Conan Books for Age of Conan Players

This is a must read for players of Age of Conan: Unchained as they'll recognise a lot of names and places that clearly inspired the fantasy MMORPG's designers. Several characters and locations well known to players of AoC also appear in the pages of Conan the Valorous, the Stygian Witch Hathor-ka and the Cimmerian burial grounds of the Fields of the Dead to name drop just a couple. I also smiled on returning to the game having read the book to find Hathor-ka's underling Moulay happily handing out quests in Keshetta! There's a whole host of other more obscure references for the eagle-eyed to pick out as well, should they be familiar with both book and online game.

The plot begins with Conan being employed by Hathor-ka to carry a mysterious artefact to the land of his birth, Cimmeria, for reasons known only to her... well her and a handful of other powerful sorcerers, who true to form, do everything they can to impede the barbaric hero's progress. Hathor-ka's rivals are a colourfully evil bunch, and are given plenty of attention in the narrative. The obese Vendyan conjuror Jugopata and his murderous nephew Gopal are the Conan's main opponents. These characters will likely not be familiar to players of Age of Conan, but the other main protagonist will be. Thoth-Amon needs no introduction to anyone familiar with the Hyborian Age!

What follows is an enjoyable and action packed trek across the Thurian continent as Conan endeavours to fulfil his contract. He does make one major diversion however, into territory once again familiar to players of Funcom's MMORPG. Higher level players in Age of Conan will sooner or later become inevitably embroiled in the conflict between Queen Aelfrith and the Bandit King Atzel and his Nithings. Some of the NPCs in the game allude to an earlier encounter between Conan and Atzel, and the Cimmerian's intervention here is what they are referring to. It's only an interlude in the main story but it's a valuable piece of back-story for lore enthusiasts, and the culmination is one my favourite parts of the novel.

One of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much is that it hearkens back to a time when fantasy was more unashamedly fantastic than it is today. It has all the ingredients a sword and sorcery tale should have, evil sorcerers, ancient prophecies, damsels in distress and of course the essential indomitable hero. This is the kind of story that Age of Conan: Unchained captures so well in its gameworld and gameplay - rich, colorful and uncomplicated. Conan ricochets from one end of his world to the other, ready to confront any who stand in his way with his trademark nonchalance and unstoppable might. John Maddox Roberts manages to cram a lot of fantasy set pieces in while still maintaining the exciting pace that runs right through to the last chapter. There's even the odd comic moment, especially when Conan returns to his homeland of Cimmeria and his kinsmen reflect on how his experiences in the southern lands have (by their standards!) weakened him.

Conan pastiches are only a small part of John Maddox Roberts' contribution to the worlds of fantasy and science-fiction. He was born in Ohio in 1947 and published his first book in 1977. Since then he has published a wide variety of novels and short stories (that will likely also be of interest to players of Age of Conan), mostly in settings of his own creation, although he did write one entry in the Dragonlance series - Murder in Tarsis. His SPQR historical fiction remains his most well loved creation to date, with the latest mystery in the series released earlier this year. I've only read one more of his Conan books, Conan the Champion. I didn't enjoy it just as much as Conan the Valorous, as it strays into realms (literally!) that aren't quite what I have come to expect in a Conan tale, involving as it does a trip to a magical plane inhabited by demonic beings. That said however, it does score well in bringing back memories of a time in the seventies and eighties when the fantasy and science fiction genres were at their height, when Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons were all I thought about and...

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Karl Edward Wagner was an American writer and editor who died in 1994. The Road of King's was his only original Conan tale; although he did also publish a pastiche of one of Robert E Howard's other literary creations, entitled Legion from the Shadows. This book featured Bran Mak Morn, the King of the Picts from the pre-cataclysmic age that preceded the Hyborian era of Howard's Conan mythos. I haven't read Legion from the Shadows, or any of Howard's own Bran Mak Morn stories but I understand the Picts are a little more civilised than the bloodthirsty savages that Age of Conan players will be used to encountering! Wagner is also popular with Robert E Howard fans for first publishing some of the pulp writer's works in their original forms. The Black Stranger is a particularly notable example of this. The version which Wagner printed in his 1987 anthology Echoes of Valour was Howards' original text, unlike the one previously published and edited by L. Sprague de Camp. Wagner also created his own sword and sorcery hero, Kane, who despite several intrinsic differences is often compared to Conan the Barbarian. Again I cannot claim to have read these books, but they sound interesting and I intend to track some down. Wagner also wrote contemporary horror fiction and won the British Fantasy Award for his short story Sticks.

Andrew J. Offutt was born in Kentucky in 1934 and has published a wide range of science-fiction and fantasy novels since he first saw print in the pages of IF Magazine at the age of twenty. His works include several stories based in the Thieves World shared universe, and the nineteen book science fiction series Spaceways, on which he collaborated with various other authors. Between 1977 and 1979 Offutt also published a series of five anthologies entitled Swords against Darkness which showcased the work of contemporary fantasy authors. Although I'm sure these will all be enjoyable to the average Age of Conan player, it is his Conan trilogy that will be of the most interest. Conan and the Sorcerer has already been mentioned, and this was followed by Conan the Mercenary and Conan and the Sword of Skelos. The first two books in the series were illustrated by Esteban Maroto who also pencilled issues of The Savage Sword of Conan for Marvel Comics.

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