Conan and the Sorcerer

Rating:
Summary: Pretty bad, even for a Conan novel
Review: Conan and the Sorceror has potential, but the author just isn't right for Conan. The writing is repetitive, full of unneeded adjectives and big words. Conan is much too talkative, and his vocabulary is too large. A camel doesn't respond to his prodding, so he says, "I am going to lead youout of here, or drag your strangled carcass. Choose, old supercilious-head." Supercilious-head! At this time, right after the story, "The Tower of the Elephant," Conan is as yet unbedded, so while there is plenty of nudity, Conan is just standing around looking at it, whereas in most books he jump on the woman. Conan also gets arbitrary urges to murder people for no reason, while at other times he stands around reasoning with those trying to murder him. The explanations are overlong, and the book has a cliffhanger ending.

The artist only makes things worse. In most of the illustrations, it's very hard to make out what's going on. However, whenever there is a female involved, whether she's clothed or not in the book, the artist takes great care to make sure she's nude and posed well.

This book is really for Conan enthusiasts only; don't go out of your way to get it either!

Rating:
Summary: Pretty bad, even for a Conan novel
Review: Conan and the Sorceror has potential, but the author just isn't right for Conan. The writing is repetitive, full of unneeded adjectives and big words. Conan is much too talkative, and his vocabulary is too large. A camel doesn't respond to his prodding, so he says, "I am going to lead youout of here, or drag your strangled carcass. Choose, old supercilious-head." Supercilious-head! At this time, right after the story, "The Tower of the Elephant," Conan is as yet unbedded, so while there is plenty of nudity, Conan is just standing around looking at it, whereas in most books he jump on the woman. Conan also gets arbitrary urges to murder people for no reason, while at other times he stands around reasoning with those trying to murder him. The explanations are overlong, and the book has a cliffhanger ending.

The artist only makes things worse. In most of the illustrations, it's very hard to make out what's going on. However, whenever there is a female involved, whether she's clothed or not in the book, the artist takes great care to make sure she's nude and posed well.

This book is really for Conan enthusiasts only; don't go out of your way to get it either!

Rating:
Summary: Lavish artwork enhances this enjoyable Conan adventure.
Review: First of all, it must be said that Conan, as portrayed in this novel, and the subsequent novels by the author (Conan the Mercenary and The Sword of Skelos, forming a loose trilogy)is a bit too talkative and knowledgeable for his age, which is given as 17. That aside, these three novels are simply too enjoyable for that to detract from the overall reading experience.
Offut's style is quite different form that of Robert E. Howard, Conan's creator, but is appropriate for a Conan adventure nevertheless. There is plenty of action, despicable villains, and, of course, several irresistable women. Conan wades through the bloodshed and sorcery, and emerges almost unscathed, and a little wiser for his experiences. There is also an injection of humor that enhances the novel. Along with the marvelous artwork, this book is quite a package. One should definitely seek out the larger-sized trade paperback edition if possible, but by all means, read this novel either way. It will not disappoint, and you'll find yourself seeking out the next two novels in the series.