Red Nails (Conan) (The Authorized Edition) (2024)

Real solid story. I appreciate the addition of the strong female co-main, Valeria, who is on the run after killing her would-be rapist.

Red Nails was the last Conan story Howard ever wrote. Weird Tales, the magazine that published most of his stuff, was behind in payments to the tune of $1500, which during the Great Depression was beaucoup bucks. So, he moved on to Westerns which were in demand.

Howard's end was a terrible shame. It would have been nice to see how his writing progressed if he hadn't taken his own life at a relatively young age. He wrote fast to pay the bills. What might he have accomplished in the fantasy genre given more time to hone his craft and expand upon the wild and wonderful Hyboria? The world will never know.

The beautiful and powerful Valeria killed a man and is now on the run. She’s also being chased by Conan. Not because Conan wants to punish her though. He quite seems to fancy her. When he catches up to her, they start to bicker like an old married couple. They both like one another, but they’re too proud and stubborn to admit it. Then a monster appears and starts feasting on their horses. This forces them to work together, so they can both make it out alive of this adventure.

After a few Conan adventures that were all starting to blend into one, my expectations for this story weren’t very high to be honest. But I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised. Valeria is a strong warrior like Conan and not just another stereotypical damsel in distress, so that’s very much appreciated. Conan does what Conan does best. And the story’s a gripping adventure in a mysterious, war-torn and claustrophobic ancient city, full of sword and sorcery done right. I’d say this is definitely one of the better Conan stories.

I devoured Howard's books as a teen. This is my first re-read of one in maybe 40 years. And I confess to being very pleasantly surprised.

Written in 1920s-1930s, Howard is the foundation upon which modern epic fantasy, particularly dark fantasy, is based. Howard's Conan and King Kull, and other serials were published ten years before Tolkien's Hobbit and twenty years before the Lord of the Rings. His closest comparators at the time were probably Edgar Rice Burroughs of Tarzan and John Carter of Mars fame, and H. P. Lovecraft, known for his Cthulhu Mythos. Howard and Lovecraft were in fact friends though they disagreed on many things. Howard's work bridges Burroughs and Lovecraft, combining the adventuring spirit of Burroughs and the supernatural horror of Lovecraft into the first true sword and sorcery fantasies. Howard to my mind is the superior writer. His ability to create legendary characters, complete worlds (he wrote an entire history of the fictional Hyborian age setting of his Conan stories), suspense and urgency within the few pages of a magazine serial should be the envy of many of today's authors who struggle to tell a story in many 100s-1000s of pages. (Looking at you Sanderson, Martin, Rothfuss, et. al.)

The Last Atlantean, Barry Windor-Smith

Most surprising for me in this re-read is the almost modern presentation of his characters. Compared to Burroughs and Lovecraft, Howards heroes are not just strong and good with a blade. They are clever, quick-witted, and insightful. And the modern touch: They are all jaded by their experiences; not the simple barbarians they are often portrayed as in comic books. Conan, Howard's most lasting creation, solved problems with his brain as often as his sword, and ultimately becomes a well respected king.

Howard's women characters are very interesting for their time. The women in Burroughs' stories are typically maidens waiting to be saved from some fiend or terror, primed to fall in love with the hero. There is almost always romance in a Burroughs story. Lovecraft had no interest in women characters at all. If they appear, they are typically there to be terrorized or eaten. Howard's women are worldly. Are they babes in bikinis per the sword and sorcery meme? They often are dressed alluringly, but even then they typically play equal to Howard's male characters, using feminine guile and their own skills with a blade or other instrument to achieve their aims, sometimes at the hero's expense. In Red Nails we meet Valeria, a female pirate who Conan clearly respects while also lusting after her. Conan makes his interest clear, but does not force himself on her as in most fantasy of this (and too often later) eras. She is comrade in arms first, friend with benefits if she chooses. In Red Nails she repeatedly spurns Conan and asserts her independence. The villain of the story is also a woman, the witch Tascela, who also has little time for men. Shadows in Zamboula features Nafertari, a disguised princess who entices Conan to slay an evil priest, then begs off on the promised "physical" payment for his services. Rather than force the issue, Conan, laughs, takes payment in coin, and rides off. All to say that while there is undoubtedly sexism in Howard's writing, he is far more respectful of his women characters that most of his peers. Howard's women are almost always smart, strong, and able to take care of themselves.

Conan and Valeria, Barry Windor-Smith

Regarding diversity, Lovecraft was racist full stop. Burroughs presents the black characters in his Tarzan stories as noble and sympathetic. The Picts, Kush*tes and other black races in Howard's stories are typically portrayed as wild, savage. and villainous, but not I think because Howard was racist. The encroachment of white Aquilonians into the lands of the Picts in Beyond the Black River is portrayed as an invasion that is justly repelled by the Picts. In other stories, Conan encounters friends and enemies of varying ethnicities. The hero of Howard's Bran Brak Morn stories is a Pict. Howard it appears, and his heroes certainly, are far more interested how a person acts than the color of their skin. Anyone can be a hero in Howard's worlds. A rather enlightened view for a man who was born, raised, and never left rural and remote Cross Plans, Texas.

Bran Bark Morn, Barry Windor-Smith

When Howard died by suicide in 1936, age 30, distraught over the death of his mother from tuberculosis, the world lost a masterful storyteller. In the words of Stephen King:

Howard overcame the limitations of his puerile material by the force and fury of his writing and by his imagination, which was powerful beyond his hero Conan's wildest dreams of power. In his best work, Howard's writing seems so highly charged with energy that it nearly gives off sparks. Stories such as "The People of the Black Circle" glow with the fierce and eldritch light of his frenzied intensity. At his best, Howard was the Thomas Wolfe of fantasy, and most of his Conan tales seem to almost fall over themselves in their need to get out.

Amazon and iBooks offer collections of Howard's work for as little as $1. Pick one up. I think you'll be surprised.

If Howard produced a final draft, this may have become his, "Stairway to Heaven." Presumably created while he suffered from crippling depression caused by the declining health and eventual death of his Mother, compounded by a time of unsatisfactory relations with women generally, it's surprising that Valeria is featured.

Imagine relentlessly pounding this out on a typewriter with no light at the end of the causeway besides a pulp paycheck and the modest respect of your friends.The author still managed to produce a competent tale, but it's not my favorite.

This inspired Dwellers of the Forbidden City. I listened to the audiobook twice, but it didn't shed any light on that catbox of a module. Instead, it made me think that Zeb Cook missed an opportunity to bringthe slithering book atmosphere to the module.

I'd rate it five stars, but there isn'tenough clarity to distinguish the city factions, plus the story would've been better if it had stuck to Conan's point of view.
I hoped for someintrigue between factions, but there was only outright war and mild betrayal.

About a year ago, at a library book sale I ran across some collections of Conan stories, which were edited by Karl Edward Wagner. These were labeled as “Authorized.” I didn’t pay much attention to that, because I thought I had read pretty much all of the Conan stories back in high school. And I may have, but the ones I read were part of a multi volume set that was “edited” by Lin Carter, August Derleth, and L. Sprague DeCamp. The point here is that the stories I read way back when were leavened with Conan stories from other writers. At the time I remember liking them for the most part, but that I noticed a definite difference when reading the real Howard efforts.

Reading some of these stories now, many years later, it’s clear I haven't read them all. On the downside, after a life time of reading under my belt, I can’t help but notice the crudity with which they are written. They are obviously the product of someone writing quickly, and in a white hot heat. There are times when the plot moves along mechanically, and when dialogue is as wooden as a forest. On top of that these stories are pretty racist in their characterizations of people from other races. It isn't subtle, and from reading Wagner's Afterword, those characterizations fit into Howard's world view, such as it was at age 30. And yet, despite all of that there’s this weird, powerful, purple languaged energy that holds it all together. There are passages and scenes that show Howard as the possessor of a first class imagination. After finishing a story, you put the book down and realize this is the real thing. This is Pulp (warts and all) from the Golden Age. If you can deal with these warts, it’s pretty obvious why Howard remains so influential. A few comments on the individual stories – along with an occasional Howard nugget below:

“Beyond the Black River.” Conan on the Pict frontier. Conan, and a warrior companion, try to warn settlers that an attack from the united Picts is imminent. And the Picts are led by an evil wizard who can command the beasts of the forest. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Western feel of this story. I got all sorts of Comanche vs. Texan vibes going here. Or Last of the Mohicans. Black magic, a saber tooth tiger, a fortress under siege, and extreme carnage. You betcha! Interestingly, Wagner thinks this one of the best of the Conan stories, in part because it cuts against Sword and Sorcery expectations (though it has plenty of that). What does get lost in this story is the damsel in distress bit, which when you look at the bulk of Conan stories, usually make for some of Howard's most clumsy dialogue. I'm inclined to agree that "Beyond the Black River" is one of best of the Conan stories.

Then Conan released him and ran into the building where the skulls hung. Balthus followed him. He got a glimpse of the grim stone altar, faintly lighted by the glow outside; five human heads grinned on that altar, and there was a grisly familiarity about the features of the freshest; it was the head of the merchant Tiberias. Behind the altar was an idol, dim, indistinct, bestial, yet vaguely manlike in outline. Then fresh horror choked Balthus as the shape heaved up suddenly with a rattle of chains, lifting long misshapen arms in the gloom.

"Shadows in Zamboula." The second story in this collection, "Shadows in Zamboula," may be the weakest in the bunch, but it's not without some punch. It also, of all these stories, is the most racist in its characterizations. In this one, our mighty thug decides, against the warnings of a friend, to stay at an inn where travelers have been disappearing. What makes this story memorable is that it has a thrilling duel to the death, via strangulation. Probably the only one I've run across in fiction, or the only one worth remembering. Conan at his badass best.

Conan, you are of the West, and know not the secrets of this ancient land. But, since the beginning of happenings, the demon of the desert have worshipped Yog, the Lord of the Empty Abodes, with fire -- fire that devours human victims.

"Red Nails." The third and final story in the collection is actually a novella. According to Wagner, this was the last Conan story that Howard would write before his suicide. I'm unclear as to where his one Conan novel fits in this chronology, but evidently Howard was having trouble getting paid by editors of "Weird Tales" (it was the Depression), and he was starting to look at other markets while toying with writing different types of stories. Wagner is only so-so with "Red Nails." I like it better than that, but it does start out a bit slow as he engages in a back and forth conversation with a pirate lady named Valeria. As I said above, such scenes make for some really bad dialogue. Anyway, Conan and Valeria get trapped on top of a hill by a dragon. They soon figure out how to deal with the Lizard King, but find themselves trapped in a nearby city called Xuchotl. The city is being fought over by warring clans (see Yojimbo or Last Man Standing) who use both sword and sorcery against each other. Once the reader is in the city, this is a really cool story with a racy subtext of lesbianism that must of been pretty daring for its day.

In the shadows beneath the balcony a ghostly light began to glow and grow, a light that was not part of the fire-stone gleam. Valeria felt her hair stir as she watched it; for, dimly visible in the throbbing radiance, there floated a human skull, and it was from this skull -- human yet appallingly misshapen -- that the spectral light seemed to emanate.

The book concludes with Howard's essay on the Hyborean Age (most Conan fans have already read this), as well as an informative Afterword by Karl Edward Wagner.

This is my favorite Robert Howard story that I have read, and I've read it multiple times. Its a real pleasure and a great escape. A sense of place and darkness permeates Robert Howard stories, old decayed civilizations, remnants from a distant past lurk in jungles, etc. This story is a good place to start if you want to dig in and really appreciate this woefully underappreciated author.

This is a collection of three of Howard's classic Conan stories: Beyond the Black River, Shadows in Zamboula, and the titular story, along with Howard's often-reprinted essay, The Hyborian Age. The stories were edited back to Howard's original versions by Karl Edward Wagner, who contributes a very interesting foreword and afterword. Howard's original stories were edited for book publication in their various editions by many different people, and many fragments and bits and pieces were finished by many different writers in posthumous collaboration, not to mention the countless pastiches that appeared using his characters. Wagner (who wrote some Howard stories) states his case for presenting the stories just as Howard wrote them. I agree with him to an extent, but really didn't see any difference in the versions of these three stories that appeared in other volumes or chronologies. It's a fascinating exercise, though. My favorite of the three is Red Nails, which Wagner seems to dismiss as the least of the bunch, so what do I know... This Berkley edition contains a couple of the original 1930's Weird Tales illustrations, and a "Full color fold-out poster," which was an extended version of the nice Frazetta-influenced cover. Sadly, they used the art as a selling point but never identified the artist; it was Ken Kelly.

I had the pleasure of first reading the Conan stories in the order Robert E. Howard wrote them, which provided a peek into the mind of a profoundly troubled man. Conan was the last major character he created, and towards the end of Howard's life, the world of Conan became progressively more bleak and barren and grim, its people little more than the remnants of a civilization that had raped, enslaved, and murdered itself into near extinction. RED NAILS was the final Conan story and didn't make it to publication until after the author's suicide. As such, it's likely the darkest and most gruesome -- and best -- Conan tale.

And you know what? It's in the public domain. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32759

Robert E Howard's last Conan story. Loved the eerie setting, as Conan battles foes and monsters alike in an ancient, dead city where the last remnants of rival feuding clans linger among the splendor and riches of ages long past.

This is my 3rd Conan story to read and it is by far my favorite. I’d heard of Red Nails before, but didn't know anything about it. What I found was an adventure that cements Howard title as a Sword & Sorcery master.

Here we find Conan and his companion Valeria (Those familiar with the 1982 movie will recognize that name) as they go through a jungle. They are attacked by a dragon, and once that encounter is done, find an abandoned and hidden city. Hopeful for treasure, they enter the rusted doors and discover 2 things. 1: The city is in fact a single enormous 4-story building with towers, crystal skylights, twisting passages, and deep crypts. 2: They discover that the city is not abandoned, but inhabited by two small clans that have been at war for over fifty years.

What follows is an adventure filled with magic, swordplay, sex, betrayal, and adventure. In short, the very nature of sword & sorcery, and it is awesome.

There is a faint Yojimbo feel to the story, but only enough of one that you can say, there’s a passing similarity. If there is any common inspiration, it would be with the 1929 Hammett novel Red Harvest, which could arguably be the case, given the similarity of titles.

I recommend it to anyone that wants to enjoy the classic pulp that laid the foundation for much of today’s fantasy.

It makes sense that this is one of the highest regarded Conan stories. It has a subtleness in its violence and brutality that is just a step beyond that of many of the other stories. The language is pulpy but well-honed, and the is an extra touch of the uncanny in the setting and the narrative. Valeria is a stronger character than is typical for Howard's female protagonists, and in at least one of the skirmishes, she takes out two enemies for Conan's one. There is a giant lizard/dinosaur, poisoning, and plenty of betrayal. Of course it has some of the same flaws from a modern perspective that mar many of the Conan tales, but all told it was an exceptionally well done pulp adventure.

Valeria of the ??Brotherhood??

I am seeing a lot of passive voice so far from Howard. Passive voice can be used effectively as a tool. It's best used when a character is riddled with doubt, or otherwise weak willed, or in a vulnerable position etc.

Passive voice in a Conan story, inappropriate. If Howard had gone deeper into Conan's PoV, there would be nothing passive about it. I could site examples.

Of course I'm being overly critical. But once you immerse yourself in the craft of writing it becomes hard to read for pure enjoyment. There are things you like and seek to emulate. Anything you read has the potential to teach you something new. You also see the things you would change to make it better. It's narrated so heavily, it could be read as a radio show.

I'm getting a Fistful of dollars plot vibe... Are they going to dupe both sides out of their treasure? I read on.

Chapter 2 By the Blaze of the Fire Jewels

"...adorned with clusters of green stones that gleamed with a poisonous radiance." Good foreboding use of description. Would like to see more use of foreshadowing. It pays off later in a big way.

Lots of hopping back forth from Conan's head to Valeria's, without ever committing to a full point of view. He uses the females fear to denote tension this is juxtaposed with Conan's steadiness. It is simplistic and repetitive throughout this chapter.

Reminds me of a graphic novel without the art. Heavy description paints the pictures. I read on.

CH 3 People of the Feud

The naming of things makes it difficult to grasp the entirety of the history of the feud without a reread.

The enemy has dark magics. Items of sorcerous power and lasting spells cast long ago.

But there is magic on both sides the Helen of Troy princess has found the secret of youth. Intriguing story thus far. Mayhap a Hotel California plot twist awaits.

Finished Ch 3 ... I read on, but first, i eat dinner...

Ch 4 Scent of Black Lotus

I am enjoying the bit of added intrigue with the attempted drugging of Valeria.

Ch 5 ... Twenty Red Nails

An unexpected battle. Scouting the enemies camp. Madness lingers. A wall of heads preserved in Jars. An expected betrayal which is topped by an unexpected loyal act one might call a dying act of friendship. Chapter ends with a twist.

CH 6 ... The Eyes of Tescela

Valeria's chapter. works better sticking to one main character.

I love that the story keeps getting darker and weirder. The magic, unfortunately, never gets into any kind of explanation as to how spells are created: a spell constituent perhaps or the place where it originated.

There is no 'magic system in place. Anyone can get caught up in it at a glance--powerless to it.

Last Chapter 7 ... 'He Comes from The Dark

A treacherous ally. A devious ritual. A trap for a wild animal.

The method and use of the magic, (explained sparingly) becomes tied to the protagonists plight.

4 stars for Howard and his fiendishness.

This was my first foray into the world of Conan, and boy, what a trip! As I finished the story, I laughed at how little there was to actually take away from it (as in, nothing) but- that's okay. Comically racist and sexist, the story is a great adventure all the way through. Now, I just have to find a reason to exclaim, "Sulky slu*t!"

I have to say that I very much enjoyed this story. There's a lot of early east Texas cultural baggage to get past. Once I did, I enjoyed the primal adventure, sensuality, and moral inhibition of of this very well put together Conan story.

Robert E. Howard had a complex and contradictory consciousness. For example, he's a lost cause on the subject of race. Like his colleague, H.P. Lovecraft, he was a man whose family had fallen on hard times, and aggrandized himself at the expense of other people with pseudo-science and blatant misreading of history. Which makes the whole premise of this story somewhat unsettling. Degenerate races feature predominantly, it's one of the main themes in fact, which is a shame.

His portrayal of women, however, isn't as bad as many people claim. Oh, by modern standards (and even more enlightened contemporaries, such as William Moulton Marston) he is a chauvinist. But in our age, where most people read Conan stories in collections, it's hard to remember that there were other contributors to Weird Tales, and Howard comes out looking slightly better in comparison. In this story Valeria (Conan's sidekick and love interest) is a warrior in her own right. She doesn't simper in the background as so often happens in these stories. She fights and holds her own, though her femininity is often her failing. It felt to me that Howard kept trying to maker her Conan's equal, and then his east Texas social learning would kick in, and she would swoon in complete contradiction to her character. Howard characters do not often act in such a contradictory manner. I think it's a sign of conflict with regard to his view of women, at least toward the end of his life.

The setting is what redeems the story. A colossal city with no windows and only two main gates. The whole place, from catacombs to towers, is one huge maze. A maze with factions warring within it. The descriptions of the passages and the lights, rooms, stairs, and the history of the place give this story a deep, oppressive, atmosphere. It's almost a relief when the fighting starts. Fortunately, there's a lot of fighting.

I have to say I love a character like Conan. I think everyone has fantasied about being someone who has shed the constraints of civilization. To be someone who lives only for food, sex, and fighting (notice: I cleaned that up at the expense of alliteration. It was physically painful. See how constraining civilization can be?). Getting inside the head of someone like Conan can be a fun vicarious experience. Thus the evil sorcerer who rules not by right of arms but dark powers becomes bosses, or the person who cut us off in traffic, or whatever. How satisfying would it be to solve our problems as easily as Conan?

This is the first of my appendix n books shelf. This story was recommended in Appendix N of the first Dungeon Master's Guide, written by Gary Gygax. This story features many elements that would become common in dungeon crawls. It has a dungeon. Heroes that are employed to solve a problem for non main characters (common in D&D, less so in epic fantasy), magical monsters, and a story that is gradually reveled to the adventurers as the accomplish tasks. The influence this story had on Dungeons and Dragons is very obvious.

I don't think I've written a review this long before. I could write more, and I may elsewhere. But I'll close here by saying that I think that this story, despite its flaws and the author's obvious hang-ups is well worth the time of someone interested not only in the early history of D&D, but in the general evolution of the fantasy genre.

In my opinion, one of the strangest Conan stories ever written, and one of the best. Sure, the character development is pathetic, but who cares? A completely enclosed city, factions of the same tribe at war with one another, engaged in a violent competition, gorgeous women in loin cloths, a despot king, monsters from below, and a dinosaur. They call it a dragon, but it is totally a dinosaur. You won't find the furthering of gender equality, or even racial equality in the works of Howard. Let us not forget that Conan is known as the barbarian, the destroyer, the conqueror, and only rarely the adventurer. He is never called Conan the ticklish, Conan the nice, or Conan the fair. No, he is a certified thug. Sometimes it is okay for the main character to be unlikable. Look at Tom Ripley.

Some of the best Howard Conan stories, presented with minimal to no editing by Karl Edward Wagner. This is how they were meant to be read.

I read this years ago but was bonus story in Blood of the Serpent, which ended were this starts this the classic 1932 Howard

Being a gigantic fan of all things fantasy, I am a big fan of the sword and sorcery. Never having read any of the Conan novels, but being a fan of the movies, I decided to read these books.

They certainly come out of a different era, but the fantasy elements of the lovable swashbuckler are still awesome and wonderful. This was written when you knew straight down the line who the bad guys were and who the good guys were.

What I find especially fascinating about Conan himself is that he is not a hero in the classical sense. He is an anti-hero and a bad-ass. In fact I think he might have been one of the first dark heroes in fantasy literature. If Conan wasn't the protagonist of the story, he would have been the villain, no questions asked. But he is the protagonist, and we root for this mans man to kill people, slay dragons, and get the scantly-clad damsel.

Really good stuff.

In my opinion one of the best of Howard's Conan short stories.

I have read this story several times in the past, and after the Conan movie I thought "Wow, the plot really sucked. Why didn't they do something like "Red Nails" which reminded me I hadn't read it for ten or twenty years. I figured I would reread it, just in case I remembered it through rose colored glasses. Nope, still as fun as ever.

Think of if the Hatfields and MaCoys were trapped in an enclosed city of three or four stories, surrounded by ancient magics, bizarre monsters, and one of the clans is led by an immoral Countess Bathory. Into this feud stumbles Conan and the pirate captain Valeria. Fun stuff.

My very first foray into the realm of Conan the Barbarian. A few things stood out for me.
1. The mood and the setting had a tremendous feel. Howard is not just some pulp fiction author - he really knew his craft.
2. Conan was far more literate than I ever expected. Probably the result of seeing the Conan movies so many years ago. This was not disappointing in the least. Just took some getting used to.
3. The action was beautifully written - something I expected of course but it far exceeded my expectations.
I'll certainly be going back for more.

A short, fun read. Howard was a master in the genre.

Modern readers will note the racist tinges and sexism...even though here Valeria is a heck of a fighter. Yet when running from danger he picks her up and carries her so as to maintain speed. Ah, well...

This is a great story.

Robert E. Howard's original Conan stories are much like Ian Fleming's Bond books: utterly ridiculous but also incredibly entertaining. I liked them, and I shall read more!

Red Nails is both the title of an individual story and the four work collection in which it is included. Three of the tales feature Robert E. Howard’s most famous character, Conan the Barbarian. The fourth is an essay describing Howard’s pseudo-historical Hyborian setting. All four writings were originally composed and the three stories published in the pulp Weird Tales magazine in the 1930s. This edition has an introduction and afterword by Karl Edward Wagner. These bookend the collection well, providing interesting anecdotes about the compositions and information about Howard.

The four works:

“Beyond the Black River”—this tale is different than some of the Conan stories in that there is no female love interest. It is set along the frontier border along the Black River. An army of varied gathered Pict tribes are assaulting Fort Tuscelan in the Bossonian Marches, where Conan is serving as a scout. Conan is enlisted to lead a group of his fellows to sneak into Pictish territory and slay the sorcerer leading the enemy forces. Ultimately, he is unsuccessful. This story is dark, filled with illimitable swathes of forest populated by fell beasts and vicious natives. It actually reminded me of the way many white settlers viewed the American wilderness, which is apparently a legitimate view as Wagner mentions this as an inspiration in the Afterword. This story is reminiscent of “The Treasure of Tranicos” a.k.a.” The Black Stranger” from Conan the Usurper with the Picts, the encompassing wilderness, and the destruction of a stronghold.

“Shadows in Zamboula”—this story was originally published as “The Man-Eaters of Zamboula.” The namesake refers to a dirty, decaying cosmopolitan desert border trade town. Conan fights cannibals in the night, running up with and rescuing a madman and his lover (really the satrap of the city and his mistress), and saving them by killing the high priest responsible for the madness. This story is unusual in that it includes a human, Baal-pteor, who is nearly a physical match for Conan. It also displays the barbarians strong sense of irony in the initial plot in which the innkeeper, Aram Baksh, is thrown to the cannibals after Conan learns that the man is in league with the man-eaters, allowing them access to one of his rooms-- the one in which Conan is staying, of course.

“Red Nails”—this novella-length work was Howard’s last complete Conan tale. Conan and Valeria of the Red Brotherhood, a pirate group, discover the seemingly deserted city of Xuchotil, a dense and wealthy city with no streets. Within its jumbled rooms, two degenerate groups are locked in constant warfare. The pair encounters one of the groups, the Tecuhltli, who drive red nails into a column to catalogue the deaths of individual members of the opposing group, the Xotalanc. With the arrival of Conan and Valeria, the groups are moved to a final showdown in which the Xotalanc are destroyed. All is not well, however, as the leaders of the Tecuhltli, Olmec and Tascela, both seek to use the recent arrivals for their own nefarious purposes, most notably with Tascela planning to drain Valeria’s life force to fuel her own youth. The story abounds with decay and beauty, odd monsters, magic and mayhem, and all the good things one expects in a Conan tale. Incidentally, this story is generally considered to be one of Howard’s best involving the mighty-thewed barbarian.

“The Hyborian Age”—this essay was not published during Howard’s lifetime. It seeks to provide internal consistency within his Conan tales. The major events of the prehistoric past are described, including the sinking of both Atlantis and Lemuria. Casual Conan fans can skip it with no loss in regard to the appreciation of the stories, but those readers interested in the setting are well rewarded for the effort. A map based upon Howard’s essay is also included in this book.

I think this book provides a good sampling of Conan material. The stories are varied in their theme and settings. Further, the essay provides a work of vital interest for Conan fans and scholars who want to dig deeper into the character and overall setting. This is a win-win for the reader.

Red Nails is one of my favorite Conan stories of all time. While there are some racist undertones to the story, and in fact through many of Howard's works, I find that I can gloss over it to enjoy the good parts. Red Nails is a powerful and disturbing tale of Conan and his companion Valeria getting involved in an insane blood feud in a very strange, completely enclosed city of many dark and eldritch secrets, all of it told in Howard's signature breakneck pace and cinematic vividness. He may have died in 1936, but writers of today can still learn so much from Robert E. Howard.

Among my favorite features of this story are:

Showcasing Conan's wits. When he and Valeria are trapped on a rock outcrop by a dragon, it's Conan's experience as a world traveler and quick thinking that allow them to survive. He recognizes the fruit hanging over them as poisonous, and quickly improvises a poisoned spear. Too much has been made of Conan as a mere brute, a fault perhaps of his depiction in comic books, whereas in Howard's original stories he often employs his wits.

The dragon is a dinosaur. While REH wrote this well before Tolkien and later D&D would popularize the image of dragons as winged creatures, I find it refreshing that his dragon is more dinosaur than the winged version of now-vanilla fantasy.

The insanity of a blood feud. Blood feuds are among the ugliest traditions humankind ever invented. The people of Xuchotl are wiping themselves out by their crazy devotion to a feud between the city's only two surviving clans, and Conan eventually regrets throwing in his lot with one faction.

The final duel with Tolkemec. Conan finds himself pitted against a mad sorcerer with a magical laser, which however is only effective when the target has something of metal behind him. The cat and mouse game they play amid the ruins of the Tecuhltli clan's extinction and Conan's getting his foot in a bear trap toward the end will make you sweat!

Tascela. Made me sweat ... for other reasons.

I take it all back. THIS is the best Conan story.

In this story, Conan meets his equal in the form of Valeria, a captain of the Red Brotherhood. She's a pirate, and a true swashbuckler, skilled with blades and fancy footwork. To me, she's an incarnation of Bêlit from the Black Coast; it's not an exact fit, but it's close enough for me to shoehorn it into my personal Conan canon.

There's a lot of Hyborian history in this book, too; several discussions detail the stories of Aquilonia and the Cimmerians and many others.

It's also, practically, a veritable blueprint for D&D. This one has, obviously, a barbarian, a fighter, a necromancer, evil clerics, and even a bard, dungeons (well, a labyrinthine forgotten city and a temple), traps, and of course a dragon (of sorts). It's the perfect D&D setting, with all the right classes and skills.

The story itself is addictive but I think this story's strength are the myriad motivations of its characters. The villains are believable because they each want something unique to their own interests. It's a good reminder of what makes a story compelling; in lesser stories, the villains predictably have a motive from a pretty standard set - take over the world, or destroy civilisation, or bring down the good guy for $REASONS. It's so trite that the reader, and indeed the hero of the story, has to feign surprise and outrage when all is, reliably and on-schedule, revealed. But in Conan (and by extension, many a D&D campaign), the villains have unpredictable motives that serve their own interests; who has time to take over the world when the local elder demon is hungry for more human sacrifices?

As far as I know, this is the last Robert E Howard Conan story. It's truly one of the best, and it's sad that Howard couldn't have written more. The collection we have, though, is both entertaining and endlessly inspiring. If you're not yet a Conan fan, this is one book that might fix that problem.

Reviews of this book are deservedly good! This story was outside of my normal range and I entered into the experience with an open mind. It was worth every moment of my time!

A truly exciting story with excellent characters and an unusual setting.
Highly recommended!

Con la creación de Conan, Robert E. Howard se convirtió en el maestro del género de espada y brujería. En las novelas de este personaje, un cimmerio (o bárbaro, lo mismo da) recorre el mundo de la época hiboria, desfaciendo entuertos, la mayoría de las veces a espadazos, y unas pocas usando la mente para enfrentarse a magos, brujas y hechiceros que le amargan la vida.

El caso que nos ocupa no difiere de esa línea argumental, así que cualquiera que se adentre en "Red nails" sabe cómo va a ser la salida y el transcurso de prácticamente toda la historia. Eso sí, lo que no se espera es la ciudad a la que llegan Conan y Valeria, otra guerrera de la época, tras sortear un bosque protegido por un extraño monstruo reptiloide.

La ciudad es un lugar muy especial, porque está toda cubierta y llena de pasillos y habitaciones. En el centro sólo reina el vacío, mientras que en los extremos existen dos pueblos que viven en una lucha perpetua de destrucción, aunque no se sabe muy bien la razón. El caso es que se matan unos a otros y allí en medio los héroes de la historia tendrán que hacerse fuertes y sobrevivir a todo tipo de traiciones y a una magia que intenta extraer la eterna juventud de la compañera de Conan.

Puro entretenimiento que contó con una adaptación prácticamente literal en formato cómic por parte de Roy Thomas y Barry Windsor-Smith.

another from howard...the...7th, 8th or so...most of them conan stories, all save 2 i think. kindle edition...and it seems there's...what? 3? 4? kindle editions available? haaaa-rumph.

this one begins:
1. the skull on the crag
the woman on the horse reined in her weary steed. it stood with its legs wide-braced, its head drooping, as if it found even the weight of the gold-tasseled, red-leather bridle too heavy. the woman drew a booted foot out of the silver stirrup and swung down from the gilt-worked saddle. she made the reins fast to the fork of a sapling, and turned about, hands on her hips, to survey her surroundings.

okee-dokee, then...onward and upward.

by set! by crom! not a dull moment, that's for sure!

i don't get the sexist/racist charge of a few reviews. there's nothing more there save the charge, nothing to substantiate the charge, and i'm not going to try guessing why the charge was made. till whenever, the 12th of never i reckon, i'll chalk the charge up to fashionable ideology.

valeria is not a wilting flower...she holds her own...valeria fought beside him, her lips smiling and her eyes blazing. she was stronger than the average man and far quicker and more ferocious.
sexist? i think not...& i have supplied something from the story so it isn't an empty charge, like the others. pppluuuurp!

here's another: women on both sides fought as madly as the men...

and racist? again...nothing was supplied and i'm not going to guess...other than to direct the reader to padgett powell's intro to one of the editions of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn...where powell makes fun of those who have counted...yes, counted, the n-word in the story...different numbers from two guys...while also pointing to the text where the po' whites are abusing hogs. but it is fashionable to think otherwise and so it goes.

anyway...this story is great...lots of suspense...conan and valeria find themselves in this roofed city where two tribal factions have been warring it out amongst themselves for years. there's a lot of dark passages, hidden doors, monsters and mayhem, blood and gore...more than one imprecation...that might be too much for the tender.

and...one shouldn't ignore the comedic element to the story...especially the end...where conan...well, to lay it out would be a dreaded spoiler...but it is comic, and i think that was howard's point here. he had a blast writing it...i had a blast reading it...maybe it should be 5-stars.

Finnnnnnnnnnnally! Valeria! This ended up being the last short story in the collection I read, and I was waiting for it. She's a great character, and I really wish she had been in more stories. Overall, it was a pretty intense story and without question made me want to re-watch the film. Which I think I will do.