The People of the Black Circle Author:Robert E. Howard, Karl Edward Wagner (Editor) Conan the Barbarian: immense, threatening, invincible; Conan the wandering adventurer, hero of the greatest pulp magazine, Weird Tales. Conan the warrior who survives the powers of dark monstrous fate. Conan the savage and triumphant creation of Robert E. Howard. — The People of the Black Circle is the second volume in the authorized edi... more »tion of Conan. The People of the Black Circle assembles the authentic Robert E. Howard novellas, "The Devil in Iron", "The People of the Black Circle", "A Witch Shall Be Born", and "Jewels of Gwahlur", which first appeared in Weird Tales during the flowering of the pulps in the 1930's.
In "The Devil in Iron", the first novella in The People of the Black Circle, Conan journeys to the kingdom of Turan, where he is betrayed by the king, lured by Octavia, the beautiful slave girl, and forced to flee into an eerie subterranean realm. There he wages deadly battle with Khel, the monster whose human body is made of iron.
In "The People of the Black Circle", Conan battles the mountain-dwelling Seers of the Black Circle, powerful sorcerers who threaten the kingdom of Vendhya. Their leader and master, the Wizard of Yimsha, uses black magic to enslave Conan. In thrilling climax, Conan's strength and the magician's power are pitted in winged combat.
"A Witch Shall Be Born" follows Conan's adventures against the forced of Salome, the witch-queen of Khauren, and the reptilian monster she commands.
In "Jewels of Gwahlur", Conan's goal is the legendary Teeth of Gwahlur, a cache of gems in the ghost city of Alkmeenon. Man-apes, priests, and the forces of evil clash in an epic battle in which Conan must choose between the jewels and a beautiful slave girl.