Tribute article: The top 7 stories of Conan The Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard

"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black haired, sullen eyed, sword in hand, a thief,  a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jewelled thrones of the earth under his sandaled feet.."

I have read many fantasy books and stories, some are better than the others, but I can honestly say,  no other books or stories are as re-readable, entertaining and exciting as Robert E. Howard's Conan stories. I am grateful to have discovered Robert E. Howard among the sea of authors. With a touch of magic, stories of Conan the Cimmerian, has made my career as a reader so much more fun and exciting. There are good reasons, almost 80 years after Robert Howard's death, the name Conan, has become an immortal cultural icon as enduring as Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, and James Bond. In recent years, the demand for reprints of Robert Howard's original Conan stories is always increasing. Thankfully, as more and more people are re-introduced to these original Conan stories, their impressions of Conan are gradually steering away from comic books and Arnold movies.

Conan, the legendary barbarian's chronicle, has charmed me with fantastic tales of ice and fire, actions and intrigues. These stories are told through Robert Howard's dynamic, vibrant and energetic writings, in the unique style of poetical lyricism. From the first minute I opened the page, to the last second I close it, every time I read a Conan story, I am transported to a realm of infinite possibilities, populated with larger than life characters, packed with high adventures..a whole new world.

This article is a tribute to Robert E. Howard's Conan, I have had intentions to write an article of this nature for a while, and finally got around to do so. Howard wrote 21 Conan stories in his life time, and I have picked 7 of my favorite Conan stories, as a recommendation to those who might be interested.

Without further delay, let me tell of of the days of high adventures!

7. Rogues in the House (Published in January 1934)

Rogues in the House, is a story with all elements constituting towards a good tale: a political power struggle, betrayals, mystery, dungeon crawling adventures, thought provoking antagonists, and solid, heart pounding action scenes.

There is a very interesting theme in this story, the theme of "hypocrisy". The plot revolves around the power struggle between two governmental leaders. Both leaders were corrupt in their own ways (one manipulates the king, the other sells government secret to the enemy kingdom). They both use their personal influence and power to gain status and reputation in the city. However, when they stumble upon each other during Conan's quest (who was previously arrested and imprisoned on the charge of murder), they realized they are equally as corrupt, while Conan seems to be the most honest one in contrast, because Conan doesn't try to conceal his criminal nature.

6. The People of the Black Circle (Published in September 1934)

The People of the Black Circle, is often considered as a classic among the Conan chronicles. Howard gave a story an atypical "Indian" spin. The story took place in the land of Vendhya (pre-historical India). In the story, by accident, Conan was  drawn into a political conspiracy and an assassination plot.

 This story has a full cast of intriguing characters. The most notable ones include the princess whom Conan is protecting, whose character comically contrasting the character of Conan, making them a very odd couple. The other interesting characters include the lively portrayal of the antagonist, an apprentice wizard who defied his master for the girl that he loves. The People of the Black Circle, is a spectacular story with a tinge of magic vibrating through its core.


5. Red Nails (Published in July 1936)

Red Nails is the last Conan story by Robert Howard  before his tragic death. One of the prevailing theme in Howard's Conan saga, is the theme of the degeneration of civilizations and the tendency towards barbarism, lying dormant in the human nature. In Red Nails, Conan and a sword woman, discovered an ancient, ruined city in the wilderness. Upon their exploration of the ruined city, they discovered inhabitants in the city, who were remnants of a once mighty and powerful civilization. However, power struggles, greed and political ambitions prompted years of civil wars, and the population of the city was reduced to a few tormented souls, who were completely detached from the outside world.

Many have accredited Red Nails as one of the best stories in the Conan saga, and I heartily agree with such an assessment.



4. Queen of the Black Coast (Published in May 1934)

Queen of the Black Coast, is an atypical Conan story. It is atypical not only because its scope is epic, but also because it is a very rare Conan story revolving around romance.

In this story, Conan became an infamous pirate, plundering and raiding along side a head strong femme fatale, Belit. The plot then takes an unexpected twist and finished off with a bitter sweet ending.

Queen of the Black Coast, is widely acknowledged as the most famous Conan stories, and certainly an undisputed classics in the world of sword and sorcery fiction.








3. Tower of the Elephant (Published in March 1933)

Tower of the Elephant, is a fascinating blend of the science fiction and sword and sorcery genres. The result? A massively entertaining and curiously bizarre master piece! Published in 1933, Tower of the Elephant is often regarded by Howard scholars as one of the best Conan stories.

The story starts with Conan as a young thief, unfamiliar with the ways of the civilized world. A whim of chance presents Conan at a tavern. After Conan heard a story about a sorcerer, a fabled jewel and the mysterious Elephant tower, Conan braved rumors of death and horror in the Elephant tower to steal the precious Jewel. Little did Conan know that he was about to have an encounter with the elder world, and was given a glimpse into the past through the lurk worm of space and time..




2. The Hour of the Dragon (Published in 1935-1936)

The Hour of the Dragon is the longest Conan story. It is a story about political conspiracy, betrayals, loyalty, military conquests, a evil wizard, and revenge.

The Hour of the Dragon, tells the story of a middle aged Conan as the King of Aquilonia. Conspirators under Conan's reign seek to overthrow the Cimmerian and rule in his stead. They raised an evil necromancer of the elder world from the dead. Dreaming of kingship and conquest, the conspirators seek to manipulate the necromancer and the power he possess. They almost succeeded in putting Conan out of the way with the aid from the necromancer's black magic. Although betrayed and imprisoned, Conan is not the kind of person to be trampled easily. Since birth, the Cimmerian's fortitude was hardened by the tough lifestyle on the vistas of somber hills in Cimmera whence he came. Conan will fight back as a wounded lion, to take back the throne which was his.



1. Beyond the Black River (Published in 1935)

"Barbarism vs. civilization", is a prevailing theme underlining all of Howard's Conan stories. Howard observed, history has shown that civilizations has the tendency towards corruption, and hence the weaver of its own doom through over-indulgence and degenerative lifestyles. When the level of corruption reaches the peak of its degeneracy, barbarism will arise to overthrow the civilization, establishing a new era.. then the pattern repeats.

In "Beyond the Black River", a medium length, action packed Conan story. Howard fully explores his worldview on barbarism vs. civilization, by telling a story that took place in a frontier setting. Conan is drawn into the struggle of an empire and its savage, primitive neighbors at the imperial border. Conan became the first hand witness of the clash between civilization and barbarism, and its effects on the lives of all  who were involved.

 Beyond the Black River, in my opinion, is the best original Conan stories in the lot. Howard departed from his normative Conan settings such as ancient ruins or populated cities, and instead chose to tell a refreshing Conan yarn in the frontier setting, while fully explored the cause and effect on the clash between barbarism and civilization.  A tale imbued with element fury, and told at neck-breaking pace, Beyond the Black River, not only is a brilliant Conan story, but it is also a genre breaking story among the fantasy fiction galore, hacking and slashing its way into the hall of fame with blood and thunder.

That's it folks! If you are interested, I am sure you will find these stories providing hours of good reading.

Stay tuned for next time, when I will write a special article on "The top 7 horror stories by H.P Lovecraft".