Book Review 246 // The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. Howard.

We are nearing the end of our adventures with Conan, and I can't help but feel a little sad. It has been a joy to read these in order and watch as Howard progresses the character and builds upon previous ideas. This is a unique title as it was originally written as a series and then squashed together to make the book. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Title: The Hour of the Dragon

Author: Robert E. Howard

Blurb: Written in the 1930s as a serial for Weird Tales, the famous pulp magazine, Hour of the Dragon is the only novel by Howard featuring his greatest creation, Conan the Barbarian. This powerful novel of violent adventure has spawned many imitations in the genre over the years, including a series of best-selling paperbacks which, in imitation of Howard, continued the adventures of Conan.

Conan is at the pinnacle of his career in this story, having roamed the imaginary prehistoric world of Hyborea and, with native cunning and sheer force, fought his way to the throne of Aquilonia. He is the archetype of the invincible warrior: tough, fearless and incredibly strong.

As the novel opens, King Conan is captured by the magic of the evil sorcerer Xaltotun, whom Conan's enemies have raised from the dead, after three thousand years, for the express purpose of removing Conan from the throne. Conan's armies are so unprepared to battle Xaltotun's sorcery that they are routed on the battlefield and Aquilonia is conquered.

Conan is secretly released from prison by a slave girl who loves him, and he fights his way out of the dungeon catacombs to freedom, defeating a giant murderous ape who blocks his way. In the course of his escape, he overhears a secret meeting and learns that the source of Xaltotun's power is a mysterious jewel, the Heart of Ahriman, which Xaltotun's allies have stolen from him to insure their control over him.

Conan resolves to track the jewel across the barbaric landscape of Hyboria, destroy Xaltotun and regain his kingdom.

Format: 296 pages, E-book (you can find it on my affiliate store)

Review

Strange to read a multiplot story in one go as a book. If you read it as a series over months, the story would flow better. But in this set-up, it felt like a lot of jumping forwards was happening and a loss of time. But as a story, I personally really enjoyed it. It feels like Howard is finding his stride and embracing previous ideas in this tale. People may dislike its similarities to other tales, but I can see how Howard tries to improve upon previous attempts.

With a longer flowing story, we can enjoy events you wouldn't usually get in a short tale. We get full-scale battles, well-rounded villains, and encounters. We also still have plenty of space for creature features and treacherous allies. I enjoyed the quest, as Conan has to move through many personas to seek a magical jewel that will end the reign of the evil wizard. It allowed our kingly Conan to revisit his Barbarian days and his old life as a pirate and polish up on his thieving skills. Pirate Conan is my favourite version of the hero.

Though it is a highlight, it acts as a double-sided blade, and due to so much travelling, we lose the joy of the location. In his short stories, Howard has done a fantastic job of describing a place. But with this constant changing of the site gives us no chance to enjoy this aspect of his writing. But overall a great read that I would happily enjoy again.