Warrior of the Altaii by Robert Jordan

[hp]

Tor Books just announced that they will published Robert Jordan's previously unpublished first novel, Warrior of the Altaii, in fall 2019. This is of note to Conan fans because it was this book that got Jordan signed by Tor and got him the gig writing Conan pastiches.  I suspect it will look more like his Conan pastiches than it will The Wheel of Time.

everydayshouldbetuesday.wordpress.com/2019/01/18/robert-jordans-previously-unpublished-warrior-of-the-altaii-to-be-published-in-fall-2019/

[Grim Wanderer]

I'll take a look at it, however, I was not a fan of his first couple of pastiches. I found Conan the Invincible to be particularly excruciating to read.

[hp]

Unfortunately, I suspect that it is Conan the Invincible that it will resemble the most. I like his pastiches overall, but his first was by far his weakest.

[buxom9sorceress]

Hi.
i really like conan the invincible.
none of jordans other conans reached the same high peak of action packed adventure.
but they are all entertaining.
====
tor must be very desperate ?

[themirrorthief]

some I liked a lot like Magnificent and Defender...others I did not like and think perhaps Jordan wasn't even the author of a couple IMO

[hp]

Conan the Defender and Conan the Victorious are my favorite Jordan Conan books.

everydayshouldbetuesday.wordpress.com/2017/08/17/summer-of-conan-robert-jordan-pastiches/

[stubbs]

Interesting, I've read some of his Conan pastiche and found them to be fun, not REH Conan but entertaining sword and sorcery for the most part. So I might check this out.

Trying to find info on the book I came across this from a 2003 SFRevu interview:

"ROBERT JORDAN: Its title was Warriors of the Altaii, and you will never see it, or know anything about it. I have not destroyed the manuscript, because it has powerful juju...but in my will I have provisions to have that manuscript burned." (Full interview)

So what happened?

[wulfhere]

Jan 20, 2019 18:37:24 GMT -5 stubbs said:

Interesting, I've read some of his Conan pastiche and found them to be fun, not REH Conan but entertaining sword and sorcery for the most part. So I might check this out.

Trying to find info on the book I came across this from a 2003 SFRevu interview:

"ROBERT JORDAN: Its title was Warriors of the Altaii, and you will never see it, or know anything about it. I have not destroyed the manuscript, because it has powerful juju...but in my will I have provisions to have that manuscript burned." (Full interview)

So what happened?

No doubt his heirs smelled a possible payday and left it unburned.

[mindboggled]

Jan 20, 2019 11:00:06 GMT -5 themirrorthief said:

some I liked a lot like Magnificent and Defender...others I did not like and think perhaps Jordan wasn't even the author of a couple IMO

The Magnificent was my first exposure to Conan, before it, I had read no comics or prose Conan stories. I found it to be a lot of fun to read, It also sparked my interest in the character, and made me seek out the original stories.

[themirrorthief]

Defender was my favorite though...Magnificent was a close second...I also enjoyed the one he did based on the second movie

[hp]

Jan 20, 2019 20:36:53 GMT -5 wulfhere said:

Jan 20, 2019 18:37:24 GMT -5 stubbs said:

Interesting, I've read some of his Conan pastiche and found them to be fun, not REH Conan but entertaining sword and sorcery for the most part. So I might check this out.

Trying to find info on the book I came across this from a 2003 SFRevu interview:

"ROBERT JORDAN: Its title was Warriors of the Altaii, and you will never see it, or know anything about it. I have not destroyed the manuscript, because it has powerful juju...but in my will I have provisions to have that manuscript burned." (Full interview)

So what happened?

No doubt his heirs smelled a possible payday and left it unburned.

Or he was joking, and his widow and editor knew his wishes far better than us.

She talks about it a little in the foreword. She doesn't say what spurred her to reread it, but I assume it was Tor responding to the increased interest spurred by the TV show. She says that she was struck rereading it that (1) it is good and (2) it foreshadows The Wheel of Time in a lot of ways.

[hp]

I have my review up. It actually reminds me a good bit of 70s sword and sorcery.

everydayshouldbetuesday.wordpress.com/2019/10/15/robert-jordans-warrior-of-the-altaii-foreshadows-the-wheel-of-time-more-than-his-conan-pastiches/

[Deleted]

Thanks for the link to your review.

I flicked through a copy at Forbidden Planet the other day. I did not pick it up, I found it a little weird with a hero Wulfgar obviously a Germanic sounding name of the Altaii people living almost like the historical Altaic peoples. It's almost like writing a fantasy set on the island of Britanya with a chief of the Colts called Genguskan. It just sounds too silly.

[gary]

Article about how a preface can make you buy a book, followed by a book review of Robert Jordan's almost Sword & Sorcery novel.
spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/2023/10/04/the-power-of-a-preface-robert-jordan-harriet-mcdougal-and-warrior-of-the-altaii/

[Von K]

Interesting overview Gary, thanks. I've not read any Robert Jordan yet, including his Conan pastiches, but was intrigued to read how he got his start writing them. From your review it seems that in Warriors of the Altai he is introducing themes and motifs that he would later go on to develop in his Wheel of Time series.