fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
novel by American writer
Leonard Carpenter
Leonard Paul Carpenter (born February 6, 1948) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He writes as Leonard Carpenter and Leonard P. Carpenter.
Life
Carpenter was born in 1948 in Chicago, but aside from a year in West Texas in chil ...
sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...
hero
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...
. It was first published in 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, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...
in April 1986. The first British edition was published by
Sphere Books
Sphere Books is the name of two British paperback publishers.
History
The original Sphere Books was launched in 1966 by Thomson Corporation. Sphere was sold to Pearson PLC in 1985 and became part of Penguin. The name was retired in 1990.
In 19 ...
in August 1988.
Plot
The action takes place in Koth and the small neighboring realm of Khoraja. Conan joins Captain Hundulph's Free Company of mercenaries in the city of Tantusium, who is in the service of Prince Ivor in the latter's revolt against King Strabonus of Koth. Ivor is also aided by the amazon band of the warrior woman Drusandra and the sorcerer Agohoth. Conan proves an effective leader early on, and later, when taken captive, must face down a horror in a dungeon before the revolt builds to its climax.
Reception
According to reviewer Ryan Harvey, ''Conan the Renegade'' "can be summed up in two words: 'mercenary adventure.' Military action takes precedence over magic and wonder ... and Conan's adventuring mostly occurs within his role as a military leader and tactician. Carpenter does toss in a few horrific fantasy events, ... but readers who want a dark fantasy Conan should look elsewhere." Ryan feels "Carpenter's glaring problem is his failure to follow through with his action. The pastiches from Tor frequently have this problem, but Carpenter caught the 'anti-climacticus' virus the worst." He rates the book "only adequate" as a battle epic, comparing it unfavorably to Howard's "
The Scarlet Citadel
"The Scarlet Citadel" is one of the original short story, short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in the January, 1933 ...
".
Reviewer
Don D'Ammassa
Donald Eugene D'Ammassa (born April 24, 1946) is an American fantasy, science fiction and horror critic and author.next book and produce a much better piece of fiction."D'Ammassa, Don "Conan the Renegade" (review o . Jul. 17, 2017.
''Conan the Renegade'' was loosely adapted by
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
and
Mike Docherty
Michael Docherty (September 11, 1955 – January 19, 2016) was a Scottish comic book and animation artist living in California. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comic's 1980s and 1990s Conan comics.
Since the mid-1990s he began on dra ...
in
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...