Chapters 19-23
Conan laboriously makes his way to the dread castle Slott, it sits upon a craggy outcropping. No doubt this would balk the biggest of armies, but the builders had never encountered a Cimmerian. No mere wall of stone will stall Conan for long, and time is short. So climb he does, quickly, silently, without complaint. His mighty arms pulling him ever higher, and within sight is a cave mouth, so it's what he makes for. Perhaps he can find a way into the castle through the cave.
Inside Sovartus the dark lord is making arrangements to finish his spell casting now that he has the last ingredient. Eldia the fire child. Nothing is standing in his way now. Nothing except the girls sister. It dosen't take long for Sovartus to deal with Kinna, he has some of his minions take her away and drop her in a cave. The very same one that Conan is currently wandering through.
Before to long, Conan comes across Kinna and her captors, though they wear hoods and robes its soon made obvious they are more of the Reptoids which he's dealt with in the mountains on his journeys south and again in the mountains of Zamora. Having fought them on occasions before, Conan knows how to make short work of them. But they succeed at least in delaying him and Kinna from reaching the castle. Long enough anyway for Sovartus to summon a new and more powerful darkness. A Darkness which he commands.
Making their way through throng after throng of Sovartus's lizard henchmen the two adventurers laboriously ascend Castle Slott. They arrive after many swordstrokes and much bloodshed to Sovartus's Tower. While Kinna deals with the rest of the lizardmen, Conan lunges for the dark lord. He's blasted backwards by the darkness like a child's doll. Another tactic will be needed. Instead he goes after the chains holding the four children captive. Without them to fuel the darkness it should dissipate, hopefully?
Sovartus is so engorged on his own power that he pays the barbarian no attention while this happens. unfortunately for him, Conan's hunch was right, remove the fuel and the fire dies. The darkness begins to implode, pulling Sovartus into its sucking maelstrom first, and then beggining to pull the entire castle in as well. Conan and Kinna gather up the four dazed children and make a run for it, hopeing they can gain an exit before they too are pulled in, or the castle around them.
After some time of running, and a fair distance away, Conan calls a halt. Sitting in there way is Vitarius, he had managed to hold off Djuvala long enough and survived. Conan decides against returning with the group to Mornstantadinos, and instead turns westward to continue his journey to Nemedia, maybe to the town of Numalia.
Review.
Well, this was not all that bad of a book. It's easily Perry's best out of his 5. And it provides a rather logical explanation for some of the weirdness present in his other books. It's obvious that he basically re-used this books plot for all of his others. All have Conan journeying from one place, to another place, and meeting up with a series of evil wizards, bandits, what have you and being aided by a scrappy girl and a good wizard or priest of some sort. It works here, but would have probably been better not used quite so many times.
I can't really say too much else about it, apart from those few chapters where Conan inexplicably wasted time back in his hotel room rather than riding out to rescue the children seemed as if they were simply added to pad the story out. They more or less didn't fulfill any purpose except that. And even with them the book was short enough they decided to include the L. Sprague DeCamp Essay 'Conan the Indestructible" So it's possible that those chapters were added at the behest of the editor.. who I assume at the time was either Robert or Harriet Jordan. One of whom pads his own stories out till they are bulging like Santa Claus, and the other who edited them and saw no fault in that.
The re-apparent of the reptoids, in yet another Conan Pastiche, indicates that in the realm of the Tor series they definitely exist in substantial numbers. That's not an impossible thing, though improbable. I don't remember them ever cropping up in any of Howard's Conan stories, but their were a reptillian race in the Kull stories. It's not impossible then that these reptoids are some how related to them.. merely fallen into the depths of barbarity and in some cases are just feral.
Up Next is a Robert E. Howard story, The God in the Bowl.
Showing posts with label Conan the Fearless. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conan the Fearless. Show all posts
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
16. Tor Conan #9, Conan the Fearless by Steve Perry, part 4
Chapters 14-18
Finally on their way to defeat the dark magician and his demon cohort, Conan, Vitarius, Eldia and her sister Kinna have ridden some way from the Corinthian city of Mornstantadinos. On their wanderings, Conan recounts his recent journeys to the young girl Eldia to entertain her.* Interupting his tall tale telling, Kinna mentions they will have to leave the road soon and make their way through the mysterious Bloddolk Forrest.
They make camp for the night. Conan wonders if the Witch will pursue him this far from the city, and decides the likelihood is good. They begin to traverse the forest in the morning, and are espied by the woodsmen who make it their home. They make fairly good time, all the while learning of the flora which is native to the forest but seldom found elsewhere. After a hard day of trail blazing they reach a clearing and decide to camp.
That night, Conan awakes to muffled screams, the Demon he had behanded earlier and who's sister was the Witch who attempted to murder him in Mornstandinos had caught up to them. Two nights of camping was obviously too much. The Demon disarms Conan, and plans to play with his prey before the kill, but Vitarius the mage throws Conan a new weapon. The Mummified and preserved hand of the Demon. Conan uses it too great effect, and sends the creature back to whence it was summoned. Somewhere, Djuvala the Witch wakes in a cold sweat, her brother is no more. She will have to deal with the troublesome barbarian herself, once and for all.
After the previous nights escapades, the party packs early and begins once more their journey through the forest. After some hours have passed they stop for a bite and Conan learns somewhat of the nature of Vitarius magic. The old man continues talking while they pack up and leave the clearing behind them. Theres still a good bit of daylight left, and unbeknown to them the more miles they cover, the more they have between them and the pursuing Djuvala.
As they continue on, they come to the edge of Sovartus' Holdings in the Dodlinga plains. In the center of this vast land stands the Castle Slott, Sovartus' keep. And it is there that he has the other three Children of the Elements held captive. They accidentally trigger a ward, laid by Sovartus around his domains alerting him to their presence. He comes and makes off with Elidia, the last elemental child he needs and her sister takes off after her. To make matters worse, their head start proves to be insufficient as Djuvala falls on Conan and Vitarius in the night, Vitarius is slain buying Conan time to escape, but he manages to do severe damage to the witch and hold her off so Conan can make his way to Castle Slott. The time of reckoning is near, and Conan feels that no man worth his salt lets a debt slide without repaying it.
* This is a brilliant thing, Though a throw away line no doubt, It's going to allow us to put all of the bizarre adventures Conan has had in the previous 4 Steve Perry books and even maybe the re-animated king from 'The Thing in the Crypt' into a rough new framing sequence. He's making them up to amuse a child, every bit as much as Cimmerians would no doubt have done on dark nights to amuse themselves. Suddenly it all makes sense. Especially when one takes into account that, Conan having fought demons and their like before.. this story is not particularly out of place. It's certainly not got selkies and talking bats in it.. but childrens stories would have those things.. This of course is probably not the authors intent, but when one is dealing with material that is, at its hear, effectively nothing more than published and authorized fan-fiction.. I feel that a great deal more latitude can be taken when confronting it than when one is dealing with the original authors words. But I don't know, is this a track that should be followed or ignored when it comes time for me to craft my new chronology at the end of this project?
Finally on their way to defeat the dark magician and his demon cohort, Conan, Vitarius, Eldia and her sister Kinna have ridden some way from the Corinthian city of Mornstantadinos. On their wanderings, Conan recounts his recent journeys to the young girl Eldia to entertain her.* Interupting his tall tale telling, Kinna mentions they will have to leave the road soon and make their way through the mysterious Bloddolk Forrest.
They make camp for the night. Conan wonders if the Witch will pursue him this far from the city, and decides the likelihood is good. They begin to traverse the forest in the morning, and are espied by the woodsmen who make it their home. They make fairly good time, all the while learning of the flora which is native to the forest but seldom found elsewhere. After a hard day of trail blazing they reach a clearing and decide to camp.
That night, Conan awakes to muffled screams, the Demon he had behanded earlier and who's sister was the Witch who attempted to murder him in Mornstandinos had caught up to them. Two nights of camping was obviously too much. The Demon disarms Conan, and plans to play with his prey before the kill, but Vitarius the mage throws Conan a new weapon. The Mummified and preserved hand of the Demon. Conan uses it too great effect, and sends the creature back to whence it was summoned. Somewhere, Djuvala the Witch wakes in a cold sweat, her brother is no more. She will have to deal with the troublesome barbarian herself, once and for all.
After the previous nights escapades, the party packs early and begins once more their journey through the forest. After some hours have passed they stop for a bite and Conan learns somewhat of the nature of Vitarius magic. The old man continues talking while they pack up and leave the clearing behind them. Theres still a good bit of daylight left, and unbeknown to them the more miles they cover, the more they have between them and the pursuing Djuvala.
As they continue on, they come to the edge of Sovartus' Holdings in the Dodlinga plains. In the center of this vast land stands the Castle Slott, Sovartus' keep. And it is there that he has the other three Children of the Elements held captive. They accidentally trigger a ward, laid by Sovartus around his domains alerting him to their presence. He comes and makes off with Elidia, the last elemental child he needs and her sister takes off after her. To make matters worse, their head start proves to be insufficient as Djuvala falls on Conan and Vitarius in the night, Vitarius is slain buying Conan time to escape, but he manages to do severe damage to the witch and hold her off so Conan can make his way to Castle Slott. The time of reckoning is near, and Conan feels that no man worth his salt lets a debt slide without repaying it.
* This is a brilliant thing, Though a throw away line no doubt, It's going to allow us to put all of the bizarre adventures Conan has had in the previous 4 Steve Perry books and even maybe the re-animated king from 'The Thing in the Crypt' into a rough new framing sequence. He's making them up to amuse a child, every bit as much as Cimmerians would no doubt have done on dark nights to amuse themselves. Suddenly it all makes sense. Especially when one takes into account that, Conan having fought demons and their like before.. this story is not particularly out of place. It's certainly not got selkies and talking bats in it.. but childrens stories would have those things.. This of course is probably not the authors intent, but when one is dealing with material that is, at its hear, effectively nothing more than published and authorized fan-fiction.. I feel that a great deal more latitude can be taken when confronting it than when one is dealing with the original authors words. But I don't know, is this a track that should be followed or ignored when it comes time for me to craft my new chronology at the end of this project?
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
16. Tor Conan #9, Conan the Fearless by Steve Perry, part 3
chapters 9-13
Even though when we last left off, they were all for setting off to fight the dark lord.. for some reason in the next chapter we find Conan still in the city of Mornstadinos, still in his room at the inn, with neither the girl or her sister, or the mage to be seen.
Instead we get a new sub-story, A witch, Djuvala, the sister of the demon which Conan behanded previously is set on revenge, and aims to seduce the brawny youth herself. This is going well until some cutpurses burst into his room at the inn. He dispatches them but by the time he is finished the witch has gone.
Lovemaking denied, Conan sets out to make a bit of profit instead. He sets his sights perhaps too high and aims to loot the palace of a Corinthian senator. This however soon turns out to be too much for the Barbarian and he is captured and knocked out. He awakens once to find Djuvala standing next to the Senator, what sort of treachery is this?
It dosen't take long for Conan to realize he's been set up, and he begins to formulate an escape. This goes as well as can be expected and he gets his chance to make a break for it. None too soon either as Djuvala has gone to informed her brother that she has captured his quarry and he may do as he wishes.
Running naked through Mornstadinos Conan happens on Vitarius and the two girls, he recommends they leave as soon as he gets some new clothes and a new sword and make all haste towards their destination.
Even though when we last left off, they were all for setting off to fight the dark lord.. for some reason in the next chapter we find Conan still in the city of Mornstadinos, still in his room at the inn, with neither the girl or her sister, or the mage to be seen.
Instead we get a new sub-story, A witch, Djuvala, the sister of the demon which Conan behanded previously is set on revenge, and aims to seduce the brawny youth herself. This is going well until some cutpurses burst into his room at the inn. He dispatches them but by the time he is finished the witch has gone.
Lovemaking denied, Conan sets out to make a bit of profit instead. He sets his sights perhaps too high and aims to loot the palace of a Corinthian senator. This however soon turns out to be too much for the Barbarian and he is captured and knocked out. He awakens once to find Djuvala standing next to the Senator, what sort of treachery is this?
It dosen't take long for Conan to realize he's been set up, and he begins to formulate an escape. This goes as well as can be expected and he gets his chance to make a break for it. None too soon either as Djuvala has gone to informed her brother that she has captured his quarry and he may do as he wishes.
Running naked through Mornstadinos Conan happens on Vitarius and the two girls, he recommends they leave as soon as he gets some new clothes and a new sword and make all haste towards their destination.
Friday, March 4, 2011
16. Tor Conan #9, Conan the Fearless by Steve Perry, part 2
Chapters 5-8
Squaring off in the middle of the market, Conan faces the Demon over the fate of the child. The game could go either way at several times, Conan keeps over thinking his actions and it costs him precious time. But with a sudden lunge of the demon Conan hews down with all his strength and severs the Demon's hand from it's body. The Demon instantly dissipates back to where it came, and Conan then sets off to find the girls family. Finding her old sister, he is related a tale of kidnapping, but when he trys to find out more he feels a sudden feeling upon his heel, looking he sees it is a Salamander working some magic upon him. Then he sees the source, Vitarus the Wizard, but before Conan can skewer him the girl stops him, She will tell her tale.. but not here.
Instead the troupe head to the Inn, Where in Conan finds the full breadth of the tale. The parts which the girls cannot fill in, Vitarus does. Vitaruus explains to Conan about his master Hogistrum: Grey Square, and of his abilities with both white and black magic. He tells how Hogistrum created 4 children who each possesed the power of an element, and how thanks to Conan who had saved Elida, the Fire Child The dark plans of Sovartes could not continue. Elida begs Conan to save her siblings, but he brushes off her entreaties saying that he is pressed for time and must make haste to Nemedia. Vitarus pays for his drinks, and Conan stumps off to his room to sleep off the days cares.
His sleep however is troubled, cursed with the feeling of a dread approaching. Causing the hair on his neck to stand on end like a thunderstorm, he finally grows tired of this situation and heads back down to the common room. There he finds Elidas sister, herself weery from lack of sleep. She claims something had rattled her window and tryed to get into her room.. and it seems the dread feelings Conan felt were shared by her. He offers to have a look at her window, But she castes a cynical eye at him and says for him not to trouble himself, since he has such a pressing engagement in Nemedia to attend.
Vitarus rejoins them, and explains that the dread feeling was dark magic, and very nearly this time is when the Inn is attacked by another Demon. This then was the cause of the wind and the dread. It is battled off, but the group makes a run for it. Vitarus's knowledge of demons runs deep, but is it deep enough to counter the machinations of his enemy? Perhaps it would be made easier with a sturdy sword arm to back him up, and since the Demons have attacked him twice now, Conan feels some pay back is in order. So they set off, Wizards and Warriors, to fight the dark mage in his keep.
Squaring off in the middle of the market, Conan faces the Demon over the fate of the child. The game could go either way at several times, Conan keeps over thinking his actions and it costs him precious time. But with a sudden lunge of the demon Conan hews down with all his strength and severs the Demon's hand from it's body. The Demon instantly dissipates back to where it came, and Conan then sets off to find the girls family. Finding her old sister, he is related a tale of kidnapping, but when he trys to find out more he feels a sudden feeling upon his heel, looking he sees it is a Salamander working some magic upon him. Then he sees the source, Vitarus the Wizard, but before Conan can skewer him the girl stops him, She will tell her tale.. but not here.
Instead the troupe head to the Inn, Where in Conan finds the full breadth of the tale. The parts which the girls cannot fill in, Vitarus does. Vitaruus explains to Conan about his master Hogistrum: Grey Square, and of his abilities with both white and black magic. He tells how Hogistrum created 4 children who each possesed the power of an element, and how thanks to Conan who had saved Elida, the Fire Child The dark plans of Sovartes could not continue. Elida begs Conan to save her siblings, but he brushes off her entreaties saying that he is pressed for time and must make haste to Nemedia. Vitarus pays for his drinks, and Conan stumps off to his room to sleep off the days cares.
His sleep however is troubled, cursed with the feeling of a dread approaching. Causing the hair on his neck to stand on end like a thunderstorm, he finally grows tired of this situation and heads back down to the common room. There he finds Elidas sister, herself weery from lack of sleep. She claims something had rattled her window and tryed to get into her room.. and it seems the dread feelings Conan felt were shared by her. He offers to have a look at her window, But she castes a cynical eye at him and says for him not to trouble himself, since he has such a pressing engagement in Nemedia to attend.
Vitarus rejoins them, and explains that the dread feeling was dark magic, and very nearly this time is when the Inn is attacked by another Demon. This then was the cause of the wind and the dread. It is battled off, but the group makes a run for it. Vitarus's knowledge of demons runs deep, but is it deep enough to counter the machinations of his enemy? Perhaps it would be made easier with a sturdy sword arm to back him up, and since the Demons have attacked him twice now, Conan feels some pay back is in order. So they set off, Wizards and Warriors, to fight the dark mage in his keep.
Monday, February 28, 2011
16. Tor Conan #9, Conan the Fearless by Steve Perry, part 1
I'm afraid I must apologize for having not updated this blog in quite some time. After slogging through the two Robert Jordan volumes, on top of a miserable Leonard Carpenter volume.. I felt I simply wasn't ready to tackle another Steve Perry penned tome. I'm sure you can all understand. I've begun to feel this series would have done really well to have a volume titled "Conan:.. oh for Crom's sake not another bloody sorcerer"
I'm not making any promises that I will ever reach the levels of semi-frequency that I once had, the joy of this project fled some time ago when it began to dawn on me just how bad some of these books really are. I'd tried to go back and read Conan the Bold, but something about that felt like cheating, since it isn't part of William Galen Grey's chronology, I should leave it till the end, same as the two movie adaptions.
So, without further ado...
Prologue and Chapters 1-4
As with every Steve Perry volume so far, this one begins with a prologue about a magus of some sort. This one happens to be named Sovartus, and like any good dark mage he is in the process of summoning up a Demonic entity to do his bidding. In this case it's hunting down the 4th of 4 children who represent the 4 elemental powers. He has Fire, wind and water in his possesion already, but Earth balks him. The Demon sets out to remedy this, no matter who gets in his way.
When we last saw Conan he was riding westwards away from Shadizar, Not knowing what would befall him on his way. So far this is the first time he has explicitly headed west into the more civilized lands of the Hyborian age, having previously only gone towards the exotic east. As this story opens he is currently drudging his way through the Karpash Mountains, last seen way back in the last Steve Perry story right before his apparent teleportation some hundreds of miles south and east to Arenjun. After the long ride from Shadizar, Conan seeks a place to sup and perhaps a cup of wine to wash the dust from his throat. As he passes through a town he inquires of a youth if he knows of a stable where his horse can be tended, the boy of 10 is persuaded to give the information by dint of a gold coin.
The Youth takes his horse to the stables and Conan goes into the Inn, he orders a meal and rents a room, with a bolt on the door, and sets too refreshing himself. His relaxation is short lived as not long after midnight his door is burst in by three men who aim to relieve him of his apparent wealth. This, is the worst mistake of their lives, but one they won't live long enough to regret. The Following morning he meets a Merchant who is also headed west, through Corinthia to Nemedia. Conan declines his company along the road, but agrees the two may meet again.
This Merchant however is not what he seems, for he is actually the willing servant of a sorceress. At least the author is consistent. We know not what her plans are as of yet, but she is not amused by the name Conan of Cimmeria when her servant mentions it, She dispatches a summoned beast to dispose of the Cimmerian before he can cause her problems as he has caused for so many others of her ilk.
Conan meanwhile has reached the Corinthian City of Mornstadinos and is currently once more relaxing in an inn. He makes friends with a rather lackluster street magician, but one who has a sharp whit to amuse the barbarian with. Unfortunately for the barbarian, there is a small girl watching one of Vitarius the magicians performances when the Demon summoned in the prologue appears. He has found the child he seeks and makes to take her back to his master. Conan however has other plans, and steps up to fend off the hellbeast lest he make off with the child. Thief though he be, he has no truck with hellspawn.
I'm not making any promises that I will ever reach the levels of semi-frequency that I once had, the joy of this project fled some time ago when it began to dawn on me just how bad some of these books really are. I'd tried to go back and read Conan the Bold, but something about that felt like cheating, since it isn't part of William Galen Grey's chronology, I should leave it till the end, same as the two movie adaptions.
So, without further ado...
Prologue and Chapters 1-4
As with every Steve Perry volume so far, this one begins with a prologue about a magus of some sort. This one happens to be named Sovartus, and like any good dark mage he is in the process of summoning up a Demonic entity to do his bidding. In this case it's hunting down the 4th of 4 children who represent the 4 elemental powers. He has Fire, wind and water in his possesion already, but Earth balks him. The Demon sets out to remedy this, no matter who gets in his way.
When we last saw Conan he was riding westwards away from Shadizar, Not knowing what would befall him on his way. So far this is the first time he has explicitly headed west into the more civilized lands of the Hyborian age, having previously only gone towards the exotic east. As this story opens he is currently drudging his way through the Karpash Mountains, last seen way back in the last Steve Perry story right before his apparent teleportation some hundreds of miles south and east to Arenjun. After the long ride from Shadizar, Conan seeks a place to sup and perhaps a cup of wine to wash the dust from his throat. As he passes through a town he inquires of a youth if he knows of a stable where his horse can be tended, the boy of 10 is persuaded to give the information by dint of a gold coin.
The Youth takes his horse to the stables and Conan goes into the Inn, he orders a meal and rents a room, with a bolt on the door, and sets too refreshing himself. His relaxation is short lived as not long after midnight his door is burst in by three men who aim to relieve him of his apparent wealth. This, is the worst mistake of their lives, but one they won't live long enough to regret. The Following morning he meets a Merchant who is also headed west, through Corinthia to Nemedia. Conan declines his company along the road, but agrees the two may meet again.
This Merchant however is not what he seems, for he is actually the willing servant of a sorceress. At least the author is consistent. We know not what her plans are as of yet, but she is not amused by the name Conan of Cimmeria when her servant mentions it, She dispatches a summoned beast to dispose of the Cimmerian before he can cause her problems as he has caused for so many others of her ilk.
Conan meanwhile has reached the Corinthian City of Mornstadinos and is currently once more relaxing in an inn. He makes friends with a rather lackluster street magician, but one who has a sharp whit to amuse the barbarian with. Unfortunately for the barbarian, there is a small girl watching one of Vitarius the magicians performances when the Demon summoned in the prologue appears. He has found the child he seeks and makes to take her back to his master. Conan however has other plans, and steps up to fend off the hellbeast lest he make off with the child. Thief though he be, he has no truck with hellspawn.
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