Conan's Conflict

For the past few weeks, I've been rereading the old Conan anthologies among other things; I still have a long way to go and am pressing ahead, but I've already learned a great deal. This is the first time that I've approached them with that attitude, not to be entertained but to be educated, with the goal of improving my own writing for the sword and sorcery series I have pending. (This is not the Mercian Saga; that one is increasingly heading in a different direction, and while it is definitely going to happen, it isn't going to happen yet.) So here I go with a little analysis; brace yourself.

The core of any story is conflict. With Howard – certainly with the Conan stories – what we have as the core 'conflict' is civilization versus barbarian. A conflict which – in Howard's mind, we know that much from his writings and letters – the barbarians were always going to win. There is considerable historical evidence to support this theory, but the truth of the maxim is not the point here; simply that at the heart of his stories was civilization meeting the barbarians and being found wanting. Conan ultimately falls victim to the same trap; by becoming King of Aquilonia he becomes more civilized, and we know that despite all of his efforts, ultimately that kingdom is crushed by the barbarian hordes. It outlives his time, but that is all.

There is the heart of Conan, and the 'riddle of steel', if you like. That civilizations can last for thousands of years, but ultimately will fall; and Conan – and his chronicler – are on the side of the barbarians. He isn't Belisarius, he is Theodoric. (Howard must have been familiar with the fall of the Roman Empire. There are too many Conan-esque characters in that time period for him not to be; any number of Goths and Vandals gathered armies, conquered kingdoms and reigned...) King Kull can be taken as an even starker depiction of this battle. By This Axe I Rule is laden with such symbolism; there the barbarian has conquered, and the ancient kingdom will never be the same again. Forever will the laws be changed, whether for better or for worse.

On a purely subjective basis, my favourite Conan tales are those set in exotic lands, and there we have the clash of cultures as well – but more in the orientalist style. He's using these settings for the flavour; he isn't writing about the clash of West against East, or anything like that. This is barbarian against civilization, and he doesn't care where the barbarians come from. They can be Picts from the frozen wastes or Afghulis from the desert steppes; they remain Conan's allies against the strange ways of ancient lands. (On that aside, expect me to do something a bit different for a few days...reviewing old issues of Oriental Stories. I managed to snag some reprints...)

So – we see the tale of the Barbarian. The question therefore is...what of the Civilized Man? The thought that immediately occurs to me is that the story is just as interesting the other way around, that of civilization attempting to keep back the darkness for one more day, one more week, one more battle, knowing that ultimately they will lose. I am well aware that this is not a new thing – I'm looking at you, Admiral Flandry – but in the sword and sorcery genre it strikes me as an interesting angle for me to explore.

For – I want to wrote sword and sorcery, but I don't want to write a Clonan. If the opportunity ever arose to write a Conan, or a Kull saga, that I would happily do, I'll say that here and now. (Someone listening to this? Kindle Worlds, please?) But I don't want to write a thinly-veiled clone, I want to strike interesting ground that has been less travelled, and this strikes me as a good avenue to attack!

Another lesson, well learned, is the exotic setting, and that's somewhere else I intend to explore. Ancient Egypt, Sumeria, the Black Sea, the desert tribes as far as the Tibetan Empire and Greco-Bactria, all of these have potential as interesting settings for stories, once I get a handle – a final and complete handle – on the character. In one way I want to follow Howard, a character that roams, that wanders the limits of his world. Conan had a story, an arc, but he was not tied down. Today I fear there would be the temptation to make his character the lead in a trilogy, maybe the 'Conquest of Aquilonia', or something of that sort, when that does not really suit the character. More than that, from a simply logistical point of view, as a writer it makes sense to have a world that can support multiple stories, a character that can persist for dozens of stories rather than simply a three-book series. To make that work, of course, the character has to be a strong and deep one, and Conan certainly was. He must have been – eighty years on, and we still talk about him.

Conan 6: Conan of Cimmeria

The sixth book in the series, Conan of Cimmeria, and this one has the most stories yet – eight, in total. Four Howard, four de Camp and Carter – and once again, de Camp has chosen to lead with a pastiche instead of an original story, starting with 'The Curse of the Monolith'. The prose begins with him walking among bamboo, rhododendrons and mighty redwoods as old as Atlantis, and Conan tasked to take a letter from one city to another. It just never really seems to flow, and it's hard to maintain a suspension of disbelief. At one point a noble from Khitai brings out a crowbar to open crates of gold! The story concludes with Conan fighting a jelly...I've only just started this anthology, and already the mark is falling. Not a good start.

'The Bloodstained God' follows, a Howard story. Interesting how Conan seems to use the tulwar a lot in stories that have been converted; this once again is a fragment for another character that has been expanded. It's not great, and there is something missing – the flavour isn't there. Hard to define, but somehow the description seems to be a little by the numbers, and the dialogue doesn't feel right. It has a pretty decent Howard ending, and at least true to the spirit of Conan – treasure only matters for what it can buy him, and in this case it has bought him his life – a fair bargain.

Finally, an unadulterated Howard in the form of 'The Frost Giant's Daughter'. Most put this story at the beginning of Conan's life as chronicled, and it's one of the more directly mythologically-inspired stories, delving into Norse myth. The usual descriptive touches are nicely present in the piece, though the theme – Conan chasing a beautiful woman into the icy wastes that he might have his way with her – is somewhat questionable. It's still a decent story, though not the best.

With the title 'Lair of the Ice Worm' the next pastiche comes into view. The description here is actually a little better, though 'Snow Devil Glacier, also known as the River of Death Ice' sticks out rather. This one is a damsel-in-distress story – and the damsel is nothing special. This sort of story can work very well in the canon, but there needs to be a lot more too it than that, and here, there really isn't. She dies, he kills the monster, a vampiric ice-worm, and then decides to go where it is warm again. It's actually a half-decent story, probably the best of the pastiches yet, with a good monster at least, even if the plot is rather by-the-numbers.

'Queen of the Black Coast'. That's more like it. Howard returns to his pirate theme here in a tale that sees Conan rise to the command of a raiding ship with the beauteous Belit at his side – or more to the point, he at hers. Here is where be becomes Amra, and has the adventures referred to back in 'Scarlet Citadel'. He wins all and loses all; despite his successes in the end the love of his life is dead, his crew wiped out, and he is alone on the deck of his ship, the Tigress. Again, this is an excellent story, lavish in description and with more of the exotic feel that works so well in this sort of story.

After this treat comes 'Vale of Lost Women', and I'll get the technical part out of the way first; in terms of the quality of the writing, it is an exciting tale about at the middle of the canon, descriptive with some interesting characters – but from a modern perspective, this one can be somewhat problematic; the language here can jar somewhat – given that he has opted to make the barbarians 'black dogs' this time. Interesting to note, though, is that to Conan, these are just another group of barbarians. No different to the Afghulis, he seeks to become their ruler to lead them to battle. (On an aside – de Camp has put two of the most controversial stories in a single anthology...bundling them with his own. That's potentially quite a daring move.)

Next comes 'Castle of Terror', which...I'm sorry, this sounds like it should have 'suitable for levels 3-5' as the sub-heading. It's just not a good title. Another pastiche coming up, but actually – they've given a bad title to a pretty decent story. The opening is good, setting the scene quickly, and although Conan hardly says a word in the entire story, his character comes through pretty well. Kull is referenced here – de Camp did like using the canon, didn't he – in a throwaway line. The plot's a bit bland – Conan runs across the veldt, finds a castle filled with, well, terror, and leaves, but this one is reasonable. About on a par with 'Ice Worm', and that I can live with.

I've changed my mind. 'Castle of Terror' is a brilliant title. In comparison to 'Snout in the Dark', anyway. This is obviously a working title...and really needed to be changed. There's a lot of good Howard in this story, but it really needed to be longer, in my opinion. The plot feels skeletal, and could really have been entangled a lot more than it was; given that de Camp and Carter completed this from a story fragment, I really think they should have done more. That Conan rides off with the woman who is a bit less interesting than the fiery Queen of the book is rather amusing, if nothing else.

This one goes down to 7.5, and that's because of 'Black Coast' pulling it up. The pastiches are actually getting a little better in some places, but Howard's work is getting more and more diluted at this point, and it's more noticeable than I expected. I'm doing this as a learning experience, in the way of research for my own sword and sorcery, and I didn't feel that I took that much from this collection.

Conan 5: Conan the Freebooter

Well, after a slight hiatus, we return with Conan the Freebooter, a five-story collection pretty much slap-bang in the middle of the actual Howard stories collected in the Sphere series. I apologize for the delay, by the way – I managed to pull muscles in both arms – long story – and it made writing a bit painful for a while! Fortunate I wasn't in the middle of something; it was frustrating enough as it was! Anyway, on with the show – after all, I'm in this to learn from the master, and it's more than time for my next lesson...

We open with 'Hawks of Shem', a title that has nothing at all in common with 'Hawks over Outremer'. No, really – it's based on 'Hawks of Egypt', a very different story. It's a good piece, not the best but a solid tale, and that actually says something interesting about Howard to me – he really likes his 'oriental' pieces. There is nothing at all wrong with that, they are some of his best works, but the clash of cultures definitely attracted his attention, as well as the lavish imagery such settings possessed. His copy of the Arabian Nights must have been extremely well thumbed. The tale itself is a good one, Conan almost literally stumbling into the plot, but still a nice solid piece, and the De Camp changes don't really show. If I hadn't known the story originated for another character, I wouldn't have seen it in a casual read.

Next we come to 'Black Colossus'. This story once again showcases Howard's amazing descriptive sense – paragraph after paragraph of rolling prose pulling the reader into the world, giving the sense of taste and feel that is required. It always amazes me that Howard was able to pull this off, without ever getting to see the places he was writing about himself. Imagine if he'd made it out to Egypt, somehow, or to Assyria...what stories would we have had then! The character that opens the book, a thief named Shevatas, does not even get a line of dialogue – but we just don't need it.

This story has such rich prose that it really draws you in, Conan fighting dark sorcery the only way he knows how, sword in hand with an army at his back. It's notable how often Conan is perceived as a lone warrior, somehow, but from his earliest days he has been strongest as a leader of men, and often sought to gather followers from some great quest. The ending is an interesting one – in another world, this would have been the end of a grand 'Conan' saga – after all, he essentially gets the girl, and with her, the kingdom – yet he carries on his wanderings.

'Shadows in the Moonlight' follows; a very Sinbad-esque tale, somehow. It almost feels at times as if this era in Conan's career should have been covered by Burton! Another pirate piece, set on a strange island, but this one with a far more 'Arabian' feel than his earlier pirate piece. This ends with him acquiring a 'Queen of the Blue Sea' in the form of the former slave Olivia, as well as a huge man-ape chasing them...so the influences in this one are pretty apparent. It's not a strong story, in comparison to some of the others; I have the feeling that at times Howard didn't quite know the story he wanted to write.

'The Road in the Eagles' feels in many ways more like a collaboration between Harold Lamb and de Camp; it's a very Lamb-style story, strongly influenced by him. Another original non-Conan story, and this time it shows. It just doesn't feel like it fits in the world of Conan, despite the references to lands such as Iranistan. Again, it isn't a particularly bad story, it just isn't a Conan tale, and Lamb is a bit too near the surface here.

Finally, the jewel in the crown, 'A Witch Shall Be Born'. Now this one is one of my all-time favourites, and would be a strong contender for favourite; it says a lot that this story, for me, beats 'Black Colossus' down to second place. This one explores the evil twin motif, introduces the concept of a crucified Conan to the world, sees him riding with steppe nomads to avenge himself and free a desert city-state – it is just an absolutely classic story that is well told, perfectly outlined, with all the strengths of Howard and none of the weaknesses. His ending mirrors another tale, as he heads off to raid civilized lands rather than becoming a king – really, Conan gets offered an awful lot of thrones before he finally picks Aquilonia.

This one is just generally strong. Two absolute classics in this one, pushing it up to a '9'.

Conan 4: Conan the Conqueror

The fourth book should be called 'Hour of the Dragon'. It is an excellent title; while 'Conan the Conqueror' has a certain ring to it, it doesn't really describe the book particularly well. Conan doesn't conquer anything in the course of this story – instead, he reclaims the kingdom that has been stolen from him by trickery and deceit. This, regrettably, was the only full-length novel featuring the Conan character that Howard ever wrote; regrettably because I generally prefer the longer Conan stories. Something I'm planning for the end of this piece is to design 'my perfect anthology'...but that's another eighteen reviews away.

It is apparent by this time that Howard is comfortable with Conan and his world. There is a confidence in this work that is perhaps not quite so much there in his earlier pieces. In this piece, Aquilonia is even more medieval Europe than before; knights in shining armour ride across the landscape, and the political situation is strongly feudal. That this meshes so well with the more exotic areas of his world should be no surprise; the analogy here is simply medieval Europe and the Middle East, two cultures that existed at the same time quite happily. Well, by happily, there were the Crusades, of course, but that's another story. (And Howard wrote some good ones, but more on that later. I'm in danger of rambling.)

Conan here has become King; we get the backstory of his rise to power quite quickly, and he does mirror King Kull in some respects, while still being his own man. He's at the end of his life – as an adventurer, certainly, and there is an air of contemplation over his past. At the start of the book he dreams of the trails he once walked; over the course of the book he once again walks some of them, with the temptation of simply returning to his old ways.

“I wont go as a king of Aquilonia, or even as a knight of Poitain, but as a wandering mercenary, as I rode in Zingara in the old days. Oh, I have enemies enough south of the Alimane, in the lands and the waters of the south. Many who won't know me as king of Aquilonia will remember me as Conan of the Barachan pirates, or Amra of the black corsairs. But I have friends, too, and men who'll aid me for their own private reasons.”

There is an air of finality, and I think this was definitely meant to be the last Conan tale, chronologically, by Howard; I suspect that if he had lived longer, future stories would have been set in the past. He's done 'Barbarian King' before, remember, and he stopped exploring the Kull character. (Could this have been written as a Kull story? Yes, but not as well. Kull didn't have the wealth of history that Conan has by this point to the fan. That extra dimension would have been missing.)

Then...Zenobia. A name rich in history – a Queen who for a time defied the Romans, one of the last great foes they defeated, and an exotic character from the east...here used to describe the slave girl who ultimately becomes Conan's wife. This character is only seen in a few scenes in the book, but there is little sense that she is bolted on; she takes a big risk to help free Conan in one of his darkest hours, and he keeps his word to return for her at the end of the book. There is a logic to taking a foreign wife; he then is beholden to no faction at court, which makes some sense. It's a good scene, in any case, and actually shows how Conan's character has developed as he has grown older.

Conan has changed in another key way from his earlier self. The barbarian warrior who sought to lead a horde of Afghuli tribesmen against the cities of Iranistan has now evolved into a ruler who rejects an offer to lead an army on a war of conquest for far greater rewards, instead opting to return to what has been taken from him. This evolution of his character indicates that responsibility has crept into his soul; it is time for him to settle down, and the throne of Aquilonia is as good a place as any to do that. That – and there is still room for revenge in his soul.

In a sense, the plot of this book almost 'hits the high points' of Conan's career – with rulership, intrigue, thievery, action on the high seas, dark sorcerers from exotic lands – one can easily imagine Howard deciding to write a novel, and consciously playing to his strongest elements from this past. Not that this steals from earlier works, not in the least, it's all meshed together well, and with the 'this I once did' element to add poignancy, but it's certainly an element to consider – and had he done another Conan novel, it would have been interesting to see what he did with it.

The book ends with Conan once again on his throne, the conspirators defeated, and the slave girl Zenobia rewarded by becoming his wife – though this is something that 'he will now do', it isn't how the story ends – which is certainly as it should be. Conan ends on a high. This one gets nine out of ten, without question. So far, so good.

Conan 3: Conan

And so we get to the third book in the series, which is simply called 'Conan' – which has had the effect of making the title of this post look a bit odd. The first two collections had one long piece and a few short stories; this one is a collection of seven Conan stories, bulked out with the first half of the 'Hyborian Age' essay. (I'm going to cover that in a separate post at some point – for now it should just be noted that it is present in the book.) This collection is notable for one key element – two stories that are listed as being written by De Camp and Carter. I'll get this out of the way right now – I have an awful lot of time for Lin Carter. If it were not for him, likely I would not have heard of Conan, and would have missed out on an awful lot. His writing, however, is often rather questionable, even though I rate him extremely highly in other areas. So it was with some trepidation that I launched myself into this book.

So, we begin with 'The Thing in the Crypt', a Carter/de Camp story, and...a novelization of the 'escape' scene from Conan the Barbarian. I tell a lie, since the movie came a few years later, but I know where that scene came from. Which...is not really a problem, because it is an excellent scene. Unfortunately – that's it. A young Conan falls into a crypt, finds a sword, and leaves. Conan isn't Arthur, or Elric. The sword he wields is not a major part of his character. Now this could be the beginning of a story if it turned out he'd found something more interesting, something which could spin off into a larger plot, but...it isn't. It's pretty well-written, it just doesn't go anywhere.

With a deep sigh of relief, I turn to 'Tower of the Elephant'. So far an iconic Conan story has been in each collection, and this is no exception. Why the book doesn't start with this is somewhat baffling, though I suppose it is the editor showcasing 'his' Conan story to the world, but it is here, and it is just as good as ever. Here we see the editors trying to tell the tale of Conan in a chronological order – they've started at the beginning of his career with an 'origin story', and are now working their way onward. Interesting that his 'special sword' is not in evidence.

Tower of the Elephant is one of the greats, and deservedly so. Here we see a young Conan, new to the lands of civilization, practising the art of thievery. We have a classic fight against a serpent, and the quest for the Elephant's Heart, a huge gem – the thievery as much to prove he can as for the wealth it may bring him. Then we have the element that reminds us this was in Weird Tales; the encounter with the eldar creature, who has seen the history of Hyboria spin around him, after arriving from its homeworld of Yag. That this feels a natural extension of the world is a credit to Howard, and reading this one was a treat. I just wish it had been longer; but there is no trace of padding within it.

Following on from this is 'Hall of the Dead', another piece set in Conan's career as a thief, tied in with another lost city piece – this time seeking more gems in the abandoned city of Larsha. Notable in this is the key fight with...a giant slug. There's an attempt to make this a great fight, but it doesn't really work – to be honest, it's not hard to see the joins in this story, even if you haven't read the fragment. Nestor's a reasonable character, with some similarities to Taurus from 'Elephant', though their proximity in the collection might be adding to this.

'The God in the Bowl' follows on from this piece, seeing Conan in a city once again – with the 'Palian Way' and 'Publico' giving some ideas on influences here. This one is another one of my favourites, with Conan framed for the murder of a local dignitary – who he was planning to rob. Again we see a serpent as the foe; Howard used these fairly often, tracing them back from his ancient Atlantean past with the Serpent Men – it works extremely well in this place, building the mystery up in a nicely Hitchcockian fashion – the monster is only revealed at the end.

'Rogues in the House' sees Conan once again entangled in the web of civilized intrigue, as he is offered his freedom in exchange for killing a man – a deal he accepts, before ending up fighting a giant ape who has gained a modicum of intelligence through foul sorcery, trapping his creator as well as those who would have him dead. What immediately occurs to me is that as has happened before in these collections, a pair of too-similar stories are placed next to each other; this time they both weather it reasonably well, but spacing them further apart might have been a better idea. It has a strong opening, this one, but the giant ape ending lets it down a little – though Conan racing out of the kingdom certainly has the air of truth to it.

Hence comes the 'Hand of Nurgal', with an opening obviously linked by de Camp to the previous story – unnecessary, but certainly forgivable. This one is another Eastern story, and again the strengths of Howard working in that theatre shine through; the setting is lavish as ever, with a strong trace of the Mongols this time. This is a fairly minor work, with Conan almost stumbling into the item he needs to save the day, but I linger a little on the ending – where Conan refuses 'all the treasure he could carry', instead riding off with a small sack of gold on a horse, as well as a girl who attracts his eye. Great ending to that story.

The final story, 'City of Skulls', is another de Camp/Carter piece. This one has obviously been written as a sequel to the previous story – if such is necessary – or a least has been heavily modified with this in mind. Names such as Jalong Thongpa suggest Carter's heavy influence in this work, and it reads...well, it reads like someone making an attempt to copy Howard's style. The words are there, but somehow the magic isn't. It feels a little like 'Conan-by-numbers' at times.

Difficult to rate, this one. I'd probably give this one seven and a half; the non-Howard pieces don't really add very much here, and the collection – whilst having several good stories – could use a little more variety than is present. I'll also say – reading seven stories on the trot was a bit of a slog! It's a lot easier, somehow, when it is just three or four, even when they provide as long a book. Fortunately, I shall not have that problem tomorrow.

Conan 2: Conan the Warrior

I'll start this review with two words. Red Nails. The first collection started with one of my favourite Conan tales; this starts with another; definitely De Camp knew what he was doing in starting each collection with a strong story, if nothing else! (I am curious, actually, what the selection process was for each anthology; no doubt there is something on it somewhere. If it was to follow some sort of chronology – and the little 'chronological notes' that set each story in Conan's career are evidence of that – then surely Tower of the Elephant would have been a better place to start.)

Well. Red Nails. This is another of the classic Conan stories – a venture into a lost city, this one with extremely strong Mesoamerican themes (a character called Olmec, for a start), but a sample of more of the amazing Howardian imagery. This features Valeria, famous for the movie – who in this is an extremely strong female character. (The movie is a matter for discussion at another time, I reckon.) This is one of those that is often talked about, and with extremely good reason. Howard manages to fit an entire culture into this story, painted with strong vivid tones that make it come to life.

In addition to this, with have the strong theme of eternal war, more sorcery in the form of an enchantress who caused the whole war in the first place – and Conan and his companion moving in to deal with the problem in a typically permanent way. In addition to the setting of the story itself, the tale is filed with references to the wider world, which can occasionally appear obtrusive, I confess, but which do serve as a reminder that there is a bigger world out there. This story dominates the collection, as indeed it should...

...But this time, is better supported by the other two stories. Only three in this collection, with the second being 'Jewels of Gwahlur', which took me four attempts to type correctly. The female lead in this one is far weaker; being used to imitate a goddess due to a coincidental resemblance – in effect, Conan is stumbling on a huge religious confidence trick that he uses to his advantage. I can see why this story was put in with Red Nails, it feels rather similar in tone at times, though...somewhat lesser formed, somehow. The ending with the beasts is strong, but somehow, in this, it feels as if Howard simply had less to say. I take back what I said; it might have been better to put this elsewhere. It's another lost world piece that perhaps sits a bit in the shade.

Finally, we finish with 'Beyond the Black River', and well – I'll start by quoting the ending lines. “Barbarism is the natural state of mankind...Civilisation is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph.” Here once again Howard is pushing a strong philosophy, and it shows in a strong story. This concept meant much to him; it is all through his correspondence, so it's unsurprising that this tale of barbarian Picts overwhelming Roman soldiers on the frontier is a good one – even if the source material is obvious at times. This smells of a story originated for another character, one of the historical pieces Howard enjoyed writing so much. Yet Conan fits seamlessly into the piece, because this fits his character so well.

Despite Conan's help, the barbarians win; Aquilonia's border is pushed back to Thunder River at the story's end, the implication being that this is the first stage of a longer process, and that the civilized empire will not dare try its luck in the Pictish Wilderness again. Shades of Hadrian's Wall, obviously, and Germania – but it works well. In another collection this might have been the signature story.

A stronger second book than the first; I'm going with a '9'. 

Conan 1: Conan the Adventurer

What immediately strikes me about the four stories in this book is that they are all set in the exotic fringes of Hyboria; not that any part of it is not exotic and strange, but it highlights that Howard was always extremely interested in his 'Oriental' work – with one tale among the Afghulis, two in the Black Kingdoms, and one as a corsair in the Western Ocean; that last we'll get to in a minute. I'm not attempting to analyse the 'contributions' made by de Camp in these reviews, I should clarify; I simply intend to take each story at its own merits. Others are far more qualified than I to work on a more textual analysis, and I'm reading these for inspiration, primarily. About which more later.

The first book in this collection, 'The People of the Black Circle', is one of my favourite Conan tales, and I think an excellent introduction to the character. It's a classic tale that shows Conan as a leader of men, at the height of his power, with ambitions not to rule – but to lay waste. He is not Alaric seeking to found a Gothic Empire on the ruins of Rome, he seeks loot and wealth for its own sake, and has little regard for where he does his ravaging; he speaks of returning north to other lands, should his plans with the Afghulis fail.

We have a classic combination here, therefore – Conan in an 'Eastern' setting, complete with large doses of mysticism and laced with the opulent wealth of the area, mentions of seraglios and power struggles beyond, huge battles against difficult odds – though not all of them are described, and even encounters with old allies from the past. Can you tell I really enjoy this one?

'The Slithering Shadow' fares less well, but it is standing in something of a shadow of its own, so perhaps this is not to be wondered at. Again, this is classic, with Conan exploring a lost city with a female companion, but she is treated in such a limp fashion that one almost wonders why he doesn't simply accept the wiles of the evil sorceress he meets in the lost city of Xuthal. This one takes quite a while to truly get going, and while a good story, fails to meets the heights of the first one; though the descriptions are as lavish, a true Howard mark.

Third, we have 'Drums of Tombalku', and already I am forced to break the rule of the first chapter – because this is really obviously written from a Howard fragment, and I would probably have known that without any other knowledge. The story takes forever to get moving, the pacing way off, and the focus on a character who essentially just wants to settle down and raise a family; we never really get engaged with Amalric, and are constantly wanting to see more of Conan. Now, having a Conan story with the 'lead' another character can work, but the character in question has to engage the reader, and this one doesn't. I did like King Sakumbe, I must admit, but again – we see too little of the story to truly engage us. The weak one of the selection.

Tortage? Sigh. Howard didn't write much fiction set in the pirate age, despite his exposure to Sabatini through 'Adventure', and his obvious familiarity with at least some of the old materials; I find it hard to believe that he hadn't at least read 'The Buccaneers of America', at some point. (Truly excellent book, by the way.) This adventure features Conan attempting to swim across the Western Ocean – yes, swim across the Atlantic, basically – and could easily be set in the 17^th century Caribbean. Right down to him ending up on a yacht. Having said that, Conan as a character is strong in this story, even if at times he seems to have swum backwards in time. (In the book, it is suggested Conan is in his mid-thirties; I agree with other reasoning that this is meant to take place considerably earlier in his life.)

The collection starts strong, but doesn't really stay that way; but they're leading with one of the best stories in the canon – in my personal opinion – so it's only likely to descend from there in any case. I'm going to give this one an eight out of ten as an opener.