The Golden Age of Robert E. Howard
Explore the golden age of Robert E. Howard with a curated list of his finest books. Dive into thrilling adventures, iconic characters, and timeless pulp fiction from the legendary creator of Conan the Barbarian.
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The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian
by Robert E. Howard
Conan is one of the greatest fictional heroes ever createdâ 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. âBetween 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 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.â 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 Howardâs first thirteen Conan stories, appearing in their original versionsâin some cases for the first time in more than seventy yearsâand in the order Howard wrote them. Along with classics of dark fantasy like âThe Tower of the Elephantâ and swashbuckling adventure like âQueen of the Black Coast,â The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian contains a wealth of material never before published in the United States, including the first submitted draft of Conanâs debut, âPhoenix on the Sword,â Howardâs synopses for âThe Scarlet Citadelâ and âBlack Colossus,â and a map of Conanâs 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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The Bloody Crown of Conan
by Robert E. Howard
In his hugely influential and tempestuous career, Robert E. Howard created the genre that came to be known as sword and sorceryâand brought to life one of fantasyâs boldest and most enduring figures: Conan the Cimmerianâreaver, slayer, barbarian, king. âStories such as âThe People of the Black Circleâ glow with the fierce and eldritch light of [Howardâs] frenzied intensity.ââStephen King This lavishly illustrated volume gathers together three of Howardâs longest and most famous Conan storiesâtwo of them printed for the first time directly from Howardâ s typescriptâalong with a collection of the authorâs previously unpublished and rarely seen outlines, notes, and drafts. Longtime fans and new readers alike will agree that The Bloody Crown of Conan merits a place of honor on every fantasy loverâs bookshelf. THE PEOPLE OF THE BLACK CIRCLE Amid the towering crags of Vendhya, in the shadowy citadel of the Black Circle, Yasmina of the golden throne seeks vengeance against the Black Seers. Her only ally is also her most formidable enemyâConan, the outlaw chief. THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON Toppled from the throne of Aquilonia by the evil machinations of an undead wizard, Conan must find the fabled jewel known as the Heart of Ahriman to reclaim his crown . . . and save his life. A WITCH SHALL BE BORN A malevolent witch of evil beauty. An enslaved queen. A kingdom in the iron grip of ruthless mercenaries. And Conan, who plots deadly vengeance against the human wolf who left him in the desert to die.
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The Conquering Sword of Conan
by Robert E. Howard
This volume completes the set of Howard's Conan stories with some of his finest work, including "Beyond the Black River" and "Red Nails" alongside rare early drafts and synopses.
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The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1
by Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard is one of the most famous and influential pulp authors of the twentieth century. Though largely known as the man who invented the sword-and-sorcery genreâand for his iconic hero Conan the CimmerianâHoward also wrote horror tales, desert adventures, detective yarns, epic poetry, and more. This spectacular volume, gorgeously illustrated by Jim and Ruth Keegan, includes some of his best and most popular works. Inside, readers will discover (or rediscover) such gems as âThe Shadow Kingdom,â featuring Kull of Atlantis and considered by many to be the first sword-and-sorcery story; âThe Fightinâest Pair,â part of one of Howardâs most successful series, chronicling the travails of Steve Costigan, a merchant seaman with fists of steel and a head of wood; âThe Grey God Passes,â a haunting tale about the passing of an age, told against the backdrop of Irish history and legend; âWorms of the Earth,â a brooding narrative featuring Bran Mak Morn, about which H. P. Lovecraft said, âFew readers will ever forget the hideous and compelling power of [this] macabre masterpieceâ; a historical poem relating a momentous battle between Cimbri and the legions of Rome; and âSharpâs Gun Serenade,â one of the last and funniest of the Breckinridge Elkins tales. These thrilling, eerie, compelling, swashbuckling stories and poems have been restored to their original form, presented just as the author intended. There is little doubt that after more than seven decades the voice of Robert E. Howard continues to resonate with readers around the world.
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The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
by Robert E. Howard
Here are Robert E. Howardâs greatest horror tales, all in their original, definitive versions. Some of Howardâs best-known charactersâSolomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, and sailor Steve Costigan among themâroam the forbidding locales of the authorâs fevered imagination, from the swamps and bayous of the Deep South to the fiend-haunted woods outside Paris to remote jungles in Africa. The collection includes Howardâs masterpiece âPigeons from Hell,â which Stephen King calls âone of the finest horror stories of [the twentieth] century,â a tale of two travelers who stumble upon the ruins of a Southern plantationâand into the maw of its fatal secret. In âBlack Canaanâ even the best warrior has little chance of taking down the evil voodoo man with unholy powersâand none at all against his wily mistress, the diabolical High Priestess of Damballah. In these and other lavishly illustrated classics, such as the revenge nightmare âWorms of the Earthâ and âThe Cairn on the Headland,â Howard spins tales of unrelenting terror, the legacy of one of the worldâs great masters of the macabre.
