““Phoenix on the Sword” is the historically important first Conan story. While it started out as a rewrite of an unsold Kull story, “Phoenix” establishes the very unique character of Conan, and sets in place the history and many of the attributes of the Hyborian Age, from which all later stories would flow.” - Paul Herman from his introduction.
Wings in the Night is the fourth volume of a series that collects the fiction and poetry of Robert E. Howard as it originally appeared in Weird Tales magazine. This volume (Kindle version) has six short stories and four poems.
Wings in the Night (Solomon Kane)
(Weird Tales, July 1932)
In “Wings in the Night” Solomon Kane encounters an African village besieged by harpy-like creatures. He does what he can to help the village and the story ends with him exacting savage revenge on the entire race of creatures. I liked how the legends surrounding the creatures tie into mythology. This is the final Solomon Kane story published during Howard’s lifetime.
I’ve enjoyed all the Solomon Kane stories from the previous volumes. The character and his stories are unique, an interesting mix of adventure and horror. I’m looking forward to seeking out and reading the stories that were published after Howard’s death.
Worms of the Earth (Bran Mak Morn)
(Weird Tales, November 1932)
“Worms of the Earth” begins with Bran Mak Morn witnessing the execution of one of his men. Next we follow Mak Morn as he plans revenge on the Roman commander responsible. His encounter with a witch seems to be the inspiration for a similar scene in the movie Conan the Barbarian from 1982. His plan turns out to be even more terrible than he expected.
Phoenix on the Sword (Conan)
(Weird Tales, December 1932)
“Phoenix on the Sword” begins with the “Know, oh prince” quote setting up the world of Conan. In this story a group of conspirators plan to assassinate Conan, King of Aquilonia. They hire an outlaw, Ascalante to help them but he has plans of his own. Ascalante has a slave, Thoth Amon, a former Stygian sorcerer who also has plans of his own. Things look grim for Conan but he gets some supernatural help from a long dead sage.
Although the first two parts are a lot of set up, the set-up is interesting. When Conan is advised to hang the poet Rinaldo who is believed to be working with the conspirators, Conan responds with, “No Prospero, he’s beyond my reach. A poet is greater than any king.” Conan then seems a little sad as he talks about his younger days and the northern lands. Something I like about Howard’s stories are the hints of melancholy that often run throughout.
I liked this story a lot, but I want to read the original Kull story as well. I find it fascinating that we got Conan because Howard didn’t give up after the first version was rejected.
The Scarlet Citadel (Conan)
(Weird Tales, January 1933)
In the beginning of “The Scarlet Citadel,” King Conan and his knights are betrayed while heading to help a supposed ally. His knights are cut down and he is imprisoned in a dungeon of the wizard Tsotha-lanti. While in the dungeon Conan’s former allies attempt to take his throne. In the dungeon he faces an enemy from his past as well as a variety of nightmarish creatures. In the scene with the old enemy we learn that Conan was known as Amra the Lion in his pirating days. I like how this story and the previous one foreshadow Conan’s adventures from his younger days. Luckily Conan finds some unexpected help, escapes the dungeon, puts on his armor, and joins a huge battle. The final confrontation with Tsotha-lanti had me shouting with excitement. What an ending!
The Cairn on the Headland
(Strange Tales, January 1933)
“The Cairn on the Headland” is a modern age story that begins with two men debating about the origins of a cairn in Ireland. One man argues that the cairn marks a battle that ended Viking raids and Viking religion. This was another “open the tomb and bad things happen” kind of story with the theme of Christianity vs. Norse Mythology. There is also a link to the Cthulhu Mythos. This story was okay but I was surprised at what we found out about the norse gods at the end.
This story has a bit of a history. When the Turlogh O’Brian historical adventure story, “The Spears of Clontarf'' didn't sell, Howard added fantasy elements and the story became “The Grey God Passes” also known as “The Twilight of the Grey Gods.” That story didn’t sell either. Howard was finally able to sell it after changing the setting to modern times and adding a horror element. The first two versions were eventually published after Howard passed. I’ll have to seek those out. I have a feeling that I’ll like the earlier versions more than this one.
The Tower of the Elephant (Conan)
(Weird Tales, March 1933)
We meet a younger Conan in “The Tower of the Elephant.” In this story Conan sneaks into a tower to steal a jewel, “The Elephant’s Heart,” belonging to the evil sorcerer Yara. Conan runs into another thief, and they work together to try to avoid traps. Parts of this story are also an inspiration for a scene in the 1982's Conan the Barbarian. While I feel that the scenes in the movie are very well done, they pale in comparison to this story. At the end Conan discovers the cosmic secret to the jewel and the source of Yara’s magic. Outstanding.
We also learn more about the god Crom which helps the reader understand how the barbarian thinks. Howard writes, “His gods were simple and understandable; Crom was their chief, and he lived on a great mountain, whence he sent forth dooms and death. It was useless to call on Crom, because he was a gloomy, savage god, and he hated weaklings. But he gave a man courage at birth, and the will and might to kill his enemies, which, in the Cimmerian's mind, was all any god should be expected to do."
As in the previous volumes I liked the poetry. Unfortunately this volume includes Howard’s final poetry submissions to Weird Tales.
“REH quit sending poetry to Weird Tales, as he was paid by the word, and he quickly found out that a simple 16-line poem doesn’t pay nearly as well as a 10,000-word story, especially when the editor will only include one work per author.” - Paul Herman, from his Introduction.
In my reviews of the previous volumes, I wrote that I really enjoyed reading Howard’s stories in the order that they appeared in Weird Tales. They’re not always in the order that he wrote them but they’re close. It’s allowed me to see his progression as a writer and has allowed me to see how he reworked something when it didn’t sell. That’s the case again with this volume but this time with the added bonus of almost every story being a standout. They’re all fast paced, exciting, and have strong endings. But it’s more than that. There’s also strong characterization and themes of individualism and the decaying of civilizations throughout. Howard was on fire when he wrote these stories.
Looking forward to reading volume five!
Wings in the Night (Solomon Kane) (5/5)
Arkham (poem) (3/5)
An Open Window (poem) (4/5)
Worms of the Earth (Bran Mak Morn) (4/5)
The Phoenix on the Sword (First Conan) (4/5)
The Scarlet Citadel (Conan) (5/5)
The Cairn on the Headland (Cthulhu Mythos) (from Strange Tales) (3/5)
The Tower of the Elephant (Conan) (5/5)
Autumn (poem) (5/5)
Moonlight on a Skull (poem) (4/5)
Overall (5/5)
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