Conan is one of the greatest fictional heroes ever created–a swordsman who cuts a swath across the lands of the Hyborian Age, facing powerful sorcerers, deadly creatures, and ruthless armies of thieves and reavers.“Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities . . . there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles … like blue mantles beneath the stars. . . . Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand . . . to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet.”
In a meteoric career that spanned a mere twelve years before his tragic suicide, Robert E. Howard single-handedly invented the genre that came to be called sword and sorcery. Collected in this volume, profusely illustrated by artist Mark Schultz, are Howard’s first thirteen Conan stories, appearing in their original versions–in some cases for the first time in more than seventy years–and in the order Howard wrote them. Along with classics of dark fantasy like “The Tower of the Elephant” and swashbuckling adventure like “Queen of the Black Coast,” The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian contains a wealth of material never before published in the United States, including the first submitted draft of Conan’s debut, “Phoenix on the Sword,” Howard’s synopses for “The Scarlet Citadel” and “Black Colossus,” and a map of Conan’s world drawn by the author himself.
Here are timeless tales featuring Conan the raw and dangerous youth, Conan the daring thief, Conan the swashbuckling pirate, and Conan the commander of armies. Here, too, is an unparalleled glimpse into the mind of a genius whose bold storytelling style has been imitated by many, yet equaled by none.
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Great collection of Conan stories. The stories in the collect cover a wide swath of Conan’s history, with some of the best stories included. The information regarding the history of Conan’s world was really interesting as well.
A really great rendition of the best of Ron Howard’s Conan stories, the audiobook also included a Solomon Kane tale, as well as the original Kull story, which would later be reconstructed into what would become the Conan mythos.
I’m a fan of Conan, the OG of sword and sorcery, and enjoyed every one of these stories. I am also a previous fan of …
Robert E. Howard… Enough said, always awesome! Have read these stories many times and will probably read them again in the future.
Not always great writing, but an incredibly powerful character and comprehensive world that spawned a host of imitators as well as gigantic industry based around the main character. Also an interesting combination of prehistoric adventure set in a world influenced by the Gods of H.P. Lovecraft as well as the authors’ own historical philosophies on …
I’m pretty sure that Robert E. Howard invented the genre of Sword-and-Sorcery.
Epic warriorfantasy a standard many others aspired to . His description of the primal warrior in battle is so real you feel like your there.
The original Conan stories make a great example of what a focused author can do in a short period of time – in this case about a year to 18 months. These are a collection of short stories, not a book, and really develop the Conan character and Hyperborean world. Appendices provide sketches of the various nationalities/races, a glimpse of the …
Great escapist reading.
If you enjoy the “sword & sorcery “ genre this is a must read!
EPIC!!!!
The introduction places the stories in the order Robert Howard wrote them, rather than the chronology of the stories themselves, which turns out to give both more insight into the flow of the stories as well as Howard’s development process for the series. Quite worth reading, even if you have already read all the stories before.
All of Howard’s work is wonderfully creative, he was one the first to write in this area now called Sword & Sorcery. His writing has influenced many of the greats now in the field. He died way to soon, leaving a longing few can fill.
I read all of Robert Howard’s books years ago. that is how wonderful they are.
Conan is fun pulp fiction.
Good illustrations. You can read the Conan stories every few years and enjoy them.
Who doesn’t love Conan. The original pulp hero.
Another collection of Howard’s ground breaking contributions to the genre of Sword and Socery. Classic Conan the Barbarian.
It’s okay, but dated – as you’d expect for something written around 80 years ago or so.
Amazing!!!