Conan the Rogue

Rating:
Summary: "Maltese Falcon" in an ancient land
Review: A very entertaining read -- especially when you realize part of it is a retelling of the "Maltese Falcon" story, complete with the very polite Fat Man and the Peter Lorre weasle. Good writing, good plotting, a good read all around...though a little long towards the end.

Rating:
Summary: good addition to Howard's Conan mythos
Review: All right, I'm giving this one five stars because I thought it was a great book and one of my favorites in the series. I do, however, have a gripe. It is Conan's attitude toward women. At no point is Maxio a danger to Conan, yet Conan--though clearly desirous of the criminal's woman--refuses to fall for her charms. In no Conan work outside Roberts' have I found Conan to be fearful of bedding another man's woman especially when the man is clearly no threat to him. Overall, though, I thought it was a good book with strong character development and a worthy addition to Howard's Conan series.

Rating:
Summary: A Fistful of Coins...
Review: One of the other reviewers compared this book to "The Maltese Falcon" -- I'm thinking it's much closer to "A Fistful of Dollars." Anyone who thinks of Conan as a musclebound oaf should read this novel and watch Conan play the different elements of the town against each other. Part of the fun of the book for me was watching Conan maneuver people around, always to his advantage, along with all the signature Conan action. Highly, highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Fistful of Coins...
Review: One of the other reviewers compared this book to "The Maltese Falcon" -- I'm thinking it's much closer to "A Fistful of Dollars." Anyone who thinks of Conan as a musclebound oaf should read this novel and watch Conan play the different elements of the town against each other. Part of the fun of the book for me was watching Conan maneuver people around, always to his advantage, along with all the signature Conan action. Highly, highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Worth the time
Review: The previous reviewers were correct in noting that the book is derived heavily from "A Fistful of Dollars". Although it must be pointed out that "A Fistful of Dollars" was based on a 1961 B&W Kurosawa movie "Yojimbo" (The Bodyguard).

Back to the book, once you placed the storyline - there weren't any surprises but it was good seeing Conan in a somewhat more "brainy" role rather than relying on his physical prowess...

Rating:
Summary: Worth the time
Review: The previous reviewers were correct in noting that the book is derived heavily from "A Fistful of Dollars". Although it must be pointed out that "A Fistful of Dollars" was based on a 1961 B&W Kurosawa movie "Yojimbo" (The Bodyguard).

Back to the book, once you placed the storyline - there weren't any surprises but it was good seeing Conan in a somewhat more "brainy" role rather than relying on his physical prowess...

Rating:
Summary: Not Just the Maltese Falcon
Review: The reader from Kansas City is correct in seeing "A Fistful of Dollars" behind "Conan the Rogue." The joke is that "Fistful," like "Rogue," is inspired by "Red Harvest" -- a novel by the author of "The Maltese Falcon," Dashiell Hammett!

John Maddox Roberts does a very good job of smooshing at least two detective novels' plots into a new sword-and-sorcery story. He handles Conan himself well, too.

Since Tor doesn't mention Conan's actual creator, let's remember that Robert E. Howard was writing for the pulps at the same time as Hammett, which adds to Roberts's in-joke.

Rating:
Summary: Not Just the Maltese Falcon
Review: The reader from Kansas City is correct in seeing "A Fistful of Dollars" behind "Conan the Rogue." The joke is that "Fistful," like "Rogue," is inspired by "Red Harvest" -- a novel by the author of "The Maltese Falcon," Dashiell Hammett!

John Maddox Roberts does a very good job of smooshing at least two detective novels' plots into a new sword-and-sorcery story. He handles Conan himself well, too.

Since Tor doesn't mention Conan's actual creator, let's remember that Robert E. Howard was writing for the pulps at the same time as Hammett, which adds to Roberts's in-joke.

Rating:
Summary: Best Non-Howard Conan book I've read
Review: This was a great Conan book, my favorite of all the non-Howard stories. Not your typical hack and slash adventure, but a slightly humorous tale of several rival factions that hire Conan to clean up a town (i.e. eliminate their enemies). Conan follows their instructions to the letter with results considerably different from what they intended. Playing multiple sides against each other, Conan remains master of the situation. This really shows a different side to Conan rather than the simple muscled barbarian. Plenty of action, good vivid descriptions of a town and characters that seems realistic, culminating in a decent monster battle. It all adds up to a good story