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As a final statement I have to make my discontent known about a sentence made in the afterword where Stirling gives thanks: “To the folks at Titan Books, for deciding to do a new series hewing more closely to R. E. Howard’s vision.” To my ears that sounds like a slam to what came before. I sincerely doubt this book will be as successful as the Lancer/Ace series and probably not even the Tor series. I hope I’m wrong but a slam against what I (and millions, in the case of the Lancers) enjoyed before does not seem the best foot to start the new journey. Conan — Blood of the Serpent is a 2022 novel by S. M. Stirling in the Conan the Barbarian franchise. To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the release of the first Conan story, "The Phoenix on the Sword," Stirling was charged to write new Conan novels based upon Robert E Howard's original Conan canon. This is the first. Set early in his life, Conan has left his northern homeland to cut a bloody swath across the legendary Hyborian Age. A mercenary, a soldier, a thief, and a pirate, he faces conquering armies, malicious sorcerers, and monstrous creatures—against which he wields only the sword held in his powerful grasp.
While the source material remains Robert E. Howard’s extraordinary body of work, the vast majority of his output was fiction as short as 4,000 words or less, while a full-length novel that gives readers what they deserve needs to hover closer to 80,000 words or more. Telling a story of that length requires a specific skill set. Embrace the resurgence of Conan, the unparalleled warrior who has captured the imagination of fantasy aficionados for generations, in this enthralling, all-new narrative crafted by New York Times best-selling author S.M. Stirling. A first tale in a new series of independent adventures, Conan – Blood of the Serpent heralds a thrilling era for the beloved champion, as he traverses the treacherous Hyborian Age on an exhilarating journey as a mercenary, soldier, rogue, and marauder, armed only with the might of his unparalleled swordsmanship as he battles formidable foes, nefarious enchanters, and the fiercest of creatures.