Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Conan: The Road of Kings [Paperback]

Karl Edward Wagner (Author)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Mass Market Paperback --   -- --
Paperback, May 1982 --   -- --
Books Trade-In
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

Product details

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com: 4.0 out of 5 stars  8 reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Best of all the Conan "pastiches" 2 Feb 1999
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Written in the late 1970s, "Conan: The Road of Kings" is a good novel, the best of all the many Conan "pastiches" or, continuing stories by another writer other than the creator, that came out between the 1950s and 1990s. Although Karl Edward Wagner was an outstanding writer of fantasy and horror - his "Kane" novels are quite entertaining - his Conan is not quite the same as Robert E. Howard's. He seems less intense, less grim (in fact, Wagner's Kane character reminds me more of Conan than Wagner's Conan). In Conan of Cimmeria, Howard not only created a much imitated, rarely equalled literary type by the time he was 25, he was also a fine poet. If you can't get Howard, or know his stories too well, read Karl Edward Wagner. You won't be disappointed. Wagner was a pretty great writer considering that he seems to have had serious substance abuse problems in his latter years.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Not the Real Conan, but B for effort 23 Mar 2002
By "svartalf" - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The late and lamented Karl Edward Wagner, who wrote this pastiche, was the first to say that nobody could write like Robert E Howard but Howard Himself. Paradoxically enough, this came from the man who was best qualified to imitate the first and Greatest master of Sword and Sorcery.

This homage has some very good points, the compact, efficient prose with the right word where it is needed, and the often grim atmosphere, the violent and graphic action, natural and not so natural horrors and monsters, horror from indescribable gulf of space and antiquity... these are all elements found in the original stories, and very well rendered by Wagner.

However, Wagner, perhaps trying to outdo the Master, has committed a series of bad mistakes that detract from the book's value as a Conan yarn : First, and to my point of view worst, is getting Conan to a very high post and so close to getting a throne : if such an episode were to be added to his biography, then some of the stories set by Howard after he seizes the throne of Aquilonia would have turned differently, because he would have known of the price of power. Then, there is a problem with atmosphere: Howard's tales are characterized as very grim, this one has far too much humor, even verging on the comic... last, but not least is the fact that in this book, women are treated in a way that could never have happened in a Howard yarn: yes, he was a male chauvinist, (though beware such of his characters as Valeria, Bêlit or Red Sonya), yes his tales are written by the conventions of his times, which no longer apply, still I believe that pastiches should respect some of the original's specifications...

All being said, No, this is not quite the equal of the dark page turners Howard extracted from his tormented mind, but Yes Wagner has still produced a decent story that will please fans of the genre (or of the character) more than the general public, but for those who like a solid adventure yarn, this is your stuff, get it while you can.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Check this one out... 24 Oct 2001
By gavingro@gulfsurf.infi.net - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Karl Edward Wagner has done a masterful job at creating another fantastic adventure for Conan and the reader. He is a welcome addition to the ranks of Conan authors. There is no shortage of action and intrigue in this Conan novel. For any Conan fan this one is a must and for any who have never read a Conan novel this is a good one to start with. I look forward to more from Wagner...
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know

There's a problem loading this menu at the moment.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.

    Your Shopping Basket is empty.

    Give it purpose -- fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    There's a problem previewing your shopping basket at the moment.

    Check your Internet connection and go to your cart, or try again.

    View Shopping Basket (0 items)

      Customer Discussions

      This product's forum
      Discussion Replies Latest Post
      No discussions yet

      Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
      Start a new discussion
      Topic:
      First post:
      Prompts for sign-in
       


      Active discussions in related forums
      Search Customer Discussions
      Search all Amazon discussions
         
      Related forums

      Listmania!

      Create a Listmania! list

      Look for similar items by category

      Feedback