Temple of the Black One by Robert M. Price

by Gary Romeo

This “Homage to Robert E. Howard’s Conan” was published in 2017 and dedicated to “the memory of my esteemed friends L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter.” Robert M. Price sent Sprague de Camp a synopsis of this story back when TOR Books was publishing new Conan novels. The TOR Conan series ran from 1982 – 1997. Forty-two books were published in those 16 years keeping Conan and Sword & Sorcery visible in the marketplace. After a 6-year gap, the final novel, Conan of Venarium was published in 2003.

The TOR series was suspended, and Price’s novel was never completed. Instead, he self-published the story as a short novella. It is currently available through Amazon for a meager $3.59. (That price is for an actual thin trade paperback, not an e-book.)

Robert M. Price first came to my attention in 1989, when he wrote the introductions to the two volume Robert E. Howard: Selected Letters collection published by Necronomicon Press. I then began collecting the various REH chapbooks he published with Cryptic Publications. At the time, these were much valued books, as they published several REH stories for the first time.

Mr. Price is also a biblical scholar and has published several books on theology and atheism. He has described himself as a “Christian atheist.” His H. P. Lovecraft journal, Crypt of Cthulhu, was instrumental as a forum for Lovecraft studies. He is also Lin Carter’s literary executor and has continued the adventures of Thongor as well as publishing rare Lin Carter stories in new books and in his continuation of Lin Carter’s Flashing Swords anthologies.

There was some controversy over Price’s introduction written for Flashing Swords #6 and the original book published by Pulp Hero Press was withdrawn from publication. The introduction started with praise for Lin Carter but then veered into a political discussion about “the feminization of American culture.” Several authors chose to have their stories printed in Savage Scrolls Volume 1, Pulp Hero Press, 2020 instead because of their disagreement with Price’s views. (Some authors were upset for different reasons. Apparently, Price published the book before contracts were actually signed.) Flashing Swords #6 was then published by Timaios Press and new stories were added to replace the withdrawn ones. (For the record, I purchased both Flashing Swords and Savage Scrolls.) Flashing Swords #7 has been published by Ramble House this year. The back cover blurb mentions “misanthropic radical feminists.”

Anyway, onward. Time to discuss this “homage to REH.” This book is on a par with the recent short Conan stories published by Heroic Signatures and Castalia House. Of those, John Hocking’s Black Starlight came the closest to emulating REH’s prose. Chuck Dixon’s two short books were definitely full of action. Stephen Graham Jones’ Lord of the Mount was the least enjoyable for me. Price’s Temple of the Black One has a REH type plot and Conan’s solutions to problems are properly violent. Price’s Conan is, like de Camp and Carter’s, arguably overall more heroic in his actions.

Conan is in Shem, licking his wounds, he had been traveling with a caravan that was attacked by Zuagir marauders. He was the sole survivor of the attack and tried to defend the caravan’s women and children but ultimately failed. A Stygian prostitute propositions Conan and Conan’s post-coital conversation tells the reader that he plans to become a laborer, working at a Stygian excavation to uncover an ancient temple. Treasure is rumored to be hidden there.

The labor is halted for a Stygian holiday and Conan starts planning. He visits a local apothecary and meets the owner, Imophis. Conan purchases sleeping powder and pays a barkeep to spike the ale where the laborers go to imbibe. Conan wants his fellow diggers to be asleep while he checks out the area by himself that night as he suspects other have the same idea as he does.

Part of the temple had been uncovered so Conan starts exploring. Conan encounters and kills two would be thieves also looking for treasure. He then encounters a friendly old Shemite named Younos, that he takes a liking toward. Younos is a scholar and has studied the Book of Skelos. He is there to learn, not to find treasure. He says the buried temple is Acheronian. Guards show up and both men are taken prisoner while black-robed figures watch.

Conan and Younos are freed from that prison by the black-robed men only to be re-imprisoned by them. Conan wakes to find Younos is dead. He has been skinned for a map tattooed on his body. Imophis, the apothecary appears and frees Conan. Imophis used his sleeping powders on the guards. Imophis tells Conan that the black-robed priests are trying to resurrect the black gods of R’lyeh (H. P. Lovecraft’s “Old Ones”). Imophis is opposed to them being the ones to do that. He wants to resurrect Gol-Goroth (Lovecraft’s toad-like monstrosity.) So, it’s Conan against the Cthulhu Mythos.

Conan realizes both the priests and Imophis are playing with dire fire and leaves to seek the help of the King of Stygia. Conan, rather unrealistically, gets his audience with the King but the King doesn’t trust him. The King’s wife, the Lady Zuleika, turns out to be the prostitute who propositioned Conan at the beginning of the story.

Going any further would provide spoilers. Price uses the theme of resurrecting gods, the competition between the priests and Imophis, and religion in general as commentary on modern religion. (I didn’t find it particularly pithy.) The narration gets a bit choppy around this time, as if Price wanted to rush to the conclusion. Conan does hold his own against Nyarlathotep (an evil deity who first appeared in Lovecraft’s 1920 prose poem) and saves the day. (Even if only temporarily.)

Although I found the beginning chapters to be too detailed with unimportant things and the concluding chapters too sketchy with important things, all in all, I’m enjoyed the story. It’s a likable “homage” to both REH and HPL. And likability is important to me.