fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was an American writer who wrote pulp magazine, pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He created the character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sor ...
's
sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of Romance (love), romance, Magic (fantasy), magic, and the supernatural are also ...
hero
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) and who debuted in 1932 and went on to appear in a series of fantasy stories published in ''We ...
. It was first published in trade paperback by
Tor Books
Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles.
History
Tor was founded by Tom Doherty, ...
in October 1988; a regular paperback edition followed from the same publisher in August 1989, and was reprinted in July 2000.
Plot
''Conan the Valiant'' begins in Turan, where a 22-year-old Conan is recovering from his victory over the Cult of Doom (found in Robert Jordan's ''
Conan the Unconquered
''Conan the Unconquered'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Robert Jordan, featuring Robert E. Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. It was first published in paperback by Tor Books in April 1983 and reprinted on a numb ...
''). Conan finds himself involved in court intrigue and joins forces with a sword maiden, Raihna, and her employer, a sorcerer named Illyana, in their efforts against the growing menace of an evil wizard named Eremius. Using one of the Jewels of Kurag — the other is held by Illyana — Eremius has command over his growing army of the Transformed, former humans who were mutated into reptilian demons, and is looking to conquer a large region of Turan. The combination of local villagers, Conan's sword, and Illyana's magic destroy Eremius as well as the twin Jewels.
Reception
Writing of this novel,
Don D'Ammassa
Donald Eugene D'Ammassa (born April 24, 1946) is an American fantasy, science fiction and horror critic and author.D'Ammassa, Don "Conan the Valiant" (review o . Sep. 6, 2017.