''The Coming of Conan'' is a collection of eight

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), 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 ...

short stories by American writer Robert E. Howard, featuring his

sword and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...

heroes

Kull Kull may refer to: Arts * Kull of Atlantis, a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard ** ''Kull the Conqueror'', a 1997 fantasy action film based on Howard's character and starring Kevin Sorbo * King Kull (DC Comics), a Fawcett Comics and D ...

and

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'') ...

, together with the first part of his pseudo-history of the "Hyborian Age" in which the Conan tales were set. It was first published in hardcover in the United States 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 classi ...

in 1953 and by

Boardman Books T.V. Boardman, Ltd. (Boardman Books) was a London publishing houses that turned out both paperback and hardcover books, pulp magazines, and comic books. Founded by Thomas Volney Boardman in the 1930s, Boardman Books is best known for publishing ...

in the United Kingdom in 1954. 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, prin ...

''. The collection never saw publication in paperback; instead, its component stories were split and distributed among other "Kull" and "Conan" collections.

*"Introduction" (

L. Sprague de Camp Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...

) **March 10, 1933 letter from Robert E. Howard to

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 ...

**Undated letter from H. P. Lovecraft to

Donald A. Wollheim Donald Allen Wollheim (October 1, 1914 – November 2, 1990) was an American science fiction editor, publisher, writer, and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell, Martin Pearso ...

on "The Hyborian Age" *" The Hyborian Age, Part 1" *"

The Shadow Kingdom "The Shadow Kingdom" is a fantasy short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, the first of his Kull stories, set in his fictional Thurian Age. It was first published in the pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in August 1929. The story introduces ...

" (Kull) *"

The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" is a fantasy short story by American author Robert E. Howard, one of his original short stories about Kull of Atlantis, first published in ''Weird Tales'' magazine c. 1929. It is one of only three Kull stories to ...

" (Kull) *"The King and the Oak" (Kull) *"

The Tower of the Elephant "The Tower of the Elephant" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. Set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, it concerns Conan in ...

" *"

The God in the Bowl "The God in the Bowl" is one of the original short stories featuring the sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard but not published during his lifetime. Set during the fictional Hyborian Age, the ...

" *"

Rogues in the House "Rogues in the House" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in ''Weird Tales'' magazine in January 1934. It is s ...

" *"

The Frost-Giant's Daughter "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" is one of the original fantasy short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. The story is set in the fictional history of the Hyborian Age and details Conan pursuing a spect ...

" *"

Queen of the Black Coast "Queen of the Black Coast" 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 c. May 1934. During the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, Co ...

" Chronologically, the short stories collected as ''The Coming of Conan'' are the earliest in Gnome's Conan series; the stories collected as ''

'' follow.

Reception

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' reviewer Villiers Gerson praised the stories as "unusual adult fairy tale

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

a verve and dash seldom found in such thud-and-blunder stories."

praised the volume as "some of the best of the fantastic, bloody exploits of Conan the Cimmerian in a world that never was.""The Reference Library", ''

Astounding Science Fiction ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...

'', September 1954, p.151

References

1953 short story collections Conan the Barbarian books by Robert E. Howard Gnome Press books {{1950s-fantasy-story-collection-stub

Contents

Reception

References