‘Conan: Lord of the Mount’ – Stephen Graham Jones (Titan Books)

Page Count: 46 Pages, give or take a few for adverts etc.

This was originally going to be a totally different post but I’ll be honest, I fell asleep last night (the best time for it, to be fair) and that post never happened. I don’t regret it, I was tired 😉

I’ve really got into what Titan Comics are doing, with their turn on the Conan licence, so when I heard that Titan Books were also in on the action, it didn’t take too much for me to be part of that as well. I suspect that their series of ‘Conan’ short stories will be collected, at some point, but for now, I thought I’d follow them as they are released monthly. First up was ‘Lord of the Mount’ by Stephen Graham Jones, an author
whose horror output I’ve enjoyed. Just quick thoughts and impressions to follow as this was a very short read.

Awakening covered in blood, the sole survivor of a doomed raiding party, Conan sets out for the taverns, women, and ale of Trinnecerl. To reach the village, however, he must pass ruins scattered with the shattered helmets, broken blades, and bones of untold victims—as well as the hideous creature that left them, the Lord of the Mount. 

I’ve read a few reviews, here and there, from people who didn’t enjoy ‘Lord of the Mount’ for varying reasons. I’ll put myself on the other side of that line and not just because I’d always rather new ‘Conan stories than none at all. New ‘Conan’ tales will always be held up against the originals and inevitably not hit that target. ‘Lord of the Mount’ is no different here but is still a great way to pass half an hour if you want some ‘Sword & Sorcery’ in your reading diet. The lack of context makes ‘Lord of the Mount’ a little difficult to get into but then you get onto Conan going up against a monster in a creepy old ruined castle and really, that’s all I needed. Jones delivers the action when it’s needed but where he really hit the target, for me, was in giving ‘Lord of the Mount’ that dash of otherworldly horror that all the best Conan stories have. I’m talking both in terms of that sinister ‘dark pre-history vibe’ but also having the Lord mimic Conan’s speech… You could see it unsettle Conan and yep, I felt the same way.

I’m glad I gave ‘Lord of the Mount’ a shot, it ended up being just what I needed and that’s all you can ask for really. If Stephen Graham Jones ever fancies writing more ‘Conan’, I’d read it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

‘Deathworlder’ – Victoria Hayward (Black Library)

Image
Before I get into the review proper, thank you Black Library for sending me a copy of ‘Deathworlder’ in return for a fair and honest review. Talking of ‘fair and honest’… There will be loads of the latter but I enjoyed the hell out of ‘Deathworlder’ so… We’ll see how being fair goes ;o) That’s your only warning, lets talk ‘Deathworlder’… Lazulai is a world beyond the brink, its battle against the tyranids all but lost. Once-magnificent cities lie in ruin. The seas boil. The skies crack. Horrific alien bioforms devour. In mere days the planet will be consumed. The 903rd Catachan ‘Night Shrikes’ defend one of the last fortresses still standing. Led by Major Wulf Khan, to die fighting is all that is expected of them… until she is given one last mission: to lead a squad through the apocalypse and recover a piece of archeotech that may doom or deliver the entire Lazulai System. Facing insurmountable odds and zero hope for aid, the major must hold her squad together as they pick their way ...
Read more

‘Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth’ (1992)

Image
Every time Halloween comes round, I promise myself that I’ll watch more horror films and read more horror fiction; we’re halfway through the month and you can see how that’s going so far… There’s still plenty of October left though so lets see how I do from now until the end of the month ;o) First up is ‘Hellraiser 3’ which I watched last night, mostly because I love it (you can tell how this post is going to go, sorry…) but also because it was cheap on Prime and I’m still just on the wrong side of payday. Here goes… TV reporter Joey Summerskill’s life is changed forever when she witnesses the horrific death of a teenager, torn apart by bloody chains. Joey’s search for a story leads her to the Lament Configuration Box but it has already been opened, waking an old evil from its slumber… Now Pinhead walks the earth once more, creating a new army of Cenobites from the transmuted flesh of his victims; his one desire to reclaim the Box. Even with help from an unexpected source, Joey Summers...
Read more

‘Cursed City’ – C.L. Werner (Black Library)

Image
I always have these vague ‘reading resolutions’, for the New Year and without fail, they all come to absolutely nothing. I still read loads, just none of the books that I meant to… This year is panning out slightly differently and I think I’m going to enjoy it. All the books that were originally ‘out of sight, out of mind’, in the loft at my old place, are now all over my new place and wherever I look, I’m constantly discovering books that I totally forgot I had but now quite fancy reading. Books like ‘Cursed City’ for example… I’m not going to tell you how long ‘Cursed City’ was sat in my loft, lets just say it was long enough for me to totally forget it was there and buy myself another copy… Oh well. I found it on the shelf the other day (only the one copy now) and figured it was way overdue a read, let me tell you about it… Ulfenkarn is a city of nightmares. Its vampiric rulers have indulged their bloodlust in every shadow-clad alley, turning the once-proud metropolis into a charnel...
Read more