CONAN AND THE SORCERER

Bonus! I wasn’t originally planning on reading this story- if you look over into “The Chronology” page, you’ll see that I haven’t included any of the novels written by folks like Robert Jordan or Andrew Offutt. As of right now, they mostly just don’t interest me, and feel for some reason a little too removed from Howard’s original works. However, I really enjoyed one such story and decided to include it for that reason (and also because it’s set so early in Conan’s adventures, I wouldn’t have to save writing about it forever). Savage Sword of Conan issues 53-55 are an adaption of Conan and the Sorcerer, the first of three Conan novels by Andrew J. Offutt published between 1978 and 1979, all of which have pretty banging cover art. However, I didn’t actually read any of Offutt’s version, just the three Roy Thomas-penned comics. ​

Conan and the Sorcerer (not the most specific title- it describes what feels like 80% of Conan stories), or the three chapters “The Sorcerer and the Soul,” “The Stalker and the Sands,” and “Black Lotus and Yellow Death” takes place just weeks after "The Tower of the Elephant." Conan is stealing items of petty value in the City of Thieves, which is explicitly called Arenjun in this version, and gaining skills as a thief. The first issue is excellent, with twists and turns aplenty in the house of the sorcerer. I feel like the Zamorian thief-city (be it Arenjun or not... probably not) is one of the most fun cities in the Hyborian Age because it always feels like anything can happen. ​

Conan overhears the plans of two thieves to steal the Eye of Erlik from a magician named Hisarr Zul. There’s a lot of fun to be had as Conan and several other thieves meet in Hisarr Zul’s home, working together when it suits them, and double-crossing each other a few times.

​Conan’s soul becomes captive by the sorcerer in a mirror, which sets Conan out to complete a mission for Zul to win his soul back and not end up like the zombified guards who patrol Zul’s fortress. It’s a great set of stakes for the story that I feel are very different from most Conan tales- usually it’s just a matter of Conan will get the McGuffin and get out alive.

In an attempt to free his soul, Conan pursues the thief Isparana across the desert. There are some encounters therein, and when a Hyrkanian says that Conan can take a shortcut through a gorge, but it’s haunted by a sand lich, I almost said out loud, “Oh fuck yeah, this is the shit I came for.” This story was really fun throughout and was paced extremely well; there were few lulls in a variety of action setpieces. Another of Offutt’s novels, Conan: The Sword of Skelos, was serialized in the next issues of Savage Sword (skipping over his second novel, Conan the Mercenary, entirely. Apparently, Conan the Mercenary takes place second, but was published last, so I’m wondering if it wasn’t published in time for the Savage Sword team to serialize it in story order. As a commenter named Joe pointed out below, Mercenary wouldn't get adapted by Savage Sword until issues 217 and 218 in- wow- 1994!) but I didn’t think it was quite as good, so I don’t think I’ll write a post for that one. Obviously, I’m doing this very scientifically. 

While this trilogy of stories takes place explicitly just a few weeks after “The Tower of the Elephant,” with Conan just shy of 18, according to the Conan Wiki, L. Sprague de Camp and some others argue that it should be set later in Conan’s career, after “Rogues in the House,” when Conan is possibly as old as 23. I think this is only possible if you're counting the pastiches and novels as well. And while there is much romping around in the desert from oasis to oasis, this story begins and ends in Arenjun, Zamora, so it doesn’t represent any major moves across the map. We'll stay in Zamora for one more adventure before moving on.

Seeing as this entry was all Savage Sword all the time, I promise I won't even mention it when we do "The Hall of the Dead" next time. I know this is a deviation from my chronology, and there are those who will find it inconsistent to include this story, but not its two sequels. My advice is to look on this one as a quick diversion into some other stories and to perhaps treat it as an apocryphal Conan yarn. And to not take it too seriously.

★★★★☆