By Justin Partridge
Conan the Barbarian: The Official Motion Picture Adaptation
Written by: L. Sprague de Camp & Lin Carter
Additional Material by: Catherine Crook de Camp
Based on the Screenplay by: John Milius & Oliver Stone
Published by: Titan Books & Heroic Signatures
His lips drew back from his strong teeth in a savage snarl. Wordlessly, the young Cimmerian made a vow to his indifferent northern gods: Never again, he promised, shall lords or men or devils wring from my eyes a single tear.
And he made another vow in the silence of his heart: Men shall die for this!
In the heady days of 1982, John Milius‘ Conan the Barbarian thundered into theatres, kicking off a new age undreamed for general audiences. But those of us in the know, like long-time Conan scholars and chroniclers, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, knew creatives had been journaling the exploits of the grim-eyed berserker for years before. Taking the original 18 tall tales of Texan legend Robert E. Howard and expanding them into a whole new line of novels, standing proudly on shelves right alongside a seminal comic book run that continues into today!
However, one such tome was a touch more difficult to find throughout the years. That was, until now. Thanks to Titan Books and Heroic Signatures, Conan the Barbarian: The Official Motion Picture Adaptation is now available for fellow connoisseurs of all things Cimmerian. Published in conjunction with the film’s release but given a wonderfully pulpy looking reprint (and digital edition), this slim but sumptuous novel provides fans a pure and gloriously uncut version of the cornerstone geek film experience. Taking the original, openly ambitious first draft of the Milius and Oliver Stone penned script and lavishly, drivingly translating it to prose. Allowing it both to sing and stand apart from the released film. While also paying tremendous homage to the energy and feel of all manner of Conan properties and characterization that came before.
In short, a wonderful extrapolation of Conan’s first filmed adventure and a soaring example of the enduring appeal of the wandering barbarian.
Plot-wise, fans will find a similar set up to the film. A young Conan is tried and tested, seeking revenge on Thulsa Doom and his Set cult for the massacre of his family and home. As Conan grows, body forged into a weapon thanks to the Wheel of Pain, his mind honed to the Riddle of Steel, he’s taken from pit-fighter to noble thief. Later falling in with a motley band of rogues and crossing paths once more with Doom after the robbery of one of his many temples throughout the land.
However, it’s quickly the divergences that start to allow this novelization to stand out. For instance, unmoored from budget and rating constrains, the scope and stylish violence of this story are on grand display. Sets that impressed on screen in models and matte paintings now can be explored in their entirety. Sequences that require opulent interiors and exteriors can be laid out impressively in de Camp and Carter’s consistently crackling prose.
And those wanting a more red-spreading, more pulp-horror inspired experience, fret not. Visceral action and a stellar collection of creatures await our heroes and readers. Taking the somewhat spartan, moody feel of the film and expanding it outward gamely into full-on “sword and sorcery”. Standing as firm tribute to the film, to be sure, but unafraid to pull more from the mournful tone and purple prose of the original texts and even the long-running Roy Thomas efforts that became a surprise hit for a nascent Marvel Comics of the 1970s.
In another manner of speaking, Conan the Barbarian: The Official Motion Picture Adaptation could be something you hand to someone unfamiliar with Conan (or even the film it’s adapting) and them find a complete experience waiting for them. It is bold, it is engaging, and best of all, it’s a wonderful example of Robert E. Howard’s enduring creation. One delivered and tempered by clear respect and care for the character and his world of the Hyborian Age.
Even as an admitted (and long-time) Conan convert, I found a lot of charm and fun here. An experience that took something I am…let’s say, painfully familiar with and provided me a whole new angle and appreciation for in just over 200 pages. Not too bad for a character and film that have been around for longer than I’ve been alive.
