Book Review: Conan The Swordsman

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Conan The Swordsman     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
L. Sprague DeCamp , Lin Carter , Bjorn Nyberg
Class/Genre:   Fantasy   [Short Stories]
Series: Conan
Tor, Dec 2002, $23.95, 256 pp.

CONAN THE SWORDSMAN, the latest reprint of the now legendary 1970s- 1980s Conan revival, is a marvelous short story collection. Each story holds its own with the overall Conan mythos and most add depth to the celebrated character and his world. The delightful eight stories are well written with each tale co-authored by L. Sprague de Camp (had to be a Howard clone) with either Lin Carter or Bjorn Nyberg. Especially good is "Legions of the Dead" that Robert E. Howard would have believed he authored because it reads so much like his original works. Equally fascinating to readers is a seven-page essay that provides plenty of insight into Conan and his world as well as Robert E. Howard from the late L. Sprague de Camp’s perspective. Fans of Conan will want to read this wonderful anthology that showcases one of fantasy’s most endearing and enduring protagonists.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner