For me, the really annoying thing about this story is how it depicts a god-mode Conan, as exemplified by the strangling duel with Baal-pteor.If Conan doesn't regard his enemies as serious threats, why should we?
Conan hurled the flopping corpse to the floor, turned to the sword again, and gripped the hilt with both hands, bracing his feet against the floor. Blood trickled down his broad breast from the wounds Baal-pteor's finger nails had torn in the skin of his neck. His black hair was damp, sweat ran down his face, and his chest heaved. For all his vocal scorn of Baal-pteor's strength, he had almost met his match in the inhuman Kosalan. But without pausing to catch his breath, he exerted all his strength in a mighty wrench that tore the sword from the magnet where it clung.
It helps to see that Conan didn't win easily. He was talking tough.
Yeah, I had forgotten the aftermath of the fight (needless to say, unlike true Conan classics like BEYOND THE BLACK RIVER or HOUR OF THE DRAGON, I don't re-read this one very often). Conan's acknowledgement that it was a near thing does help modify the OTT boasting a bit.Still, Just compare it to the fight against Khemsa in PEOPLE OF THE BLACK CIRCLE. Now that was a contest!
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Conan hurled the flopping corpse to the floor, turned to the sword again, and gripped the hilt with both hands, bracing his feet against the floor. Blood trickled down his broad breast from the wounds Baal-pteor's finger nails had torn in the skin of his neck. His black hair was damp, sweat ran down his face, and his chest heaved. For all his vocal scorn of Baal-pteor's strength, he had almost met his match in the inhuman Kosalan. But without pausing to catch his breath, he exerted all his strength in a mighty wrench that tore the sword from the magnet where it clung.
It helps to see that Conan didn't win easily. He was talking tough.
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