are the Conan stories actually good?

He was always my favorite late night host

I read one once. It was alright. Conan was a pretty smart and cool dude for a barbarian, and the setting was neat. The fantastical elements felt dated and cheesy, but what can ya do, it's old. I really enjoyed the casual misogyny.

Yes, Howard, Jordan and L Sprague de Camp's Conan novels are considered best.

Its the same as any Fantasy or SciFi pulp, like a tenth to a quarter are pretty good and the rest are readable but predictable and overdone.

It is massively better than modern slop. There was some expectation of quality at that time. Don't expect deep characters though, just fun plots and good action.

I think so

Yes, but they repeat a lot in their themes

You will need both hands to count the stories where he becomes a pirate, wins over the crew, and seduces a woman

Yeah, they are. Don't expect high literature, but they're good pulp fun and from time to time have little touches that elevate them above the run of the mill. I really like "The Tower of the Elephant", for example.

Conan is a barbarian hero who is tougher than anyone else in the entire world, and he makes his way from being a raw youth fresh down from Cimmeria who becomes a petty criminal in the 'civilised' cities (and isn't too impressed by civilisation as such, but likes the money, women, and booze) to eventually, via a lot of adventures, becoming king of his own realm.

womp womp