“He was a complex writer with many interests, and he was also a highly skilled professional with the ability to mold entertaining fast-moving stories out of many different sorts of clay.” — James Reasoner from his introduction.
Valley of the Worm is the fifth 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 nine short stories, as well as two poems. Most of the short stories are Conan the Barbarian stories. The poems first appeared in Modern American Poetry as Howard had stopped submitting poetry to Weird Tales at this point.
Black Colossus (Conan) (5/5)
(Weird Tales, June 1933)
In this story Conan is a mercenary captain and gets put in command of an army by princess Yasmela whose kingdom is in danger from a sorcerer. Howard packs a lot into this tale, an ancient evil, complex characters including a princess who makes quick decisions, and an epic battle between two large armies. I liked how Conan’s character is really fleshed out. James Reasoner explains in his introduction:
“ ‘Black Colossus’ is an important story, as well, because although in previous stories we have seen Conan as both a king and a young thief, in “Black Colossus” we see him take the first steps in metamorphosis between those two stages in his life, a change profound enough to be commented upon by his comrade in arms Amalric.”
A number of scenes stood out to me. The opening with the master thief Shevatas which sets things up really well, the humor of the scene when the princess reveals Conan to her men, Conan’s interactions with the men he winds up leading, and the climactic battle between two large forces.
Reading this story and the ones in the previous volume really hit home the difference between the general public’s perception of Conan and how he’s actually portrayed in the stories: smart, cunning, and thinking like a leader. When one of the men rushes off leading men into what Conan feels is a trap, a character points out that Conan would have probably done the same thing in his younger days. Conan's response tells us something about where he is at this stage of his life.
“You grow sober with authority,” quoth Amalric. “Such madness as that was always your particular joy.”
“Aye, when I had only my own life to consider,” answered Conan.
As in an earlier published story “The Scarlet Citadel,” Conan wears armor in some scenes. When Yasmela meets Conan he’s wearing chain mail, a hauberk, greaves, and a helmet. Afterwards he gets suited up in full plate armor. I find it interesting that Howard wrote Conan wearing armor in some stories but it’s not a look really associated with the character.
“Black Colossus” is the first Conan story to be featured on the cover of Weird Tales. The cover by Margaret Brundage depicts a scene at the beginning where princess Yasmela asks the god Mitra for help. In the story when she plans on approaching the statue in the nude to show humbleness, her maid convinces her to keep her clothing on. It's not hard to believe that editor Farnworth Wright might have thought the maid's idea would make for a better cover and sell more copies.
The Man on the Ground (3/5)
(Weird Tales, July 1933)
A weird western about a shootout between two lifelong enemies with a twist ending. Short and sweet.
The Slithering Shadow (Conan) (4/5)
Howard’s original title title: Xuthal of the Dusk
(Weird Tales, September 1933)
On the run from enemies after a large battle, Conan and a young woman named Natalia enter a mysterious city in the desert. There they encounter a Stygian woman named Thalis who explains that the people of the city spend all their time dreaming while Thog the Ancient wanders the city taking human sacrifices when it grows hungry. I liked the Lovecraftian aspect of Thog, how the story highlights one of Howard’s favorite themes of civilization vs. and barbarism, and the intense battle at the end.
This story is featured on the cover of the issue it appears in but the scene it depicts feels forced. Thalis who seemed pretty smart before this scene, puts herself in danger in order to take time to whip Natalia. In any case it got Howard another cover by Margaret Brundage. Editor Farnsworth Wright changed the title for this story. As much as I like Howard’s original title, I think “The Slithering Shadow” is actually pretty good.
The Pool of the Black One (Conan) (3/5)
(Weird Tales, October 1933)
Conan joins a pirate crew and after they stop at an island, he goes from fighting their captain to fighting strange creatures among mysterious ruins. Fast paced with lots of action. Not bad but not a favorite.
One Who Comes at Eventide (Poem)
(Modern American Poetry, 1933)
To a Woman (Though fathoms…) (Poem)
(Modern American Poetry, 1933)
I enjoyed the two poems, but not nearly as much as Howard's poetry in the previous volumes.
Old Garfield’s Heart (4/5)
(Weird Tales, December 1933)
After he is injured breaking in a horse, delirious Old Jim Garfield tells the story of how a Lipan Indian chief saved his life many years ago. A weird western with some interesting references to Texas history and geography.
Rogues in the House (Conan) (4/5)
(Weird Tales, January 1934)
A tale from a time when Conan was a thief. After the corrupt aristocrat Murilo is threatened by Nabonidis, known as the Red Priest and actually the shadow ruler of the city, Murilo turns to Conan for help. Things don’t go as planned. Not only do all three wind up in the Red Priest’s dungeon, they have to deal with a creature that the Red Priest trained but is now on the loose. Intriguing adventure ensues.
I liked the character of Murilo. In the beginning of the story Howard tells us:
“But Murillo, for all his scented black curls and foppish apparel, was no weakling to bend his neck to the knife without a struggle.”
Howard then spends the rest of the story backing up the description by showing us Murilo’s actions. I also liked how Howard once again brings up the theme of civilization vs. barbarism. Howard does this after the final battle but also in an earlier scene. My favorite exchange is when Nabonidis tells Murilo he should be ashamed for his corruption and Murilo responds:
“I have no more cause for shame than you, you vulture-hearted plunderer,” answered Murilo promptly. “You exploit a whole kingdom for your personal greed, and, under the guise of disinterested statesmanship, you swindle the king, beggar the rich, oppress the poor, and sacrifice the whole future of the nation for your ruthless ambition. You are no more than a fat hog with his snout in the trough. You are a greater thief than I am. This Cimmerian is the most honest man of the three of us, because he steals and murders openly.”
Powerful stuff.
The Valley of the Worm (James Allison) (4/5)
(Weird Tales, February 1934)
James Allison narrates a tale of one his past lives. After fighting with a group of Picts, he hunts a mysterious creature, a god of The Old Ones, that wiped out a group of his people. The battles and the Lovecraftian creature make for an exciting read. This quote from the beginning explains the story pretty well:
“It is the adventure of Niord Wormbane of which I speak — the root stem of a whole cycle of hero-tales which has not yet reached its end, the grisly underlying reality that lurks behind time-distorted myths of dragons, fiends, and monsters.”
Gods of the North (5/5)
(The Fantasy Fan fanzine, March 1934)
Originally an early Conan story titled “The Frost Giant’s Daughter,” it was rejected by Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright. Howard changed Conan’s name to Amra (a name Conan went by as a pirate) and the story was retitled and published in The Fantasy Fan. The original version of the story wasn’t published until after Howard’s death.
After a battle on a frozen tundra, Amra of Akbitana encounters the beautiful Atali. After she taunts him, Amra pursues her and she lures him into an ambush where he winds up fighting frost giants. Possibly inspired by the myths of Atalanta and Daphne and Apollo, the story has a very mythological feel with some beautiful descriptions and poetic language.
There is debate on whether Amara/Conan acts of his own free will or has been put under a spell when he lustfully pursues Atali. I agree that there appear to be clues that point to a spell, but I can understand not everyone being convinced.
Shadows in the Moonlight (Conan) (5/5)
Howard’s original title: Iron Shadows in the Moon
(Weird Tales, April 1943)
Conan winds up protecting Olivia, the daughter of a king, encounters mysterious ruins on an island, and then has to deal with pirates. The story starts with a bang and keeps going until the end. I loved Conan’s entrance, how we observe Conan from Olivia’s perspective, and how civilization vs. barbarism comes up again. While this story has similarities to “The Pool of the Black One” (beautiful woman, pirates, mysterious island), I liked the characters, action, and obstacles, in this one much more. As for the title, I prefer Howard’s original title.
As with the previous volumes, it was interesting reading Robert E. Howard’s Weird Tales work in publication order. I’m looking forward to reading the next volume.
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