RANKING ALL the CONAN PASTICHE !!!

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  • Опубліковано 21 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 68

  • @PeculiarNotions
    @PeculiarNotions 3 місяці тому +2

    I appreciate the time and effort you put into this task. You put more into this than Carter and de Camp did for many of their pastiche stories.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +1

      That's too funny Seth! And sadly probably accurate!

  • @michaelk.vaughan8617
    @michaelk.vaughan8617 3 місяці тому +6

    My ranking would be much different of course, but I appreciate you undertaking this painful project!

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +3

      It was a fun project Michael. And now of course you have to put up your rankings!

    • @stewartmiddleton4527
      @stewartmiddleton4527 3 місяці тому +1

      "Painful project" 🤣😂😂😂

  • @JosephReadsBooks
    @JosephReadsBooks 3 місяці тому +5

    This is awesome! I will be referencing this if I ever decide to go back down the pastiche path.

  • @occultdetective
    @occultdetective 3 місяці тому +2

    You're a brave man, my friend. A Herculean effort, and much appreciated.

  • @BenjaminHare
    @BenjaminHare 3 місяці тому +1

    Excellent list. I particularly appreciate your plot synopsis for each story. Please do a similar ranking list for the REH stories.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому

      Not a bad idea for the next Cimmerian September!

  • @SonOfCrom-1932
    @SonOfCrom-1932 3 місяці тому +1

    First, before I clicked on the video; I was thinking "how is this video so short"? 😅 In my head, I was thinking you were covering every Non-REH Conan story to include Robert Jordan's, and a slew of all the others over the years. Good thing it was just the 12 Lancer/Ace books or you would have been Mute for days! 😉😀
    I have not Re-Read these books for a while, so it is hard for me to give you my honest "Adult Opinions" on any of these stories. I can remember though, that as a small kid (starting at around 7 I think), I enjoyed each and everyone of these stories and paid no attention to who wrote them; but just glad that they helped feed my juvenile addiction to Conan stories.
    As a child, even "Conan of the Isles" made me sad but happy. Sad because Conan was growing old... but happy that he left those Isles off the coast of what we assume was North America and headed West to possibly discover a new land. This excited my vivid imagination because it gave me hope that Conan landed in on the East Coast of the now USA; and _made his way to the Mid-West and "mated" with one of my past ancestors!_ LOL I was hoping that if he was "Possibly real", he could be my long lost Ancestor and someday I would grow up 'big and strong' like him! ☺😁
    Bottom line, thank you for taking the time and doing this. I will have to read them soon and give you my thoughts on your order. Have a great day! I look forward to your next video! Stay Savage ~ Son of Crom.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +1

      Thanks Bjorn! I too read the Acer series very young. And at first didn't realize there were different authors writing the stories. It was all new and fun. And that's a great idea that Conan's blood runs through the veins of the New World! I like it!

  • @Dehumanizer3000
    @Dehumanizer3000 3 місяці тому +1

    "The Hall of the Dead" is a story that exists in two forms. The original is a 640 word synopsis for an unwritten Conan story by Robert E. Howard. I think its good because of Howard's fragment lending a helping hand

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому

      Yup, based on a fragment DH. In my opinion, you can tell where in the story REH is writing and where de Camp picks up. But it's not bad. For my two cents, the Roy Thomas/Smith adaptation is even better though.

  • @ABT212
    @ABT212 День тому +1

    100% agree with you that The Thing in the Crypt passes for a real REH creation. Very good short story.

  • @MarkFletcher-c7w
    @MarkFletcher-c7w 3 місяці тому +4

    Someone needs to write a Conan story where he comes across TEN lost cities to get a perfect score from you, Grammaticus! If he also can get a side helping of revenge and womanising somewhere in the plot as well... That would be perfect! 🤘😁🤘
    Actually, do you you think that the comic book adaptions of the less effective pastiche stories worked a little bit better than the book versions though?
    Thank you for another interesting video, I am eagerly awaiting your Conan collection one.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +1

      That would earn a score of 11 Mark! And yes, absolutely. I think the Marvel, Conan the Barbarian (and Savage Sword) adaptations of the lesser pastiche stories worked tremendously better. Good point sir!

  • @thekeywitness
    @thekeywitness 3 місяці тому +3

    I’d love to know what you think of the 6 volume Bantam series.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому

      I have not read it yet Witness. If I get around to them, I will certainly put out a video on it though!

  • @MourningConstitution
    @MourningConstitution 3 місяці тому +2

    Thanks!

  • @DoctorFriday81
    @DoctorFriday81 3 місяці тому +3

    I trust you your my go to guy when it comes to Conan

  • @The4Headed_Dragon
    @The4Headed_Dragon 2 місяці тому +1

    I actually liked Lair of the Ice Worm. I thought it would make a good follow up to The Frost Giant’s Daughter because they both involve things going horribly wrong with finding a girl in the frozen wasteland.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  2 місяці тому

      That is true Dragon!

    • @zilord3264
      @zilord3264 2 місяці тому +1

      It's a bizarre depiction of Conan himself though.

  • @2plus2isfive
    @2plus2isfive 3 місяці тому +3

    I don't think I could agree more with the ranking. Though I haven't read them all yet.
    I'm 90% done Buccaneer. The first 2/3s is great, but the parts in Amazonia get a bit laboured and tropey. I mean, if I have to read "blacks" as a proper noun one more time... Yeesh
    Also, with all the Lancer pastiches in the bad, might I encourage you to check out one more short pastiche? Shadow of Vengeance by Scott Oden is my favourite Conan pastiche. Reads like REH (not being hyperbolic), story slaps, and it enhances an original REH story as well (Devil in Iron).
    No one talks about it on UA-cam, but Sprague de Camp fan and Howard Andrew Jones really enjoyed it.
    Anyways, always down to chat Conan. Looking forward to when you get around to the new Titan run.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +1

      I’ll take a look at Shadow of Vengeance 225. And thank you for checking out the video!

    • @2plus2isfive
      @2plus2isfive 3 місяці тому +1

      @@GrammaticusBooks Hell yes! I really hope you like it enough to make a video on it! 🤞

  • @DDB168
    @DDB168 3 місяці тому +1

    Great effort to read and rank them all. I wonder how Conan The Road of Kings ranks in amongst these? I'd give it a 7. It's the only pastiche I've read so I cant comment on the rankings of these.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому

      I own that one DDB, but haven’t read it yet.

  • @johnwalsh4857
    @johnwalsh4857 3 місяці тому +3

    No Conan the Flame knife, loved that one. heck it even got its own ace book with illustrations from Esteban Maroto.

    • @ChadSmith-ef4lu
      @ChadSmith-ef4lu 3 місяці тому +1

      Same - I had a copy back in the day (several moves ago).

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +4

      Unfortunately, despite the merits of the book, it’s not in the original Ace series.

    • @2plus2isfive
      @2plus2isfive 3 місяці тому +4

      It's also in the same category as Hawks over Shem. As this is a "Conanification / Hyborianization" of another REH story, Three Bladed Doom; which is an El Borak story.

    • @johnwalsh4857
      @johnwalsh4857 3 місяці тому

      @@2plus2isfive True but it well done. have read it many a time since I frist read it in the mid 80s.

  • @johnwalsh4857
    @johnwalsh4857 3 місяці тому +2

    well I enjoyed the battle scenes in Conan of Aquilonia. and yes Conan does have a pancho villa look haha

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +1

      It is entertaining in its way. But pure fan fiction

  • @JeremiahMcCoy
    @JeremiahMcCoy 3 місяці тому +1

    Any thoughts on the Karl Edward Wagner stories set in Howard's worlds?

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому

      I started Road of Kings but put it down. I should probably give it another chance.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому

      What did you think of them?

    • @JeremiahMcCoy
      @JeremiahMcCoy 3 місяці тому +1

      @@GrammaticusBooks I read them because he was a one of my Godfathers growing up, so I may be biased, but I liked them. His narrative prose is very much his and he isn't trying to make the prose style match Howards, but the story elements were very much Howards style. I liked them. I preferred his Kane novels, but I really enjoyed his Conan and Bran Mac Morn stories.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому

      @@JeremiahMcCoy I do love his Kane novels. And KEW was your Godfather?!?!

    • @JeremiahMcCoy
      @JeremiahMcCoy 3 місяці тому +1

      @@GrammaticusBooks Yeah. He was one of my stepdad's best friend. I used to see his exwife every year around the holidays.

  • @jonathontrejo5427
    @jonathontrejo5427 3 місяці тому +1

    I hate how unenjoyable my reading and listening experience to Wolves Beyond The Border to the point I didn’t even try to read most of the books on the list outside of the top four and apparently didn’t miss anything. It’s not just fan fiction with an original character. It’s a bitter angry bad fan fiction.
    I like The Drums Of Tombalku weirdly enough, despite Conan being a background character. Sukumbe The Suba stuck out to me and how the book ends seemed apropos. The top five are solid, the whole list is perfect for the Lancer books.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +1

      Drums of Tombalku does have an odd appeal to it despite its flaws! I have to agree with you there!

  • @DoctorFriday81
    @DoctorFriday81 3 місяці тому +2

    Just wondering how many books and comics do you read at a time

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +1

      At any given time I have one hard copy going, one audio book and a couple comics.

    • @DoctorFriday81
      @DoctorFriday81 3 місяці тому +1

      @@GrammaticusBooks awesome thanks for the info hope your weekend goes well

  • @parazatico9030
    @parazatico9030 3 місяці тому +1

    For some reason the UK version of the series, published by Sphere, ran to fourteen volumes, the last being Conan the Liberator, which had a nice Les Edwards cover. Conan the Buccaneer at no.2? Sigurd. 'Nuff said.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +1

      14 volumes? Interesting Para. What was number 13?

    • @parazatico9030
      @parazatico9030 3 місяці тому +2

      @@GrammaticusBooks I'll give you the list, so you can see the differences.1.Adventurer 2.Warrior 3.Conan. (Just that!) 4.Conqueror 5.Freebooter 6. Cimmeria 7.Usurper 8. Wanderer 9. Isles 10.Avenger 11. Buccaneer 12.Aquilonia 13. Swordsman 14. Liberator.

  • @johnwalsh4857
    @johnwalsh4857 3 місяці тому +2

    Conan the bucanneer is excellent the Frazetta cover is just excellent

  • @petercollinson8039
    @petercollinson8039 3 місяці тому +1

    Aw, that's not ALL the Conan pastiche! I was hoping you'd have a serious look at the new pastiche fiction from Titan. I don't think anybody on You Tube has done that yet.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +1

      I’m actually going to review Titan’s take on the Frost Giants Daughter on Sunday. Check it out!

    • @petercollinson8039
      @petercollinson8039 3 місяці тому

      @@GrammaticusBooks Cool. But you do see some critical looks at Titan's comic book stuff. I was referring to their prose efforts-- the e-book short stories and the novels. Not much on You Tube about any of that and I don't understand why.

  • @secretfirebooks7894
    @secretfirebooks7894 3 місяці тому +9

    You were much too kind to Conan the Avenger. That book is hot, molten garbage.

  • @johnwalsh4857
    @johnwalsh4857 3 місяці тому +2

    Actually liked Black tears from Conan the WAnderer.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому +1

      There’s a lot of room for discussion and debate here that’s for sure!

  • @buckbenny9088
    @buckbenny9088 3 місяці тому +1

    I agree that "The Thing in the Crypt" is the best pastiche story, but disagree on your characterization of it as an original idea, as Carter and De Camp just rewrote the story from the Viking Saga of Grettir the Strong and the Draugr, with the names changed to protect the guilty. If you're adapting a great story, you're bound to get a decent story, which they were able to not screw up despite themselves.

    • @GrammaticusBooks
      @GrammaticusBooks  3 місяці тому

      You make a good point. It could be based on Grettir's Saga. I'm sure Lin Carter was familiar with the old Icelandic Sagas. Although Grettir isn't one of the more popular ones. Regardless, it would still make him the first modern writer to translate the plot into a contemporary story...set in the ancient past! Good stuff Buck.