21. Tor Conan #3, Conan the unconquered by Robert Jordan, Part 4

The following day the Cimmerian heads inland to arrange the rescue of the kidnapped girl. He buys horses and equipment from some Hyrkanian nomads, and also takes some time to learn some skill with the bow. After spending some hours in the nomads camp he departs with the gear he needed and sets off to the fortress.

After waiting till dark Conan raids the keep, after scaling the walls he makes his way deep into the inner sanctum. Upon the way he dispatches many of the saffron robed cultists. Finally making it into the main sacrificial chamber he fights the cult leader one on one. The fight is a close one, but Conan triumphs and learns where to find the girl who he came to rescue.

Deeper into the keep he goes, into the chamber the girl was hidden in. Finding her unharmed Conan bundles her up and makes good their escape back to the ship and from there back to Agraphur.


Review ~

Yup, this is the first of the Tor's thats only gotten four entries. It barely needed four, and I probably should have just put up three. Perhaps even should have been titled Conan the Uninteresting. Absolutely nothing happened in this book of any serious consequence. Conan rescues a girl from kidnappers, she gets kidnapped again, Conan rescues her again, she gets kidnapped again, Conan rescues her again and defeats the Cultists who keep kidnapping her. It felt as if it would have been a good story for maybe 100 pages.. but when blown up to 280 it just was too drawn out.

Where as the last reminded me of the best aspects of his later Wheel of Time series, this volume reminded me of the worst aspects of it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the entire, and much derided Perrin/Faile segment from books 8-10 is just an exceptionally blown up version of this novel. I'd felt several times that Perrin Aybara had many similarities to Conan. For just one example. He is a broad shouldered, shaggy maned apprentice Blacksmith. He speaks frankly, dosen't open his mouth until he has thought things through. Shows both great melancholies and great mirth. This isn't to say he's an exact analog, but imagine if Conan had been a Hobbit.. and you pretty much can imagine Perrin.

This is the complete opposite end of the Robert Jordan spectrum from the previous book. It more or less was just a novel that positioned Conan so that he could "Learn the bow among the Hyrkanians" as he mentioned in Queen of the Black Coast.

Up Next: "The Hand of Nergal"

21. Tor Conan #3, Conan the unconquered by Robert Jordan, Part 3

Conan returns to the tavern after his night of revelry at the palace, he goes to check on the rescued girl. She's been under guard since their return the previous day. Conan left her under the watch of several associates while he went to return the necklace. Upon speaking to her he finds that though the associates have kept her safe, they also fed her paranoia with to much talk about his activities. This makes the girl even more reticent to speak to him. He goes back to the common room after a disappointing argument with her.

He rebukes his compatriots for their flapping gums, and then orders food for himself and the girl. While he is eating he is approached by a man who threatens him, this nearly leads to an altercation. Until Conan realizes it was a distraction while others kidnapped the girl from the upstairs of the tavern. The race is on yet again to rescue this girl. Third times a charm. He really shouldn't have helped the first time. Conan interrogates the man who approached him to find out where they are going. One of the Cult of Doom's bases on the Hyrkanian shore of the vilayet.

Conan goes to the docks and hires a vessel to take him to the other shore. It's a fairly perilous journey because of pirates. This Conan already knew, and it dosen't seem to bother him. The mistress of the vessel at first roundly dismisses Conan, but then comes around to his charms. Eventually agreeing to help him find the kidnapped girl. So Conan and the Captain formulate a plan on how to get the girl back.

They arrive at the rocky cliffs that make up part of the Hyrkanian shoreline, weighing anchor at night. The twinkling lights of the Cult's base shining in the distance. They plan to move on the fortress the following day, but this night the mistress has other plans for the strapping Barbarian.

21. Tor Conan #3, Conan the unconquered by Robert Jordan, Part 2

Conan is now looking for an old friend of his, who may have a line on some "Work". He scours all the low end dives in Agraphur. After 7 bars his purse is begging to feel the effects of this venture even if his head isn't. Detective work is expensive in a city as corrupt as Agraphur.

Eventually he finds his friend dead, and under an obligation to fulfill the mans duties Conan agrees to go and retrieve something from the Cult of Doom. A girl. It's almost as if some force is pulling him into their path.

The men go to the tower of doom. After scouting the area out they make plans to attack during the night. What ensues is a pitched battle between three warriors and a gaggle of yellow clad monks. It's over quickly and they retrieve what they came for. Two girls who had been kidnapped by the cult. They then head back to the city.

Conan has one other matter to attend to. Another unfinished job on behalf of his friend. The return of a ruby necklace to the residence of Mundhar Khan, satrap of Agraphur appointed by King Yildiz. Conan takes a necklace to the Satrap's palace to retrieve the reward for it's return. Upon arrival he finds the man out of residence, but his wife remains. She offers the barbarian a greater reward than mere gold. At first he refuses but later changes his mind. It's not often you get the chance to bed the headman's woman.

21. Tor Conan #3, Conan the unconquered by Robert Jordan, Part 1

Conan has journeyed from Sultanapoor to Agraphur, The Smuggling business isn't what it used to be. He's got a purse full of gold, reward for help rendered to King Yildiz's Caravan. But he's tired of the overtures from Sgts. hoping to get him to hire on with the Turanian army, so he headed south. All roads lead to Agraphur, or so they say in Agraphur.

It dosen't take long before his Sgt. problem follows him. No more has he than asked the direction of a certain tavern than he is approached by yet another man attempting to sign him up for 'wealth, wenches and great adventure'. Conan chuckles, if the man only knew. He interrupts a kidnapping on his way to the bar, no way to make friends in this town of cut throats, but some one must stand up for fool girls. He aims to return the girl to her father, but she runs off back into the crowd before he can do so. Maybe some fool girls just aren't worth helping.

He finally makes it to his tavern, it's run by a man he knew in Shadizar some time back. It's in reality something of a Shadizar ex-pat bar. Conan reunites with a few old friends, or people who were more competition than friends back during his thieving days. He relates the story of the kidnapping, and is casually informed the men who were after the girl were Cultists of Doom. They have a strange temple some where on the banks of the Vilayet and a penchant for absconding with virgins. Everyone is pretty much in agreement that Conan would be best advised to stay away from them.

He Agrees, and goes about trying to start some sort of a life in Agraphur. Perhaps paying a visit to a fortune teller he was acquainted with in Shadizar might help to shed some light. So off he trots, to find the man who can tell him his future. A grim future it is too according to the man. The prophecies say that in order to go forward, he must go back, or he will never leave Agraphur alive. Apparently his action of saving the girl, is going to turn out to be way more trouble than it was worth.