Take a photo of a barcode or cover
15 reviews for:
Robert E. Howard's Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian: The Complete Weird Tales Omnibus
Robert E. Howard
3.74 AVERAGE
15 reviews for:
Robert E. Howard's Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian: The Complete Weird Tales Omnibus
Robert E. Howard
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Shadow Kingdom - 4/5
Red Shadows - 2.5/5
Rattle of Bones - 2/5
The Hyborian Age - 4/5
The Phoenix on the Sword - 4/5
The Scarlet Citadel - 4/5
The Tower of the Elephant - 4,5/5
Black Colossus - 4/5
The Slithering Shadow - 3/5
The Pool of the Black One - 3/5
Rogues in the House - 3.5/5
Gods of the North (The Frost Giant’s Daughter) - 3/5
Shadows in the Moonlight (Iron Shadows in the Moon) - 3.5/5
Queen of the Black Coast - 3.5/5
The Devil in Iron - 4/5
The People of the Black Circle - 4/5
A Witch Shall Be Born - 4/5
Jewels of Gwahlur - 3.5/5
Beyond the Black River - 4/5
Shadows in Zamboula - 2.5/5
The Hour of the Dragon - 4/5
Red Nails - 4,5/5
Fun little stories with a couple of interesting concepts / explorations of theme.
Very well written but some of the views haven’t aged well at all, especially views on women and race. I’m still unsure if it’s supposed to be ironic as Conan is a barbarian and uneducated with a very limited view of the world. Perhaps this is it, but it feels like these are the literal views of the author. I’d have given it 4 stars if not for these points.
As it stands; 3 out of 5⭐️
Very well written but some of the views haven’t aged well at all, especially views on women and race. I’m still unsure if it’s supposed to be ironic as Conan is a barbarian and uneducated with a very limited view of the world. Perhaps this is it, but it feels like these are the literal views of the author. I’d have given it 4 stars if not for these points.
As it stands; 3 out of 5⭐️
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Truly wonderful to have all the stories together.
A really great rendition of the best of Rob Howard's Conan stories, the audiobook also included a Solomon Kane tale, as well as the original Kull story, which would later be reconstructed into what would become the Conan mythos.
I'm a fan of Conan, the OG of sword and sorcery, and enjoyed every one of these stories. I am also a previous fan of the narrator, Finn J.D. John's, other work including the HP Lovecraft Omnibus audiobooks. In the Lovecraft ones, John did a great job at the narration, but in this case I felt it fall a tiny bit shorter. I wish there'd been even more of a distinction of inflection between Conan and he other characters, and since most supporting characters blend together too easily anyway, without that added inflection they were a little hard to follow or invest in.
But the stories are great, especially if you've ever wanted to see what originally carved the sword and sorcery path.
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
I'm a fan of Conan, the OG of sword and sorcery, and enjoyed every one of these stories. I am also a previous fan of the narrator, Finn J.D. John's, other work including the HP Lovecraft Omnibus audiobooks. In the Lovecraft ones, John did a great job at the narration, but in this case I felt it fall a tiny bit shorter. I wish there'd been even more of a distinction of inflection between Conan and he other characters, and since most supporting characters blend together too easily anyway, without that added inflection they were a little hard to follow or invest in.
But the stories are great, especially if you've ever wanted to see what originally carved the sword and sorcery path.
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
While Howard's works are foundational to much of modern sword and sorcery fantasy, I was less than totally enraptured by this audiobook. I think it had a lot to do with the narrator. He may be knowledgeable about Howard and Conan, but I think it would have served him well to hire a trained voice actor to do the narration. But, gosh darn it, I made it through all 35+ hours!
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I agree with this review that Howard's treatment of his female characters is much better than the cover would have you believe, but I think the issues with racism are worse than he makes them out to be, even if said issues aren't as bad as those of his contemporary H.P. Lovecraft.
If you can get past that, then there's a lot to like here. The early stories are particularly vibrant, with the decision to jump between different moments in Conan's life being a particularly inspired way to keep each story fresh and interesting. Conan himself is a fun character, capable of moments of surprising characterization and the occasional funny line. Unfortunately, the whole thing settles into a rut by the midway point, and I stopped about halfway through not because it was bad, but because I felt that I'd gotten the idea and it was just a lot to get through. I'd be willing to return to it sometime later.
Lastly, "Complete Weird Tales Omnibus" is a misnomer. Of the 21 stories Howard wrote, 18 of them are published in this collection (the ones missing were published posthumously). I don't think anyone is crying about the Vale of the Lost Women being excluded, but there it is.
If you can get past that, then there's a lot to like here. The early stories are particularly vibrant, with the decision to jump between different moments in Conan's life being a particularly inspired way to keep each story fresh and interesting. Conan himself is a fun character, capable of moments of surprising characterization and the occasional funny line. Unfortunately, the whole thing settles into a rut by the midway point, and I stopped about halfway through not because it was bad, but because I felt that I'd gotten the idea and it was just a lot to get through. I'd be willing to return to it sometime later.
Lastly, "Complete Weird Tales Omnibus" is a misnomer. Of the 21 stories Howard wrote, 18 of them are published in this collection (the ones missing were published posthumously). I don't think anyone is crying about the Vale of the Lost Women being excluded, but there it is.