Well, I did tease the possibility of this when I wrote my conclusion article. While I did enjoy reading other things, including fantasy, I found myself drawn back to the world of Conan, largely looking for some easy, fun stories to read. After some thought, I've decided to organize my continuing journeys largely by author rather than trying to work out any timeline stuff. Part 7 here will be focused on the three novels written by Andrew J. Offutt. While he started with science fiction, he also had a hand in sword and sorcery, editing the Swords Against Darkness series in the late 70s. While I wasn't able to tell how he got the opportunity to write these novels, they do happen to make for a loose trilogy, even if they were published out of order.
In terms of the timelines, we are back to Conan's thieving days, desperate to find the next big score and spending it as fast as he gets it. When he overhears a pair of robbers who plan to steal the Eye of Erlik, a powerful amulet, from a mysterious sorcerer Hissar Zul, Conan sets out to beat them to the punch. However, when he fails, he ends up as a thrall to the sorcerer, tasked with getting the Eye of Erlik back at the cost of Conan's own soul!
Certainly a solid premise for an adventure, as the youthful nature of Conan gets him in over his head, forcing him to rely on his skills and his luck to get himself out of it. Unfortunately, the execution is a bit messy. The story takes a few winding turns that mostly pay off, but overall, the ending is just okay, despite Conan overcoming the odds against him. It's very clear to me that Offutt was eager to channel the pulpy nature of Howard's original stories, with some mixed results. The sudden digression with Conan facing a sand-lich was pretty cool, but some of the writing got bogged down with overwrought description. Purple prose has its place, but it starts to feel like padding after a certain point, and Offutt clearly passes that point.
Still, it was fun to get back into the Hyborean Age, and I've certainly read worse Conan stories than this one. The main problem is that it felt like a novella that had been stretched to make it more novel-like, without much to justify it.
This one pretty much picks up where the last one left off. Still dealing with a lingering curse left on Conan from the last book, he gets himself embroiled in the intrigues of the nation of Khauran. Soon, he discovers that the Queen's suitor is actually an old man who has used dark magic to transform into a younger version of himself to try and gain control over the kingdom. From there, the intrigue builds as Conan tries to convince the rest of her court that foul sorcery is at play, threatening their kingdom!
While I do think the story idea is better than the last one's, the writing seems to be worse. Far too much time is spent on detailed descriptions of majestic halls or decadent fashion, sometimes making the story feel like an after-thought. Another problem is that Conan is forced to be reactionary, as he waits for the plot points to come to him. Even as Conan gains allies, the narrative flow feels stiff and the action scenes are weirdly sudden and short, as if the writer added them at the last minute. Not that the story is bad, but just padded with a lot of dialogue and extra characters that don't seem to add much to the story. I will say that seeing Conan pretend to be a sorcerer himself was pretty fun, though. I'm calling this one a mixed bag that tries an interesting idea, but pretty much whiffs.
I couldn't find any explanation as to why this trilogy was published out of order (or why this one was published by Bantam instead of Ace like the other two), though in all fairness, the connections are tangential at best, much like the rest of the canon, so perhaps it's not that important. The story largely concerns itself with the Eye of Erlik that Conan acquired at the end of the first book, as the Khan of Zamboula is still interested in it. This causes him to reconnect with the woman thief Isparana and take on a new wizard who seeks the amulet's power for himself.
I do think this time the plot is stronger than the other two. There are a few more angles that add layers to the narrative in interesting ways, mainly with some political intrigue. However, it remains poorly written, like the others, with long sections that don't add much (if anything) the story. At one point, the author reintroduces Conan like it's the beginning again, the torture scenes seem excessive as they are grisly, and there's another long section that seems to be an exploration of nomadic manners that exists for its own sake. However, this novel balances the slog with action better, and at least Conan feels like an active participant than an passive observer who's handy to have around. And the flying sword was a pretty neat idea.
Overall, I like this one best of the three, as I has the most meat on its bones. Beyond that, though, it's more purple prose and awkward descriptions. I also think that Conan himself is a little more shallow than usual here, mainly moving forward simply because that's where the plot is going. Sure, he's motivated by getting a reward (and staying with the pretty Isparana), and that would have been typical for him at this point in the timeline, but other authors I think tease a bit more depth in Conan's favor that Offutt simply didn't bother with. In the end, it's a pretty bog standard fantasy adventure that is somewhat elevated by some intrigue that flows into the story well enough.
So that's another trilogy of Conan books down. I have to admit that I'm pretty underwhelmed by Offutt's writing. I won't deny that he has some cool ideas that fit a classic, pulpy fantasy story, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. He also has a tendency to lean more into the sexually suggestive (which I guess was a part of his general style) and while such things aren't unprecedented in the franchise, he definitely took it further than most. While I know I've read individual pieces that were worse than these, do I think Offutt is the weakest Conan author I've read so far. It certainly makes the Robert Jordan books that would come out sooner after these quite the jump in quality.
As for where I wander next, I think for Part 8, I will wrap up the rest of the Bantam-published, which means going over the last efforts by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, as well as two novels by Poul Anderson and Karl Edward Wagner. However, I don't know when I'll get around to those, as I am starting a different, long-running epic fantasy series, which will get their own articles. However, I know I can fall back on Conan at any time, as these books really are easy to pick up without worrying too much about lore or continuity.
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