Conan the Valorous

Conan the Valorous
cover of Conan the Valorous
Author	John Maddox Roberts
Cover artist	Kirk Reinert
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Conan the Barbarian
Genre	Sword and sorcery Fantasy
Publisher	Tor Books
Publication date	1985
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	280 pp
ISBN	0-8125-4244-4

Conan the Valorous is a fantasy novel written by John Maddox Roberts featuring Robert E. Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. It was first published in trade paperback by Tor Books in September 1985; a regular paperback edition followed from the same publisher in September 1986, and was reprinted in January 1992. The first British edition was published in paperback by Sphere Books in September 1987.^[1]

The book also includes "Conan the Indestructible," L. Sprague de Camp's chronological essay on Conan's career.

Plot

Stygian sorceress Hathor-Ka tricks Conan into taking certain items to Ben Morgh, the sacred mountain of Crom, in Cimmeria. His route takes him through Koth, Nemedia and the Border Kingdom, where he is diverted by the rescue of a chieftainess. Simultaneously, the Vendhyan sorcerer Jaganath is also traveling to the mountain. In Cimmeria, the clans are gathering against the Venir and their allies the lizardmen who have been preying on them; they too are heading to Ben Morgh, where all comes together in a final battle. As the conflict rages, Conan and a wizard from Khitai wage a more crucial supernatural conflict in Crom's Cave inside the mountain involving the Venhyans, Hathor-Ka and her patron Thoth-Amon. Ultimately Cimmeria is delivered from outside sorcery, and Conan takes off to go raiding with the Aesir.

Reception

Don D'Ammassa, writing of Roberts' Conan novels, noted that "[a]lthough Roberts did not recreate Howard's character exactly, making him more intellectual and less inclined to solve every problem by hitting it with a sword, his evocation of the barbaric setting is superior to that of most of the other writers contributing to the series."^[2]

Writing of some other Tor Conan novels, reviewer Ryan Harvey called Roberts "the most consistently successful of its stable of authors,"^[3] and "the most consistently entertaining" of them, showing "deft ability with storytelling and action scenes, and a thankful tendency not to overplay his hand and try to ape Robert E. Howard’s style."^[4]

Reviewer Lagomorph Rex finds the novel "by far the best Conan story I've read in quite a while," "[o]utside of [those by] REH himself. He writes "[t]he nicest thing about this volume though is that it wasn't padded. It felt more like a trilogy of interconnected short stories ... in Koth and Nemedia, then the Border Kingdoms and finally Cimmeria." He praises the story for "re-introduc[ing] Thoth Amon" and providing "some vague inkling of just how powerful he truly is." He also notes that it "sets up "The Frost Giant's Daughter" quite nicely."^[5]

Bob Byrne "very much enjoyed Conan the Valorous," calling it "one of the better pastiches," with a "complex plot ... more than weighty enough to carry the story forward to the very end." He feels the story "has a lot going on and it’s all deftly handled." He commends Roberts "for providing an excellent look at life in Cimmeria," which he contrasts approvingly with "the disappointing approach that Harry Turtledove used in Conan of Venarium." He also notes that Roberts "is clearly familiar with Campbell's work and works elements of the Hero's Journey into the story." His main criticism is of its "flawed opening," observing that "[t]he tale begins with Conan hastily swearing to perform an errand for Hathor Ka, a Stygian sorceress. Conan blindly agrees to the task without getting the details first. Really, it’s hard to buy that he was so hard up for money that he just jumped into this deal." Byrne regards the book as "low on the sex scale, with Conan bedding a rescued chiefta[i]ness in the Border Kingdoms. This happens almost halfway through the book and he doesn’t sleep with any other females in this tale." On the up side, "Roberts gives us one of the most believable amorous conquests in the entire Conan saga. It doesn’t follow the usual 'My, what huge muscles you have, take me, you savage!'"^[6]

Notes

↑ Conan the Valorous title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
↑ D'Ammassa, Don (February 2006). Encyclopedia of fantasy and horror fiction. Infobase Publishing. p. 292. ISBN 978-0-8160-6192-1. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
↑ Harvey, Ryan. "Pastiches 'R' Us: Conan and the Treasure of Python" (Review), Mar. 24, 2009.
↑ Harvey, Ryan. "Pastiches 'R' Us: Conan and the Amazon" (Review), Sep. 21, 2010.
↑ Lagomorph Rex. "Hyborean Apocrphya: Conan the Valorous" (Review), August 27, 2011.
↑ Byrne, Bob. "Walking Through the Valley: Bob's Books - Bob's Books - Conan the Valorous, by John Maddox Roberts " (review), Oct. 11, 2011.

References

Fantastic Fiction entry for Conan the Valorous

Preceded by Conan the Victorious	Tor Conan series (publication order)	Succeeded by Conan the Fearless
Preceded by "The Blood-Stained God"	Complete Conan Saga (William Galen Gray chronology)	Succeeded by "The Frost-Giant's Daughter"

Conan the Barbarian

Stories, books

Books	Conan (books)

Original works by Robert E. Howard	"Beyond the Black River" "Black Colossus" "The Black Stranger" "Cimmeria" "The Devil in Iron" "Drums of Tombalku" "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" "The God in the Bowl" "The Hall of the Dead" "The Hand of Nergal" The Hour of the Dragon "Jewels of Gwahlur" "The People of the Black Circle" "The Phoenix on the Sword" "The Pool of the Black One" "Queen of the Black Coast" "Red Nails" "Rogues in the House" "The Scarlet Citadel" "Shadows in the Moonlight" "Shadows in Zamboula" "The Slithering Shadow" "The Snout in the Dark" "The Tower of the Elephant" "The Vale of Lost Women" "A Witch Shall be Born" "Wolves Beyond the Border"

Non-Howard works (some based on non- Conan Howard works)	"Black Sphinx of Nebthu" "Black Tears" "The Blood-Stained God" "The Castle of Terror" "The City of Skulls" Conan and the Amazon Conan and the Death Lord of Thanza Conan and the Emerald Lotus Conan and the Gods of the Mountain Conan and the Grim Grey God Conan and the Manhunters Conan and the Mists of Doom Conan and the Shaman's Curse Conan and the Sorcerer Conan and the Spider God Conan and the Treasure of Python Conan at the Demon's Gate Conan, Lord of the Black River Conan of the Isles Conan of the Red Brotherhood Conan of Venarium Conan, Scourge of the Bloody Coast Conan the Barbarian (1982) Conan the Barbarian (2011) Conan the Bold Conan the Buccaneer Conan the Champion Conan the Defender Conan the Defiant Conan the Destroyer Conan the Fearless Conan the Formidable Conan the Free Lance Conan the Gladiator Conan the Great Conan the Guardian Conan the Hero Conan the Hunter Conan the Indomitable Conan the Invincible Conan the Liberator Conan the Magnificent Conan the Marauder Conan the Mercenary Conan the Outcast Conan the Raider Conan the Rebel Conan the Relentless Conan the Renegade Conan the Rogue Conan the Savage Conan the Triumphant Conan the Unconquered Conan the Valiant Conan the Valorous Conan the Victorious Conan the Warlord "The Curse of the Monolith" "Death-Song of Conan the Cimmerian" "The Flame Knife" "The Gem in the Tower" "Hawks over Shem" "The Ivory Goddess" "The Lair of the Ice Worm" "Legions of the Dead" "Moon of Blood" "The People of the Summit" "Red Moon of Zembabwei" The Return of Conan The Road of Kings "The Road of the Eagles" "Shadows in the Dark" "Shadows in the Skull" "The Star of Khorala" The Sword of Skelos "The Thing in the Crypt" "The Witch of the Mists"

Collections	Black Colossus The Bloody Crown of Conan The Coming of Conan The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian The Complete Chronicles of Conan Conan The Conan Chronicles (Howard et al) The Conan Chronicles (Jordan) The Conan Chronicles, 1 The Conan Chronicles 2 The Conan Chronicles, 2 The Conan Chronicles II Conan of Aquilonia Conan of Cimmeria Conan the Adventurer Conan the Avenger Conan the Barbarian (1954) Conan the Barbarian (2011) Conan the Freebooter Conan the Swordsman Conan the Usurper Conan the Wanderer Conan the Warrior The Conquering Sword of Conan The Devil in Iron The Essential Conan The Further Chronicles of Conan Jewels of Gwahlur King Conan The People of the Black Circle The Pool of the Black One Queen of the Black Coast Red Nails Rogues in the House Sagas of Conan The Sword of Conan Tales of Conan The Tower of the Elephant The Treasure of Tranicos

Scholarship	The Blade of Conan The Conan Grimoire The Conan Reader The Conan Swordbook The Spell of Conan

Authors

Creator	Robert E. Howard

Later authors	Poul Anderson Leonard Carpenter Lin Carter L. Sprague de Camp Roland J. Green John C. Hocking Robert Jordan Sean A. Moore Björn Nyberg Andrew J. Offutt Steve Perry John Maddox Roberts Michael A. Stackpole Roy Thomas Harry Turtledove Karl Edward Wagner

Other media

Television	Conan the Adventurer (animated series) Conan and the Young Warriors Conan the Adventurer (TV series)

Film	Conan the Barbarian (1982) Conan the Destroyer (1984) Kull the Conqueror (1997) Conan the Barbarian (2011) The Legend of Conan (2016)

Comics	Conan (comics) Conan (Marvel Comics) Conan (Dark Horse Comics) Savage Sword of Conan

Games	Age of Conan (Rise of the Godslayer) Conan (2004) Conan (2007) Conan: Hall of Volta Conan: The Mysteries of Time Conan Against Darkness! Conan Collectible Card Game Conan Role-Playing Game Conan: The Roleplaying Game Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of Conan the Buccaneer Conan the Mercenary Conan Triumphant Conan Unchained!

Setting

Characters	Bêlit Conan the Barbarian Kulan Gath Queen Taramis Red Sonja Serpent Men Thoth-Amon Thulsa Doom Valeria Vammatar Xaltotun Zenobia

Deities	Crom Mitra Set

World	Hyborian Age Aquilonia Cimmeria Acheron Empire

Chronology	The Hyborian Age Conan Chronologies

Kull	Thurian Age

Red Sonja	"The Shadow of the Vulture"

References	Cohen the Barbarian Conan the Librarian

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