I love "lore," so I enjoyed getting to learn more about Aquilonia, Argos, and the Hyborian Age in general. For example, he acts more chivalrous than those who have read the original REH stories would expect (I'd wager). Conan's dialog is interesting and fun at points but the character lacks his original dynamism. Aside from a single sorcerer, Thelandra Thuu, and a surprising interlude with forest satyrs, this reads more like a historical war novel with some sorcery spice than an adventure sword and sorcery novel. Why? This novel is political and military in scope, more worldbuilding than adventure. The actual REH Conan tales, to generalize, are narrow and personal in scope, so perhaps that expectation set me up for frustration. On the plot level, however, their story is often slow, excessively complex in political intrigue (for S&S), and occasionally a dry slog. On the sentence level, de Camp and Lin Carter are skilled writers. If this was a dessert, it maybe wouldn't be worth the calories, but it would still be a dessert, and I enjoy dessert.
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