I'm currently on "Phoenix on the Sword," the first-ever published Conan story. Some initial thoughts. (cc @JohnsonJeffro) 1/

It's hard to believe, but once upon a time, this was new and mind-blowing, especially in the far less media-saturated environment of the 1930s. The sort of dark, underhanded scheming that is cliché in the Fire Emblem series in particular seems to have gotten its start here. 2/

Now Conan appears for the first time. His dislike of kingship, despite being king himself, makes him relatable and honest, as opposed to not only the schemers in the previous section, but the people who venerate the old king - esp. since Conan was hailed as a liberator before. 3/

Through the sequence with Thoth-Amon and Dion, we see that Conan's enemies are the polar opposite of Conan -- they have to rely on deception and magic to gain power. Thoth-Amon even betrays Dion, showing that Thoth has no sense of loyalty or camaraderie. 4/

I noticed something: the warlocks of Stygia are said to worship Set, who is an evil spirit. Stygia is meant to be Not-Egypt, so this could be merely a mythological reference, but I have heard of Set correlated to Satan. Thus, the story presents witchcraft as spiritual evil. 5/

Conan's fighting prowess is portrayed effectively, without any sort of blow-by-blow description; only the important hits are described. This was written in an era before video games, and it shows in the best possible way. 6/

Thoughts about the story overall: By starting with the end of Conan's "career" as a barbarian, Howard established early on that Conan doesn't change. There is no Hero's Journey and no inward angst to overcome. He is who he is. 7/

Even as king, Conan holds true to his principles instead of letting the world push him around. We don't need an origin story for Conan; instead, we want to see him already grown up and at his strongest. 8/

This story shows the power of the flat character arc. The truth Conan believes is that facing your obstacles directly is best and that civilization causes softness and decadence. The lie he fights against is the arrogance of the civilized, who behave as dishonest sneaks.

/end

Next up, The Scarlet Citadel.

Howard does not bore you with political minutia; he simply shows Conan riding to the aid of an ally with his knights. But by underhanded trickery, Conan is brought low and captured. As in "Phoenix," this sort of thing is treated as cowardly, as opposed to Conan's directness. 1/

And Conan really is direct. When Strabonus and co. try to buy him off, he lets them have it, stating that their claims of high civilization result only in naked tyranny, and that his "barbarism" is much more fair, valuing personal effort over inherited claims or great wealth. 2/

The beginning part of Conan's time in the dungeon would not be published or even written today; I could see a modern writer sweating bullets with that scene where the Kushite demands a price of blood. We also get some political context for the war when a sorcerer frees Conan. 3/

What was told in Chapter 2 is shown in Chapter 4: the invaders plunder Aquilonia, and Aquilonia's own nobles look out for themselves rather than the people. Thus, when Conan returns and kills the enemy prince, one is excited to see justice meted out. 4/

Justice is meted out. With 1,900 men, Conan retakes his kingdom and slaughters the invaders. The invaders proved to be more barbarous than the barbarian, whereas the barbarian gave them a sense of dignity. 5/

What I noticed is that like Pellucidar, the world of Conan is a clear inspiration for John Norman's Gor. Conan's condemnation of civilization is echoed by Tarl Cabot's contempt for modernity. Conan's harem is echoed by the slave girls of Gor. Both even end in pitched battle. 6/

Again, it should be noted that this story came out in a far less saturated media environment, and nothing quite like it had been done before. Plus, there is no "chosen one" narrative -- in fact, Conan emphasizes that he *earned* his crown and spit on "chosen ones!" /end

Next: The Tower of the Elephant.

The beginning evokes the rough and indecent setting beautifully. It is a masterwork of atmospherics, worthy of dissection by writers (One thing I'll note is that the sexiness is conveyed without being gross.) 1/

The best part of Conan's raid on the tower (before Chapter 3) was how he killed the demonic spider. Conan is not typically thought of as a tactical fighter, merely dumb muscle. Here, he shows that he is *not* dumb. 2/

The creature that possessed the Heart of the Elephant...turns out to be a space alien. An alien could've been done badly, but I think it worked here because it added to the mystery of the setting instead of explaining everything away or showing off its scientific prowess. 3/

Howard starts us off on the ground, showing rogues satisfying base desires. At the end, he takes us into the heavens, showing power beyond what even the best human magicians could do. He ends it with the ground again -- only this time, the rough sorts are dead. /end

Now: Black Colossus

One thing I noticed not just with this story, but all the Conan stories, is that they're written at a very high reading level. These are not quick little things written simply -- everything from word choice to description is solid gold. 1/

Conan for all his barbarity is sharp on politics; for example, "closed taverns" is almost certainly about real-life Prohibition. Also, his meeting with the princess is amazing since the contrast between a dainty, aristocratic woman and a rough and tough barbarian is so strong. 2/

Conan's interactions with the princess are quite well done. I will admit that I have a soft spot for princess-types in stories. Another thing to note is that the stories aren't purely action, but weird as well, including elements normally found in horror. 3/

The actual climax is rather short, which makes sense since the concept of "boss battles" wasn't a thing yet. The battle before it receives the most attention, and the nobleman he rides with refuses to follow orders. Description is long and detailed. 4/

"Black Colossus," despite a long-winded beginning, holds up rather well. Conan draws his sword and saves a princess, all without any stupid irony or deconstruction. A fine tale indeed. /end

Now it's time for "The Slithering Shadow."

Conan ventures to a mysterious city...with a lovely female companion, the one often seen clinging to his leg in pictures. Sure, Conan isn't the smoothest guy, but his interactions with her are cute. Near the end of the chapter, another woman makes a move on him. 1/

At first, I assumed the girl would be passive, but I was wrong. When the other woman (the villain of this piece) hauls the girl off over her shoulder, the girl steals her captor's knife and stabs her in the back. Though the girl does NOT escape, she made a darn good attempt. 2/

Conan slaughters the warriors in his way, then takes on the monster menacing his girl. He makes a good knight in shining armor. No deep meanings here -- just a hero doing what heroes do. 3/

Conan successfully rescues the girl, and they make their way out. There are no declarations of love, but it is clear that the girl has strong feelings for the barbarian warrior. 4/

This story has a dynamic I personally like - a masculine male hero with a feminine female companion. What's more, she actually shows affection for the hero. This is romance for men - not relationship drama, but winning a beautiful and loyal girl's affection through heroism. /end

The next story is "The Pool of the Black One."

Howard does a lot of third-person omniscient in the stories, but here, it gets a little confusing sometimes. Still, I was able to follow in spite of that. 1/

It's important to note that Howard's Conan stories are "weird tales" that deal with the unknowable creatures of the dark. Yes, Conan is a tough fighting man, but he frequently encounters inhuman foes and frightening sorcery, as he does in this story. 2/

Conan does his thing, and he frees the crew from the vile creatures. These stories always seem to end with a climactic battle of some kind (but that's okay.) 3/

In this one, the story was all right; Conan, as part of a pirate crew, finds a mysterious lake watched over by creatures which petrify their victims in it. Conan frees the crew (and a rather unremarkable girl) from the creatures and escapes before the cursed lake overflows. 4/

It wasn't a bad story, though this one was written more simply than any of the prior ones. I do believe, however, that the girl served no purpose at all and could have been removed from the story without altering the plot. /end

Next: Rogues in the House.

Even when beginning with an assassination plot, Conan tales are tales of strangeness. What was supposed to be a simple plan to kill a priest and flee turns out to not be so simple after all. 1/

Conan shows mercy to a young woman who betrayed him to the authorities. Instead of gutting her, he throws her into a cesspool. What's remarkable about this scene is that it is done entirely without dialogue; everything is conveyed in Conan and the girl's actions 2/

As usual, Conan goes toe-to-toe with a demonic creature and defeats it. Then he kills the priest after the priest betrays him and his companion. 3/

What's most interesting is that Howard gets a lot of mileage out of these short stories. He shows how an effective tale can be told without drowning the reader in exposition -- though, to be fair, he gives some explanation to provide context to the action. /end

Our next Conan story is "The Frost Giant's Daughter."

In this short story, Conan suffers a major defeat...at the hands of an ethereal young woman. Led by his passions, he followed the beauty into the icy wastes, where he was brought low by the god Ymir. The lesson here is clear: sometimes, women wield their beauty like a weapon.

The next Conan story is "Shadows in the Moonlight."

Conan rescues a girl and goes into a ruin. I have a *very* strong feeling that the "dungeons" in Dungeons & Dragons were specifically inspired by the Conan stories. By extension, every dungeon in every video game RPG you've ever played, East or West, ultimately came from here. 1/

Conan is not an untouchable Gary Stu. Sometimes, he loses; in this case, he is sucker-punched with a rock by a salty pirate. Flat-arc characters like Conan often change the people around them, so a lot of these stories are told from his companions' perspectives. 2/

The girl returns the favor and rescues Conan from the pirates. Here is but a small example of Conan bringing the best out in another person -- and note that she does *not* beat up the pirates like a modern heroine would. She doesn't even engage them. 3/

Conan gains a pirate crew and gets the girl. He is untroubled with piracy, especially against the powerful. He does not pleasure in attacking the innocent for personal gain, either; many characters note his honorable nature despite his barbarian origin. 4/

Conan tales are often simple and straightforward, even when there is political strife between rival kingdoms. It doesn't over-explain like a modern work; I suspect that modern works over-explain out of fear of losing the reader, or to show off worldbuilding. /end

Now it's time for "Queen of the Black Coast," a Conan tale I heard many good things about -- mostly relating to its main female character, Belit.

Fleeing a criminal charge, Conan boards a trading ship, but that ship is waylaid by none other than Belit, a dreaded female pirate captain who is feared by sailors everywhere. However, Conan captures the pirate woman's heart because of his rough nature.

Based on the descriptions about ethnicities and cultures, this and many other Conan tales is a clear inspiration for Gor, a fantasy series first published in the 1960s. As for Belit, the contrast between her rep as a pirate and her lust for Conan makes her quite interesting. 1/

Of course, Conan takes his new lover where he takes all his lovers -- on a dungeon crawl full of dangers. This time, he is knocked out by flowers. These explorations of hidden ruins seem to be the heart and soul of Conan stories, just like fierce battles and voluptuous women. 2/

Evolution is referenced many times in the Conan stories, again prefiguring Gor. Likewise, a bit of foreshadowing about Belit hanging from a yardarm gets some payoff here as this is indeed what happens to Belit at the end of Chapter 3. 3/

It happened. Conan slew the monster that menaced his crew. For a brief moment, it looked as if Belit lived, but it was only an illusion. The story makes it abundantly clear that, for the first time, Conan failed to save a girl. 4/

That last short chapter was something. It genuinely made me feel sad for Conan. All that raw muscle, all that skill, all that resolve...only to lose a woman who captured his heart. On the other hand, Belit was a robber and plunderer, and she had gotten what she deserved. /end

Next up for Conan: "The Devil in Iron."

A fisherman happens upon an apparent "corpse," and said corpse snaps his neck. Not much to this chapter. 1/

Conan and a massive warband of raiders have been causing trouble for an empire, so the emperor hatches a plan: lure Conan in with a slave girl to trap him. It seems like they've done their homework regarding Conan, figuring that he would melt for a pretty face. 2/

The slave girl escapes her captivity, but someone catches her and carries her off. At least she made the effort of getting away. 3/

Conan sneaks around to locate the slave girl (whom he fell for) and encounters a drugged girl. Also, the negotiation in which the slave girl was used wasn't shown. An interesting choice, as most authors *would* have shown it due to the oft-misused "show don't tell" principle. 4/

The corpse from the first chapter is revealed to be an ancient mage who, in ages past, had raised up a powerful civilization that had since crumbled into nothing. When he was awakened, he used necromancy to bring it back. The story sets him up for a clash with Conan. 5/

Conan defeats the monster, defeats his pursuer, and saves the girl. Once again, the forces of darkness do not stand a chance against a might and majestic barbarian warrior. 5/

I love how the focus of these stories is not on flesh-and-blood foes who can be negotiated with, but deep spiritual evils which have to be faced with an iron heart. You cannot buy a monster off with money; you have to gather your courage and fight. Conan does this naturally. /end

Next is "The People of the Black Circle."

A king is mortally sickened by dark magic, and his sister, a young noblewoman named Yasmeena, is forced to finish him off to keep his soul from being trapped and used by the wizards. Despite the kingdom's best efforts, they couldn't save their king. 1/

Seven of Conan's men had been captured by the kingdom. Yasmeena planned to make a deal with Conan: kill the ones who murdered the king and the men will be freed. However, Conan arrived earlier than expected.

He demanded the release of his men for some gold, but the official refused. He was about to explain the terms of Yasmeena's proposed deal, but Yasmeena suddenly enters. Seeing an obvious opportunity to get his men back, Conan carries Yasmeena off. 2/

A mage kills the seven prisoners. This novella does something a lot of long stories do: end a chapter on a cliffhanger (Conan kidnaps a princess!) then switch to a completely different POV that may not be as fast-paced so that you pay attention to it. 3/

The dialogue between Conan and Yasmeena as Conan takes her away is electric. The contrast of a masculine male warrior and a feminine princess-type arguing with each other has a unique and powerful tension. There's a hint of lust there, too, as Yasmeena notes Conan's body. 4/

The entire "bargain" plan is forgotten about as the village Conan is staying in is attacked. The mage from before kills its chief and turns the people against Conan. 5/

Conan approaches the lair of the previous mage's masters, the titular People of the Black Circle. The Black Circle kills the mage for using magic for himself, then knocks Conan down and snatches Yasmeena. Now Conan has to literally save a princess who is locked in a tower.

*This* is a good way to do a damsel -- build familiarity with the damsel first, then have her get snatched away. That way, she is an actual character, not a passive object. 6/

Conan gains a companion to help him rescue the princess, but he also reminds the reader that he is a barbarian out for plunder. Conan is no Superman, but a mountain barbarian with disdain for civilized norms, which he considers corrupt. 7/

The wizards who kidnapped Yasmeena seeks to bend her to his will, so he makes her relive all her past lives. Earlier, she had tried to strike at them, but her weapon was changed into harmless flowers. These are also the mages who killed her brother, the king. 8/

This was a pure Conan dungeon crawl. Wizard after wizard got cut down, and he rescues the princess from a giant snake. The Cimmerian shows his might once again. 9/

And we have it: Yasmeena has fallen for Conan and offers him a position in her kingdom. Conan, ever the wild one, refuses the gift of money and power and tries to convince her to join him in his travels. After she rescues Conan's men from raiders, she wins his respect. /10

What I appreciate about this tale is that it feels as wild and untamed as Conan himself. Conan is an agent of chaos who tears asunderba land bound by custom and protocol. The story feels unbounded, like an adventure should.

It's pretty amazing work, and really focused upon the action as well. Personally, my favorite parts were the dialogues between Conan and Yasmeena, as I've rarely seen that sort of masculine/feminine dynamic in any modern media.

Lastly, it also shows that fantasy doesn't have to choose between "Saving the World" and "Bleak Nihilism." As unbounded as Conan is, he actually has a strong code of honor that demands loyalty to his allies and subordinates. /end

After a weekend hiatus from Conan, I'm back in the saddle today with "A Witch Shall be Born."

A queen is confronted by her evil twin sister, who was long thought to be dead. By assuming the queen's appearance, she deceived the queen's soldiers and seized her throne away from her. The queen was then put in a dungeon while the impostor assumed the original's position. 1/

Said impostor queen allowed a band of raiders to enter the city and plunder at will. Conan, as captain of the guard, tried to repel them, but they proved too formidable. The raiders' leader had Conan crucified, but Conan was taken down from the cross by a passing nomad. 2/

The impostor taunts the queen to break her spirit, but a spy figures out that the real queen is alive. Howard has built up a bleak atmosphere so far. 3/

Conan reveals to the nomad that he had secretly gathered an army to take revenge on the raiders. Conan is also aware that the queen is an impostor. 4/

The impostor learns that Conan's forces are winning the battle. 5/

It is the retainer Valerius, not Conan, who rescues the queen. The kingdom is retaken, and the chief of the raiders is crucified. 6/

I could see why modern critics call a lot of REH-era Conan stories "problematic" -- the women in them tend to be passive victims when they are not antagonists. While this works great for romantic moments, even one like me, who doesn't care for progressive signaling...

...comes to see it as a flaw. Perhaps it's because I'm so used to the opposite -- female characters who *never* had any romantic moments or feminine graces, pure ice queens, that I initially saw these old stories as a breath of fresh air.

But after going through all of these, I actually felt that the female characters should've done more against the villains than cower helplessly and spit curses at them. Perhaps that's the reason why warrior women are more common in modern works...

...because modern authors want to have the women be more active in the story, and sticking a sword in their hand is the easiest way to do this. That's not to say that there's no place for feminine women, or that the women shouldn't fall in love or anything like that.

I just feel they should take a stronger stand against villains, at least trying to inflict some pain on their captors even if the women ultimately need the hero to save them. There's a reason the woman warrior is popular even among those who despise feminist ideology. /end

Because I want to make more time for writing, I will do these Conan retrospectives weekly instead of daily from now on.