Four Conan Short Stories from Heroic Legends

Titan Books had a 99-cent sale on a number of their Heroic Legends short stories recently, so I picked up the Conan stories I was missing and I got caught up. 

Conan: The Amulet of Nakamar by Brendan Deneen (Titan Books, 2025)

Shortly after the events of “The Tower of the Elephant,” a young Conan is approached in a tavern and hired to recover a stolen jewel. This felt much too generic and the writing didn’t grab me. I found the constant references to Conan’s childhood training repetitive and some passages seemed to contradict each other. Disappointing. 

Rating: Two swords out of five.

Conan: Marked for Death by Tim Waggoner (Titan Books, 2026) 

Conan and his mercenary companions encounter supernatural trouble after a job gone wrong. I really enjoyed this. A great mix of mystery, action, and horror.

Rating: Four swords out of five. 

Conan: The Treasures of Tortage by Robbie MacNiven (Titan Books, 2026)

I wasn’t expecting a story from the perspective of another character, but the prose grabbed me from the first sentence and never let go. The twist that comes was well done and the ending stuck landing. I'm glad that I didn't read the story description beforehand as it has a spoiler. This is my favorite of the four I read. I loved how Conan is shown using his cunning as well as his strength in this story. 

Rating: Five swords out of five.

Conan: The Green God of Leng by Gavin G. Smith (Titan Books, 2026)

After people across the land are plagued by strange dreams, Conan is asked to help fight off the source of the nightmares. At the end we get a pretty wild final battle. This story has some nice nods to H.P. Lovecraft including the appearance of the Plateau of Leng.  Well done.

Rating: Four swords out of five.

Three great stories of four. Not bad. 

Books and Short Stories I Read in January 2026

Mostly short stories this month plus one book. 

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammet (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, 1989. Originally published in 1930)

This was a re-read. I enjoyed this just as much as I did when I first read it many years ago. A cynical mystery with interesting characters, some hardboiled dialog, and a plot that kept me reading. I plan to re-watch the 1941 film soon. 

Conan: Comrades by Brian D. Anderson (The Heroic Legends Series, Titan Books, 2025) 

A gritty and fast paced short story about Conan as a mercenary. It does a great job of showing what those who fight for coin deal with. The ending hits hard. 

Old Moon Quarterly: A Magazine of Dark Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery Issue #5 (Summer, 2023)

This is another great mix of dark fantasy/sword and sorcery stories along with some poetry. Highly recommended. I’ll post a more in-depth review soon. 

“Blood of the Gods” by Robert E. Howard 

(From El Borak and Other Desert Adventures, Del Rey Books, 2010. Originally published in Top Notch, July 1935)

It’s been a while since I read anything by one of my favorite authors, Robert E. Howard. As his birthday is on January 22, I wanted to read something by him, but I wasn’t sure what to pick at first. Then I remembered that author Scott Oden recently wrote on his Substack about what Robert E. Howard taught him about writing fight scenes. I learned a lot from it. In the article he analyzes the El Borak story “Blood of the Gods.” Here’s a link: Rivers of Crimson - by Scott Oden

I have the Del Rey collection of El Borak stories, so between the Scott Oden post and the book sitting unread on my shelf, “Blood of the Gods” was an easy pick. The stories are about an American gunfighter’s adventures in Afghanistan. He’s given the name El Borak (Arabic for “The Swift”) due to speed and quickness. 

In this story he races to the aid of a friend after learning that dangerous soldiers of fortune are seeking the friend and his treasure, the Blood of the Gods. The story is fast paced with lots of action right from the start leading to an excellent finale. While I wouldn’t rate it as high as most of Howard’s Conan or Soloman Kane stories, it’s an excellent pulp adventure story and I enjoyed it quite a lot. Looking forward to reading more of El Borak in the future. 

Short Stories I Read in October 2025

Only two short stories this month.

Conan: Black Starlight by John C. Hocking (Titan Books, 2023) 

Originally serialized in twelve parts in Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian comic book in 2019, this story takes place between Conan and the Emerald Lotus, which I read last month, and Conan and the Living Plague. It's now available as a digital short as part of Titan’s Heroic Legends Series. This was a blast to read. A great cast of characters, Conan’s characterization is spot on, and the supernatural threats are chilling. An excellent combination of prose, pacing, and action. 

Grimnirsson by Graham Thomas Wilcox (Black Library, 2023)

Genseric, a dwarf berserker tired of war and now part of a group of free peoples, fights to stay in control after a group of Sigmarite Crusaders show up demanding supplies and fighting men. A story about oaths, chosen kin and found family, and the warrior's way. Genseric’s back story was interesting as was his relationship with the human Aoife and the action scenes were well done. On top of that, I really enjoyed the prose and the melancholic atmosphere throughout. 

Instead of reading I watched lots of movies this month. I'm not sure if that trend will continue next month or not. We'll see.

Books and Comics I Read for Cimmerian September 2025

Two books and two volumes of comics this month.

Old Gods and Other Tales by Scott Oden (Independently published, 2025)

I absolutely loved this collection of historical fiction, fantasy, and sword and sorcery tales, especially the historical fiction. I enjoyed some stories more than others but as a whole this was an excellent read. Look for a more in-depth review in the future. 

Conan the Barbarian Vol. 4: Frozen Faith by Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite (Titan Comics, 2025)

This volume collects issues in which Robert E. Howard’s story “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” is expanded upon. Between savage battles and flashbacks to Conan’s childhood, we learn how he comes to believe what he believes regarding the existence of Crom and other gods. An excellent combination of story and art. 

The Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 2 by a variety of writers and artists. (Titan Comics, 2025)

This collects issues 4-6 of Titan’s black & white magazine-sized Savage Sword of Conan. Quite the mixed bag. Issue 4 includes one Conan story and five back up stories featuring other characters. Not much happens as each story is a prologue to Titan’s Black Stone crossover event. I enjoyed Solomon Kane by Patrick Zircher and El Borak by Ron Mars and Mike Perkins as they felt more like complete stories as well as prologues.

The high point for me was the story by Jason Aaron and Geoff Isherwood from issues 5 & 6 in which King Conan encounters a witch as well as a cult of witch-finders. I also enjoyed the prose fiction short story by Matthew John from issue 6.

Lots of great pin-ups, but the rest of the stories and art just didn’t connect with me.  So far Conan the Barbarian has been knocking it out of the park, but I’ve found Savage Sword to be pretty uneven, but I guess that’s to be expected with an anthology series. 

Conan: City of the Dead by John C. Hocking (Titan Books, 2024)

This collects two books, Conan and the Emerald Lotus (1999) and its long-awaited sequel, Conan and the Living Plague (2024). I didn’t get to the sequel, but I finished the first one. 

In Conan and the Emerald Lotus, Conan deals with sorcerers, the undead, and a monstrous plant. It takes a few chapters to get started as it introduces a number of characters, but once it gets going it’s a real page turner. I quite enjoyed Hocking's prose as it brought the Hyborian Age to life and Conan felt like Robert E. Howard's Conan. Looking forward to reading more of Hocking's work, which I'll definitely be reading some of next month.

Short Stories and Comics I Read for Cimmerian September, 2024

My original plan for Cimmerian September was to read Conan: Blood of the Serpent by S.M. Stirling and then some of the Conan paperbacks that I’ve collected over the last few years. Unfortunately, I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately and it didn’t help that I couldn’t get into Blood of the Serpent. It took me three weeks just to get through the first few chapters. I haven’t given up on it yet but I’m finding the first part really, really slow paced. So, I came up with a new plan. 

At the beginning of the year, I read “Conan: The Shadow of Vengeance” by Scott Oden and I loved it. Here’s a link to my post that includes a review:

We Learn by Writing: Books I Read in February 2024

I figured now is a good time to read the other Conan stories by other authors featured in the Heroic Legends series. These stories were just what I needed. 

“Conan: Lord of the Mount” by Stephen Graham Jones (Titan Books, 2023)

I enjoyed the two horror novellas I read by Stephen Graham Jones, so I was looking forward to this. It grabbed me right from the start. Fast paced, action packed, and Conan pretty much felt like Conan.

 

“Conan: The Child” by Brian D. Anderson (Titan Books, 2023)

Action, twists, and interesting characters. Written in a contemporary style while still feeling true to the character of Conan. Even though I could see where things were heading, this was a really fun read. Brian D. Anderson is an author new to me and this story makes me want to check out his other work. Scott Oden's story and this one are my favorite of the Heroic Legends Conan stories published so far.

“Conan: Lethal Consignment” by Shaun Hamill (Titan Books, 2023)

A young Conan is hired as a guard on a ship. Even early in his career I would have expected Conan to be more confident than he’s depicted here and some of the modern vocabulary took me out of the story. Other than that, it was a quick fun read. 

“Conan: Terror from the Abyss” by Henry Herz (Titan Books, 2024)

Conan and Bêlit face a Lovecraftian horror from the deep. A fast-paced story with an abrupt ending. The strengths of this story lie in its great descriptions and use of vocabulary. Conan praying to Crom felt very out of character though. 

“Conan: The Halls of Immortal Darkness” by Laird Barron (Titan Books, 2024)

I’ve heard good things about Laird Barron and have a few of his books but until now I haven’t read anything by him. After being bitten by a snake and having a weird vision, Conan is hired by a mysterious woman and an old man. As much as I liked the writing, I wasn’t sure what to make of this story until I got to the end, which really won me over. I really need to get around to reading more of Laird Barron.

There’s one story that I didn’t get to, “Conan: Black Starlight” by John C. Hocking. It takes place between his two books Conan and the Emerald Lotus and Conan and the Living Plague, both which are included in Conan: City of the Dead, which was published this year. I ordered a copy this month but it’s one of the books that I didn’t get to.

I did get to the Conan the Barbarian comic though:

Conan the Barbarian Vol. 2: Thrice Marked for Death written by Jim Zub, art Doug Braithwaite, coloring by Diego Rodriguez, and cover art by Roberto De La Torre. (Titan Comics, 2024)

Volume 2 collects issues 5-8 of Titan’s Conan the Barbarian comic. While haunted by memories of Bêlit, Conan joins a group of thieves for a heist. Of course, things don’t go as planned. Jim Zub continues to write a great Conan and the art by Doug Braithwaite is impressive, especially his splash pages.

That finishes up my Cimmerian September. I may read some spooky stuff for October but I’m not making any definite plans as I hardly ever stick with them. We’ll see what happens.

Cimmerian September

Cimmerian September is a reading event in which people read Conan stories, either Robert E. Howard’s originals, pastiche versions, or comics. Since I recently finished reading the original stories, I figured now would be a good time to dive into some of the pastiche novels that I’ve collected over the last few years. 

First up is Conan: Blood of the Serpent by S.M. Stirling from 2022. This is a prequel to Howard’s last Conan story, “Red Nails.” The book includes Howard's story and has some great illustrations by Roberto De La Torre who has done artwork for the new Conan comic from Titan. I'm also planning on reading the new book by John Hocking, Conan: City of the Dead. It includes two books, Conan and the Emerald Lotus from 1995, and its new sequel, Conan and the Living Plague. The original edition of Emerald Lotus goes for high prices so it's nice that it's included in this new edition. After these, who knows? I have lots to choose from as you can see below.

Here are Bantam editions and a Tor edition of The Road of Kings by Karl Edward Wagner:

Two from Ace by Andrew J. Offutt:

Three Tor editions by Sean A. Moore:

Four Tors by John Maddox Roberts:

If you have any suggestions for which Conan pastiche I should read next, please let me know!

Books I Read in February 2024

Lots of sword & sorcery plus some historical fiction this month.

Black God’s Kiss by C.L. Moore (Paizo, 2007)

Black God’s Kiss collects six stories about Jirel of Joiry, a red-headed warrior woman in an imaginary medieval France with warlords and sorcerers. They first appeared in Weird Tales magazine from 1934 to 1937. In most of the stories she travels to other worlds. I liked the lush prose and the descriptions of Jirel and her fiery personality. A great selection of tales from the early days of sword and sorcery. 

When I was looking up background information on C.L. Moore I discovered that she and Robert E. Howard corresponded and were fans of each other’s work. He sent her his own story about a warrior woman in France to read, a historical adventure titled “Sword Woman.” She had good things to say about it and expressed hope that he would write more of her adventures. I figured I’d read the story as I have it in a collection I keep meaning to get to.

“Sword Woman” and “Blades for France” by Robert E. Howard from Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures (Ballantine Del Rey, 2011)

A young country girl in 16th century France flees an arranged marriage, sets out for a life of wandering and violence, and becomes known as Dark Agnes. The first story tells her origin and the second is an adventure with her sidekick. I enjoyed them both but especially the first one. There’s a draft for a third story but it was never completed. For whatever reason Howard didn’t get the stories sold and they weren’t published until after his death. In any case, they were good reads, and it was interesting comparing stories between the two authors. 

Conan the Barbarian: Bound in Black Stone by Jim Zub and Robert De La Torre (Titan Comics, 2024)

This collects the Free Comic Book Day 2023 issue (a great introduction to the character done in the style of a Prince Valiant comic strip) and issues 1-4 of the ongoing comic. There are also some essays and a gorgeous map of the Hyborian Age. The Bound in Black Stone storyline has lots of action and a mystery that is solved by the end while also setting things up for future stories. References to various Robert E. Howard stories and characters were a nice touch. While I enjoyed the story, I absolutely loved the artwork by De La Torre. The trade cover by Dan Panosian is great but I would have preferred something by De La Torre on the cover.

Valley of the Worm: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume 5 (Wildside Press, 2006) 

Valley of the Worm is the fifth volume of a series that collects the fiction of Robert E. Howard as it originally appeared in Weird Tales magazine. This volume (Kindle version) has nine short stories and two poems. Six of the short stories are Conan the Barbarian stories. As with the previous volumes, it was interesting reading Robert E. Howard’s Weird Tales work in publication order. 

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard (Del Rey Ballantine, 2003)

This was just a partial read. I had read most of this collection a few years ago and thought I had finished it, but last month I realized there were some stories I had never gotten to. I finished up by reading the ones I had skipped, stories that never made it into Weird Tales and were published after Howard’s death. This is a great collection beautifully illustrated by Mark Schultz. It also includes drafts, maps, and an essay that goes into detail on Howard’s creation of Conan, the Hyborian Age, and the individual stories. 

Conan: The Shadow of Vengeance by Scott Oden (Titan Books, 2024)

Scott Oden channels Robert E. Howard while bringing in his own voice to this sequel to Howard’s short story “The Devil in Iron.” The set up hooked my interest, the escalation of events drew me in, and the finale had me reading with excitement. There were parts towards the end where I felt like I had been transported into a Ray Harryhausen film. Also loved the quick Lovecraft reference earlier in the story. What an entertaining read. 

This novella was originally published in twelve parts as a backup in the 2019 Savage Sword of Conan v2 comic book from Marvel Comics. It’s now part of an ebook short fiction series from Heroic Signatures and Titan Books. There are a few other Conan stories out already as well as a Solomon Kane story and a Bêlit story. A Bran Mak Morn story will be released at the end of March.