The Best Of The Conan Pastiche Novels By Howard Andrew Jones

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The Best Of The Conan Pastiche Novels by Howard Andrew Jones
goodman-games.com/blog/2019/11/21/the-best-of-the-conan-pastiche-novels/?fbclid=IwAR2C6tEe86eXSsqBRVsmsfMtfWke1sUQpWANiPyP6DMbO1W3rOKQVLEVDSA

[alexander]

Conan and the Emerald Lotus is one of the worst pastiches I've ever read (and I've read most of them). I think only Conan the savage is worse.
1/ The plot is the same than most previous pastiches with an evil sorcerer bent on world domination. Seriously? It's Conan not Tolkien. Howard's stories involve lots of treasure hunts and plots to overturn rulers/war between kingdoms where Conan get mixed more or less willingly.
2/ I did not recognise Conan (e.g. knocked out twice in the first pages)
3/ Action scenes are tepid and Conan is sometimes more a bystander than the centre piece
Why this book is so highly rated is a total mystery to me.

[mindboggled]

Nov 24, 2019 8:34:09 GMT -5 alexander said:

Conan and the Emerald Lotus is one of the worst pastiches I've ever read (and I've read most of them). I think only Conan the savage is worse.
1/ The plot is the same than most previous pastiches with an evil sorcerer bent on world domination. Seriously? It's Conan not Tolkien. Howard's stories involve lots of treasure hunts and plots to overturn rulers/war between kingdoms where Conan get mixed more or less willingly.
2/ I did not recognise Conan (e.g. knocked out twice in the first pages)
3/ Action scenes are tepid and Conan is sometimes more a bystander than the centre piece
Why this book is so highly rated is a total mystery to me.

I have yet to read it myself mainly because the availability is bad. Sellers seem to have caught on that this is a highly regard pastiche by the majority of the fans, and wish to sell it for the highest possible amount. I have generally seen very favorable opinions on this book, but, I have also found some that are similar to your's. I'm curious to find out were my feeling on this pastiche land when I finally get to rad it. Btw which pastiche is your favorite? Mine so far is Road Of Kings.

[thedarkman]

Nov 24, 2019 8:34:09 GMT -5 alexander said:

Conan and the Emerald Lotus is one of the worst pastiches I've ever read (and I've read most of them). I think only Conan the savage is worse.
1/ The plot is the same than most previous pastiches with an evil sorcerer bent on world domination. Seriously? It's Conan not Tolkien. Howard's stories involve lots of treasure hunts and plots to overturn rulers/war between kingdoms where Conan get mixed more or less willingly.
2/ I did not recognise Conan (e.g. knocked out twice in the first pages)
3/ Action scenes are tepid and Conan is sometimes more a bystander than the centre piece
Why this book is so highly rated is a total mystery to me.

Well, I liked it fine. It's certainly a matter of personal taste, and not everyone has the same taste in fiction. I thought the story captured the Weird Tales pulp vibe quite well. Hocking did not attempt to mimic Howard's style, but rather wrote the adventure in his own style, and it works for me. John Maddox Roberts does it the same way; he gets what Conan is about, but writes it in his clear, matter of fact style with an emphasis on historical accuracy in terms of weapons and combat tactics. One of my favourites is Road of Kings by Karl Edward Wagner, but again, done very much in Karl's dark, Gothic style. By far the closest to Howard's style, in my opinion, is Scott Oden. His novelette for Savage Sword of Conan, The Shadow of Vengeance, is excellent. Scott's historical adventure novel, The Lion of Cairo, is also very Howardian in style.

[zarono]

I think Emerald Lotus is top notch and it's the first one I recommend to anyone interested in the later run of Conan pastiche but everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm a big fan of Offut's Conan and the Sorcerer but it may be because I liked the Maroto illustrations so much.

[Deleted]

I've managed to find copies of JMR's Conan the Rogue and Conan the Marauder, should get them by the weekend. It's really tough finding John Hocking's Conan and the Emerald Lotus - I guess I'll have to wait for the reprint by Perilous Worlds. 

[alexander]

I believe I have all the pastiches. Not just Conan's but also the pastiches of Bran Mak Morn, Vulmea, Cormac Mac Art and Solomon Kane (including the very rare Solomon Kane Italian pastiches that I was fortunate to find in French). It took me c. 25 years to collect them all!!!
I think the only pastiches I still miss are Solomon Kane appearances in "Tales of the Shadowmen" (and the novelization of the movies but I don't really count them as pastiches).

I try not to compare them with Howard's work. I compare them more with the many Conan clones that popped up in the 70s and 80s. I think it’s fairer to these authors.
I’ve liked most pastiches though to be honest few have stuck in my mind, except paradoxically the 3 Conan pastiches I've really not liked. I know I'll be crucified but I do like Sprague de Camp. He’s not my favourite but I think he’s a bit under-rated these days.
Re: Scott Oden I’ve not read his Conan novella yet but I did enjoy The Lion of Cairo. It reminded me of Hawks over Egypt, even if the story is quite different.

[thedarkman]

Treason in Zagadar, a King Kull pastiche by Adrian Cole is top notch...

[alexander]

Thank you very much for the tip!!

I don't have "Treason in Zagadar". My collection is obviously unfinished then. I still have to find a copy of Von Junzt's unaussprechlichen kulten too but that's another subject :-)

[alexander]

Nov 29, 2019 22:54:12 GMT -5 thedarkman said:

Treason in Zagadar, a King Kull pastiche by Adrian Cole is top notch...

I've finally managed to get my hand on a copy and yes "Treason in Zagadar" is excellent.

There was no dream-like atmosphere you find in several original Kull stories but the constant intrigues to overthrow him, the palace with hidden doors leading to subterranean tunnels full of horrors were there.
.. as well as the serpent men!!!


Thank you for pointing this gem to me.