The Sword of Conan is a collection of fantasy short stories by Robert E. Howard, originally published in 1952 by Gnome Press. It features the legendary barbarian hero Conan the Cimmerian, one of the most enduring characters in sword-and-sorcery literature.
The stories in this volume are drawn from Weird Tales magazine, where Howard originally published much of his Conan fiction in the 1930s. The collection includes:
- “The People of the Black Circle” – A tale of magic, assassination, and political intrigue in a kingdom inspired by the Himalayas.
- “The Slithering Shadow” (also known as Xuthal of the Dusk) – A horror-tinged adventure in a lost, drug-addled city haunted by a lurking monster.
- “The Pool of the Black One” – Conan joins a pirate crew and encounters an island of strange, black-skinned, inhuman beings.
- “Red Nails” – One of Howard’s final and most acclaimed Conan stories, set in a decaying, enclosed city locked in endless tribal warfare.
These stories showcase Conan in varied roles—mercenary, thief, pirate, and warrior—as he faces off against dark sorcery, ancient evils, and brutal adversaries. Howard’s vivid, muscular prose and fast-paced storytelling define the genre’s aesthetics, blending barbarism with eldritch horror and high adventure.
Although The Sword of Conan is not a chronological account of Conan’s life, it represents some of the grittiest and most atmospheric episodes in his saga. It is a cornerstone of the sword-and-sorcery genre and a testament to Robert E. Howard’s powerful imagination.
