The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian

By: Robert E. Howard

Narrated by: Todd McLaren

Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities...there was an age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars.... Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand...to tread the jeweled thrones of the earth under his sandalled feet.

In a meteoric career that spanned a mere 12 years before his tragic suicide, Robert E. Howard single-handedly invented the genre that came to be called sword-and-sorcery. Collected in this volume are Howard's first 13 Conan stories in their original versions and in the order Howard wrote them. Included are classics of dark fantasy like "The Tower of the Elephant" and swashbuckling adventure like "Queen of the Black Coast."

Here are timeless tales featuring Conan the raw and dangerous youth, Conan the daring thief, Conan the swashbuckling pirate, and Conan the commander of armies. Here, too, is an unparalleled glimpse into the mind of a genius whose bold storytelling style has been imitated by many yet equaled by none.

©2002 Conan Properties International, LLC. (P)2009 Tantor

Great stories hampered by the narration

I am not a fan of the narrator and it sort of killed the joy of experiencing these stories again. I also wanted a bit more of a gap between the stories or some narrative about them after each one.

Nice to hear the original Robert Howard

I enjoyed this because REH was so ahead of his time. Yes there will be some things that may upset some but remember this was written in the 1920's. Come and sit around the fire and listen to the stories about the "Cimmerian" and forget about what is PC. Looking forward to more, and the narrator is wonderful as well.

The embodiment of SWORD & SORCERY!!!

Great listen, got me through my days of work.Roberts words vividly tear your mind awesomely.

My favorite Conan story

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

Really well acted and they are by far some of the best stories from Howard.

What about Todd McLaren’s performance did you like?

He did not sound the same for each person.

In the originally published order

I'd read the Conan books decades ago and they just really never gelled in my head. I've absolutely enjoyed this audiobook. The voices are done well and with proper drama. I think that the order also made a difference. The writing style does evolve and it's a smooth transition throughout as it's done in the order of the writer evolving. I think the paperback books attempting to put the stories in the chronological order of Conan's life may have resulted in a disjointed feel as the writing style had subtle changes back and forth. I highly recommend this audiobook and I'm planning on getting the rest.