“Lethal Consignment” by Shaun Hamill is the newest Heroic Legends Conan e-book. Shaun Hamill lives in north Texas, so he is a neighbor of mine. Perhaps he’ll make it to Howard Days on June 7th in Cross Plains. At only $1.99 Mr. Hamill’s consignment writing of this Conan short story isn’t lethal.
This story takes place before “The Tower of the Elephant.” Conan is a young barbarian new to civilization. In this story his inclination seems to be for honest work. Perhaps his experience in this story is what pushed him to be a thief? If Mr. Hamill had played that angle up, it would have been a more meaningful story. Conan is described in the paragraph below.
This is a very short story, only six chapters. Hamill’s writing is straight forward and simple. Conan takes employment as a “sellsword.” I’ve come across this word a lot in recent fantasy stories. It’s descriptive of the job, I suppose. Conan is in Kordava, the capital of Zingara and in need of employment. Flavio de Palma the Bold, first mate of the “Fortune’s Dawn” hires Conan to help fight off any pirates that may attack their ship on the way to Aquilonia. This story has Conan aware of Aquilonia but no mention is made of Venarium and Conan’s role in that skirmish.
Conan takes the consignment. Captain Bertoldo stays in his quarters. Conan interacts mainly with Leonidus, another “sellsword.” Conan’s spider-sense is aroused by the small number of crewmen for such a sizeable ship. Eventually the ship is attacked by some sort of demon and a crewman is murdered. His body is ordered to be tossed overboard.
A new crew member is hired. Conan tries to talk about these events with a crewman promoted because of the death. But the man is secretive. The story starts to resemble “The Last Voyage of the Dementer.” But in a non-sensical way. This ship stops along the journey without any desertions or clammer from the sailors, who we know from various other genre stories, are always a superstitious lot. Mind control is hinted at later, but I thought this set up to be weak. Leonidus seems to be in control of himself but is reluctant to talk as everyone else. Which seems highly unrealistic to my thinking.
I don’t want to provide further spoilers. Suffice to say, Conan wins in the end and destroys the evil thing aboard the ship and is alone in the water by story’s end. I’ve read better (and worse) Conan comic book adventures. There is some cleverness in the story, but the behavior of the crew did not seem realistic to me. Men observing a shrinking crew would not stay aboard such a vessel. It is looking more and more like really good Conan short story writers are hard for Titan Books to find. Along with giving more consignments to Scott Oden and John Hocking they should pick up Jason Waltz’s Neither Beg Nor Yield and start hiring those writers.
“‘Listen, my lord. I was a great sorcerer in the south. Men spoke of Thoth-amon as they spoke of Rammon. King Ctesphon of Stygia gave me great honor, casting down the magicians from the high places to exalt me above them. They hated me, but they feared me, for I controlled beings from outside which came at my call and did my bidding. By Set, mine enemy knew not the hour when he might awake at midnight to feel the taloned fingers of a nameless horror at his throat! I did dark and terrible magic with the Serpent Ring of Set, which I found in a nighted tomb a league beneath the earth, forgotten before the first man crawled out of the slimy sea.”
Robert E. Howard, “The Phoenix on the Sword”
Thoth-amon by Barry Windsor-Smith
Thoth-amon is commonly considered Conan’s arch-enemy, but in Robert E. Howard’s stories, he simply was not. Yes, he was in “Phoenix on the Sword,” the first Conan story; however, he wasn’t trying to kill Conan. He didn’t give a shit about Conan. Thoth-amon wanted to kill Ascalante. The only reason Conan was in danger was because of the last thing Thoth-amon said to his baboon-like demon, “and all with him!”
Thoth-amon was the slave of Ascalante and when he found his Ring again, he wanted Ascalente dead. And the “all with him” was just icing on the cake. With this story we find a wonderful antagonist, and his attack was about his enslaver. That his enslaver was attacking Conan at the time was incidental. I reject the idea that Thoth-amon considered Conan an enemy at all.
However, my opinion doesn’t matter at all. The world turns in its own way regardless of my opinions on just about any matter. Thus, it turns with Thoth-amon, who would, in due course, become Conan’s nemesis in pop-culture.
The Phoenix on the Sword
“Thoth-amon’s eyes narrowed. For all his iron-self-control, he was near bursting with long pent-up shame, hate and rage, ready to take any sort of a desperate chance. What he did not reckon on was the fact that Dion saw him, not as a human being with a brain and a wit, but simply a slave, and as such, a creature beneath notice.”
Robert E. Howard, “The Phoenix on the Sword”
Thoth-amon first appeared in “The Phoenix on the Sword.” It’s also the first Conan story, and well known as a rewrite of an unsold King Kull story, “By This Axe I Rule.” The Kull story did not have Thoth-amon in it, nor counterpart to the sorcerer-turned-slave. There was no demon of the Ring or anything of the sort. These elements would be added only in the Conan version of the story, an addition of supernatural elements needed for Weird Tales.
As I mentioned in the introduction, Thoth-amon is not angry with Conan nor is he Conan’s opponent in “The Phoenix on the Sword.” He is a slave of Ascalante. He was once a powerful sorcerer and priest in Stygia, but he lost his precious Serpent Ring of Set – which weakened him and allowed rival priests to overthrow him and sell him into slavery. Somehow Dion, the fat baron of Attalus, bought the Serpent Ring from a thief and considered it a good luck charm. Thoth-amon slew Dion, took back his ring, and summoned the haunter of the Ring to slay his enslaver, Ascalante. That King Conan was in the room with Ascalante was mere happenstance.
Thoth-amon is shown to be an intelligent observer and a wise advisor. Whenever he is under another’s power, whether through sorcery or blackmail, he is always careful to gain leverage and gather magical links to one day turn the tables on his oppressor; in this story he kept one of Ascalante’s sandals with him. When he makes an enemy, he is unlikely to rest until that enemy is painfully dead. “The Phoenix on the Sword” also establishes that Thoth-amon needs his Ring to be powerful. When it was stolen, he was overthrown by others. One wonders what became of Thoth-amon when the fiend was slain by Conan – if it truly was slain.
The God in the Bowl
“’I found a symbol on the bottom of the Bowl!’ chattered Promero. ‘Not an ancient hieroglyphic, but a symbol recently carved! The mark of Thoth-amon, the Stygian sorcerer, Kalanthes’ deadly foe!’”
Robert E. Howard, “The God in the Bowl”
Thoth-amon is mentioned again in “The God in the Bowl,” identified as the deadly foe of Kalanthes, the priest of Ibis. Again, he is not after Conan, but someone else entirely (the afore-mentioned Kalanthes). This story is in Conan’s youth. “The Phoenix on the Sword” is in Conan’s middle years. An REH purist would not find any other interactions between Conan and Thoth-amon, and wouldn’t consider Thoth-amon to be Conan’s greatest enemy. Conan and Thoth-amon don’t even meet in any Robert E. Howard story.
The Hour of the Dragon
“’Men say that he has opposed Thoth-amon, who is the master of all priests of Set, and dwells in Luxur, and that Thutothmes seeks hidden power to overthrow the Great One. But who am I to say? When priests war with one another a common man can but lie on his belly and hope neither treads upon him.’”
Robert E. Howard, The Hour of the Dragon
Thoth-amon does not appear in The Hour of the Dragon, but he is mentioned. “Only occultists high in the mazes of the hideous Black Ring possessed the power of the black hand that dealt death by its touch; and only such a man would dare defy Thoth-Amon, whom the western world knew only as a figure of terror and myth.” Thoth-amon is a monster in Stygia, and it takes someone of great power to openly defy him. Thutothmes of Khemi is such a someone. He discusses Thoth-amon in more detail in the following quote:
“Ask me not how I, Thutothmes of Khemi and the Night, heard the word before Thoth-Amon who calls himself prince of all wizards. There are secrets not meet for such ears even as yours, and Thoth-Amon is not the only lord of the Black Ring.
“I knew, and I went to meet the Heart which came southward. It was like a magnet which drew me, unerringly. From death to death it came, riding on a river of human blood. Blood feeds it, blood draws it. Its power is greatest when there is blood on the hands that grasp it, when it is wrested by slaughter from its holder. Wherever it gleams, blood is spilt and kingdoms totter, and the forces of nature are put in turmoil. “And here I stand, the master of the Heart, and have summoned you to come secretly, who are faithful to me, to share in the black kingdom that shall be. Tonight you shall witness the breaking of Thoth-Amon’s chains which enslave us, and the birth of empire.”
However, these three Conan stories were not the only times Robert E. Howard wrote of Thoth-amon…
Marchers of Valhalla (Draft)
“Listen, and I will tell you!” she cried, hitching toward me on her knees and catching at the skirt of my tunic. “Only listen, and then grant me the little thing I ask! I am Ishtar, a daughter of a king in dim Lemuria, which the sea gulped so long ago. Thoth-amon, the sorcerer of Stygia, hated my father, and to spite him, he put the curse on me of Life ever-lasting!”
Robert E. Howard, Marchers of Valhalla (Draft)
In one of the drafts of Marchers of Valhalla, Robert E. Howard references Thoth-amon, the sorcerer of Stygia. In this draft, Ishtar claims Thoth-amon had the ability to curse people with eternal life, and that she was the recipient of this curse.
The Haunter of the Ring
“’I knew as soon as I saw the ring on Evelyn Gordon’s finger; the ring she could not remove; the ancient and accursed ring of Thoth-amon, handed down by foul cults of sorcerers since the days of forgotten Stygia.’”
Robert E. Howard, “The Haunter of the Ring”
When I discovered “The Haunter of the Ring,” I was beyond surprised. That story mesmerized me. It’s probably most easily found in The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard, the Del Rey edition, page 410. For me, I discovered it with Beyond the Borders, Baen, October 1996. Unlike most of the stories involving Thoth-amon, this one takes place in the 1920s-1930s. John Kirowan’s friend, James Gordon, has arrived, with a tale of a mysterious ring, possibly found in Hungary, that was sent to his wife, Evelyn. She cannot get this ring off her finger. It is described as “copper, made like a scaly snake coiled three times, with its tail in its mouth and yellow jewels for eyes.”
The ring causes her to dream of a horrible faceless black thing that mumbles and paws over her with apish hands… and during the day, she tries to kill her husband, Jim Gordon (not the police commissioner of Gotham, just the same name). Kirowan leads the narrator (Michael O’Donnel) to their enemy, Joseph Roelocke (aka Yosef Vrolok), a Hungarian with psychic powers who gave Evelyn the ring… a ring revealed to be Thoth-amon’s, which summons a demon more ferocious than all in Hell. Apparently, Conan didn’t kill the demon permanently, or Thoth-amon trapped another demon within it.
The fate of the ring is unclear, however. I suppose Kirowan was able to get it off Evelyn’s finger and then kept it, but where it lurks today, who can say? I think a story of it’s modern-day appearance would be FANTASTIC!
Conan the Buccaneer
“The man was a dusky giant, with broad shoulders and aloof, hawklike features. From his shaven skull to his sandaled feet, his skin was a deep, rich brown. Black eyes glittered hypnotically from the depths of cavernous eye-sockets. He wore a simple white linen robe. The only ornament to be seen on his person was a copper-colored ring, in the form of a serpent that, making three turns around one finger of a muscular hand, held its tail in its jaws.”
L. Sprague de Camp & Lin Carter, Conan the Buccaneer
I am not here to debate the merits or demerits of L. Sprague de Camp or Lin Carter. I was a teenager when I discovered the Ace/Lancer Conan series, and they included pastiches… and I enjoyed those pastiches when I was younger. At the end of Chapter One, a character named Menkara goes to seek Thoth-Amon. L. Sprague de Camp followed Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright’s original edit and capitalized the “Amon” portion of the name, whereas Robert E. Howard (in his typescript) did not. Sometimes, de Camp and Carter (undoubtedly a typo) spell his name “Thoth-Ammon,” sometimes in adjacent paragraphs (page 32 of the Ace edition of “Conan the Buccaneer”). I’ll use the de Camp & Carter capitalization for their version of Thoth-Amon.
Thoth-Amon first appears in Chapter 8. He uses magic freely and easily, telekinetically moving things with the snap of his fingers. In Chapter 12, Thoth-Amon can search through the Akashic Plane for people. He appears again in Chapter 14, teleporting in to steal the Cobra Crown. He handwaves the Amazon queen to unconsciousness and teleports back again. His attitude toward Conan is simply, “Thoth-Amon regarded the Cimmerian buccaneer as but a minor annoyance, as one would a buzzing mosquito.”
Thoth-Amon becomes King of Zingara in Chapter 19, but it doesn’t last long, and Thoth-Amon destroys the Cobra Crown. Thoth-Amon turns invisible, uses his Serpent Ring to animate a tapestry, and escapes.
The Treasure of Tranicos
“’He was Thoth-Amon of the Ring, in exile from his native Stygia. He had fled in the reign of King Mentupherra, and when Mentupherra died and Ctesphon ascended the ivory throne of Luxur, Thoth-Amon lingered in Kordava though he might have returned home, dunning me for the debt I owed him. But instead of paying him the moiety of my gains as I had promised, I denounced him to my own monarch, so that Thoth-Amon must needs willy-nilly return to Stygia in haste and stealth.’”
L. Sprague de Camp, “The Treasure of Tranicos”
“The Treasure of Tranicos” is an odd duck to say the least. The story behind how “The Black Stranger” became “Swords of the Red Brotherhood” and then became “The Treasure of Tranicos” is best left for other essays and has been covered many times. While Thoth-amon does not appear in REH’s original “The Black Stranger,” Thoth-Amon does appear in the de Camp-rewritten “The Treasure of Tranicos.”
Thoth-Amon is depicted as Valenso’s enemy in court. De Camp changed the text so the magician Valenso cheated wasn’t killed, but lived… and was none other than Thoth-Amon. Conan slays Thoth-Amon’s demon and supposed Thoth-Amon had slunk off to some Stygian tomb because “these wizards are a queer lot.” Ace also released an illustrated edition of the Treasure of Tranicos, and there is a pretty great picture of Thoth-Amon by Esteban Maroto on page 63.
Even at this stage, Thoth-Amon is not Conan’s enemy per se. He’s always after someone else.
Conan of Aquilonia
“Then the coil of writhing vapor that was Thoth-Amon’s spirit stiffened and writhed in Conan’s impalpable clutch. Thoth-Amon shrieked soundlessly – an awful, hollow cry of agony and despair. The bodiless thing melted in his grasp. It disintegrated and faded into the cold mists of the void.”
L. Sprague de Camp & Lin Carter, “Shadows in the Skull”
Conan of Aquilonia was always an interesting book for me when I was young. Conan is older, and he has a son. This is the book where L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter really cemented Thoth-Amon as Conan’s nemesis.
In “The Witch of the Mists,” King Conan discovers that Thoth-Amon is behind the plot to kidnap Conan’s son, Conn.
In “Black Sphinx of Nebthu,” King Conan leads an army into Stygia, into the ancient city of Nebthu, to seek out Thoth-Amon. A druid kept Conan’s army basically invisible to Thoth-Amon’s magical sight. Conan knows Thoth-Amon was behind the demon that attacked in “Phoenix on the Sword.” For his part, Thoth-Amon recounts the events of “The God in the Bowl,” Conan the Buccaneer, “Treasure of Tranicos,” and “Phoenix on the Sword.” Thoth-Amon is surrounded by hundreds of wizards and acolytes. He can shoot green rays from his fingers to knock swords out of hands. Soon, the hundreds of wizards join Thoth-Amon in shooting green rays at Conan and his men, but the White Druid of Pictland defended them with his magic staff. When the druid started to falter, Conan produced the Heart of Ahriman. The Heart of Ahriman killed or drove mad the hundreds of wizards, but Thoth-Amon summoned a giant, demonic black sphinx which slaughtered Conan’s army, but vanished with the coming daylight. Thoth-Amon flees to Zembabwei.
In “Red Moon of Zembabwei,” Thoth-Amon meets with another ally, Nenaunir, a king and fellow wizard. Thoth-Amon captures Conan and Conn, but ultimately must flee southward on a wyvern. This leads into Shadows in the Skull, where Thoth-Amon takes refuge among a remnant colony of serpent-men. The life-force of Thoth-Amon battled the life-force of Conan. Conan and Conn, however, won the day, finally killing their foe.
In this book, Thoth-Amon is shown to use magic almost absent-mindedly, shooting green bolts of eldritch energy with ease. He is also shown to have sorcerous allies and a cult with hundreds of votaries.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics leaned into L. Sprague de Camp’s vision of Thoth-Amon as a nemesis for Conan. In their adaptation of “The God in the Bowl” in Conan the Barbarian (CtB) #7, Conan actually gets a visionary glimpse of Thoth-Amon, complete with curled ram’s horns as headgear. In CtB #43, Morophla is worried that Conan might be an assassin sent by Thoth-Amon. In CtB #89, Thoth-Amon is seen blasting apart a door and he takes on an advisory role in the rule of Ctesphon III. Thoth-Amon appears also in The Savage Sword of Conan (SSoC). SSoC #191-193 are notable because chronologically, this is the first time in the Marvel Universe that Conan and Thoth-Amon meet.
Of course, Thoth-Amon appears in the various adaptations of “The Phoenix on the Sword,” Conan of Aquilonia, and Conan the Buccaneer. I prefer Thoth-Amon bald headed than with the ram’s horn headdress, but it is notable and easily identifiable. Thoth-Amon is generally portrayed as a bad-ass in the Marvel Comics. Effort is made to make him a mighty and fearsome foe.
Marvel Comics ran a Thoth-Amon short story by Matt Forbeck called “The Fall of Thoth-Amon” in Age of Conan: Valeria #1-5. It is a very slight tale that more or less explains how Thoth-Amon lost his ring and became Ascalante’s slave.
Tor Novels
“Tevek had met Thoth-Amon once, years hence in Nebthu, and that meeting had left a lasting impression. The raw essence of evil had pervaded the very air about Thoth-Amon, whose mere presence had cowed the haughty priests of Nebthu. Tevek himself had felt the cold fire of Thoth-Amon’s gaze, for the Stygian mage had questioned everyone at Nebthu regarding an ancient tome for which he searched.”
Sean A. Moore, Conan and the Grim Grey God
Through the 1980s and 1990s, Tor published 42 Conan pastiches (in 2004, they published a 43rd) of varying degrees of quality. A handful of these have appearances by Thoth-Amon. The Tor books used L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter’s preference of capitalizing the “Amon” and I will do so in this section as well.
Conan the Invincible by Robert Jordan gave Thoth-Amon a minor role. A Stygian sorcerer used a homunculus to basically call up Thoth-Amon and give him a progress report. Although I like the use of a homunculus, and it felt reasonably weird, I am generally not on board with writers using magic to duplicate modern conveniences, like telephones.
Conan the Valorous by John Maddox Roberts has Thoth-Amon appearing in Crom’s Cave beneath Ben Morgh. Hathor-Ka, another wizard, believed herself to be the equal to Thoth-Amon and comes to realize she was woefully mistaken. He then proceeds to teach her about magic. Thoth-Amon is also briefly mentioned in Conan and the Manhunters by John Maddox Roberts.
Conan and the Grim Grey God by Sean A. Moore gives Thoth-Amon a lot more to do. Thoth-Amon is seeking Eibon’s codices, and several other books of power, and the titular grim grey god. Thoth-Amon shoots green magical energy from his Ring, which is called the Black Ring in this book instead of the Serpent Ring. Thoth-Amon loans this Ring out to a necromancer, pointing out that he is still powerful even without it. He creates a candle that will kill this necromancer if the Ring is not returned in a fortnight. In this novel, Thoth-Amon is more about spreading the religion of Set and destroying rival religions than he is about personal power. At the end of the novel he escapes by teleporting away.
Anok, Heretic of Stygia (Age of Conan Trilogy)
“He had somehow expected a small, old, wizened figure of a man. But Thoth-Amon was tall, towering over Anok, nearly as tall as Teferi, and broader of shoulder. As he stepped towards them, he carried himself gracefully, having neither the swagger of a warrior, or the hesitant gait of an old-man.
He wore long, flowing robes of red and black, elaborately embroidered with gold thread, and on his seemingly hairless skull, he wore a skull-cap of mirror-polished metal. His face was angular and deeply chiseled, his nose long and hooked, his skin dark and gray, like cold ash from a fireplace. A pointed goatee framed his lipless mouth, and eyes like black marbles glinted from deep and shadowed sockets.
He smiled, and it was a terrible thing.”
J. Steven York, Heretic of Set
In 2006 or so, Ace came out with four trilogies for “The Age of Conan.” I read three of the four trilogies, and those three were abysmal. The trilogy that interests us here is the Anok, Heretic of Stygia trilogy. This trilogy is seriously marred, for although it supposedly takes place during the Hyborian age, it actually takes place in a fantasy world called Hyboria where everything is resolved by magic. Magic is so prevalent that one scene required a location in a “no-magic” zone – but of course magic is needed there to resolve the conflict of that scene, so the no-magic zone included a magic zone! Here’s my review of the third book that pretty much sums up the problems with the whole series:
However, regardless of how much I despise this trilogy, Thoth-Amon is in the series, so I’m going to discuss his appearance here. Thoth-Amon is mentioned several times in the story, usually referencing how Conan kicked his ass, but appears in Chapter 22 of Heretic of Set (Book 2 of the trilogy). Anok has reached Thoth-Amon’s castle. He meets Thoth-Amon where he learned the sorcerer was conspiring against Set with Ramsa. Thoth-Amon laughed because Anok feared gaining Corruption (which is a tangible thing the priests can measure and talk about). Anok battled Thoth-amon in a High Fantasy sorcerer’s duel. Anok lost and was sent to his villa. Thoth-Amon briefly returns in Chapter 23 of Venom of Luxur (Book 3 of the trilogy). Anok discovered Thoth-Amon at Luxur and that Anok is to be killed. Thoth-Amon is not a major character in the book, but his inclusion was kind of nifty.
Dark Horse Comics
Darkhorse Comics gave Thoth-amon a more traditionally Egyptian style headdress, which I liked better than the Marvel Ram’s Horns.
Conan: The Book of Thoth gives Thoth-amon’s origin story. Thoth-amon grows up as a street-rat and, through nefarious means, manages to rise up through the ranks of the priesthood. He is depicted as thoroughly evil throughout.
Conan the Roleplaying Game (Mongoose Publishing)
Ian Sturrock created statistics for Thoth-amon in Mongoose Publishing’s The Scrolls of Skelos. The text states that the statistics reflect Thoth-amon without his ring, but he is still a 20th level Scholar and absolutely mighty. Interestingly, Ian Sturrock did not give Thoth-amon any levels in this prestige class. In the same volume, he also created a “Lord of the Black Ring” prestige class and outlined the Serpent Ring of Set for the game. This prestige class gives the character Demonologist as a class feature. Interestingly, Ian Sturrock did not give Thoth-amon any levels in this prestige class. I suspect that is because he intended to include Thoth-amon in the base game book, but it just didn’t happen that way.
In Stygia – Serpent of the South, I offered an alternative version of Thoth-amon, but for whatever reason, I decided not to give him levels in the Lord of the Black Ring prestige class. He’s a straight 20th level Scholar in that book. Although I do not remember, I suspect I did it that way because that is the way Ian Sturrock statted him. I just wanted to correct the notion that he was powerful without his Ring, so the Stygia book includes a much weaker version of the character at 10th level without his Ring, with all the negative effects of Obsession at play. I also wanted to add in new rules from Scrolls of Skelos and Stygia – Serpent of the South and improve upon Ian Sturrock’s description of Thoth-amon’s personality. I also worked on making Knowledge (religion) a more useful skill. In this book, characters could take ranks in their god’s “mysteries” instead of a generic “religion” check. These ranks would affect what the character could do and provide cult-specific benefits at various ranks.
Presented below is my unpublished final version of Thoth-amon. Personally, any RPG statistics of Thoth-amon without making him considerably weaker without his ring is problematic, so I made sure to include Thoth-amon’s statistics without the Ring of Set. Even though you may or may not be interested in his game statistics, you might enjoy the character description.
Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of (Modiphius Entertainment)
Yes, this is the one with satyrs. Conan the Liberator, Bantam Books, 1979 is a full-length novel telling the story of how Conan of Cimmeria became King Conan of Aquilonia. It is a story that demanded to be told. I just wish it had been told without satyrs.
I think most would agree that this cover screams toxic masculinity. I doubt any future Conan cover will use this motif (Conan surrounded by multiple naked women) ever again. De Camp did object to this cover (he referred to it as Conan the Slaver or Conan the Rapist in different letters), but he couldn’t get the publisher to change it. Realistically, it probably helped sales of the book back then. The late 70s were a different time. The publisher offered the cover as a poster for $5. I’m sorry I didn’t purchase it (only because of the investment potential, of course. 🙂 )
The introduction mentions Robert E. Howard writing in various genres, but touts Conan as having the “widest appeal.” De Camp states: “In the genre of fantasy, the Conan stories have made Howard’s work second only to J. R. R. Tolkien in popularity.”
Although the book is bylined de Camp AND Carter, it is believed Carter had little to do with the final product. In the introduction de Camp writes: “The present novel, to which my wife Catherine Crook de Camp has contributed extensive editorial assistance, is the latest [in the series.].”
The writing in this book is a little more purple than pulp. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but I’ll grant this novel reads a little differently than previous Conan novels. There are lots of different characters and more emphasis on the politics and geography of Aquilonia with less direct action individually taken by Conan; thus, testing the reader in ways that previous novels haven’t.
In Lin Carter’s Imaginary Worlds, Robert M. Price makes the following observation:
De Camp sets the stage for this novel in the final part of his introduction rather than in a separate preface before the story. He brings the reader up to date on Conan’s life:
My guess is that de Camp (Sprague and/or Catherine) were going for a more “high-fantasy” feel than a “sword & sorcery” one in this book. “Thews” are not mentioned. 🙂 Dark sorcery is prevalent though. The very first chapter gives us a tortured 12-year-old girl.
The next chapter directly follows the events that occurred in “The Treasure of Tranicos” (de Camp’s rewritten version of REH’s “The Black Stranger”). Lady Belesa and Tina are mentioned and Conan is introduced: “Above them towered a grim-faced man of gigantic stature. His smoldering eyes of volcanic blue and the black mane of coarse, straight hair that brushed his massive shoulders suggested the controlled ferocity of a lion in respose.”
The novel continues on. It is fairly heavy in realistic detail. Conan’s rebel army encounters spies, setbacks, recruiting troubles, finance problems, and diplomacy issues with the king of Argos.
While realistic, it isn’t terribly exciting. And some of the twists and turns are pretty clichéd. Conan is poisoned when he mistrusts a beautiful woman. King Numedides is a Caligua-type obsessed with immortality and sexual pleasure. The novel is quite good at showing how difficult winning a civil war is though. Conan’s task is never easy. Until…
The satyrs show up to save the day. I don’t know why satyrs bother me so. The Hyborian World is filled with odd creatures: winged demons, intelligent apes, iron devils, etc. But having a whole forest full of satyrs? Gola himself says it best… Satyrs blow…
The novel gets back on track and ends as REH had previously stated, with Conan strangling Numedides. “As Conan’s iron fingers dug deeper into the pudgy neck, Numedides’ eyes bulged. His mouth gaped, but no sound issued forth. Deeper and deeper sank Conan’s python grip, until the others in the room, standing with suspended breath, heard the cartilage crack.” All in all, the novel did lack in the main. Not enough action and a weak villain. But Conan’s road to kingship was plausible, interesting, and exciting at the end.
* * *
I know there are plenty who decry de Camp and Carter at every opportunity. I think Roy Thomas (in Barbarian Life Volume 3, page136) said it best, “The de Camp-Carter pastiches can be viewed as pretty minor creations when compared with REH’s best work, but I think they hold up quite well alongside mediocre REH stories like “The Vale of Lost Women.””
Roy Thomas adapted Conan the Liberator in 4 consecutive issues of The Savage Sword of Conan. This graphic novel version moves at a better speed than the novel and the visual representation of the satyrs here (as opposed to the more classical Greek version) almost makes me soften to their inclusion in the Hyborian World. Almost.
“Moon of Blood” first appeared in Conan the Swordsman, Bantam Books, 1978. The story is by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp. This is pretty much a no-nonsense grim tale of Conan against the Picts.
There are several characters in this story. Conan is Captain in the Aquilonian army fighting against the Picts. He interacts with several other soldiers. There is intrigue, tactics, and magic. It has all the essentials of a game. So, it is no surprise that it was adapted as a GURPS role-playing game.
Despite the seriousness of the story and a Pictland setting it fails when compared to “Beyond the Black River.” Conan, Balthus, and Slasher made a great team. Conan and Flavius not so much, even though some of the dialog is well done. The wizard Sagayetha is a pale shadow of Zogar Sag.
As mentioned above, this story is a sequel or follow up to “Beyond the Black River.” Conan is described as “armed as if for war; a plain steel helm covered his mane of coarse black hair; and his deep chest and knotted arms were protected by a hauberk of chain mail. The dented helm framed a dark, scarred face bronzed by strange suns, wherein blazed eyes of smoldering volcanic blue.”
Conan is alarmed at the quiet of the forest. He suspects Picts are in the area, even though scouts have reported no sign of them. Conan’s lieutenant, Flavius, suspects that Conan distrusts the Viscount Lucian.
The Picts attack (Conan’s instincts were right) but mysteriously retreat after both sides faced losses. It’s mentioned that a new wizard, Sagayetha, is a nephew of Zogar Zag (sic). Conan is a little more critical of his Aquilonian bosses in this story. “I know those treaties, signed by some Pictish drunken ne’er do well who knew not what he placed his mark upon. I love not Picts, but I can understand the fury that drives them now.”
A horde of snakes attack Conan and his army. The army scatters and Conan and Flavius flee together. They hide behind a beaver dam as the Picts hold council. Various tribes are there. “They are learning to put aside their clannish feuds,” muttered Conan. “If ever the tribes unite at once, let Aquilonia beware. Ha! Look at those twain.”
Revealing who Conan was talking about would provide spoilers. So, I’ll end here. Conan exhibits probably too much strength at one point, making him almost superhuman. His plan and fortitude help win the battle and by story’s end he has been promoted to General Conan. Thus, setting the stage for his eventual kingship.
Marvel Comics adapted the story in Savage Sword of Conan #46. It is a faithful adaptation. I’m including the splash page for the other story in this issue as well. I think you can guess why.
“The Ivory Goddess” first appeared in Conan the Swordsman, Bantam Books, 1978. I doubt this is anyone’s favorite Conan story. It’s a pretty simple tale with an unsatisfying conclusion. Muriela deserved better, I think.
Conan and Muriela by Ollie Cuthbertson
The credits list this story as by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp but that has been questioned. Per Wikipedia: “According to Morgan Holmes, citing de Camp friend Loay Hall, Carter did none of the writing, and the story was written by de Camp in collaboration with his wife, Catherine Crook de Camp. Robert M. Price also believes Lin Carter had very little input into this story:
I don’t doubt that Catherine Crook de Camp had a hand in this story. There are certain key lines that almost scream a woman’s touch. But more on that below. As normal, there is the introduction placing the story’s chronological order. This tale is a sequel to “Jewels of Gwahlur” AKA “The Servants of Bit-Yakin.”
Conan is described as “a huge man, nearly naked, his massive arms, broad shoulders, and deeply arched chest burned to a bronzen hue. His only garments were a pair of ragged silken breeks, a leathern baldric, and sandals of rhinoceros hide. […] The man’s thick mane of coarse blue-black hair was square-cut at the nape of his neck. Smoldering eyes of volcanic blue stared out beneath thick, drawn brows.”
Conan, with Muriela in tow, has a plan for her to impersonate the goddess Nebethet and have himself declared the best choice to lead the Puntian army. Muriela points out this is the same plan that failed before (in “Jewels of Gwahlur”). When Conan and Muriela arrive at the Temple of Nebethet, they are attacked by a furry beast and an old hag.
No, the “old hag” in the story doesn’t sell Pizza but her role in the tale would have been more interesting if she had. (I need to complain to the owner of this place that the woman pictured above sorta looks like my deceased grandmother. Shame on them!)
Anyway, onward… As in “Jewels of Gwahlur” Muriela hides in a secret panel. This time she’ll be the voice of the skull-faced goddess Nebethet when the Puntish priest arrives for consultation. There is a twist in this story… Nebethet takes over Muriela’s body!
You can read the story for yourself. But basically, Conan escapes death (Catherine Crook de Camp probably wrote this part) since “he was kind to the woman whose body is my garment.” And, later says: “Your concern [for Muriela] does credit to you, Conan.”
So, Conan leaves Muriela trapped within Nebethet: “She shall be my garment as long as I wish.” The goddess does assure Conan that Muriela will be eventually free and well provided for. Conan’s reaction to all this seems out of character in my opinion, but I’m not overly upset. It was a throwaway story to show how Conan and Muriela became separated. I don’t believe Muriela’s fate was ever followed up in another story. If not, some enterprising writer should take this thread and sew up a worthy conclusion.
“The Ivory Goddess” was adapted to comics in Savage Sword of Conan #60. The cover is by Earl Norem. The story is by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, and Danny Bulandi.
The comic book adaptation actually works a bit better than the prose version. The art gives it a dramatic flair lacking in the prose. Muriela is nicely drawn. The dark inks create an eerie tone. John Buscema and Danny Bulandi made a rather bland story a decent contribution to the Conan comics saga.
“The Gem in the Tower” was first published in Conan the Swordsman, Bantam Books, 1978. This story by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp features a weird menace that seems a little derivative of Robert E. Howard’s “The Garden of Fear” which was first published in Marvel Tales, July-August 1934 and later reprinted in a digest sized publication along with other stories by different authors in 1945.
Other than the use of a winged menace living in an unscalable tower, “The Gem in the Tower” isn’t really like “The Garden of Fear.” (The resemblance seems more pronounced because Marvel Comics adapted “The Garden of Fear” into a Conan adventure.) In this story Conan is a member of the Barachan pirates. Chronologically, this adventure takes place after “Drums of Tombalku.”
This story starts well enough, Conan is introduced and described: “He was a veritable giant in a tunic of supple leather and baggy silken breeches, with a cutlass on his hip and a poignard thrust into his scarlet sash. Tall was he and deep-chested, with powerful, sinewy arms and swelling thews.” Good sword & sorcery always contains the word, thews. 🙂
Conan is second mate on the Hawk, a pirate vessel. They are on a journey to a nameless island, perhaps still inhabited by a sorcerer named Siptah. The plan is to steal a fabulous jewel. “Legends told of a mysterious gem recovered long ago by the Stygian mage from deep within a desert tomb. A large and glittering crystal it was said to be […]. Immense and uncanny were the reputed powers of that gem […]”
Along with the crew is a magician named Mena. He proves to be ineffective. He’s the first person to have his throat cut. Conan realizes that without magic they will have to attack the tower directly. “… Siptah’s tower had neither doors nor windows.” “Crom and Mitra, has this sorcerer wings?”
Conan once again displays his “dreaming” superpower and has a vision of his captain dying at the hands of a bat-winged monstrosity. He wakes up and his “scalp prickled with a superstitious premonition as he strode to the captain and shook him by the shoulder.” Captain Gonzago, like Mena, was dead. Sliced along the throat.
The story proceeds from this point on. Conan, of course, prevails. This is a rather stereotypical Conan story all in all. Very similar to some of the current batch of e-books that are in the Heroic Legends series. It isn’t bad but it is similar to stories we’ve read before. The last few lines of the story strive for poignancy and give it a small boost.
Robert M. Price, in his classic book, Lin Carter: A Look Behind His Imaginary Worlds, (Starmont Studies in Literary Criticism No. 36) stated that “Shadows in the Dark” was mostly de Camp’s writing and that:
Marvel Comics adapted the story in Savage Sword of Conan #45. The cover is by Nestor Redondo. The story and art are by Roy Thomas and John Buscema and Tony De Zuniga. It is a faithful adaptation. I’ve included the splash page of the Red Sonja story as I believe cheesecake should be as equally exploited as beefcake.
Important Update: I just learned that there is a game module loosely based on this story! A big THANK YOU goes to:
“The Star of Khorala” was published for the first time in Conan the Swordsman, Bantam Books, 1978. This story is a sequel to “Shadows in Zamboula.” Doing a Google Search on “The Star of Khorala” brings up a screamo (or skramz) band named after the story. Think Hardcore Punk, screaming lyrics, and themes of emotional pain. Robert E. Howard fandom casts a wide net.
Someday we’ll probably read about a “Florida man” doing something strange while wearing a Star of Khorala T-Shirt. But for now, let’s just discuss the story. “The Star of Khorala” is by Bjorn Nyberg and L. Sprague de Camp. And it is a good one. One wonders why Nyberg and de Camp didn’t collaborate more often as the two short stories in this book by them are both darn good.
Conan has the Star of Khorala and plans to get a reward for it. “The reward, so ran his thinking, would buy him land, or a commission in a Hyborian army, or mayhap a title of nobility.”
Conan heads to Ianthe, the capital of Ophir. On the way he learns that the king has imprisoned the queen and that a civil war is brewing. The king’s cousin, Rigello, is the power behind the throne. Conan, while at a tavern, inquires about a customer. He introduces himself to Captain Garus, an officer of the queen’s guard. His regiment has been disbanded after the queen’s misfortune.
Some soldiers come to arrest Garus and a fight breaks out. “Conan rolled to his feet and swept his sword out of its scabbard just in time to parry a slash from the scar-faced officer’s weapon. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his drinking companion trading blows with the remaining invader; swords flashed in the firelight.”
Conan and Garus escape and make a plan to rescue the queen. Since the plan involves climbing an almost smooth wall Conan acquires some special shoes. (I suppose this was de Camp’s idea. They are given a proper engineering description and seem plausible. But tools like this do distract a bit from the setting.)
Suffice to say Conan succeeds in rescuing Queen Marala from the tower. He learns more about the queen and the situation in Ophir. “The fierce courage of the slender girl who, sitting beside the embers of a campfire in the wilderness with but a retinue of two, still spoke of ousting tyrants and intriguers from a kingdom, struck a receptive chord in Conan’s barbaric spirit. He cleared his throat, embarrassed at his surge of deep emotion. “My Lady, mayhap I can help you on your way.” He groped in his pouch and drew out the Star of Khorala. “Here is your ancestral bauble. You have better use for it than I.”
Perhaps an argument could be made that Conan is too much the hero in this story, but I liked it. The writing here is good and it leads to a satisfying conclusion. It is a worthy read. And as for Queen Marala’s fate? Well, she shows up again in The Hour of the Dragon.
* * *
When Marvel Comics did the adaptation, they incorrectly credited Lin Carter as the co-author. This was a faithful adaptation by Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, and Tony De Zuniga. Some great art in this one.
Bob Larkin’s cover for this issue was immortalized on a trading card with a prism color effect. (I like the powerful sneer and upper body image but feel the pose seems awkward when the original surrounding background was removed. A great image, nevertheless.)
“Shadows in the Dark” by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp was published for the first time in Conan the Swordsmen, Bantam Books, 1978. It is a sequel to Robert E. Howard’s “Black Colossus.”
Yasmela and Conan by John Buscema and Pablo Marcos
“Black Colossus” is a great story. It begs for follow up. Scott Oden’s story for the Conan Unconquered video game takes place during the events of “Black Colossus.” Roy Thomas beat Carter and de Camp to the punch with a direct sequel to “Black Colossus” titled “At the Mountain of the Moon-God” published in Savage Sword of Conan #3.
Roy Thomas’s sequel starts with Conan and Yasmela’s love making being interrupted when one of her spies brings her a map that shows where her brother King Khossus is being held captive. Conan decides to go and rescue the captive King.
It is known that Khossus is being held in Ophir somewhere and that King Strabonus of Koth also wants Khossus as a captive bargaining chip. Conan, along with two soldiers, follows the trail to the Mountain of the Moon-God to attempt to rescue Khossus. Things do not go smoothly. Conan encounters soldiers of both Ophir and Koth and has to fight off a pterosaur.
Once Khossus is rescued he gives Conan his approval to marry Yasmela. But during Conan’s time away she has taken up with Prince Katuman of Stygia. Conan takes her rejection quite easily, and in an oft-reprinted panel, hoists up two ladies he intends to bed.
Roy’s story is entertaining. There are sub-plots and foreshadowing to future adventures. All in all, a decent sequel. Therefore, it wasn’t necessary (and would conflict with his Marvel chronology) to have adapted Carter and de Camp’s later sequel.
Carter and de Camp’s sequel, published in Conan the Swordman, a few years after the Savage Sword of Conan story, covers the same ground but a bit differently. First de Camp sets the stage as usual:
We are introduced to Rhazes the astrologer who uses a mechanical device to help him with his prognostications. “I see three persons, all royal, either now, or formerly, or yet in times to come. One is a beautiful woman, caught in a web like unto a spider’s. Another is a young man of high estate surrounded by walls of massive stone. The third is a mighty man, older than the other but still youthful, and of vast and sanguinary prowess.”
After that, we see Conan trying to engage Yasmela’s time. “The princess prepares to receive the envoy from Shumir and cannot give you audience now.” Yasmela later allows Conan in to see her but resists his amorous intentions, “Not now, my love! You’d crumple my courtly rainment.” Conan asks her to marry him. Yasmela rejects the offer, “That cannot be, my love, so long as I am regent. Were my brother free, something might be arranged, even though marriage with a foreigner is much against our customs.”
Conan decides it’s time to free Khossus. Conan, a lockpick thief named Fronto, and Rhazes the astrologer set off on their mission. Fronto knows of a secret entrance to the prison holding Khossus. Rhazes displays real (and dangerous) magic along the way.
There are some subplots and double crosses. I won’t provide spoils. Suffice to say, Conan does rescue Khossus and he is a bit of a pompous youth. He tells Conan that the citizens of Khoraja would never accept Conan’s marriage to Yasmela. “Out of the question, my good General! You – a foriegn barbarian and vulgar mercenary – nay, friend Conan, think not upon the matter. I appreciate your heroism and owe my life to you, but I could not admit you into the royal family.”
Conan ponders his future: “This haughty but well-meaning young ass believed every word he spoke about his royal rights and duties. True, he could quietly kill the king and return to Khoraja with some cock-and-bull story about the idiot’s end. But to risk so much to rescue him, only to murder the fool, would be ridiculous.”
I laughed aloud reading this. That’s my Conan! Conan decides to abscond with Khossus’s money pouch and sail on to further adventures. Neither sequel was great, but I give the nod to Carter and de Camp (mainly for Conan musing about killing Khossus). Roy’s ending has Conan too nonchalant. (Although the hoisting of the ladies panel is great!) Carter and de Camp seem a bit truer to REH, in that Conan has more than just a superficial attraction to Yasmela. Conan realistically realizes he’d never be happy adhering to the civilized tomfoolery required of him if he stayed in Khoraja. And, as a guy, I prefer that it was his choice, rather than Yasmela’s.
Joseph Michael Linsner Artwork for Dark Horse Comics
“The People of the Summit” by Bjorn Nyberg and L. Sprague de Camp is the second story in Conan the Swordsman, Bantam Books, 1978. It was originally published in The Mighty Swordsmen, Lancer Books, 1970. The original version was by Nyberg alone.
The Mighty Swordsmen was the second anthology in this series edited by Hans Stefan Santesson. Born on July 8, 1914 in Paris, France, Hans moved to the U.S. and had a distinguished career as an editor, writer, and reviewer. He edited books in the Unicorn Mystery Book Club series in the 1940s/50s. Then later the fantasy/SF magazines Fantastic Universe and New Worlds Science Fiction. He edited several anthologies as well. He passed away on February 18, 1975. The first book in the series was The Mighty Barbarians, Lancer Books, 1969.
Both books featured striking covers by the now famous Jim Steranko.
A third book in the series was published decades later under the editorship of Robert M. Price: The Mighty Warriors, Ulthar Press, 2018. The cover by Bruce Timm is done in Steranko’s style.
There are numerous textual changes between the Lancer version of “The People of the Summit” and the Bantam Books version. None significantly impact the basic story. They are primarily just changes in style. The first few paragraphs of each version are reproduced below as an example.
The Lancer Version:
“Why do we tarry here, Conan?”
“The Horses have to rest. Let us see if those Khozgari devils are still following!” He flung the long flap of cloth from before his face before he spoke and spat upon the ground. The heaving sweaty sides of his horse and its foam-flecked mouth bespoke the necessity of the halt. Conan’s smoky blue eyes were set off by his sunburned face, the red turban around his spired helmet and his red tunic, black sash, originally white breeches and black boots. His flowing left sleeve was embroidered with the golden scimitar of a sergeant in the Turanian frontier cavalry.
The Bantam Version:
The lean Turanian, whose dusty crimson jerkin and stained white breeches testified to the rigors of his flight, reined in his mare at the signal. Turning questioning black eyes upon his giant leader, he asked:
“Dare we tarrry here?”
His companion, similarly garbed, save that the flowing left sleeve of his woolen shirt bore the golden scimitar of a sergeant in the Turanian frontier cavalry, scowled. Blue eyes blazing beneath the crimson turban that bound his spired helmet, he tossed aside the flap of cloth that protected his face from the swirling dust and spat before he answered.
“The beasts must rest.”
This story is rather simple, and because of that, resembles these new Heroic Legends e-books in a way. But its 1970s sensibilities make it more entertaining. Conan and Jamal are on the run from a hostile tribe. They encounter a lone female, Shanya, who happens to be the daughter of Shaf Karaz, chief of the Khozgari. Conan decides to take her hostage to ensure safe passage should they meet up with any Khozgari.
Conan chooses to take a short cut through the Misty Mountains. Shanya warns Conan about “the People of the Summit” who live there. Conan ignores her (otherwise there wouldn’t be a story.) They are attacked when they enter the area. Shanya is taken and Jamal is killed.
Conan discovers that the attackers are some sort of trained apes, and he vows to rescue the girl. “She may be the daughter of an enemy, but I will not leave a woman in the hands of hairless apes.” The apes work for Shanya’s captors. They are an old dying race and plan to use Shanya for breeding purposes.
Conan, entertainingly, kills the lot of them. “Barbarian cur! You have destroyed our race.” There is deadly vapor and gas masks involved, as well as fighting a spiderlike monster. Conan, of course, survives and rescues the girl. “I cleaned up that nest of mummified robbers. Their evil thing I returned to the abyss whence it came. Lucky for you that I arrived in time to save your pretty skin.” Shanya, having been taken captive, first by Conan, then by the Summit People, and then terrorized and stripped naked is now ready to bed Conan.
Overall, this was a decent adventure. I liked it that Conan was a good guy and rescued the girl. I doubt a woman going through all that would be aroused sexually but this is fantasy. And rescuing fair maidens should be rewarded.
Marvel Comics adapted the story in The Savage Sword of Conan #3. Although featured on the cover (by Mike Kaluta) “Demons of the Summit” is the last story in the magazine. The adaptation is by Roy Thomas and Tony deZuniga. For good measure I’m reproducing the sexiest scene as well.
Conan the Swordsman was the first book in the Bantam Conan series. It was originally published in August 1978 and has been reprinted several times by Bantam, Ace, and Tor Books. It featured an introduction, 7 short stories, and a scholarly article. The first story was “Legions of the Dead” by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp.
I didn’t buy these books right away back in 1978. I was in my 20s and attending Wayne State University (in Detroit, Michigan) and was swamped in schoolwork and reading what others call “grown-up” fiction. It took almost 30 years before I purchased these books and read them.
Part of my hesitation may have been my memory of Conan of Aquilonia. The four stories that made up that book were decidedly a letdown. It was the weakest book of the classic Lancer/Ace Conan series. Conan the Swordsman despite its fill in the blanks scattershot stories is pretty good. The first story “Legions of the Dead” takes place before the events in the classic “The Thing in the Crypt.”
Artist Tim Kirk provided a new Hyborian Age map as well as spot illustrations throughout the book. The introduction by de Camp is the usual “fiction of this gene is pure entertainment.” He praises Conan and Robert E. Howard. He mentions REH’s other genres and states ” […] Howard is always fun to read.” He continues and says: “[REH and Tolkien created] a tremendous upsurge of interest in fantasy.” The conclusion tells of his involvement in continuing the stories and gives the reader background information on the character.
After setting the stage, the story begins in the middle of a deer hunt. Conan and an older man, Njal, have killed their meal for the day. The writing has a serious tone throughout the story. Carter’s humorous characters and oath swearing sidekicks are nowhere to be found. Conan is described as “tall and brawny for his age – almost as tall as the full-grown Northman beside him – but lean and wiry rather than massive.” Njal is a tall blond chief of the Aesir.
Conan and Njal’s crew are on the Hyperborean border, near the castle of Haloga. Hyperboreans are known slavers and have captured Njal’s daughter, Rann. Conan decides to try to rescue Rann on his own. The castle is full of Hyperborean witchmen and their queen, Vammatar the Cruel. “[She] stood on the parapet fair as the morning, with long bright hair and full breasts, which curved sweetly beneath her heavy white robes. A lazy, languorous smile parted her full red lips. The men who attended her were true Hyperboreans, unearthly in their gaunt, long-legged stature, with pale blue eyes and skeins of colorless silken hair.”
De Camp and Carter have come up for criticism for changing Hyperboreans from just another set of Northern barbarians into a scary looking race. Personally, that doesn’t bother me. Fantasy worlds with non-human looking creatures are popular. The Hyperborean witchmen are mostly human and do not “jump the shark” as do the satyrs we’ll encounter in Conan the Liberator later in the series.
Suffice to say, Conan does rescue Rann. But things do not go exactly according to plan. The Hyperborean witchmen use necromancy to resurrect dead Aesir warriors and Njal and Conan must face their dead comrades in battle. Conan is captured and the story concludes with Rann surviving and reaching Asgard remembering a poem of her people: “You can cut us down, we can bleed and die, But men of the North are we: You can chain our flesh; you can blind our eye; You can break us under the sky, But our hearts are proud and free!”
This was a good story to reintroduce us to continuing Conan prose adventures. De Camp and Carter got back on track emulating REH’s realistic (albeit weird horror) settings and sometimes pessimistic endings. I welcomed this story of young Conan.
“Legions of the Dead” was adapted to comics in The Savage Sword of Conan #39. Great cover by Earl Norem and interior art by Sal Buscema. Featured below is the cover, title page, and illustrations of Hyperboreans and Queen Vammatar. Enjoy!
spraguedecampfan 