Conan the Indomitable is a fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 novel written by Steve Perry

Steve Perry (author)

Steve Perry is an American television writer and science fiction author.-Biography:Perry is a native of the Deep South. His residences have included Louisiana, California, Washington and Oregon...

 featuring Robert E. Howard

Robert E. Howard

Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....

's seminal sword and sorcery

Sword and sorcery

Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...

 hero Conan the Barbarian

Conan the Barbarian

Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...

. It was first published in trade paperback by Tor Books

Tor Books

Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...

 in October 1989; a regular paperback edition followed from the same publisher in September 1990.

Plot

Conan and his companion Elashi stumble on a stranger underground realm inhabited by blind apes, one-eyed monsters and giant worms in thrall to a witch and warlock. Their coming upsets the local balance of power. Various complications ensue, including a revolt of the enslaved creatures and the necessity of slaying their masters, before Conan can win his way back to the surface world. One of the cyclops and worms are featured sympathetically in a subplot.

Chronology

Internal evidence indicates that Perry's earlier Conan work Conan the Defiant

Conan the Defiant

Conan the Defiant is a fantasy novel written by Steve Perry featuring Robert E. Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. It was first published in trade paperback by Tor Books in October 1987, with a regular paperback edition fissued simultaneously by the same publisher, and was...

directly precedes this novel, though in the comprehensive Conan chronology

Conan chronologies

Conan Chronologies have been prepared by a variety of people from the 1930s onward to provide a timeline into which to fit the numerous Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard and later writers....

 of William Galen Gray, Sean A. Moore

Sean A. Moore

Sean A. Moore was an American fantasy and science fiction writer, and computer programmer. His primary significance as a writer is for his three pastiche novels featuring Robert E...

's Conan the Hunter

Conan the Hunter

Conan the Hunter is a fantasy novel written by Sean A. Moore featuring Robert E. Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. It was first published in paperback by Tor Books in January 1994.-Plot:...

is placed between the two books.

Reception

Writing on one of Perry's other novels, reviewer Harvey Ryan assessed the author's Conan corpus as "goofy," noting that he "has a reputation among Conan fandom for overkill and general silliness."

Reference

• Fantastic Fiction entry for Conan the Indomitable