BotTalk Reviews

eBook by Tim Waggoner Cover by E. M. Gist  From Titan Books, Heroic Signatures & Conan Properties International LLC Spoilers! Spoilers!  The eastern desert of Shem. Conan and some sellswords are guarding a Turanian trading caravan, a decoy to lure Zuagir raiders into a trap. Almost all of the mercenaries perish at the hands of the Zuagirs.  Conan, Solfrid (a female Vanir from Vanaheim), Endrigo (a Kothian) and Danor (a Shemite-Stygian) are the only four who survive the raid.  Conan wants to go back to Ashaka (caravan city of the Turanians) to claim the rest of his remuneration for guarding the bogus caravan. Conan's camel detects the scent of an oasis with doum palm trees. Near the water hole, Conan and Co. find a possible hidden treasure cache... marked by a vulture's head (the sigil of the demon: "The Lord of Silence"). Later, vulture headed eyeless mist creatures attack. Conan, Solfrid and Endrigo get scratched, but Danor swallows one of scavenger things and d...

eBook by Brendan Deneen Cover by E. M. Gist  From Titan Books, Heroic Signatures & Conan Properties International LLC Spoilers! Spoilers!  The City of Thieves aka Arenjun, Zamora. Fabian, the leader of the Thieves' Guild gives an eighteen-year-old Conan of Cimmeria a down payment of jewels to meet with the Duchess Amelia (third cousin of King Hadranor of Zamora) and her bodyguard Tomas.  The Duchess wants her stolen family heirloom, the crimson amulet of the demon Nakamar, a gift from the King, back in her possession. Conan is told to go to a walled mansion surrounded by abysses near the Skarpash Mountains. Conan surmounts the estate's stone barricade, enters the residence via a servants' door, makes his way to the basement and finds the amulet. Conan notices that the heirloom is giving off hellish heat, Conan hears the voice of the demon Nakamar asking to be released. Two older thieves, also sent by Amelia to retrieve the amulet, enter the basement, the barbarian bu...

eBook by Francesco Dimitri Cover by Alex Horley (aka Alessandro Orlandelli) Illustrations by Patrick Zircher  From Titan Books, Heroic Signatures &  Conan Properties International LLC Spoilers! Spoilers!  The hills of Zalgara, cloud river, a small riparian village appears out of thin air. King Kull the Conqueror and Brule the Spear-Slayer meet with village chief Elspeth Thrace. They spend the night exploring the novel village.  The stars in the firmament start swirling. Kull and Brule spot a future, possible version/reflection of Kull as an elderly man with a woman. The old couple explodes into water, showering Kull. Kull and Brule see an older Kull stuffing his face... obese, angry, sad and alone. The vision turns into mist. Kull and Brule witness an alternate rendition of Kull's past, they see a young Kull and his girlfriend Elpis, dead, murdered by five thieves.  Kull vividly recalls that, as a youth, he had killed all five of the robbers and that Elpis h...

eBook by Brian D. Anderson Cover by E. M. Gist  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers!  Central Kush. Conan and others are protecting their employer Marisova Mella, Mella's caravan full of silks and linens, Mella's wife Shayistra and young Joni (Shayistra's secret lover). Kushite mercenaries attack the convoy! Titus Havarius (also a Kushite) saves his Cimmerian friend's skin once again. Mella gets murdered. The attackers retreat. Titus suspects that Mella's wife hired the killers to kill her husband. Shayistra refuses to pay Conan and company, Conan threatens her gigolo and to make her mariticide known to the magistrate... they get paid in gold. Conan, Titus, and the Hyrkanian cousins: Asher & Cabil leave the caravan for the small village of Albon.  Titus has to leave Conan, he is wanted back home. Kush. Conan and twenty soldiers of fortune are now working for Lord Gulan Adria to end a siege. Lord Adria had seized nearly all the harvest of hi...

eBook by James Lovegrove   Cover by Jim & Ruth Keegan Illustrations by Patrick Zircher  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers! Pamir Mountains (Tajikistan, Central Asia). The Texan adventurer, gunslinger know as El Borak ("The Swift") aka Francis Xavier Gordon saves an English rug merchant and his guide, Aarav Choudhury (a Pundit explorer) from carnivorous snow leopards. The soldier of fortune from El Paso, knows that they are actually Crown servants... clearly British military spies.  British Lieutenant John Stock comes clean that they are on an intelligence mission. Stock, just like Gordon, wants to know more about the ruler of the remote city of Lamakan who stands against the Russian invaders... Queen Zohra. Gordon, a self-appointed "keeper of the peace", feeds the starving Stock and Choudhury. Major Andrei Razin (not the singer, not the hockey coach) and a military unit have been sent by Tsar Nicholas II to stamp out Zohra's rebellio...

eBook by Laird Barron Cover once again by E. M. Gist  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers!  In Stygia, Conan, now a former place guard, puts the head of his previous employer, a southern Prince on a pike. Conan flees North. He enjoys the loneliness of the desert and survives on water and lizards. Conan dreams of Valeria, gets bitten by an Egyptian cobra and slowly starts dying. At the point of death, unable to speak, an old tall hooded woman (the Lady of the Desert) and her gigantic pet tarantula with a humanoid skull appear. The tarantula starts sucking the venom out of Conan, Conan stabs it with his bone dagger. Conan wakes cured in the care of merchant Khal. Khal is going to Corinthia, Conan leaves his new friend when they arrive in Koth. Conan wants to spend his Stygian coins in Korveka. Conan gets harassed by a Hyrkanian. Conan spends his money in a hostel. After a week of partying the money is gone. Conan saves from muggers the khopesh swinging whi...

eBook by Michael A. Stackpole  Cover by Jenny Frison Illustrations by Patrick Zircher  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers! N'Yaga (shaman of the Black Corsairs) is chilling in his cave, he sees in the bones before him that Bêlit will soon be paying him a visit. Bêlit arrives seeking N'Yaga's wisdom, she's dressed in Shem tribesman robes.  First mate N'Goro, a tall, powerful, scarred hunter brings an antelope has an offering. N'Yaga knows Bêlit's father. Nephew Izefia mentions that Bêlit is dressed as a raider. A threat. Izefia misreads his uncle's scattered bones and is told to prepare the antelope for diner.  N'Goro hands Izefia the antelope and sits behind Bêlit. Bêlit aka The Daughter of the Hawk tosses the shaman's bones to see her own future. N'Yaga sees a black-maned lion aka Conan in the bones, he foresees the events of "Queen of the Black Coast"  Ophir is mentioned. N'Yaga remembers Arthaniel's...

eBook by Steven Savile Cover by Guillem H. Pongiluppi  Illustrations by Patrick Zircher  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers!  A storm approaches, since there is no way around it, the captain of the ship decides to go right through it. Solomon Kane is sporting his slouch hat, rapier, and heavy pistols, he starts praying. Solomon tells the Captain that this is a mistake. Young Weasel goes overboard. Kane binds himself to the mainmast with his belt. The ship is torn apart by the raging sea. Kane wakes on a beach, his belt broken, a Japanese girl picks his pockets, Kane grabs her and asks where he's landed. Her brother tells Kane that he is in Odawara (on the island of Honshū. South of Tokyo), the Hotu clan's lands, next to Hideyoshi territory. Kane is brought to the Hotu settlement and fortress. He eats, sleeps and cleans himself. Kane walks through the town around the fort, he spies a marketplace, workshops, people practicing Karate and Kenjutsu. Kane...

eBook by Henry Herz Cover once again by E. M. Gist  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers!  Our favourite freebooters: Bêlit, the Queen of the Black Coast and Conan are on board The Tigress, the bireme oared warship is known by its painted menacing eyes and feared red long narrow flag.    Conan, wearing his horned helmet, an Hauberk from Nemedia and a cuirass, gorget and pauldrons all from Koth, spots a cog sailing by its lonesome. Bêlit really wants to ram the merchantman. Conan and his ebony reavers board the ship. Conan cuts a dude in half with his broadsword from Aquilonia. All the sailors still crossing swords on the trading vessel get killed. This carnage gets our pirates some grain, rum and amphorae of olive oil. Bêlit wants to go home to her haven. The Tigress, now damaged, is taking on water. Conan tells the boatswain to slow the ship down, they start removing water from the vessel. They arrive at Bêlit's magically concealed island retre...

eBook by Shaun Hamill Cover once again by E. M. Gist  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers!  A prequel to Robert E. Howard's The Tower of the Elephant. Kordava, the capital city of Zingara. Barkeep, Mugido is watching a young Conan who is wearing trousers and a shirt. A bored, cash-strapped Conan is observing the ships floating in the harbour. Zingaran sailor, first mate, Flavio de Palma the Bold from the Fortune’s Dawn enters the watering hole, he offers the barbarian youth a fresh ale, employment and adventure. Sailing ships and the sea are still a mystery to Conan. Flavio is seeking mercenaries to safeguard a valuable cargo that needs to go to Aquilonia (one day Conan will sits upon the throne of Aquilonia). Apparently, the Shirkri River is squirming with pirates Flavio and Conan find the Fortune’s Dawn, a carrack with three masts.  It is Conan's very first time on a ship. Conan meets the crew: Lookout: Marco of the wooden leg Helmsman: Anen of th...

eBook by Brian D. Anderson  Cover once again by E. M. Gist  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers!  Mekahumet, a vermin less city south of the Shemite border, ruled by Boa constrictors and cats.  To pay off his debts, Arnold Schwarzenegger... oops, I mean Conan is now working for the Magistrate Lanitar. Conan is in Jabari Ishman's tavern and is offered poisoned beer. Pregnant pause. This gives birth to a bar brawl. Conan, as per his contract, dispatches every single guild assassin and thief inside the dive... in just minutes. He finds another mug of ale, this time untainted and downs it. The pleased Magistrate gives our Cimmerian another assignment. A super sexy noblewoman guides a concupiscent Conan to a small but superb armoury where he finds wealthy merchant Barathis Akken. The sword of Asgardian warrior Sven Orthan Half-Blood with its nice Northmen runes catches Conan's eye. Yulivaria, a dark sorceress, has kidnaped Barathis Akken's noble wife...

eBook by John C. Hocking Dedicated to Roy Thomas (Conan comic book writer and editor) Cover once again by E. M. Gist  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers!  A sequel to CONAN AND THE EMERALD LOTUS! Yes, the fan favourite Conan pastiche from 1995. With their Little Shop of Horrors adventure with the wizard, Ethram-Fal now in the rear view mirror, the emerald lotus addicted long legged sorceress Lady Zelandra of Akkharia desires to return home, to do so Conan and friends have to cross the River Styx from Stygia to Shem. Seeking a boat, our heroes arrive at the village of Quenah, but it's a ghost town. They sleep in an abandoned tavern, thinking of searching the docks the next day. Two living corpses appear! One steals the sorceress's last stash of eldritch drug (the crushed seeds of a deadly, addictive lotus plant that enhances her magical powers and that she is tapering off over time to be free of it) while the other zombie is just a distraction brandishing...

eBook by Stephen Graham Jones Cover by E. M. Gist  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers!  Herdsman Jen Ro's French kissing cow rouses our blood caked Cimmerian from his slumber. Conan remembers being part of Shen-ga's raiding party, something must have turned sour on the battlefield because he realizes that he is now lost in the mountains. Conan collapses back to sleep in cowpats.  Conan finally awakens surrounded by cattle, and with Jen Ro's water, he washes the blood of battle from his body and loincloth. Jen Ro, a black lotus addict, cuts a steak from his narcotized cow's flank and miraculously heals the new wound with a mixture of glowing purple moss and black lotus. Jen Ro starts cooking the meat, but the starving Cimmerian can't wait and consumes it rare. Conan asks for more, Jen Ro goes to another drugged cow and brings more meat and wine.  Jen Ro mentions Trinnecerl, a village where he usually sells his purple glowing horned bovines. But...

eBook by Steven L. Shrewsbury Cover by Gary Gianni (that Raven helmet is pretty fly! Brân means Raven) Illustrations by Patrick Zircher  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers!  The past... We are witnessing the last great battle of Bran Mak Morn. Picts and Romans are fighting. Bran Mak Morn, of the blood of Brule the Spear-slayer (the friend of King Kull of Valusia who reigned thousands of years ago before Atlantis sank) kills a Decurion (a Roman cavalry officer). Alaric and Bran's son Gallam are also there. Old Scottish priest Father Rogan stirs Dr. Elijah Blackthorn from his vision/reading. Dr. B, a psychometric archaeologist with the Miskatonic Institute of Technology awakens in an ancient Scottish Episcopal church, the Rosslyn Chapel. Dr. B spots Purple sashes of Advent (violet is the colour of royalty) anticipating the arrival of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. Dr. B has a special talent, artifacts talk to him, he only has to touch them and their sec...

eBook by Violet Castro Cover by Jenny Frison Illustrations by Patrick Zircher  From Titan Books and Heroic Signatures Spoilers! Spoilers!  A storm is battering Bêlit's ship the Tigress, crewmates are flying overboard. First mate Seneka, an expert tracker, is trying to protect Bêlit from the storm, They've been together for five years. The Tigress stops moving suddenly, they have hit land, an island. Hassan starts assessing the damage. Bêlit hits the beach, removes her boots and devours a fallen blood fruit from a nearby tree.  Hassan needs to work on the mast and to cut down trees to repair the Tigress's belly. Seneka, Mithras and Zeke will gather fruit, coconuts and make a fire. Nora will fish. They eat under the clouds that are obscuring the stars and preventing them from knowing their position. They start exploring the island in teams. Zeke and Mithras into the jungle. Nora and Homer to the left. Horus and Ajani to the right. The teen Mithras returns to tell Bêlit that...