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The Frost-Giant's Daughter
23 pages
First published January 1, 1989
About the author
Robert E. Howard
2,687 books2,429 followersRobert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 11, 2020
Wonderfully evocative! One of my favorite Conan stories. A little too short, but really only because I wanted to revel in this world longer.
February 23, 2021
A battle in the snow where Conan and another guy are the last men standing.
"Slowly through the corpses they came, as ghosts might come to a tryst through the shambles of a dead world."
Conan kills his enemy easily. Then Conan is seduced by a naked woman covered by a veil of gossamer. Conan longs to possess her but she has other ideas.
"Slowly through the corpses they came, as ghosts might come to a tryst through the shambles of a dead world."
Conan kills his enemy easily. Then Conan is seduced by a naked woman covered by a veil of gossamer. Conan longs to possess her but she has other ideas.
April 14, 2021
Un relato con una escritura impecable, pero quizás demasiado corto. No ahonda mucho en la figura del bárbaro pero es bello, daban ganas de seguir leyendo.
En esta corta historia Conan se encuentra combatiendo junto a los fieros guerreros nórdicos (contra otros fieros guerreros nórdicos) y es seducido por una mujer que recorre desnuda el sangriento y nevado campo de batalla. ¿Conseguirá atraparla y deleitarse con su blanca y suave piel?
En esta corta historia Conan se encuentra combatiendo junto a los fieros guerreros nórdicos (contra otros fieros guerreros nórdicos) y es seducido por una mujer que recorre desnuda el sangriento y nevado campo de batalla. ¿Conseguirá atraparla y deleitarse con su blanca y suave piel?
December 17, 2022
I wouldn't say I liked this as much as the Phoenix and the Sword. Conan is younger and is more arrogant and boastful. Also, the theme of other people not believing in Conan slaying monsters repeats itself in this short story. There's much to like. Conan does bloody murder. There are exciting giants and witches. I also think The Frost-Giant's Daughter was written to explain Conan's hesitancy towards the Giant Ymir, first mentioned in the Phoenix and the Sword. Ymir's presence felt powerful.
July 11, 2021
A short tale. Conan is driven by lust instead of thinking better the whole thing . It’s well written
September 23, 2023
Entertaining reading 📘
I read this as part of the Conan: The Barbarian complete collection in 2017
Robert E. Howard is one of my favortite authors. I started reading the Conan paper back novels in the 1960s. I would highly recommended this novel and author to reads of action novels. 2017
I read this as part of the Conan: The Barbarian complete collection in 2017
Robert E. Howard is one of my favortite authors. I started reading the Conan paper back novels in the 1960s. I would highly recommended this novel and author to reads of action novels. 2017
November 17, 2022
Great visuals, Howard is always portraying raw emotion, and the barest of hints this is actually Conan
May 23, 2021
Lots of myth pulped together just like its paper.
October 15, 2016
Even by the standards of the early Conan short stories, this is a flimsy affair. Practically a toned down Penthouse Letters story.
March 4, 2021
I enjoyed it. Nothing too captivating but still entertaining. Conan shows his strength, skill, and desire. We witness potentially divine figures learn not to take Conan as some trivial game.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2019
A battle between Conan's companions and a war-party of Vanir ends with Conan, the sole survivor of his band, facing the final surviving Vanir, Heimdul. Conan is victorious but so weakened he collapses onto the battlefield. In a dreamlike state, Conan encounters Atali, the daughter of the god Ymir, in the frozen wastes of the north and chases after her as she lures him with demeaning taunts and laughter. Conan exerts himself from chasing her until he passes out, waking up to discover that quite a few of his companions actually survived and came to his rescue while he was unconscious. Upon being reunited with his companions, Conan tells them the story of his strange encounter with the Frost Giant's Daughter. This tale steers away from action and adventure in favor of a bit of slapstick humor featuring our barbarian Conan.
March 19, 2023
Great Conan tale, throws you into the aftermath of a glacial conflict and a weary sole survivor Conan gets taunted by a nearly naked woman (in the frozen north) of earthly and supernatural beauty and charm...having enough of this frozen vixen's silliness, Conan decides to chase her down, and its a fun game for her...for a while.
September 6, 2020
A short story, the second proclaimed in which we find Conan. Here he fights Godlings from myth, and we see more of his berserker rage. Not a very deep glimpse into our hero, but the setting of the scene was very vividly written.
November 9, 2020
Коротенька історія про те, як Конан Варвар зустрів на свому шляху звабницю та піддався на її чари.
Однак завдяки своїй варварській міцності він зміг здолати перешкоди на шляху до жаданого. І якби не Льодяний татусь історія мала б змогу закінчитись більше романтично.=)
Однак завдяки своїй варварській міцності він зміг здолати перешкоди на шляху до жаданого. І якби не Льодяний татусь історія мала б змогу закінчитись більше романтично.=)
April 19, 2021
Absolute sword 'n sorcery banger.
August 22, 2022
Great story. Just wished they were longer.
November 1, 2023
3.5 ⭐
February 12, 2024
It's good
November 17, 2013
After the middle aged Conan of The Phoenix On The Sword we get to see a younger Conan here, a Conan in the earlier part of his adventuring career. In this 2nd story Howard starts to set out some more of the setting as well as going more in to the personality and motivations of his most famous creation.
Contrary to the nearly unbeatable and often noble character others have depicted Conan as, Howard's creation is only a hero in the classical sense. That is to say a great man who does great things. I should point out for those who feel I just contradicted myself that I am not using great as a synonym for good, for Conan isn't a good man. At his heart he is a savage, purely self interested, a man who simply takes what he wants, any good he does others along the way being purely incidental.
The other contrast between Howard's Conan and the one we see in popular culture is his near unbeatability. As I briefly eluded above the popular version of Conan is nearly indestructible, where as Howard's is anything but. When we find our hero in this story he is near death after a great battle, and while it is true that he is the only survivor, the state he is in seems to be conspiring to make this achievement a short lived one, if you'll pardon the pun. Howard's Conan is a fantastic fighter, and granted perhaps a bit more stamina and resilience then most, it is not these things that lead our barbarian to success, no it is nothing more then skill, determination and more then a little luck that keep our barbarian friend from bleeding out his life on the frozen ground amongst so many others.
Contrary to the nearly unbeatable and often noble character others have depicted Conan as, Howard's creation is only a hero in the classical sense. That is to say a great man who does great things. I should point out for those who feel I just contradicted myself that I am not using great as a synonym for good, for Conan isn't a good man. At his heart he is a savage, purely self interested, a man who simply takes what he wants, any good he does others along the way being purely incidental.
The other contrast between Howard's Conan and the one we see in popular culture is his near unbeatability. As I briefly eluded above the popular version of Conan is nearly indestructible, where as Howard's is anything but. When we find our hero in this story he is near death after a great battle, and while it is true that he is the only survivor, the state he is in seems to be conspiring to make this achievement a short lived one, if you'll pardon the pun. Howard's Conan is a fantastic fighter, and granted perhaps a bit more stamina and resilience then most, it is not these things that lead our barbarian to success, no it is nothing more then skill, determination and more then a little luck that keep our barbarian friend from bleeding out his life on the frozen ground amongst so many others.
August 12, 2016
The story was very short and easy to read. I liked how the Atali was depicted.
November 5, 2016
A very short story, this one was better than most because it feels more like a fairy tale or a myth than an early twentieth century sword-and-sorcery thing.
March 19, 2021
Very well written and straight to the point. Would have loved it to be a bit longer but it’s still great as is.
July 14, 2015
Another fun story.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews