The Bloody Crown of Conan

By: Robert E. Howard

Narrated by: Todd McLaren

Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

In his hugely influential and tempestuous career, Robert E. Howard created the genre that came to be known as sword and sorcery - and brought to life one of fantasy's boldest and most enduring figures: Conan the Cimmerian, reaver, slayer, barbarian, king. This volume gathers together three of Howard's longest and most famous Conan stories:

"The People of the Black Circle": Amid the towering crags of Vendhya, in the shadowy citadel of the Black Circle, Yasmina of the golden throne seeks vengeance against the Black Seers. Her only ally is also her most formidable enemy - Conan, the outlaw chief.

"The Hour of the Dragon": Toppled from the throne of Aquilonia by the evil machinations of an undead wizard, Conan must find the fabled jewel known as the Heart of Ahriman to reclaim his crown...and save his life.

"A Witch Shall Be Born": A malevolent witch of evil beauty. An enslaved queen. A kingdom in the iron grip of ruthless mercenaries. And Conan, who plots deadly vengeance against the human wolf who left him in the desert to die.

©2003 Conan Properties International, LLC. (P)2009 Tantor

Can't recomend this book enough.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

These are some of the best Conan stories ever. The narrator does an excellent job.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Bloody Crown of Conan?

The story Hour of The Dragon, when Conan takes the ship. Best Conan story EVER!

What about Todd McLaren???s performance did you like?

He really seemed to know the character of Conan and read that character very well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me very happy.

Any additional comments?

Anyone who claims to like Conan, and only knows the movie or comic version, is really missing out if they don't read the original REH Conan stories.

Good Stories, Uneven Narration

This volume in the series contains three of Howard’s longer works related to Conan. The first two I found very good, with the third being somewhat abridged and not nearly as engaging. The narration is again a mixed bag...the narrator has a good voice for the part, but has trouble with pronunciation. He mispronounces Cimmerian the entire way through, and even normal words like harbinger and gunwales are mispronounced.

Todd McLaren is a genius

I don’t know what it is but Todd McLaren could read the phonebook and make it interesting but when he tackled a subject like Conan he totally brings you into the world.

The reader sounds like a preacher who has no clue

A good story ruined by a want to be preacher who has no clue what to emphasize.
I love Conan tails but I want my money back on this one.

a landmark in fantasy writing, but not that good

Howard's lurid, pulpy 1930s sword-and-sorcery tales don't qualify as great writing or high storytelling, but his re-imagining of the mythical worlds of various ancient peoples and their barbarian ethos has certainly influenced many modern fantasy writers. A Conan collection's probably worth a checkout from your library if a) you're interested in the roots of the genre, or b) you're fourteen years old. Otherwise, Howard's successors, though they owe him a debt, offer much better reading material.

Not HORRIBLE

There were two reviews on this book when I choose to purchase the first of the series. One reviewer HATED it while the other LOVED it! I decided to give the book a chance because I enjoy the genre and also enjoy loosing myself in a series. I can't say I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There were times when I considered giving up the story, and others when I was completely into the story and didn't want to stop listening. After completing the entire story, I can say that I was unenthused more often than absorbed. I coudn't decide if the book was too slow, or if the narration was just horrible. Either way, I recommend the series' of Robert Jordan, Sanderson and McBoid, LONG before this novel.