Conan The Rebel FROM THE PUBLISHER
Conan. The name has inspired generations, one that resounds through time immemorial. Yet it all began with a handful of stories from Robert E. Howard. In the decades since, there have been feature films, television and comic book series, and numerous spin-off novels. In 1979, Poul Anderson--winner of a staggering eight Hugo and three Nebula Awards--wrote what is regarded as one of the finest adventures in the canon of Conan:
Conan the Rebel.
Conan the barbarian and Belit, his raven-haired beauty, lead a band of savage pirates striving to free Belit's people from the iron grip of an evil reptile god and its cruel minions. Striking at the heart of tyranny, Conan must break the chains of oppression before eternal darkness claims them all.
SYNOPSIS
A grand adventure of the mighty thewed barbarian, from one of the genre's biggest names.
First time in hardcover!
An evil reptile god holds reign over Stygia. His overseers rule with an iron fist and the lash of the whip. But Conan, the mighty barbarian, and Belit, his raven-haired beauty, are destined to free the land. They lead a band of savage pirates, striking at the heart of tyranny, trying to free Belit's people.
Conan the Rebel is the first of four Conan novels Tor will reprint in hardcover. Each is a work from an important writer of the field; they represent some of the best known novels of the canon.
FROM THE CRITICS
USA Today
One of Science Fiction's most revered writers.
Publishers Weekly
Fans of Robert E. Howard's immortal barbarian will rejoice in this handsome reappearance of Anderson's classic 1980 pastiche of favorite Howardian images. Familiar highlights include wizards, especially Tothapis, worshiper of the serpent god Set; an asp ("crushed underfoot"); a cobra ("no trick to wriggle by them"); a viper's "articulated skull hung in a chain" about a wizard's neck; even a mighty battle with a dragonlike flying reptile. And of course, beautiful damsels Conan's beloved Belit, Daris, the witch Nehekba all of whom love Conan (for his part, he's "never reluctant to shine before an attractive woman"). The Cimmerian himself, however, acts like a CEO for the first half of the story, content to embrace and counsel Belit in a laid-back, laconic manner. When Falco, a young nobleman, praises a woman, Conan replies, "Never mind her body. Tell me about her business." He even philosophizes: "Strife was the natural order of things." Fortunately, after discovering the potent Axe of Veranghi, he recovers his normal barbaric poise. He wields the axe with full fettle, dismembering opponents, including armies of the dead riding on weird monsters, but still lovably gullible, he allows the dangerous Nehekba to delude him. Disappointingly, Conan never really rebels against anything in particular, and Anderson's version hardly lives up to Howard's incomparable creation (to be fair, Howard's often didn't, either). Fans will applaud anyway. (Oct. 10) FYI: SFWA Grand Master Anderson, winner of eight Hugo and three Nebula awards, died on July 31 at age 74. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Anderson has produced more milestones in contemporary Science Fiction and Fantasy than any one man is entitled to; but he writes with such integrity and imagination that it's impossible to begrudge him either the esteem of his readers or the admiration of his peers. — Stephen R. Donaldson
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