The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian

One of my goals while we wait out COVID has been to read through all of Howard's original Conan stories.

They've been a fun read. I think if I was trying to read them all at once, the outdated opinions of gender would have been overwhelming, but in smaller doses it was manageable. And Howard's central theme of how we define civilization and barbarism still feels deeply relevant in 2021.

Gritty, medieval, low fantasy, lovercraftian stories. Conan is no hero, he just like to kill things. He is nearly as likely to pillage a village as he is to slay a monster. He does what he feels like it to satiate his thirst for battle and curiosity of the unknown. Yet he does follows a code of honor, one he believes makes more sense then rules followed by civilized men.

He wonders the world looking for adventure, and his prowess in combat, fiery blue eyes, large muscles and indomitable will ends up attracting followers and beautiful women alike.

The stories are purposely not in chronological order. The first one starts with old aged king Conan, where he is warned in a dream of the rise of Set, and given a magical weapon to fight him. As he awakes, he thwarts and assassination attempt on his life and defeats one unimaginable horror that lurks in his bedroom at night.

One of my favorite stories was the one he is king as well, and is betrayed by one of his allied kingdom into a trap. Captured, he is sent to a dungeon created by an evil wizard and faces many monsters to obtain his freedom and reclaim his throne.

Many of the stories shows how civilization has made humankind weak and complacent, and their greed leads them into mortal danger, one that only Conan can succeed. He overcomes the perils that kills ordinary men, whether escaping death from an overwhelming number of foes or an abominable ape-like creature.