'Conan The Barbarian: Land Of The Lotus' – Zub, Hama, Slott, Priest' (Marvel)


Look at me finally reading an actual book :o) I haven't had a lot of headspace for books, this last week and a bit, so this feels like a little bit of a triumph. Now all I've got to do is review it. Easy, I've got this.

I'm pretty awful at keeping up with Marvel's 'Conan' output but I get there in the end. I reviewed Jim Zub's 'Into the Crucible' back in May last year and if I'd had my eye on the ball, I could have been reading 'Land of the Lotus' back in November. It's me though and four months later, here I am. I wish I'd read 'Land Of The Lotus' sooner though, it's worth grabbing hold of and reading straight away, seriously.

Conan's march to Khitai has landed him as a prisoner of the imperial guard... but it will take more than chains to keep a Cimmerian down! Conan plans his escape, but what dreaded beasts lurk in the land of Khitai - and what new dangers will impede his quest to return the deadly Tooth of the Nightstar to its rightful master? Plus, Conan has a new comrade - but is Meiwei everything she seems? Heng the Insurgent and his roving band of thieves hide a dark secret, and Conan must fight for his life against the bandit king's deadly power! Will the barbarian have what it takes - even if it costs his very soul? Collecting: Conan the Barbarian (2018) 19-25

There is actually a lot more to this book than the blurb is letting on with four extra stories after the main attraction. 'Land of the Lotus' is where it all kicks off though and I'd say that as good as 'Into the Crucible' was, 'Land of the Lotus' is easily the superior read with a plot that's far more engaging as well as doing a lot more to further the ongoing discussion around barbarism v civilisation in Conan's world. Through Conan's uncomplicated view of the world, even the most ancient of cultures are seen as flawed and it's no different here. There's an honesty to Conan's life, which Zub really picks up on, that suggests that Cimmerians are likely more civilised than most (at least that's where I'm coming down in the debate, this story offers scope for more discussion and I like that). It's not just that though, 'Land of the Lotus' also offers a healthy blend of intrigue and action as Conan's sense of honour leads him into power plays that he is really not prepared for. And in a situation like this, is there anything more honest than a sword in the hand of Conan? Cory Smith does an amazing job showing us how Conan is a force of nature in battle.

And then it's onto the shorter, but no less interesting, tales that make up the rest of the book.

'Until Our Stories End' is Zub and Smith joining up for what starts out as an epilogue to Conan's adventure in Khitai but ends up being... Well, I'm not a hundred percent sure (I am particularly rubbish at hidden messages at the moment) but it was fun and yesterday, fun was what I needed so I'm cool with it.

Larry Hama's 'A Civilised Man' and Dan Slott's 'Night of Oblivion' were just pure unadulterated 'Conan' and a sweet little hearkening back to the original Robert E. Howard tales. I mean, all these new stories are but these two in particular... They really hit the spot. I loved the humour in Slott's tale in particular and can totally believe that Conan could do all of this while blind drunk. Larry Hama's tale really captures the spirit of a Conan who has just met the Frost Giant's daughter and is feeling like he can take anything on now (and Paul Davidson's art is just superb). I'm sure I'll be revisiting these two tales on a regular basis.

Which leaves us with Priest's 'Black Orchid' which starts off fairly simply and then suddenly becomes a tale that I suspect could very well link into the 'King Conan' story that I started reading the other week. There's a lot to think on here, not least for Conan and 'Black Orchid' ends up being a strangely apt tale to finish this collection on. Roberto De La Torre's artwork does it's fair share in holding up the high standard of art in this book as a whole; I wouldn't mind seeing him tackle a longer piece than this story.

So... If you hadn't already guessed, I'd say that 'Land of the Lotus' is a significant upgrade on 'Into the Crucible' (and that wasn't a bad book at all) and has got me all excited about reading more from Jim Zub (and the other writers who feature here, mustn't forget them). I won't leave it so long next time...

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