A Probable Outline of Conan's Career



The first chronology Conan the Cimmerian was written by two Robert E. Howard fans, P. Schuyler Miller and Dr. John D. Clark in 1936. This "Miller/Clark" chronology was regarded as canonical for many years and formed the basis of L. Sprague de Camp's timeline that framed the Lancer/Ace series. However, at least since 1983, when Joe Marek pointed out some inconsistencies, the chronology has become a matter of debate.

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ARROW COMICS 10 Facts About Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian BY JAY SERAFINO JULY 19, 2018 Marvel Entertainment MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT Nearly every sword-wielding fantasy hero from the 20th century owes a tip of their horned helmet to Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. Set in the fictional Hyborian Age, after the destruction of Atlantis but before our general recorded history, Conan's stories have depicted him as everything from a cunning thief to a noble king and all types of scoundrel in between. But beneath that blood-soaked sword and shield is a character that struck a nerve with generations of fantasy fans, spawning adaptations in comics, video games, movies, TV shows, and cartoons in the eight decades since he first appeared in the December 1932 issue of Weird Tales. So thank Crom, because here are 10 facts about Conan the Barbarian.

1. THE FIRST OFFICIAL CONAN STORY WAS A KULL REWRITE.

Conan wasn’t the only barbarian on Robert E. Howard’s resume. In 1929, the writer created Kull the Conqueror, a more “introspective” brand of savage that gained enough interest to eventually find his way onto the big screen in 1997. The two characters share more than just a common creator and a general disdain for shirts, though: the first Conan story to get published, “The Phoenix on the Sword,” was actually a rewrite of an earlier rejected Kull tale titled “By This Axe I Rule!” For this new take on the plot, Howard introduced supernatural elements and more action. The end result was more suited to what Weird Tales wanted, and it became the foundation for future Conan tales.

2. BUT A “PROTO-CONAN” STORY PRECEDED IT. A few months before Conan made his debut in Weird Tales, Howard wrote a story called "People of the Dark" for Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror about a man named John O’Brien who seemed to relive his past life as a brutish, black-haired warrior named … Conan of the reavers. Reave is a word from Old English meaning to raid or plunder, which is obviously in the same ballpark as barbarian. And in the story, there is also a reference to Crom, the fictional god of the Hyborian age that later became a staple of the Conan mythology. This isn't the barbarian as we know him, and it's certainly not an official Conan tale, but the early ideas were there.

3. ROBERT E. HOWARD NEVER INTENDED TO WRITE THESE STORIES IN ORDER. Howard was meticulous in his world-building for Conan, which was highlighted by his 8600-word history on the Hyborian Age the character lived in. But the one area the creator had no interest in was linearity. Conan’s first story depicted him already as a king; subsequent stories, though, would shift back and forth, chronicling his early days as both a thief and a youthful adventurer.

There’s good reason for that, as Howard himself once explained: “In writing these yarns I've always felt less as creating them than as if I were simply chronicling his adventures as he told them to me. That's why they skip about so much, without following a regular order. The average adventurer, telling tales of a wild life at random, seldom follows any ordered plan, but narrates episodes widely separated by space and years, as they occur to him.”

4. THERE ARE NUMEROUS CONNECTIONS TO THE H.P. LOVECRAFT MYTHOS. For fans of the pulp magazines of the early 20th century, one of the only names bigger than Robert E. Howard was H.P. Lovecraft. The two weren’t competitors, though—rather, they were close friends and correspondents. They’d often mail each other drafts of their stories, discuss the themes of their work, and generally talk shop. And as Lovecraft’s own mythology was growing, it seems like their work began to bleed together.

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In “The Phoenix on the Sword,” Howard made reference to “vast shadowy outlines of the Nameless Old Ones,” which could be seen as a reference to the ancient, godlike “Old Ones” from the Lovecraft mythos. In the book The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, editor Patrice Louinet even wrote that Howard’s earlier draft for the story name-dropped Lovecraft’s actual Old Ones, most notably Cthulhu.

In Lovecraft’s “The Shadow of Time,” he describes a character named Crom-Ya as a “Cimmerian chieftain,” which is a reference to Conan's homeland and god. These examples just scratch the surface of names, places, and concepts that the duo’s work share. Whether you want to read it all as a fun homage or an early attempt at a shared universe is up to you.

5. SEVERAL OF HOWARD’S STORIES WERE REWRITTEN AS CONAN STORIES POSTHUMOUSLY. Howard was only 30 when he died, so there aren’t as many completed Conan stories out in the world as you’d imagine—and there are even less that were finished and officially printed. Despite that, the character’s popularity has only grown since the 1930s, and publishers looked for a way to print more of Howard’s Conan decades after his death. Over the years, writers and editors have gone back into Howard’s manuscripts for unfinished tales to doctor up and rewrite for publication, like "The Snout in the Dark," which was a fragment that was reworked by writers Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp. There were also times when Howard’s non-Conan drafts were repurposed as Conan stories by publishers, including all of the stories in 1955's Tales of Conan collection from Gnome Press.

6. FRANK FRAZETTA’S CONAN PAINTINGS REGULARLY SELL FOR SEVEN FIGURES. Chances are, the image of Conan you have in your head right now owes a lot to artist Frank Frazetta: His version of the famous barbarian—complete with rippling muscles, pulsating veins, and copious amounts of sword swinging—would come to define the character for generations. But the look that people most associate with Conan didn’t come about until the character’s stories were reprinted decades after Robert E. Howard’s death.

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“In 1966, Lancer Books published new paperbacks of Robert E. Howard's Conan series and hired my grandfather to do the cover art,” Sara Frazetta, Frazetta's granddaughter owner and operator of Frazetta Girls, tells Mental Floss. You could argue that Frazetta’s powerful covers were what drew most people to Conan during the '60s and '70s, and in recent years the collector’s market seems to validate that opinion. In 2012, the original painting for his Lancer version of Conan the Conqueror sold at auction for $1,000,000. Later, his Conan the Destroyer went for $1.5 million.

Still, despite all of Frazetta’s accomplishments, his granddaughter said there was one thing he always wanted: “His only regret was that he wished Robert E. Howard was alive so he could have seen what he did with his character.”

7. CONAN’S FIRST MARVEL COMIC WAS ALMOST CANCELED AFTER SEVEN ISSUES. The cover to Marvel's Conan the Barbarian #21 MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT Conan’s origins as a pulp magazine hero made him a natural fit for the medium’s logical evolution: the comic book. And in 1970, the character got his first high-profile comic launch when Marvel’s Conan The Barbarian hit shelves, courtesy of writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith.

Though now it’s hailed as one of the company’s highlights from the ‘70s, the book was nearly canceled after a mere seven issues. The problem is that while the debut issue sold well, each of the next six dropped in sales, leading Marvel’s then editor-in-chief, Stan Lee, to pull the book from production after the seventh issue hit stands.

Thomas pled his case, and Lee agreed to give Conan one last shot. But this time instead of the book coming out every month, it would be every two months. The plan worked, and soon sales were again on the rise and the book would stay in publication until 1993, again as a monthly. This success gave way to the Savage Sword of Conan, an oversized black-and-white spinoff magazine from Marvel that was aimed at adult audiences. It, too, was met with immense success, lasting from 1974 to 1995.

8. OLIVER STONE WROTE A FOUR-HOUR, POST-APOCALYPTIC CONAN MOVIE.

John Milius’s 1982 Conan movie is a classic of the sword and sorcery genre, but its original script from Oliver Stone didn’t resemble the final product at all. In fact, it barely resembled anything related to Conan. Stone’s Conan would have been set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, where the barbarian would do battle against a host of mutant pigs, insects, and hyenas. Not only that, but it would have also been just one part of a 12-film saga that would be modeled on the release schedule of the James Bond series.

The original producers were set to move ahead with Stone’s script with Stone co-directing alongside an up-and-coming special effects expert named Ridley Scott, but they were turned down by all of their prospects. With no co-director and a movie that would likely be too ambitious to ever actually get finished, they sold the rights to producer Dino De Laurentiis, who helped bring in Milius.

9. BARACK OBAMA IS A FAN (AND WAS TURNED INTO A BARBARIAN HIMSELF). When President Barack Obama sent out a mass email in 2015 to the members of Organizing for Action, he was looking to get people to offer up stories about how they got involved within their community—their origin stories, if you will. In this mass email, the former Commander-in-Chief detailed his own origin, with a shout out to a certain barbarian:

“I grew up loving comic books. Back in the day, I was pretty into Conan the Barbarian and Spiderman.

Anyone who reads comics can tell you, every main character has an origin story—the fateful and usually unexpected sequence of events that made them who they are.”

This bit of trivia was first made public in 2008 in a Daily Telegraph article on 50 facts about the president. That led to Devil’s Due Publishing immortalizing the POTUS in the 2009 comic series Barack the Barbarian, which had him decked out in his signature loincloth doing battle against everyone from Sarah Palin to Dick Cheney.

10. J.R.R. TOLKIEN WAS ALSO A CONAN DEVOTEE. The father of 20th century fantasy may always be J.R.R. Tolkien, but Howard is a close second in many fans' eyes. Though Tolkien’s work has found its way into more scholarly literary circles, Howard’s can sometimes get categorized as low-brow. Quality recognizes quality, however, and during a conversation with Tolkien, writer L. Sprague de Camp—who himself edited and touched-up numerous Conan stories—said The Lord of the Rings author admitted that he “rather liked” Howard’s Conan stories during a conversation with him. He didn’t expand upon it, nor was de Camp sure which Conan tale he actually read (though it was likely “Shadows in the Moonlight”), but the seal of approval from Tolkien himself goes a long way toward validation.

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One of the key issues that divides Conan and Howard fans is that a chronology focuses attention on the character rather than Howard's (or anyone else's) body of work.

"A Probable Outline of Conan's Career" &bull; P. Schuyler Miller and Dr. John D. Clark

 * "The Tower of the Elephant"
 * "Rogues in the House"
 * "Queen of the Black Coast"
 * "Black Colossus"
 * "Shadows in the Moonlight"
 * "A Witch Shall Be Born"
 * "Shadows in Zamboula"
 * "The Devil in Iron"
 * The People of the Black Circle 
 * "The Slithering Shadow"
 * "The Pool of the Black One"
 * Red Nails
 * "Jewels of Gwahlur"
 * Beyond the Black River
 * "The Phoenix on the Sword"
 * "The Scarlet Citadel"
 * The Hour of the Dragon

The chronology of the Lancer/Ace series
Conan
 * "The Thing in the Crypt" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter


 * "The Tower of the Elephant" &bull; Robert E. Howard


 * "The Hall of the Dead" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp
 * "The God in the Bowl" &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * "Rogues in the House" &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * "The Hand of Nergal" &bull; Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter


 * "The City of Skulls" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter

Conan of Cimmeria
 * "The Curse of the Monolith" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter
 * "The Blood-Stained God" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp


 * "The Frost Giant's Daughter" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp


 * "The Lair of the Ice Worm" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter


 * "Queen of the Black Coast" &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * "The Vale of Lost Women" &bull; Robert E. Howard


 * "The Castle of Terror" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter

Conan the Freebooter
 * "The Snout in the Dark" &bull; Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter
 * "Hawks Over Shem" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp


 * "Black Colossus" &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * "Shadows in the Moonlight" &bull; Robert E. Howard


 * "The Road of the Eagles" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp

Conan the Wanderer
 * "A Witch Shall Be Born" &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * "Black Tears" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter


 * "Shadows in Zamboula" &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * "The Devil in Iron" &bull; Robert E. Howard

Conan the Adventurer
 * The Flame Knife &bull; Robert E. Howard & L. Sprague de Camp


 * The People of the Black Circle &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * "The Slithering Shadow" &bull; Robert E. Howard

Conan the Buccaneer Conan the Warrior
 * "Drums of Tombalku" &bull; Robert E. Howard & L. Sprague de Camp
 * "The Pool of the Black One" &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * Conan the Buccaneer &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter

Conan the Usurper
 * Red Nails &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * "Jewels of Gwahlur" &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * Beyond the Black River &bull; Robert E. Howard


 * The Treasure of Tranicos &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp


 * "Wolves Beyond the Border" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp

Conan the Conqueror
 * "The Phoenix on the Sword" &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * "The Scarlet Citadel" &bull; Robert E. Howard

Conan the Avenger Conan of Aquilonia Conan of the Isles
 * Conan the Conqueror &bull; Robert E. Howard
 * Conan the Avenger &bull; Björn Nyberg and L. Sprague de Camp
 * "The Witch of the Mists" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter
 * "Black Sphinx of Nebthu" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter
 * "Red Moon of Zembabwei" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter
 * "Shadows in the Skull" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter
 * Conan of the Isles • L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter

Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology
Building on his timeline of Conan's life, established in the Lancer/Ace chronology (above), L. Sprague de Camp continued to arrange subsequent novels into the timeline up to, and including, the 7th TOR novel, Conan the Victorious. After that, new series editor Robert Jordan took over the responsibility of ordering the continuing saga (Jordan's timeline is next). The final version of de Camp's timeline is "Conan the Indestructible" (1984):
 * "Legions of the Dead"
 * Conan the Barbarian (as an alternate account of Conan's early years)
 * "The Thing in the Crypt"
 * "The Tower of the Elephant"
 * Conan the Destroyer
 * Conan the Magnificent
 * Conan the Invincible
 * "The Hall of the Dead"
 * "The God in the Bowl"
 * "Rogues in the House"
 * Conan and the Sorcerer
 * Conan the Mercenary
 * The Sword of Skelos
 * Conan the Victorious
 * Conan the Unconquered
 * "The Hand of Nergal"
 * "The City of Skulls"
 * "The People of the Summit"
 * "The Curse of the Monolith"
 * Conan and the Spider God
 * "The Blood-Stained God"
 * "The Frost Giant's Daughter"
 * "The Lair of the Ice Worm"
 * Conan the Defender
 * Conan the Triumphant
 * "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 1)
 * Conan the Rebel (between chapters 1 and 2 of "Queen of the Black Coast")
 * "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 2)
 * "The Vale of Lost Women"
 * "The Castle of Terror"
 * "The Snout in the Dark"
 * "Hawks Over Shem"
 * The Road of Kings
 * "Black Colossus"
 * "Shadows in the Dark"
 * "Shadows in the Moonlight"
 * "The Road of the Eagles"
 * "A Witch Shall Be Born"
 * "Black Tears"
 * "Shadows in Zamboula"
 * "The Star of Khorala"
 * "The Devil in Iron"
 * "The Flame Knife"
 * "The People of the Black Circle"
 * "The Slithering Shadow"
 * "Drums of Tombalku"
 * "The Gem in the Tower"
 * "The Pool of the Black One"
 * Conan the Buccaneer
 * "Red Nails"
 * "Jewels of Gwahlur"
 * "The Ivory Goddess"
 * "Beyond the Black River"
 * "Moon of Blood"
 * "The Treasure of Tranicos"
 * "Wolves Beyond the Border"
 * Conan the Liberator
 * "The Phoenix on the Sword"
 * "The Scarlet Citadel"
 * Conan the Conqueror
 * Conan the Avenger
 * "The Witch of the Mists"
 * "Black Sphinx of Nebthu"
 * "Red Moon of Zembabwei"
 * "Shadows in the Skull"
 * Conan of the Isles

"The Conan Chronology" &bull; Robert Jordan

 * "Legions of the Dead" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1263 A.A. &bull; Conan the Swordsman
 * "The Thing in the Crypt" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1264 A.A. &bull; Conan
 * Conan the Defiant &bull; Steve Perry &bull; 1264 A.A.
 * "The Tower of the Elephant" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1265 A.A. &bull; Conan
 * Conan and the Sorcerer &bull; Andrew J. Offutt &bull; 1265 A.A.
 * Conan the Mercenary &bull; Andrew J. Offutt &bull; 1265 A.A.
 * Conan: The Sword of Skelos &bull; Andrew J. Offutt &bull; 1265 A.A.
 * Conan the Destroyer &bull; Robert Jordan &bull; 1266 A.A.
 * Conan the Magnificent &bull; Robert Jordan &bull; 1267 A.A.
 * Conan the Invincible &bull; Robert Jordan &bull; 1267 A.A.
 * "The Hall of the Dead" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp &bull; 1267 A.A. &bull; Conan
 * Conan the Fearless &bull; Steve Perry &bull; 1267 A.A.
 * "The God in the Bowl" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1267 A.A. &bull; Conan
 * Conan the Warlord &bull; Leonard Carpenter &bull; 1267 A.A.
 * "Rogues in the House" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1267 A.A. &bull; Conan
 * Conan the Victorious &bull; Robert Jordan &bull; 1267 A.A.
 * Conan the Champion &bull; John Maddox Roberts &bull; 1267-1268 A.A.
 * Conan the Unconquered &bull; Robert Jordan &bull; 1268 A.A.
 * "The Hand of Nergal" &bull; Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter &bull; 1268 A.A. &bull; Conan
 * "The City of Skulls" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1268 A.A. &bull; Conan
 * "The People of the Summit" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Björn Nyberg &bull; 1269 A.A. &bull; Conan the Swordsman
 * "The Curse of the Monolith" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1269 A.A. &bull; Conan of Cimmeria
 * Conan the Valiant &bull; Roland Green &bull; 1270 A.A.
 * Conan and the Spider God &bull; L. Sprague de Camp &bull; 1270 A.A.
 * "The Bloodstained God" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp &bull; 1270 A.A. &bull; Conan of Cimmeria
 * Conan the Valorous &bull; John Maddox Roberts &bull; 1271 A.A.
 * "The Frost Giant's Daughter" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1271 A.A. &bull; Conan of Cimmeria
 * "The Lair of the Ice Worm" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1271 A.A. &bull; Conan of Cimmeria
 * Conan the Defender &bull; Robert Jordan &bull; 1271 A.A.
 * Conan: The Road of Kings &bull; Karl Edward Wagner &bull; 1272 A.A.
 * Conan the Triumphant &bull; Robert Jordan &bull; 1273 A.A.
 * "Queen of the Black Coast" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1274-1275 A.A. &bull; Conan of Cimmeria
 * Conan the Rebel &bull; Poul Anderson &bull; 1274 A.A. (This story takes place in the middle of "Queen of the Black Coast"
 * "The Vale of Lost Women," &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1275 A.A. &bull; Conan of Cimmeria
 * "The Castle of Terror" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1276 A.A. &bull; Conan of Cimmeria
 * "The Snout in the Dark" &bull; Howard, de Camp, and Carter &bull; 1276 A.A. &bull; Conan of Cimmeria
 * "Hawks Over Shem" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp &bull; 1277 A.A. &bull; Conan the Freebooter
 * "Black Colossus" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1278 A.A. &bull; Conan the Freebooter
 * "Shadows in the Dark" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1278 A.A. &bull; Conan the Swordsman
 * Conan the Renegade &bull; Leonard Carpenter &bull; 1278-1279 A.A.
 * "Shadows in the Moonlight" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1279 A.A. &bull; Conan the Freebooter
 * "The Road of the Eagles" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp &bull; 1279 A.A. &bull; Conan the Freebooter
 * "A Witch Shall be Born" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1279 A.A. &bull; Conan the Freebooter
 * "Black Tears" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1279 A.A. &bull; Conan the Wanderer
 * "Shadows in Zamboula" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1279 A.A. &bull; Conan the Wanderer
 * Conan the Raider &bull; Leonard Carpenter &bull; 1280 A.A.
 * "The Star of Khorala" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Björn Nyberg &bull; 1280 A.A. &bull; Conan the Swordsman
 * "The Devil in Iron" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1280 A.A. &bull; Conan the Wanderer
 * "The Flame Knife" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp &bull; 1281 A.A. &bull; Conan the Wanderer
 * "The People of the Black Circle" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1281 A.A. &bull; Conan the Adventurer
 * Conan the Marauder &bull; John Maddox Roberts &bull; 1282 A.A.
 * "The Slithering Shadow" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1282 A.A. &bull; Conan the Adventurer
 * "Drums of Tombalku" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp &bull; 1282 A.A. &bull; Conan the Adventurer
 * "The Gem in the Tower" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1283 A.A. &bull; Conan the Swordsman
 * "The Pool of the Black One" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1283 A.A. &bull; Conan the Adventurer
 * Conan the Buccaneer &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1283 A.A.
 * "Red Nails" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1284 A.A. &bull; Conan the Warrior
 * "Jewels of Gwahlur" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1284 A.A. &bull; Conan the Warrior
 * "The Ivory Goddess" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1284 A.A. &bull; Conan the Swordsman
 * "Beyond the Black River" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1286 A.A. &bull; Conan the Warrior
 * "The Black Stranger" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1286 A.A. &bull; Echoes of Valor edited &bull; Karl Edward Wagner
 * "Moon of Blood" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1286 A.A. &bull; Conan the Swordsman
 * "The Treasure of Tranicos" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1287 A.A. &bull; Conan the Usurper
 * "Wolves Beyond the Border" &bull; Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp &bull; 1288 A.A. &bull; Conan the Usurper
 * Conan the Liberator &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1287-1288 A.A.
 * "The Phoenix on the Sword" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1289 A.A. &bull; Conan the Usurper
 * "The Scarlet Citadel" &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1290-91 A.A. &bull; Conan the Usurper
 * Conan the Conqueror &bull; Robert E. Howard &bull; 1293-1294 A.A.
 * "The Return of Conan" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Björn Nyberg &bull; 1295 A.A. &bull; Conan the Avenger
 * "The Witch of the Mists" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1306 A.A. &bull; Conan of Aquilonia
 * "Black Sphinx of Nebthu" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1306 A.A. &bull; Conan of Aquilonia
 * "Red Moon of Zembabwei" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1307 A.A. &bull; Conan of Aquilonia
 * "Shadows in the Skull" &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1307 A.A. &bull; Conan of Aquilonia
 * Conan of the Isles &bull; L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter &bull; 1310 A.A.

"The Conan Timeline" &bull; William Galen Gray
WGG's timeline was an attempt to incorporate all the extant pastiche and Howard tales into a timeline, informed by the arguments of purist timeline authors. Annotated to explain his placements, it was intended as both a reading-guide to all the stories and a framework for writing future pastiches. The annotated version can be found here. The following is a title-only summary.
 * Legions of the Dead
 * The Thing in the Crypt
 * Conan the Defiant
 * Conan the Hunter
 * Conan the Indomitable
 * Conan the Free Lance
 * Conan the Formidable
 * The Tower of the Elephant
 * Conan and the Sorcerer
 * Conan the Mercenary
 * Conan: the Sword of Skelos
 * Conan the Outcast
 * Conan the Magnificent
 * Conan the Invincible
 * The Hall of the Dead
 * Conan the Fearless
 * The God in the Bowl
 * Conan the Warlord
 * Rogues in the House
 * Conan the Victorious
 * Conan the Unconquered
 * The Hand of Nergal
 * The City of Skulls
 * Conan the Hero
 * The People of the Summit
 * The Curse of the Monolith
 * Conan the Valiant
 * Conan and the Spider God
 * The Bloodstained God
 * Conan the Valorous
 * The Frost Giant's Daughter
 * The Lair of the Ice Worm
 * Conan the Relentless
 * Conan the Savage
 * Conan the Defender
 * Conan the Triumphant
 * Conan the Guardian
 * Queen of the Black Coast, Ch. 1
 * Conan the Rebel
 * Queen of the Black Coast, Ch's 2-5
 * Conan At the Demon's Gate
 * The Vale of Lost Women
 * The Castle of Terror
 * The Snout in the Dark
 * Conan the Gladiator
 * Conan and the Emerald Lotus
 * Hawks Over Shem
 * Black Colossus
 * Shadows in the Dark
 * The Road of Kings
 * Conan the Renegade
 * Shadows in the Moonlight (Iron Shadows in the Moon)
 * Conan of the Red Brotherhood
 * Conan, Scourge of the Bloody Coast
 * Conan the Champion
 * The Road of the Eagles
 * A Witch Shall Be Born
 * Black Tears
 * Conan and the Manhunters
 * Shadows In Zamboula (The Man-Eaters of Zamboula)
 * Conan the Raider
 * The Star of Khorala
 * Conan and the Death Lord of Thanza
 * Conan and the Amazon
 * The Devil In Iron
 * The Flame Knife
 * Conan and the Shaman's Curse
 * The People of the Black Circle
 * Conan the Marauder
 * Conan and the Mists of Doom
 * The Slithering Shadow (Xuthal of the Dusk)
 * Drums of Tombalku
 * The Gem in the Tower
 * Conan and the Grim Grey God
 * The Pool of the Black One
 * Conan the Buccaneer
 * Red Nails
 * Conan and the Gods of the Mountain
 * The Jewels of Gwahlur
 * The Ivory Goddess
 * Conan and the Treasure of Python
 * Conan: Lord of the Black River
 * Conan the Rogue
 * Beyond the Black River
 * Moon of Blood
 * The Treasure of Tranicos (The Black Stranger)
 * Wolves Beyond the Border
 * Conan the Liberator
 * The Phoenix On the Sword
 * The Scarlet Citadel
 * Conan the Conqueror (Hour of the Dragon)
 * Conan the Avenger (Return of Conan)
 * Conan the Great
 * The Witch of the Mists
 * Black Sphinx of Nebthu
 * Red Moon of Zembabwei
 * Shadows in the Skull
 * Conan of the Isles

Legends of Conan
 * Conan the Barbarian
 * Conan the Bold
 * Conan the Destroyer

Joe Marek chronology
Joe Marek's chronology is limited to stories written (or devised) by Howard, though within that context it is essentially a revision of the Miller/Clark/de Camp tradition. Noting the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology's general approval by Howard, he tends to follow it when it does not contradict the internal evidence of the stories or force Conan into what he perceives as a "mad dash" around the Hyborian world within time-frames too rapid to be credible. Marek's strength is in his well-reasoned arguments for story placement. The major weakness of his chronology is his failure to incorporate into his scheme the chronologically wide gap between "Beyond the Black River" and "Wolves Beyond the Border" he admits to be indicated by Howard's version of "The Black Stranger."

Order

 * "The Hyborian Age, Part One"
 * "Cimmeria" (poem)
 * "The Frost Giant's Daughter"
 * "The Tower of the Elephant"
 * "The Hall of the Dead" (fragment)
 * "Rogues in the House"
 * "The God in the Bowl"
 * "The Hand of Nergal" (fragment)
 * "Black Colossus"
 * "Queen of the Black Coast"
 * "The Snout in the Dark" (fragment)
 * "Shadows in the Moonlight"
 * "A Witch Shall Be Born"
 * "Shadows in Zamboula"
 * "The Slithering Shadow"
 * "The Devil in Iron"
 * "The People of the Black Circle"
 * "Drums of Tombalku" (fragment)
 * "The Vale of Lost Women"
 * "The Pool of the Black One"
 * "Red Nails"
 * "The Teeth of Gwahlur"
 * "Beyond the Black River"
 * "The Black Stranger"
 * "Wolves Beyond the Border" (fragment)
 * "The Phoenix on the Sword"
 * "The Scarlet Citadel"
 * "The Hour of the Dragon"
 * "The Hyborian Age, Part Two"
 * "Notes On Various Peoples of The Hyborian Age"

"The Dark Storm Conan Chronology" &bull; Dale Rippke
Ripke spent hours piecing together hints and evidence from Howard's stories, story-fragments and letters as well as integrating the arguments of other Howard scholars; he credits Joe Marek, Steve Tompkins, and Ed Waterman at the beginning of the his annotated essay, which can be found here. The following is a title-only summary.
 * "The Frost-Giant's Daughter"
 * "The God in the Bowl"
 * "The Tower of the Elephant"
 * "The Hall of the Dead"
 * "Rogues in the House"
 * "The Hand of Nergal"
 * "Iron Shadows in the Moon" ("Shadows in the Moonlight")
 * "Black Colossus"
 * "Queen of the Black Coast"
 * "The Snout in the Dark"
 * "Xuthal of the Dusk" ("The Slithering Shadow")
 * "A Witch Shall Be Born"
 * "The Devil in Iron"
 * The People of the Black Circle
 * "The Man-Eaters of Zamboula" ("Shadows in Zamboula")
 * "Drums of Tombalku"
 * "The Vale of Lost Women"
 * "The Pool of the Black One"
 * Beyond the Black River
 * The Black Stranger
 * Red Nails
 * "The Servants of Bit-Yakin" ("Jewels of Gwahlur")
 * "Wolves Beyond the Border"
 * "The Phoenix on the Sword"
 * "The Scarlet Citadel"
 * The Hour of the Dragon

Scotty Henderson's Cross Plainsman's Journal
"exegi monumentum aere perennius" ~ INTRODUCTION ~

This ezine journal will explore aspects of Robert E. Howard's works, their bibliography, and why they endure, why they are remarkable, why they still strike a cord after 70 years. Howard himself regarded his efforts as "hack work" although he was proud of the fact that he brought literature to central Texas. He didn't then realize how durable his work would be, like the post oaks that dot the landscape in that region. In the words of Horace (Odes III, XXX, 1) there is truth: exegi monumentum aere perennius - I have thrust up a monument more lasting than bronze. Horace was a poet in Rome, and in this statement he extols the durability of his poetry, the durability that imbues Howard's best work. In the words of Suetonius, there is also truth, in Caesar, XXXVII, 2. The famously crisp exclamation attributed to Caesar - Veni, vidi, vicit - I came, I saw, I conquered - provides a parallel most evident for Howard's vision to bring literature to his part of Texas.

INDEX ~ The History of "A Probable Outline of Conan's Career"

The History of "A Probable Outline of Conan's Career" by Scotty Henderson

Two enthusiastic fans of Weird Tales and Robert E. Howard's Conan, in particular, worked out an outline of this famous barbarian's career based on the original stories they read in WT. The year was 1936 when P. Schuyler Miller sent the original outline to Howard in Cross Plains, Texas. Howard was pleased that they went to so much effort and responded by correcting the outline and returning a letter to Miller dated March 10, 1936. Howard was to die by his own hand on June 11, 1936. The outline was not published until two years later in a 1938 fan pamphlet, The Hyborian Age, by the science-fiction fan group the Los Angeles-New York Cooperative Publications (LANY Publications). Since then it seldom has been reproduced in original form. John D. Clark used segments of it to link the stories of the Gnome series. Later, it was ammended, and used extensively by L. Sprague de Camp to link original Conan stories and pastiches for all subsequent printings since the Gnome series released 1952-1954. Here is a point by point history.

1a. Miller sends original letter to Howard. Howard corrects some minor points and writes Miller and Clark back.

1b. A Probable Outline of Conan's Career by P. Schuyler Miller and John D. Clark, PhD., 1938, in The Hyborian Age fanzine, incorporating Howard's changes and the addition of Red Nails.

2. Dr. Clark revised and expanded the Outline in 1952 to tie together the Gnome Press books published by Marty Greenberg. It required revision to accommodate the fragments completed by de Camp and the historical stories he turned into Conan yarns. Copyrighted by Greenberg 1952, 1953, 1954, and 1955.

3. Clark, Miller, and de Camp further revised the essay for George Scither's Amra fanzine in Vol. 2, No. 4 in 1959. It is titled An Informal Biography of Conan the Cimmerian for the first time. Amra was copyright by George H. Scithers.

4. De Camp again revised it for the biographical paragraphs between stories for the 1966-1969 Lancer series. Copyright by de Camp 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969.

5. Reprinted, and further expanded in The Conan Swordbook, pp 227-255, published Nov. 1969 and copyright by de Camp and George H. Scithers.

6. The original 1938 version is reprinted in Savage Tales #2, 1973

7. Reprinted again in Savage Sword of Conan #16 in 1977

8. In May 1979 the complete essay was published in The Blade of Conan, an Ace paperback reprinting notable Amra fanzine and other material about Howard. The introduction notes that the material was complete up to 1969. This indicates that the Ace reprints of the Lancer books used the same material at least until 1979. Both Miller and Clark as well as de Camp are noted as authors. The essay is still titled An Informal Biography of Conan the Cimmerian.

9. In November 1984, in the trade paperback Conan the Victorious by Robert Jordan, de Camp prints Conan the Indestructible for the first time. He makes no mention of the original authors Schuyler-Miller and John D. Clark. I suspect de Camp simply appropriated the material at this point as it had changed considerably from the early versions. Note that P. (Peter) schuyler-Miller (1912-1974) was dead by this time and John D. (Drury) Clark (1907-1988) while still alive, may have been sidelined by this time. This version contains additional material to cover the alternate timeline of the movie, Conan the Barbarian.

10. In Apr. 1985 it is reprinted in TOR's Conan the Triumphant by Robert Jordan. This was first released in a Trade edition Oct 1983 but since the essay is dated by de Camp 1984 I don't think it would have been printed in the earlier printing.

11. In 1986 de Camp reissues the essay in the TOR paperback Conan the Raider. Whether there were any changes remains to be checked.

12. In 1997 with the release of the Conan TV series starring Ralf Moeller, the latest Conan saga is published on their web site, http://www.conan.com. I recall reading the early version and it included the alternate timelines based on the movies and the TV series. As of July 2001 this site remains but the career outline has changed somewhat, no doubt due to input from fans at the site. In fact, it reads very close to the original in many ways, making no mention of pastiche stories or an alternate timeline.

Dec. 25, 1997 Vancouver, BC

Copyright 1997, 1998, 2001 by D. F. Scotty Henderson updated Jan. 01, 1998 updated Aug. 14, 1999 updated July 15, 2001

~ RETURN to INDEX ~ ~ RETURN to TOP ~

THE BARBARIAN KEEP

The Conan and Robert E. Howard Website

Introduction
by Edward A. Waterman

This version of "A Probable Outline of Conan's Career" is the original, un-altered, and un-edited version as it first appeared in the Robert E. Howard fanzine, The Hyborian Age, published in 1938. Much effort has been made to ensure that the text is exactly as it appeared in the magazine, even typos were retained. Only the basic page layout (margins and word spacing) is different from the original.

A rough draft of the following essay was sent to Robert E. Howard shortly before his death by P.S. Miller. Howard, flattered that someone would be "so interested in Conan as to work out an outline of his career," then reviewed it, made some small corrections, and praised "A Probable Outline of Conan's Career," stating that Miller's timeline followed his visualization of Conan's career "pretty closely." Miller and Clark made the corrections indicated by Howard, added an additional Conan tale, and published the timeline in The Hyborian Age two years later. This essay and Howard's letter to P.S. Miller dated March 10, 1936 are the best starting points to begin to see Conan's history as Robert E. Howard may have seen it, un-edited and un-altered...

A Probable Outline of Conan's Career

A Probable Outline of Conan's Career", with P. Schuyler Miller, published in The Hyborian Age (1938).And Conan,not once did the Cimmerian use linked in or career link to make up this probable online of his career.

Clark/Miller and Conan
Edit P. Schuyler Miller An active fan of others' work as well as an author, he is also known as an early bibliographer of Robert E. Howard's "Conan" stories in the 1930s, together with his friend John D. Clark. John D. Clark. Clark first encountered Robert E. Howard's fantasies of Kull, Conan and Solomon Kane in the magazine Weird Tales. He became an avid fan, and together with P. Schuyler Miller he worked out an outline of Conan's career and a map of the world in Howard's invented Hyborian Age in early 1936 from the then-published stories. Miller sent this material to Howard, whose reply confirmed and corrected their findings. Their map became the basis of those that later appeared in the book editions of the Conan stories.[1] Their revised outline, "A Probable Outline of Conan's Career" was published in the fanzine The Hyborian Age in 1938.

Thus established as an authority on Conan, Clark was invited to edit and provide introductions for the first book editions of Howard's Conan stories, published by Gnome Press in the 1950s.[1] Expanded versions of his and Miller's essay on Conan, retitled "An Informal Biography of Conan the Cimmerian", appeared in the Gnome volume The Coming of Conan in 1953 and (revised by de Camp) in the fanzine Amra, vol. 2, no. 4, in 1959. It was the source of the linking passages between the individual Conan stories in both the Gnome editions and the Lancer paperback editions of the 1960s.

Results
Clark and Miller's Hyborian Age map, together with Howard's own original, are the basis of those published in the Gnome, Lancer, and later editions of the stories.It also became an outline many authors,including Roy Thomas used to fill in gaps in the Career of Conan of Cimmeria in novels,Marvel comics and such.Although some disagree with were certain Conan yarns take place,it is agreed upon as canon.Only Hollywood producers and Conan screen play hacks do not follow this outline as true.And their film productions often are looked as non canonical trash.Conan movies,television and animated series often come off as ignorant trash,not even bothering the outline,seeing hollyweird see it as not bothering with.Their Conan productions come off as Clonans using the actual name of Conan and flop eventually in the end.In other words,note future producers and screenplay adaptors of Conan,read the freaking outline and stop being arrogant turds.Cona,like Tarzan has a fictional biography and don't just plug in your really story,ripped from somewhere non Conan. Conan chronologies This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.Wikipedia also has multiple issues and needs improvement by firing allot of arrogant,snobbish idiot editors. This article covers some of the major Conan chronologies that have been advanced over the years. From the 1930s onward a number of fans and scholars have attempted to create a chronological timeline into which the numerous Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard and later writers could be placed.

Going beyond a simple fan activity, these efforts have had a significant impact on the development of the popular conception of the character of Conan as well as economic consequences on the Conan franchise. As Paolo Bertetti observes, the focus on the creation of a character chronology outside of the work of the original author begins a "process that tends to transform the character into a social object of inter-individual construction and public debate, rendering it independent of texts in which it was born," and in the case of Conan, this has led to the exploitation of the character for commercial reasons and perhaps encouraged and justified the proliferation of pastiche stories and novels over the years.[1]

A number of factors have prevented the establishment of a consensus on order of the Conan stories, most notably the fact that Howard himself apparently had little more than a general idea of the character's career path and intentionally wrote the stories out of chronological sequence. Clearly, the stories where Conan is a thief are at the early part of his career and those of King Conan – at the later part. But the middle part – the various tales of his being a pirate, brigand, and mercenary at various locations around the world – are more difficult to arrange in a neat order. While the earliest (Miller/Clark) timeline had at least partial endorsement from Howard, the addition of stories discovered and published after Howard's death in 1936 are more difficult to place. Fragments and synopses that were never completed are even more problematic and some contain what appear to be internal inconsistencies.[2]

Contents Contents Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology Edit The essay A Probable Outline of Conan's Career (1936) was completed during Howard's lifetime by P. Schuyler Miller and John D. Clark. Howard, who reviewed it in draft and made a few corrections, stated it followed his vision of Conan's career "pretty closely."[3] The version subsequently published in the Howard fanzine The Hyborian Age (1938) incorporated Howard's corrections. The chronology was revised over the years by Miller, Clark and L. Sprague de Camp to take into account additional Conan material, including previously unpublished stories by Howard and newly written stories by others. These revised versions of the chronology guided the order in which the stories were arranged when they were compiled into book form in the early series published by Gnome Press (1950–1957), Lancer/Ace (1966–1977), and Bantam (1978–1982), and text from the chronology was used in these series to bridge gaps between the stories.

The subsequent versions include An Informal Biography of Conan the Cimmerian (1952), a revision by Clark and de Camp used to bridge stories in the first hardcover edition of the Conan stories, published by Gnome Press. De Camp's final version of the chronology, Conan the Indestructible (1984), incorporated the first seven volumes of the series of Conan pastiches published by Tor Books.[4]

While the chronology has Howard's general approval in regard to its placement of the stories covered by its earliest published version, such authority is lacking for later versions' placement of stories discovered after Howard's death. Most post-Howard Conan stories were written to conform to it. The chronology has been criticized for missing some in-story chronological indications pointing to a slightly different arrangement (such as "Xuthal of the Dusk" preceding "The Devil in Iron"),[5][6] for force-fitting posthumously discovered Howard tales into its scheme (e.g. "The Black Stranger," in which Howard has Conan turn pirate between his stints as general and king in Aquilonia, rewritten by de Camp to omit the piratical interlude),[6] and for having Conan wander "all over the Hyborian world in a scattered and illogical pattern, and at a break-neck pace."[5]

Order (earliest and latest forms) Edit All stories added after the earliest version are indented.

"Legions of the Dead" Conan the Barbarian (as an alternate account of Conan's early years) "The Thing in the Crypt" "The Tower of the Elephant" Conan the Destroyer Conan the Magnificent Conan the Invincible "The Hall of the Dead" "The God in the Bowl" "Rogues in the House" Conan and the Sorcerer Conan the Mercenary The Sword of Skelos Conan the Victorious Conan the Unconquered "The Hand of Nergal" "The City of Skulls" "The People of the Summit" "The Curse of the Monolith" Conan and the Spider God "The Blood-Stained God" "The Frost Giant's Daughter" "The Lair of the Ice Worm" Conan the Defender Conan the Triumphant "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 1) Conan the Rebel (between chapters 1 and 2 of "Queen of the Black Coast") "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 2) "The Vale of Lost Women" "The Castle of Terror" "The Snout in the Dark" "Hawks Over Shem" The Road of Kings "Black Colossus" "Shadows in the Dark" "Shadows in the Moonlight" "The Road of the Eagles" "A Witch Shall Be Born" "Black Tears" "Shadows in Zamboula" "The Star of Khorala" "The Devil in Iron" "The Flame Knife" "The People of the Black Circle" "The Slithering Shadow" "Drums of Tombalku" "The Gem in the Tower" "The Pool of the Black One" Conan the Buccaneer "Red Nails" "Jewels of Gwahlur" "The Ivory Goddess" "Beyond the Black River" "Moon of Blood" "The Treasure of Tranicos" "Wolves Beyond the Border" Conan the Liberator "The Phoenix on the Sword" "The Scarlet Citadel" Conan the Conqueror Conan the Avenger "The Witch of the Mists" "Black Sphinx of Nebthu" "Red Moon of Zembabwei" "Shadows in the Skull" Conan of the Isles Robert Jordan chronology Robert Jordan chronology Edit A Conan Chronology by Robert Jordan (1987) was the attempt of Conan writer Robert Jordan to create a new Chronology including all Conan material written up to that point, including fifteen of the first sixteen volumes of the series of Conan pastiches published by Tor Books (omitting the eighth, Conan the Valorous). It was first published in Conan the Defiant, by Steve Perry (Tor Books, 1987). It was heavily influenced by the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology, though deviating from it in some respects, and covers more of the Tor series. Jordan seldom provided his reasoning on his departures from the earlier chronology.[7]

Order Edit "Legions of the Dead" "The Thing in the Crypt" Conan the Defiant "The Tower of the Elephant" Conan and the Sorcerer Conan the Mercenary Conan: The Sword of Skelos Conan the Destroyer Conan the Magnificent Conan the Invincible "The Hall of the Dead" Conan the Fearless "The God in the Bowl" Conan the Warlord Conan the Champion "Rogues in the House" Conan the Victorious Conan the Unconquered "The Hand of Nergal" "The City of Skulls" "The People of the Summit" "The Curse of the Monolith" Conan the Valiant "The Blood-Stained God" "The Frost Giant's Daughter" "The Lair of the Ice Worm" Conan and the Spider God Conan the Defender Conan: The Road of Kings Conan the Triumphant "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 1) Conan the Rebel "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 2) "The Vale of Lost Women" "The Castle of Terror" "The Snout in the Dark" "Hawks Over Shem" "Black Colossus" "Shadows in the Dark" Conan the Renegade "Shadows in the Moonlight" "The Road of the Eagles" "A Witch Shall be Born" "Black Tears" "Shadows in Zamboula" Conan the Raider "The Star of Khorala" "The Devil in Iron" "The Flame Knife" "The People of the Black Circle" Conan the Marauder "The Slithering Shadow" "Drums of Tombalku" "The Gem in the Tower" "The Pool of the Black One" Conan the Buccaneer "Red Nails" "Jewels of Gwahlur" "The Ivory Goddess" "Beyond the Black River" "Moon of Blood" "The Treasure of Tranicos" "Wolves Beyond the Border" Conan the Liberator "The Phoenix on the Sword" "The Scarlet Citadel" The Hour of the Dragon The Return of Conan "The Witch of the Mists" "Black Sphinx of Nebthu" "Red Moon of Zembabwei" "Shadows in the Skull" Conan of the Isles William Galen Gray chronology Edit Timeline of Conan's Journeys (1997, rev. 2004), was William Galen Gray's attempt to create "a chronology of all the stories, both Howard and pastiche." It is based on a close reading of all the stories and drawing on the earlier Miller/Clark/de Camp and Jordan chronologies. Where the earlier chronologies differ Gray sometimes adopts one's placement, sometimes the other, and occasionally departs from both, in each case explaining his reasons for the placement. The Gray chronology incorporated all then-published Conan stories, including all the Tor volumes, but treated inconsistently Tor pastiches whose portrayals of Conan's early life contradict Howard's account of it. Three of these, the movie adaptations Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer and the John M. Roberts novel Conan the Bold, Gray rejected as apocryphal "Legends." The fourth, Harry Turtledove's Conan of Venarium, he accepted.[8] [1]

Order
Edit Conan of Venarium "Legions of the Dead" "The Thing in the Crypt" Conan the Defiant Conan the Hunter Conan the Indomitable Conan the Free Lance Conan the Formidable "The Tower of the Elephant" Conan and the Sorcerer Conan the Mercenary Conan: The Sword of Skelos Conan the Outcast Conan the Magnificent Conan the Invincible "The Hall of the Dead" Conan the Fearless "The God in the Bowl" Conan the Warlord "Rogues in the House" Conan the Victorious Conan the Unconquered "The Hand of Nergal" "The City of Skulls" Conan the Hero "The People of the Summit" "The Curse of the Monolith" Conan the Valiant Conan and the Spider God "The Blood-Stained God" Conan the Valorous "The Frost Giant's Daughter" "The Lair of the Ice Worm" Conan the Relentless Conan the Savage Conan the Defender Conan the Triumphant Conan the Guardian "Queen of the Black Coast" (part 1) Conan the Rebel "Queen of the Black Coast" (part 2) Conan at the Demon's Gate "The Vale of Lost Women" "The Castle of Terror" "The Snout in the Dark" Conan the Gladiator Conan and the Emerald Lotus "Hawks Over Shem" "Black Colossus" "Shadows in the Dark" Conan: The Road of Kings Conan the Renegade "Shadows in the Moonlight" Conan of the Red Brotherhood Conan, Scourge of the Bloody Coast Conan the Champion "The Road of the Eagles" "A Witch Shall be Born" "Black Tears" Conan and the Manhunters "Shadows in Zamboula" Conan the Raider "The Star of Khorala" Conan and the Death Lord of Thanza Conan and the Amazon "The Devil in Iron" "The Flame Knife" Conan and the Shaman's Curse "The People of the Black Circle" Conan the Marauder Conan and the Mists of Doom "The Slithering Shadow" "Drums of Tombalku" "The Gem in the Tower" Conan and the Grim Grey God "The Pool of the Black One" Conan the Buccaneer "Red Nails" Conan and the Gods of the Mountain "Jewels of Gwahlur" "The Ivory Goddess" Conan and the Treasure of Python Conan, Lord of the Black River Conan the Rogue "Beyond the Black River" "Moon of Blood" "The Treasure of Tranicos" "Wolves Beyond the Border" Conan the Liberator "The Phoenix on the Sword" "The Scarlet Citadel" The Hour of the Dragon The Return of Conan Conan the Great "The Witch of the Mists" "Black Sphinx of Nebthu" "Red Moon of Zembabwei" "Shadows in the Skull" Conan of the Isles Apocryphal:

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Bold Conan the Destroyer

Joe Marek chronology
Edit Joe Marek's chronology is limited to stories written (or devised) by Howard, though within that context it is essentially a revision of the Miller/Clark/de Camp tradition. Noting the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology's general approval by Howard, he tends to follow it when it does not contradict the internal evidence of the stories or force Conan into what he perceives as a "mad dash" around the Hyborian world within timeframes too rapid to be credible. [6] [1] Marek considers four changes from this chronology as central to his own:

that "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" is the first Conan tale. that the four thief stories ("The Tower of the Elephant", "The Hall of the Dead", "The God in the Bowl" and "Rogues in the House") occur in a direct east to west sequence (note, however, that this is not really a change; while other chronologies may intersperse pastiches in the sequence, all except the Dale Rippke chronology place these stories in the same order). that "Xuthal Of The Dusk" (a.k.a. "The Slithering Shadow") has to occur before "The Devil In Iron", as the events of the former is referenced by Conan in the later. that "The Vale Of Lost Women" occurs later in the series than previously assumed. Marek provides arguments for his story placements, though he fails to incorporate into his scheme the chronologically wide gap between "Beyond the Black River" and "Wolves Beyond the Border" he admits to be indicated by Howard's version of "The Black Stranger" as he believed doing anything more to filling the hole would require a major reordering of the stories that would take attention away from his four primary changes. Additionally Marek divided his timeline into five parts that would constitute about 250 paperback pages each.[5]

Order Edit The Coming of Conan

"The Hyborian Age, Part One" "Cimmeria" (poem) "The Frost Giant's Daughter" "The Tower of the Elephant" "The Hall of the Dead" (fragment) "The God in the Bowl" "Rogues in the House" "The Hand of Nergal" (fragment) "Black Colossus" "Queen of the Black Coast" "The Snout in the Dark" (fragment) "Shadows in the Moonlight" Conan the Barbarian

"A Witch Shall Be Born" "Shadows in Zamboula" "Xuthal of the Dusk" "The Devil in Iron" "The People of the Black Circle" The Sword of Conan

"Drums of Tombalku" (fragment) "The Vale of Lost Women" "The Pool of the Black One" "Red Nails" "The Teeth of Gwahlur" King Conan

"Beyond the Black River" "The Black Stranger" "Wolves Beyond the Border" (fragment) "The Phoenix on the Sword" "The Scarlet Citadel" Conan The Conqueror

The Hour of the Dragon "The Hyborian Age, Part Two" "Notes On Various Peoples of The Hyborian Age" Letters

Dale Rippke chronology
Edit In 2003 Dale Rippke published The Darkstorm Conan Chronology, a completely revised chronology, including only those stories written (or devised) by Howard. Completions of Howard works by other hands and post-Howard works are not included. Rippke bases his story placements on the texts as Howard wrote them, which lead him to some of the same conclusions as Marek. Most of his differences with Marek fall in the middle of their respective efforts.[6] The Dark Horse comic series is based on and mostly follows this chronology. [9]

Order Edit "The Frost Giant's Daughter" "The God in the Bowl" "The Tower of the Elephant" "The Hall of the Dead" (synopsis) "Rogues in the House" "The Hand of Nergal" (fragment) "Black Colossus" "Shadows in the Moonlight" "Queen of the Black Coast" "The Snout in the Dark" (fragment) "The Slithering Shadow" "A Witch Shall Be Born" "The Devil in Iron" "The People of the Black Circle" "Shadows in Zamboula" "Drums of Tombalku" (fragment) "The Vale of Lost Women" "The Pool of the Black One" "Beyond the Black River" "The Black Stranger" "Red Nails" "Jewels of Gwahlur" "Wolves Beyond the Border" (fragment) "The Phoenix on the Sword" "The Scarlet Citadel" "The Hour of the Dragon"

Not listed for good reason.
Conan Animated series is considered non canon,just the Conan the Avenger television series Conan the Adventurer is an American-French-Canadian animated television series adaptation of Conan the Barbarian, the literary character created by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s. Produced by Jetlag Productions and Sunbow Productions, the series debuted on September 13, 1992, ran for 65 episodes and concluded on November 22, 1993. The series was developed by Christy Marx who served as the sole story editor.And it shows.Someone,who was fucking clueless as to who Conan of Cimmeria was And unleashed this bastardiation of a Clonan mischaracterized as a Conan.And if you thought this utter trash as good,like those movies and television series,then you are not a fan of the real Conan.

Conan the Adventurer Conantheadventurerlogo.jpg Conan the Adventurer logo, featuring Jezmine, Snagg, Needle, Greywolf and Zula Genre Action-adventure Sword and sorcery or sword or scorchery Fantasy.More like Fartary Created by Robert E. Howard.Really.Two Gun Bob Howard spins in his grave. Developed by Christy Marx (Not porno actress,since she would have done a better job,while sucking cock.) Written by Christy Marx (written or ruined by Christy Marx . Katherine Lawrence George Bloom Larry DiTillio Starring Michael Donovan Scott McNeil Janyse Jaud Garry Chalk Richard Newman Doug Parker John Pyper-Ferguson Lee Tockar Composer(s) Thomas Chase Jones Steve Rucker Country of origin United States Canada France No. of episodes 65 Production Executive producer(s) Tom Griffin Joe Bacall C.J. Kettler Running time 22 minutes Production company(s) Sunbow Productions Graz Entertainment (1992) (season 1) C&D Creativite and Development (1993) (season 2) AB Productions (Ass Ball Productions) (1993) (season 2) Distributor Claster Television (Clusterfuck Television) Release Original network Broadcast syndication Original release September 13, 1992 – November 22, 1993 The series was produced in association with Graz Entertainment for the first 13-episode season; AB Productions and Jean Chalopin's Créativité et Développement for the remaining episodes. The series also spawned a small toyline in 1992 created by Hasbro. This first incarnation of Conan in cartoon form performed much better than its follow-up cartoon, Conan and the Young Warriors, which lasted only 13 episodes. Conan and the Young Warriors Conan and the Young Warriors is a 1994 television animated series produced by Sunbow Entertainment and aired by CBS as a sequel to the animated series Conan the Adventurer, but featuring a different set of characters (besides Conan). The series was developed by Michael Reaves and directed by John Grusd. It lasted only for one season of 13 episodes.Most considered this series as apocryphal shit.So much for Sunbows shitty contributions to Conan.Easy Bob Howard stomach.Easy.Don't turn over now.If there is two fawl smelling turd that needs to dropped in a lava pit,it is this shit.

Compared order
Edit Story REH's writing order Rippke Marek de Camp Jordan Gray Notes The Hyborian Age, Part One – – 01 – – – historical essay, portion covering period before Conan's time Cimmeria (poem) – – 02 – – poem establishing, describing and meditating on Conan's birthplace; placed before the stories in the collection The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian Conan the Barbarian (2011 novel) (part 1) – – – – – – film adaptation; chapters 1–11 cover Conan's early life from birth to the eve of Venarium Conan of Venarium – – – – – 01 final chapters contradict Howard's account (and all others) of Conan's first entry into the civilized countries – Conan was about 14/15 at the Battle of Venarium per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology Conan the Bold – – – – – A contradicts Howard's account (and all others) of Conan's first entry into the civilized countries; would go between Conan of Venarium and "Legions of the Dead" if anywhere "Legions of the Dead" – – – 01 01 02 Conan the Barbarian (1982 novel) – – – 02 – A film adaptation contradicting Howard's account (and all others) of Conan's early life; treated by de Camp as an alternative account "The Thing in the Crypt" – – – 03 02 03 Conan the Defiant – – – – 03 04 Conan the Hunter – – – – – 05 Conan the Indomitable – – – – – 06 Conan the Free Lance – – – – – 07 Conan the Formidable – – – – – 08 "The Tower of the Elephant" 04 03 04 04 04 09 Conan and the Sorcerer – – – 11 05 10 Conan's age and internal references in the story fit Jordan's placement; de Camp argues Conan's behavior is too mature for his depicted age and places it later – - Conan was about 17 according to Offutt and 23 according to de Camp, per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology Conan the Mercenary – – – 12 06 11 Conan's age and internal references in the story fit Jordan's placement; de Camp argues Conan's behavior is too mature for his depicted age and places it later Conan: The Sword of Skelos – – – 13 07 12 Conan's age and internal references in the story fit Jordan's placement; de Camp argues Conan's behavior is too mature for his depicted age and places it later Conan the Destroyer – – – 05 08 A film adaptation; sequel to the 1982 Conan the Barbarian novel and a poor fit chronologically as anything but that, though de Camp and Jordan work it into their schemes regardless Conan the Outcast – – – – – 13 Conan the Magnificent – – – 06 09 14 Conan the Invincible – – – 07 10 15 "The Hall of the Dead" * 04 05 08 11 16 early fragment not published in Howard's lifetime Conan the Fearless – – – – 12 17 "The God in the Bowl" 03 02 06 09 13 18 Conan the Warlord – – – – 14 19 "Rogues in the House" 11 05 07 10 16 20 Conan the Victorious – – – 14 17 21 Conan the Unconquered – – – 15 18 22 "The Hand of Nergal" * 06 08 16 19 23 early fragment not published in Howard's lifetime "The City of Skulls" – – – 17 20 24 Conan the Hero – – – – – 25 "The People of the Summit" – – – 18 21 26 "The Curse of the Monolith" – – – 19 22 27 Conan the Valiant – – – – 23 28 Conan and the Spider God – – – 20 27 29 "The Blood-Stained God" – – – 21 24 30 Conan the Valorous – – – – – 31 "The Frost Giant's Daughter" 02 01 03 22 25 32 "The Lair of the Ice Worm" – – – 23 26 33 Conan the Relentless – – – – – 34 Conan the Savage – – – – – 35 Conan the Defender – – – 24 28 36 Conan the Triumphant – – – 25 30 37 Conan the Guardian – – – – – 38 "Queen of the Black Coast" (chapter 1) 06a 09a 10a 26 31 39 Conan the Rebel – – – 27 32 40 "Queen of the Black Coast" (chapters 2–5) 06b 09b 10b 28 33 41 Conan at the Demon's Gate (main narrative) – – – – – 42 "The Vale of Lost Women" 12 17 19 29 34 43 "The Castle of Terror" – – – 30 35 44 "The Snout in the Dark" * 10 11 31 36 45 early fragment not published in Howard's lifetime Conan the Barbarian (2011 novel) (part 2) – – – – – – film adaptation; chapters 12–33 set in the wake of Conan's piratical career on the Black Coast and subsequent sojourn in the Black Kingdoms Conan the Gladiator – – – – – 46 Conan and the Emerald Lotus – – – – – 47 "Hawks Over Shem" – – – 32 37 48 "Black Colossus" 07 08 09 34 38 49 "Shadows in the Dark" – – – 35 39 50 Conan was nearly 30 at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology Conan: The Road of Kings – – – 33 29 51 Conan the Renegade – – – – 40 52 "Shadows in the Moonlight" 08 07 12 36 41 53 Conan of the Red Brotherhood – – – – – 54 Conan, Scourge of the Bloody Coast – – – – – 55 Conan the Champion – – – – 15 56 "The Road of the Eagles" – – – 37 42 57 "A Witch Shall be Born" 16 12 13 38 43 58 Conan was about 30 at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology "Black Tears" – – – 39 44 59 Conan was about 32 at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology Conan and the Manhunters – – – – – 60 "Shadows in Zamboula" 20 15 14 40 45 61 Conan the Raider – – – – 46 62 "The Star of Khorala" – – – 41 47 63 Conan and the Death Lord of Thanza – – – – – 64 Conan and the Amazon – – – – – 65 "The Devil in Iron" 13 13 16 42 48 66 "The Flame Knife" – – – 43 49 67 Conan and the Shaman's Curse – – – – – 68 "The People of the Black Circle" 14 14 17 44 50 69 Conan was in his early 30s at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology Conan the Marauder – – – – 51 70 Conan and the Mists of Doom – – – – – 71 "The Slithering Shadow" 09 11 15 45 52 72 "Drums of Tombalku" * 16 18 46 53 73 fragment not published in Howard's lifetime "The Gem in the Tower" – – – 47 54 74 Conan was about 35 at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology Conan and the Grim Grey God – – – – – 75 "The Pool of the Black One" 10 18 20 48 55 76 Conan was about 37 at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology Conan the Buccaneer – – – 49 56 77 Conan was in his late 30s at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology "Red Nails" 21 21 21 50 57 78 Conan and the Gods of the Mountain – – – – – 79 "Jewels of Gwahlur" 17 22 22 51 58 80 "The Ivory Goddess" – – – 52 59 81 Conan and the Treasure of Python – – – – – 82 Conan, Lord of the Black River – – – – – 83 Conan the Rogue – – – – – 84 "Beyond the Black River" 18 19 23 53 60 85 Conan was about 39 at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology "Moon of Blood" – – – 54 61 86 "The Treasure of Tranicos" "The Black Stranger" 19 20 24 55 62 87 "Wolves Beyond the Border" * 23 25 56 63 88 draft not published in Howard's lifetime Conan the Liberator – – – 57 64 89 Conan was in his early 40s at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology "The Phoenix on the Sword" 01 24 26 58 65 90 "The Scarlet Citadel" 05 25 27 59 66 91 The Hour of the Dragon 15 26 28 60 67 92 Conan was about 45 at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology The Return of Conan – – – 61 68 93 Conan the Great – – – – – 94 time setting indicated in-piece to be between The Return of Conan and "The Witch of the Mists" "The Witch of the Mists" – – – 62 69 95 Conan was in his late 50s at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology "Black Sphinx of Nebthu" – – – 63 70 96 "Red Moon of Zembabwei" – – – 64 71 97 "Shadows in the Skull" – – – 65 72 98 Conan of the Isles – – – 66 73 99 Conan was in his 60s at this time per the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronology Conan at the Demon's Gate (frame sequence) – – – – – – time setting stated in-piece to be six years after Conan's abdication from the Aquilonian throne and into the reign of his successor Death-Song of Conan the Cimmerian (poem) – – – – – – time setting indicated in-piece to occur at Conan's death The Hyborian Age, Part Two – – 29 – – – historical essay, portion covering period after Conan's time Notes On Various Peoples of the Hyborian Age – – 30 – – – Letters – – 31 – – – Notes Edit Bertetti, Paolo. "Conan the Barbarian: Transmedia Adventures of a Pulp Hero" in Transmedia Archaeology: Storytelling in the Borderlines of Science Fiction. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014, p. 15-38. Shanks, Jeffrey. "Introduction" in The Hyborian Age: Facsimile Edition. Skelos Press, 2015 [1938], p. x. Howard, Robert E. Letter to P. S. Miller, March 30, 1936. In Howard, Robert E. The Coming of Conan. Gnome Press, 1953. Online version De Camp, L. Sprague. "Conan the Indestructible." In Jordan, Robert. Conan the Victorious. Tor, 1984. Online version Archived 2008-05-10 at the Wayback Machine Marek, Joe. "Some Comments On Chronologies In Regards To The Conan Series." (REHUPA #148 and #149), 1997–1998 Online version Rippke, Dale. Article series: "Can Anything Good Come Out of Cimmeria?" (REHUPA #180), "Go East, Young Man…" (REHUPA #181), "Black Flag, Scarlet Skull… Black Flag, Golden Lion…" (REHUPA #182), combined in Rippke, Dale. "The Dark Storm Conan Chronology." Also published in Rippke, Dale. The Hyborian Heresies. Wild Cat Books, October 25, 2004. Jordan, Robert. "A Conan Chronology," in Conan the Defiant, Tor Books, 1987. Gray, William Galen. "The Conan Timeline." Busiek, Kurt. "Introduction" in The Colossal Conan. Dark Horse Books, November, 2013. References Edit "A Probable Outline of Conan's Career," by P. Schuyler Miller and John D. Clark – a transcription of the original 1938 version "Conan the Indestructible," by L. Sprague de Camp – the final 1984 version "Conan the Indestructible," by L. Sprague de Camp – another transcription of the final 1984 version "The Conan Stories in Chronological Order as of 1989," by Curtis M. Scott (based on Robert Jordan's "A Conan Chronology"), from the GURPS Conan sourcebook, Steve Jackson Games, pp. 111–114 "The Conan Timeline," by William Galen Gray – a transcription of the 1997 version "The Conan Timeline," by William Galen Gray – a transcription of the 2000 version "Robert E. Howard – Conan," by Joe Marek – a general discussion of the character. Marek's chronology is set forth in the section "Some Comments On Chronologies In Regards To The Conan Series" "The Dark Storm Conan Chronology," by Dale Rippke – a transcription of Rippke's chronology The Chronicles Of Conan The Cimmerian," by Amra_the_Lion – Determining the chronological order of Howard's Conan Tales External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to P. Schuyler Miller. P. Schuyler Miller at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database P. Schuyler Miller Collection at the Kenneth Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas Notes Edit De Camp, L. Sprague. "John D. ("Doc") Clark" (obituary) in Locus, August 1988, pages 64-65.

==A Probable Outline of CONAN’S CAREER==

By P. Schuyler Miller & John D. Clark, Ph.D.

The career of Conan, the Cimmerian adventurer, as described in the published chronicles dealing with his adventures, is divisible into a number of fairly well-defined periods or stages. The chronological order of his adventures, as deduced from the chronicles, is based largely on circumstantial evidence, save for a few definite and sometimes contradictory statements as to things which have gone before. Information on his earlier days, his age at various states in his career, and on some intermediate periods has been taken from a letter from the recorder of his history, the late Robert E. Howard.

Early Life
A. Conan, the barbarian, was born into a clan claiming an area in the northwest of Cimmeria. His grandfather was a member of a southern tribe who fled from his own people because of a blood-feud, and after long wanderings took refuge with the people of the north. Conan himself was born on the battlefield, during a fight between his tribe and a horde of raiding Vanir. There is no record to show when he got his first sight of civilized people; however, at the age of 15, he received his baptism of blood at the siege of the border city of Venarium, between Gunderland and Cimmeria. At that time, though he was far from having attained his full growth, Conan stood six feet tall and weighed 180 pounds. After the siege of Venarium, he returned to his tribe and spent some months with a band of the AEsir, fighting with the Vanir and the Hyperboreans. Captured by the Hyperboreans, he escaped and made his way south into the thief-city of Zamora. At this time he was about 17. Green to civilization, and entirely lawless by nature, he found the most congenial life that of a professional thief in Zamora and later in the small city-states to the west of that exotic kingdom. Taking service in one of these nameless states with the harried Prince Murilo, he has a taste of fighting as a profession, and being tired of the decadent life of a thief he sets out to look over the rest of the civilized world, with an eye to making it his oyster.

Teen Years

 * 1. The Tower of the Elephant (Weird Tales, March 1933): The earliest of the published chronicles, and one of Conan’s first adventures in the thief-city of Zamora. He is still a youth, more daring than adroit at thievery, and has yet to earn a reputation among other followers of his profession.


 * 2. Rogues in the House (WT, Jan. 34): Conan may by this time be 19 or even 20. He is temperamentally older and more experienced, as well as very definitely a harder customer. Getting his first taste of professional fighting and Hyborian intrigue, he rather likes the idea, and with a horse of his own he sets out to crack the western world.


 * B. Riding westward into Corinthia, Conan becomes a mercenary soldier under one of the many roving generals of that time. He fares well and learns much of the art of civilized war among the Hyborian kingdoms. During a lull in the wars, he returns for a short time to his native Cimmeria, but the love of adventure again draws him south. He continues to prosper as a soldier, finally arriving in the seacoast kingdom of Argos, where a brush with the law forces him to ship with a coastwise trader, southward bound. Off the coasts of Kush the ship is boarded by black corsairs under the Shemitish she-devil, Belit. Conan joins her crew, becomes her consort, and for a long time they harry the Hyborian and Stygian ports. During this stage of his career, Conan gains the name of Amra, the Lion, which is to follow him throughout his later life, especially among the blacks. He becomes quite familiar with some of the more southerly Kushite kingdoms through raids for slaves and on traders. When, at length, Belit is killed by the survivors of an ancient race of winged men, Conan is left afoot somewhere on the southern coasts of Kush. Belit has been the first great love of his life, and he will probably not follow the sea again for some time to come.

Thirty

 * 3. Queen of the Black Coast (WT, May 34): Covering Conan’s career as chief of the black corsairs and lover of Belit. He may be about 23 at the time he arrives in Argos, and 26 or 27 when Belit is killed.


 * C. Penniless after his long trek north through the black kingdoms, where his reputation as Amra has stood him is good stead, Conan reenters mercenary service in the western nations, working up to the position of captain under Amalric, the Nemedian. Amalric has hired out to fight the battles of Yasmela, the queen-regent of the little border kingdom of Khoraja. Her brother, King Khossus, is the captive of the penurious King Amalrus of Ophir; and Strabonus of Koth, with other enemies, is eager to reabsorb Khoraja into his empire. Conan is chosen by chance to lead Yasmela's defense against an attack from the south, and has what may be the first brush with high-power sorcery, as dealt out by the resurrected Thugra Khotan of Kuthchemes. He wins the war and the queen, but his pride refuses to let him be "Mister Queen" to any woman, and he drops out of sight again, to return for a short time to Cimmeria and possible skirmishes with the northern tribes, including his old enemies the Hyperboreans.


 * 4. Black Colossus (WT, June 33): The Khoraja episode. At this time, Conan may be about 27. He stays in Cimmeria only for a short time before wandering again.

D. Conan's life as a corsair and a mercenary have stirred the spirit of fighting and rich plunder in his blood, and when he hears of war in the south he returns to the Hyborian kingdoms. A rebel prince of Koth is fighting to overthrow Strabonus, and Conan enlists with many of his ilk in the rebel army. Unfortunately the prince makes peace with Strabonus, and Conan, with his fellow mercenaries, is thrown out of work and reduced more or less to the level of an outlaw. Banded together as the Free Companions, they harry the borders of Koth, Zamora, and Turan, and finally gravitate to the steppes west of the Sea of Vilayet, where a ruffian band known as the kozaks has been building itself up over a period of many years. Becoming their leader, he ravages the outposts of the Turanian empire until King Yildiz sends out a small force under Shah Amurath, who routs them for the time being. Escaping, Conan joins the Vilayet pirates for a time, but finding his kozaks scattered, leaves them and works west again into the border states. Meanwhile, King Yildiz of Turan has died or been deposed, and his successor, Yezdigerd, embarks on a program of imperialism which is to make him master of the greatest empire on Earth.


 * 5. Shadows in the Moonlight (WT, Apr 34): The short episode between the defeat and scattering of the kozak hordes by Shah Amurath and Conan's taking over of Sergius' pirates. He is about 28.


 * E. After minor adventures, Conan becomes captain of the royal guard in the frontier kingdom of Khauran, on the eastern edge of Koth. Taramis, the queen of Khauran, is overthrown by her sorceress sister, and Conan's life is saved by a former kozak companion, Olgerd Vladislov, who has become chief of the Zuagir tribesmen of the desert after the breakup of the kozaks. Conan promptly deposes him, rallies Taramis' adherents to revolt, and retakes the kingdom, but chooses to remain with the Zuagirs as their chief. A year or more later, tiring of the desert life, he leaves them, far to the south in the city of Zamboula, the western-most outpost of Yezdigerd's growing empire. Here, after rescuing the Turanian satrap, Jungir Khan, from the magic of a priest of Hanuman, he steals the satrap's ring and heads north and west for Ophir, where the queen will redeem it for a sizable reward if no better market offers.


 * 6. A Witch Shall be Born (WT, Dec 34): The adventure in Khauran. Yezdigerd's empire-builders are already being felt along the border, but the western states seem too busy with internal bickering and intrigues to notice the danger. v Conan is 30 when he joins the Zuagirs; 31 when he leaves them.

Conan has just left the Zuagirs, far to the south along the north-eastern border of Stygia, where black slaves are common and dangerous. After his brush with a mixture of cannibals and sorcery, he sets out for Ophir with a gem and a horse.
 * 7. Shadows in Zamboula (WT, Nov 35):


 * F. Whether Conan reached Ophir and redeemed his gem, or lost it to some thief along the road, there is no record. In any case, the proceeds cannot have lasted him long. Perhaps he pays another short visit to Cimmeria, then, moving east after his welcome has worn off, he hears that the kozaks have regained their old vim and vigor, and are making Yezdigerd's life as miserable as possible. Arriving among them with nothing but his sword, and finding a few old friends who remember his former leadership, he cuts his way through whatever opposition materializes and becomes their leader again. His old friends the pirates are hand in glove with the kozaks, and between them they succeed in making King Yezdigerd's position very uncomfortable.

Efforts to trap him fail, and he manages to build up the kozaks into a pretty formidable gang before deciding to adventure southeastward to the borders of Vendhya. Here, as war-chief of the Afghuli tribesmen in the foothills of the Himelias, he seriously annoys both the Vendhyans and Yezdigerd's frontier-breakers, who are busily carrying out the Turanian king's policy of expansion on the southeastern frontier. He thwarts one plot to defeat the Devi of Vendhya, on the part of a group of sorcerers linked with the Turanians, and himself makes her eat dirt before he leaves his Afghulis to return to the kozaks.


 * 8. The Devil in Iron (WT, Aug 34): The height of the second kozak episode. Somewhere about 32 or 33, he makes the kozaks a real threat to King Yezdigerd, before feeling the urge to be off and riding south to Vendhya.


 * 9. The People of the Black Circle (WT, Sep 34): The Vendhyan episode. Conan rises quickly to chieftainship of the Afghulis, who understand the language of the sword, and may be nearly 34 when he goes back to his kozaks.


 * G. There are big wars in the west. Almuric, prince of Koth, has again rebelled against the unpopular King Strabonus, and this time has enough backing to garner an army from far and wide. Conan finds that most of his kozaks, ex-mercenaries like himself, have scented loot and joined in on one side or the other. Conan follows suit, signing up with his old employer Amalrus. The rebel cause fails, and Amalrus and his army are driven south, cutting their way through Shem and Stygia into the grasslands of Kush, where they are wiped out by the combined black and Stygian forces at the edge of the southern desert.

Escaping with Natala, a Brythunian camp-follower, Conan heads into the desert, and after a short session with magic at the forgotten city of Xuthal, reaches the southern grasslands of the black kingdoms, where he is known of old. Making his way to the coast, he is picked up by Barachan pirates and goes back to the sea for his living.


 * 10. The Slithering Shadow (WT, Sep 33): The episode in Xuthal, with mention of the campaign with Amalrus. Conan should now be about 35, and being completely broke will not waste time in the relatively poor country of the black tribes, south of the desert.


 * H. For a considerable length of time, Conan remains one of the Barachan pirates, but the organization of the various bands is rather loose, and Conan finds little opportunity for one even with his background to gain a high position. He slips out of a tight spot and is valiantly swimming the ocean when he is picked up by the Zingaran buccaneer, Zaporavo, whom he promptly deposes, taking over the Zingaran's mistress, Sancha, with his ship and his crew for a long voyage to the south and west. Returning after an unpleasant brush with black magic on an unknown isle, Conan is for a while highly successful as a buccaneer, until other Zingaran ships bring him down off the coasts of Shem, and he is forced to escape inland.


 * 11. The Pool of the Black One (WT, Oct 33): The end of Conan's stay with the Barachans, and the beginning of his career as a Zingaran buccaneer. He is about 37 at the end of this episode.


 * I. Hearing that wars are in the offing along the borders of Stygia, Conan joins the Free Companions, a seemingly generic name for mercenary companies, under Zarallo. Dispatched to the post at Sukhmet, on the frontier between Stygia and Darfar, he grows weary of black men and women, and when Valeria, a woman pirate who has joined the Brotherhood, leaves the camp and heads south, Conan follows her into the black kingdoms far to the south of Stygia and Kush. Here another brush with a lost race in the jungle city of Xuchotl leaves them stranded in the wilderness on their way west to the more familiar kingdoms where Conan is known.


 * 12. Red Nails (WT, July 36): The end of Conan's buccaneer days, and the story of his trek to the south with Valeria, to Xuchotl and its dragons, and other parts unknown.


 * J. Somewhere Conan loses Valeria. Hearing of the fabulous Teeth of Gwahlur, legendary jewels hidden somewhere in the black kingdom of Keshan, he signs up as a trainer for Keshan's armies. Losing the jewels, he goes over to the neighboring kingdom of Punt to see how much he can make at simple swindling, from there to the trade-centers of Zembabwe, and via various caravans northward into Turan and the Hyborian realms.


 * 13. Jewels of Gwahlur (WT, Mar 35): The adventure in Keshan. Conan may be a little over 38 at the this stage in his career.


 * K. After another trip home to Cimmeria, Conan enlists as a scout in Conajohara, on the Aquilonian border, where a fierce war with the Picts is in progress. Numedides of Aquilonia is a feeble sort of king, and when the border barons revolt against his injustices and his handling of the Pictish wars, Conan seizes his chance, kills Numedides on his throne, and becomes the king of Aquilonia.


 * 14. Beyond the Black River (WT, May 35): Conan as a scout in Conajohara, fighting against the Pictish wizard, Zogar Sag. This is very shortly before he seized the throne; he may be 39.

The greatest threat to his kingdom comes when Nemedia actually succeeds in deposing him for a time, but Conan overcomes hostile sorcery to return and regain his kingdom and the loyalty of his people. His career from this point, with the more important of the barons, led by Trocero, solidly behind him, is relatively smoother. There are more wars, both of defense and aggression - probably a brush with Turan as the two empires become more and more rivals - and during his life as king, Conan frequently travels into far corners of the world - in Khitai and Hyrkania, and the regions beyond, and even to a nameless continent in the western hemisphere. At the time of the Nemedian war, he had no heirs, and no queen, though it seems probable that he gave that honor to the girl, Zenobia. How far he spread the bounds of Aquilonia, or where his career finally ended, not even legend tells.
 * L. As King of Aquilonia, Conan's life is no bed of houris. His first major conflict is a civil war in which an attempt is made to put an Aquilonian king on the throne. This is followed by a plot between Amalrus of Ophir and Strabonus of Koth, in which both enemy kings lose their lives. Throughout this battling to hold his throne, Count Trocero of Poitain and his general, Prospero, remain faithful to him.


 * 15. The Phoenix on the Sword (WT, Dec 32): The first revolt against Conan's rule. He was about 40 when he seized the throne of Aquilonia, and is nearly 41 at this time.


 * 16. The Scarlet Citadel (WT, Jan 33): The war with Koth and Ophir. This is Conan's first war with other kingdoms. It follows very shortly after the civil war, when Aquilonia is still weakened by revolt.
 * 17. The Hour of the Dragon (WT, Dec 35): The last of the published chronicles, describing the war with Nemedia in which Conan came within a hair's breadth of losing life and kingdom completely. The episode itself takes well over a year, and Conan is about 45 when he finally regains his throne. He has still a long and adventurous career before him, as king of Aquilonia and as a wanderer over the face of the Earth. Zenobia, the girl who helped him in his escape from Nemedia, has become his queen, so that he will have heirs to carry on after his death, unless the kingdom is split apart by quarreling barons.

- ** -

Addenda: Several of these stories were serials, namely "People of the Black                Circle" - 3 parts, "Red Nails" - 3, "Beyond the Black River" - 2, and "The Hour of the Dragon" - 5.

Many thanks to Rusty Burke and Joshua Williams for their assistance.

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