Conan, Scourge of the Bloody Coast

Plot

Conan, under his piratical alias of Amra, continues to develop a pirate empire in the Vilayet Sea. Operating from the rebuilt city of Djafur, located on one of the islands in the Aetolian chain, Conan plays King Yildiz's Turanian empire against the Hyrkanians. Joining forces with the necromancer Crotalis, Conan and his pirates participate in looting the lost city of Sarpedon. But Crotalis turns on the pirates, forcing Conan to run his ship ashore, where Conan is captured by Hyrkanians but later released after he proves his worth as a warrior. In return for his release, Conan agrees to support the Hyrkanians in their naval invasion of Turan.

Crotalis also offers his services to the Hyrkanians, leading to another rogues' alliance with Conan. Using a magical wind summoned by the necromancer, the Hyrkanian fleet moves to attack the Turanians. After a lengthy naval battle leads to a stalemate, Crotalis re-animates the bodies of all the pirates' former victims, forcing Conan to battle the undead and Turanians. But before Crotalis claims final victory, he is burned alive; the battle leads both nations' navies in weakened states, and Conan's Red Brotherhood becomes the strongest fleet on the Vilayet.

Reception

Reviewer Bob Byrne writes "Overall, I thought it was an okay book. One I didn’t mind reading but not one I expect to read again." He feels the story "largely consists of two parts: an extended undersea excavation and a big naval battle. Everything else is pretty much filler. There’s not a whole lot to this novel, and if you don’t buy into the 'Conan as king of a pirate city' thing, you aren't going to put this in the keeper pile." The climactic battle he considers "interesting, though I thought that the end of it was a bit weak." In regard to the writing he feels "some of Carpenter’s description evinces a nice writing style, such as scenes where the ships are at sea. Other parts, however, do not." Citing dialog between Conan and his mistress, he notes "I might have thought that clever as a teenager, but I’m not sure even then." He rates the book "pretty tame on the Conan sex scale, with the wenches who get angry at him always falling back into his arms," and regards Conan as "awfully forgiving to someone who betrays him, costing him a fortune and leaving [him] to escape a near certain death." His conclusion: "If you like Conan as a reaver/corsair/pirate instead of a land-based barbarian, you should probably give this one a read."