter all manner of colorful and memorable characters as the journey unfolds – thieves from Zamora, a father out to avenge the murder of his daughter, an octogenarian astrologer looking for one adventure to capstone his life, a princess tired of her pampered life, Hykarian nomads on a mission of vengeance, Vilayet smugglers, and even freed galley slaves. One by one they hitch their stars to Conan’s wagon and become his bedraggled colorful band which stands between a world beating Cult of Doom and their ambitions. In the end Jordan leaves you hoping you will see one or more of these characters again in his future novels.Jordan adds veracity to the Cult of Doom by making it reminiscent of the cults in the 1970’s in which children of the rich were seduced to turn on their parents and give away their worldly possessions. Their Leader is perhaps not the greatest villain ever created, but Jordan does his best to make him more than a simple mustache twirler. Jordan had to operate within the page count confines all these pastiches were shackled with.While Unconquered is not REH, it is top shelf Conan pastiche, and ranks right up there with any written by John Maddox Roberts, John Hocking, or Karl Wagner. If you like a good Conan yarn I highly recommend this one.Conan the Defender 4 Stars:This was the second Conan novel that Robert Jordan wrote and represents Conan at roughly 23 years of age after his “smuggler phase” on the Vilayet Sea but prior to his meeting up with Belit. While most of these Conan pastiches stand on their own this is a sequel of sorts to Jordan’s Conan the Invincible. And even though two or three of Jordan’s novels happen chronologically between it and Invincible (and are not necessary to be read prior to Defender) I would highly recommend that you read Invincible prior to Defender as a couple of the central characters and their motives are established in Invincible.As to Defender itself, it is a well worn tell by Howard (both in Conan & Kull) of a cabal of nobles seeking the overthrow of the King (Nemedia this time around) by bringing the country to a low point by pushing on the stress points – crime, food shortages, and the economy. Then when the masses rise they will give the revolution the “guidance” it needs that will leave them in charge.If Defender had played out in the manner of Howard’s stories, it would be a rather unremarkable effort. However, while the overall plot itself will seem very familiar to any Conan reader, Jordan deftly adds multiple factions which add variety to the plot; each group believes they are the ones with the “true” scheme.Of particular note is a group of artisans who play at “coffeehouse revolutionaries” and though they talk much, like the Decemberists of Russia they are nowhere to be found when the shooting starts. Jordan really excelled at portraying these effete intellectual ne’re-do-wells with their grand ideas but completely lacking in the ability to implement them.Jordan also adds twists to the plot by not having the conspiracy run smoothly, with the plotters having to alter their plans when events, other parties, or even the plotters themselves interfere. And of course, no Conan novel is complete without a bit of sorcery thrown in, this time in the form of an ensorcelled sword and a clay golem who bears a striking resemblance to…ah but that would be spoiling.As in his other novels Jordan seems to excel at creating interesting supporting characters, however in this one he created a few too many. Several characters seem like they are going to take center stage only to be rushed off with a sudden demise. Jordan likely needed another 50 pages of space to accommodate all these characters, and likely should have edited two or three out. It is the biggest strike against this novel.When the dust settled, I enjoyed this conspiratorial visit to Nemedia.

I picked this up because I missed reading about Conan’s adventures and thought this would be a decent starting point.

Good stories, good binding, stories very well put together. Robert Jordan is a great successor to Robert E. Howard.

This book completed my set

There is inevitably a bit of crying and hand wringing about whether authors like Jordan or DeCamp can carry Conan with the same skill and grace as his creator, REH. The short answer is no, they can't. Having said that, these Jordan Conan novels are a good time, plain and simple. The plots are good enough, the prose is good enough, and the flavor is there. These three novels are a fun read, well worth the time and a bargain here in this omnibus edition. Jordan does Hyboria well. The action is good and the dour Cimmerian is likeable. Through in some buxom slave girls, equally buxom swordwomen, evil sorcerers, and grizzled allies, and you have the makings of some quality escapism. Fair warning, if you are a past or present Women's Studies major, then I would give it a pass. If you are the type that likes to remind people that only the first album of that band they like is good and they are idiots for liking the later stuff, then you should give it a pass too. For my purposes these novels work just fine.

A couple weeks ago, I agreed with one reviewer that these Robert Jordan books are fine, if you're 15. That's because I hadn't read them since I was 15, so I just didn't remember why I liked them so much back then, so I decided to order the two chronicles & re-acquaint myself with my adolescent fantasies.I very quickly changed my mind: IMO, calling these "fine, if you're 15" is unfair. I just got done reading all of Howard's original Conan stories, & they were wonderful & I enjoyed the nostalgia rush ... but the simple fact is that Howard's writing was every bit the adolescent male fantasy. It's unsophisticated writing, which is fine, because it's telling simple tales of a relatively simple man -- we don't need sophisticated literature, here. Beyond that, I'm convinced that if Robert Howard had been writing Conan in the 1980s or 1990s, instead of the '20s & '30s, he would have written much like Jordan did.Beyond that, IMO Howard's writing style, tho appropriate for the time, was too sparse; I think Jordan's Conan is more lush, more vibrant, & feels "more real" than did Howard's. The characters are more finely drawn, as well, especially the more deeply humanized evil wizards -- I especially like Amanar, in "Conan the Invincible" -- & I think the female characters are somewhat more complex & interesting as well; certainly Karela the Red Hawk is more interesting, to me, than Belit.So, I'm not going to say I think Jordan was "better" than Howard. I am going to say that Robert Jordan's Conan compares very well to Howard's, & I'm not at all ashamed to say that this 47-year old enjoyed Jordan every bit as much now, as he did 32 years ago.

What more is there to say.. it's a Conan book written by an acolyte of Howard, but loses nothing of the essence of the masters writing... Crom.. just read it.

Since I allready possesed one of the stories in this trilogy, the other two stories gave me a nice read

must have

I remember reading these novels some twenty years or so ago in paperback and it's nice to have it all coiled up in one large hardcover. Robert Jorden is an excellent writer and though I rarely read fantasy novels anymore, I thought I would make an exception with this edition. I have a complaint with the paper quality as it's quite cheap and they should have done something more professional (better quality paper) and visual (black and white pictures would have been nice). Otherwise, I would reccomend this book for anyone wanting to visit the Hyborian world and their teenage years........

Excellent writing, pacing, and characterization make this a must-have set of volumes for any fan of the Cimmerian-turned adventurer, Conan.