''King Conan'' is a collection of five
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
short stories by American writer
Robert E. Howard featuring his
sword and sorcery hero
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...
. It is also the name of two separate comic book series featuring the character.
The book was first published in hardcover by
Gnome Press
Gnome Press was an American small-press publishing company primarily known for publishing many science fiction classics. Gnome was one of the most eminent of the fan publishers of SF, producing 86 titles in its lifespan — many considered classic ...
in 1953. The stories originally appeared in the 1930s in the fantasy magazine ''
Weird Tales
''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, pri ...
''. The collection never saw publication in paperback; instead, its component stories were divided and distributed among other "Conan" collections.
Chronologically, the five short stories collected as ''King Conan'' are the fourth in Gnome's Conan series; the novel ''
Conan the Conqueror'' follows.
Contents
*"Introduction" (
L. Sprague de Camp)
**July 1, 1931 note from
H. P. Lovecraft to Robert E. Howard
*"
Jewels of Gwahlur"
*"
Beyond the Black River
"Beyond the Black River" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in ''Weird Tales'' magazine, v. 25, nos. 5-6, May-June 1935. The story was republished in t ...
"
*"
The Treasure of Tranicos
"The Black Stranger" is a fantasy short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, one of his works featuring the sword & sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was written in the 1930s, but not published in his lifetime. When the original Conan ...
" (edited/rewritten by de Camp from Howard's "The Black Stranger")
*"
The Phoenix on the Sword
"The Phoenix on the Sword" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in ''Weird Tales'' magazine in December 1932. The tale, in which Howard created the charac ...
"
*"
The Scarlet Citadel"
Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics published 55 issues of a ''King Conan'' series from 1980-1989 (retitled ''Conan the King'' from #20-onward).
Dark Horse Comics
In 2011,
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...
started a new Conan comic book, named ''King Conan''; the Cimmerian, now old and alone on his throne of Aquilonia, recalls his previous years adventures with the young royal scribe; his tales are set after he got the throne. Dark Horse adapted several Howard's short stories plus
The Hour of the Dragon
''The Hour of the Dragon'', also known as ''Conan the Conqueror'', is a fantasy novel by American writer Robert E. Howard featuring his sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was one of the last Conan stories published before Howard' ...
. Until now, the list includes, in the following order:
*"The Scarlet Citadel" (2011)
*"The Phoenix on the Sword" (2012)
*"The Hour of the Dragon" (2013)
*"The Conqueror" (2014) (Originally, Dark Horse wanted to make 12 issues of ''The Hour of the Dragon'', then they decided to split the story into two, publishing the second part with the alternate name of the novel.)
Reception
P. Schuyler Miller
Peter Schuyler Miller (February 21, 1912 – October 13, 1974) was an American science fiction writer and critic.
Life
Miller was raised in New York's Mohawk Valley, which led to a lifelong interest in the Iroquois Indians. He pursued this as ...
received the collection favorably, praising Howard's ability "to make the preposterous doings of his superhuman hero so real."
Everett F. Bleiler found that the original text of "The Black Stranger" "is much superior to the adaptation" provided here. He characterized the collection overall as "a weak selection", although singling out two scenes as effective.
[ Everett F. Bleiler, ''The Guide to Supernatural Fiction'', Kent State University Press, 1983, pp.260-61]
References
1953 short story collections
Conan the Barbarian books by Robert E. Howard
Gnome Press books
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