Conan The Marauder (Conan)

John Maddox Roberts writes my favorite Conan spinoffs and this is the best of his lot. Roberts has shown with his S.P.Q.R. series set in ancient Rome that he can write solid, character-driven historical fiction. It is no different in Marauder. Conan meets a steppe chieftan on his way to world domination and much of the technological and cultural references throughout the book are accurate to the Mongol empire under Temujin... Read Full Review

In this Conan pastiche, we see the Cimmerian go from slave to general and back to his barbarian roots. Captured by the Hyrkanian tribes, he battles his way to a spot in the army of Bartatua, would-be ruler of the world. Betrayed by Lakhme, one of the nastiest females in the Conan saga, he finds himself trying to rescue the city he has just laid siege to. He also finds himself helping an annoying poet rescue the city's princess... Read Full Review

This story is about an epic adventure with Conan, a Cimmerian being captured as a slave and working his way up through the ranks in the army. He fights in many battles and wins most of them. In the end he has to fight a very powerful wizard whose name is Khondemir. I really enjoyed this story because I like a lot of action in stories. I like the author describing how people die. Most of the time it shows what is on their... Read Full Review

Well written and fast paced, this book strongly captures the essence of Howard's original character even as it hints at a new, deeper characterization of the mighty Cimmerian. The plot is strong and engaging and goes down as one of my all time favorite Conan novels. An all around good read.