Books like Conan
Conan by Robert E. Howard reads as pulpy, action-packed. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.
What Conan is like to read
A collection of episodic sword-and-sorcery adventures pulled from pulp origins, each story a self-contained clash of barbarian brawn and dark magic. Best for: readers who want classic pulp fantasy adventure in bite-sized episodic form.
Elric of Melniboné
Michael Moorcock · 1972
A brooding sword-and-sorcery tale of a doomed albino emperor and his soul-drinking blade, set against a decadent, fading civilization.
The Lord of the Rings
J. R. R. Tolkien · 1954
A vast, unhurried quest across an invented world whose depth of language, landscape, and lore is the point — sorrow and grandeur braided together, with fellowship as its beating heart.
The Gods of Mars
Edgar Rice Burroughs · 1918
A pulp-planetary-romance adventure: John Carter crash-lands back on Mars into a lethal 'Eden' and fights his way through, driven by the search for his lost love.
Allan Quatermain
H. Rider Haggard · 1887
A Victorian-era trek through unexplored Africa toward a hidden kingdom, full of danger, discovery, and the camaraderie of seasoned adventurers.
The Hour of the Dragon
Robert E. Howard · 1977
A king-turned-fugitive Conan battles sorcery and betrayal across a sprawling adventure to reclaim his stolen throne, delivering relentless action and dark fantastical stakes.
Michigan Dogman
Scott Devon · 2021
Shares the quest thread
Under the Andes
Rex Stout · 1984
Shares the quest thread
The descent
Jeff Long · 1999
Shares the quest thread
Salamandastron
Brian Jacques · 1992
A braided quest adventure with anthropomorphic heroes, converging storylines, and a clear good-vs-evil moral frame culminating in a large-scale siege battle.
The guns of Navarone
Alistair MacLean · 1957
A tense, mission-driven WWII adventure following a small commando team racing against time and terrain to destroy an impregnable gun emplacement — plot-forward, danger at every tur
Nomads of Gor
John Norman · 1969
A brutal survival narrative following Tarl Cabot through Gor's warring factions and hostile social hierarchies, maintaining the series' dark, high-stakes tone without relief.
Witch World
Andre Norton · 1963
A pulpy portal-adventure that hurls a desperate man into a world where science and sorcery blur, moving fast through danger and discovery rather than lingering on interiority.
About Conan — what the genome says
Is Conan a complete story or a cliffhanger?
It's a complete, standalone-satisfying story.
Who is Conan for?
readers who want classic pulp fantasy adventure in bite-sized episodic form
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