Robert E. Howard 2 hr 1 min read

A weary woman on a spent horse reins in at the foot of a crag, and Conan the Cimmerian appears at her side, the two of them drawn toward a strange, isolated city of ancient, festering hate.

Robert E. Howard's 1936 story, the last Conan tale he wrote, is a dark, superbly told sword-and-sorcery masterpiece. Vivid, savage, atmospheric. Read it for prime Conan and the fierce pirate Valeria, exploring a decadent lost city locked in a centuries-long war to the death.

In its time

Published in 1936, during the 1930s, space opera soars.

Reading it

2 hr 1 min read (a novella, a full arc in one sitting or two).