Ancient wizards are resurrected, kingdoms are lost and won, battles are fought, slaves freed, rival priests conduct magic war over a terrifying artifact, fell tyranny is practiced by ambitious princes, there are ghouls, vampires, giant serpents, fell cults, wise women, and over all, majestic themes of revenge, justice, loyalty, perseverance, courage and love.

The Black Stranger,” “The Frost Giant’s Daughter,” “The Hall of the Dead,” and “The Hand of Nergal” have all been typeset without posthumous collaborations or alterations, for example.

The writing is misleadingly simple and straightforward, peppered at times with a touch of archaism which falls right into place with the literature genre we’re dealing with here. Or characters that are super human (especially recently) and have amazing powers that do all the fighting for them.

Viele Fantasyautoren lesen sich eher gemächlich und sind auf epische Abenteuer aus; Howard beschreibt echtes Leben, blutige Schwertkämpfe und rasante und atemberaubende Abenteuer. The collection is edited by Stephen Jones and was issued to celebrate the centenary of Howard’s birth.It's like Robert wanted to tell the stories of ordinary and not so ordinary people in this world, but knew he needed Conan in these stories to sell them. Build mighty castles from Nemedia, elegant temples from Argos, opulent palaces from Turan, fortresses from Khitai, cozy taverns, handy stables, or gladiatorial arenas. Howards Geschichten erzählen von einer Welt vor unserer Zeit, die voller Gewalt und Magie ist - es ist aber nur zum Teil eine erfundene Welt, denn sie ist voller bekannter Eigenschaften, die dazu führen, dass sie glaubwürdig ist wie keine zweite Fantasywelt. Simple thievery becomes a rescue mission and the original thrust of the story is turned on its head in a third act climax worthy of the name.