Conan Compilation - The Conquering Sword of Conan Part 41

absent from original; 160.40.7: clapsed; 161.35.8: "cloak-wrapped" not hyphenated ("cloak wrapped"); 162.9.6: resplendant; 163.1.9: no comma after "strand"; 164.40.1: question mark rather than period after "help"; 165.34.5: when; 168.35.6: And; 170.10.1: no comma after "glare"; 171.3.8: headlong; 172.15.11: irrelevency; 172.21.5: consumated; 172.32.6: no s.p.a.ce between the quotation mark and "she."

The Man-Eaters of Zamboula Text taken from Howard's carbon, provided by Glenn Lord. (Page 32 of the carbon is supposedly extant but was not located in time for the preparation of this volume; the text for this page [from 200.35.14: when, to 201.19.3: another] was taken from the Weird Tales appearance). 177.9.2: flambouyant; 179.17.7: heterogenous; 179.38.3: carving; 180.2.14: wounded; 180.5.7: by; 180.28.8: "a" absent from original; 180.28.14: no comma after "suk"; 180.36.6: no quotation mark after "thieves" (typed to right edge of paper); 183.20.14: "there"

repeated; 184.4.3: "a" absent from original; 184.17.5: visullized; 184.35.11: a; 185.19.3: "the"

absent from original; 185.29.6: "eastern-most" hyphenated at line break; 185.36.5: unsatieted; 185.40.5: no period after "escaped" (typed to right edge of paper); 186.32.12: no period after "streets" (typed to right edge of paper); 186.33.2: "me" absent from original; 189.8.2: black; 189.8.4: no comma after "past"; 189.8.8: scruffing; 189.11.4: "the" inserted in original ("the Aram's death-house"); 189.20.6: unforseen; 189.39.2: quotation mark before "she" rather than after em-dash; 190.1.11: no quotation mark after "name" (typed to right edge of paper); 191.5.5: comma rather than period after "him"; 192.19.10: "A" absent from original (probably didn't register on the carbon); 193.23.12: she; 194.5.10: one; 194.17.9: "help" absent from original; 195.3.6: "under" repeated; 195.10.14: of; 195.13.2: "the" absent from original; 195.36.2: filiaments; 195.40.11: no comma after "tugging" (typed to right edge of paper); 196.17.13: "a" absent from original; 196.27.10: "and" absent from original; 196.29.8: 370.

deafeningl (typed to right edge of paper); 198.10.4: b.r.e.a.s.t.s; 198.20.13: no period after "corridor" (typed to right edge of paper); 199.15.4: discernable; 200.14.12: no period after "dissemble" (typed to right edge of paper); 201.24.11: monster; 201.30.5: rythm; 201.32.8: tarrantella; 203.1.13: "mad-dog" in original; 203.21.9: plotte (typed to right edge of paper); 203.35.14: quarte (typed to right edge of paper); 207.5.12: grasping; 207.29.5: saw.

Red Nails Text taken from Weird Tales, July, AugustSeptember, and October 1936 (three-part serial).

The incomplete surviving carbon has been consulted for the preparation of this edition: variations within the printed text are minimal, mostly corrections of typographical errors.

224.21.1: Sailor's; 227.17.9: period rather than comma after "girl"; 228.34.1: "plowshare"

hyphenated at line break; 231.17.1: "love-making" hyphenated at line break; 234.18.5: has; 235.1.7: Science (Howard's carbon has "Silence"; cf. 239.7.11); 238.5.3: Xotalancs; 239.23.4: "sword-thrust" hyphenated at line break; 243.34.3: Xotalancs; 248.2.1: "battle-ground"

hyphenated at line break; 250.3.5: restorted; 254.13.6: "nearby" hyphenated at line break; 258.38.11: "sword-play" hyphenated at line break; 259.13.7: "throne-room" hyphenated at line break; 260.39.13: "witch-light" hyphenated at line break; 267.24.15: "wrestling-match"

hyphenated at line break; 273.17.8: Techultli.

Unt.i.tled Notes Text taken from Howard's original typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.

Wolves Beyond the Border, Draft A Text taken from Howard's original typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.

Wolves Beyond the Border, Draft B Text taken from Howard's original typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.

The Black Stranger, Synopsis A Text taken from Howard's original typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.

The Black Stranger, Synopsis B 371.

Text taken from Howard's original typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.

The Man-Eaters of Zamboula, Synopsis Text taken from Howard's original typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. No changes have been made for this edition.

Red Nails, Draft Text taken from Howard's original typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. 322.7.9: in the double- s.p.a.ced typescript, the phrase "a skeleton on a shelf" is inserted between the line ending with "neither able to" and the next beginning with "see above or below her." This was evidently added at a later moment and intended to be fleshed out in later drafts; 327.19.6: the phrase "Branches too light for spear handles and vines no thicker than cords." is inserted between lines of the double-s.p.a.ced typescript with no indication of the intended insertion point.

Letter to P. Schuyler Miller Text taken from The Coming of Conan, Gnome Press, 1950. 360.3.1: "battlefield" hyphenated at line break.

372.

Thanks so much to Jim Keegan and especially Marcelo Anciano for believing in my work and suggesting oil paint rather than black and white. Many thanks to Irene Gallo for her support and wickedly exacting vision! And thanks to Greg and Miko at Gamma One, New York, for such great transparencies of the paintings.

Gregory Manchess I would like to thank Rusty, Dave, Stuart, and Marcelo for making it happen once again; you are the greatest guys to work with. Without Glenn, these Conan books would never have been what they are; I can never repay you for your help and patience with my never-ending and sometimes weird requests. A thought for Peluche, who was always there to prevent me from working, I miss you. And last, but definitely not least, all my love to Sheila, who accepted the presence of the Cimmerian for so long.

Patrice Louinet Many thanks to Marcelo, Patrice, Stuart, David, Jim, and Ed it is an honor and a pleasure to work with such a doughty band of literary warriors. To Glenn Lord, friend and mentor, and Robert E. Howard's mightiest champion. To Greg, Gary, and Mark, for their outstanding depictions of the Cimmerian and his world. To Bill Cavalier, staunchest of Howard purists and most steadfast of friends, even if he is wrong about The Black Stranger. To the members of the Robert E. Howard United Press a.s.sociation, who have inspired me, encouraged me, ticked me off, and pushed me to greater effort for nearly a quarter century. And, with much love, to Sh.e.l.ly, my soul and my heart's inspiration.

Rusty Burke Thanks to Marcelo, Patrice, and Rusty for being so good at what they do and making my job a lot easier, and to Greg for his breathtaking paintings, all of which are fantastic. Thanks also to Mandy, who keeps the home fires burning when I'm doing these; Emma, who gets a kick out of seeing her name in print; Fishburn Hedges Design for the extracurricular use of their studio; and, finally, to Simon Thorpe, magician with pen, pencil, brush, and Wacom tablet an inspiration and a great friend even though I find your almost total recall somewhat unnerving!

Stuart Williams I would like to thank Jack and Barbara Baum and Steve Saffel for their belief in a united Robert E. Howard library. Thanks also to Jim and Ruth Keegan, Stuart, Ed Waterman, and Rusty for their support and special thanks to Nancy Delia for her sterling work on the book.

373.

And to Graziana, just because...

Marcelo Anciano 374.

PRAISE FOR ROBERT E. HOWARD.

"I adore these books. Howard had a gritty, vibrant style--broadsword writing that cut its way to the heart, with heroes who are truly larger than life. I heartily recommend them to anyone who loves fantasy."

--DAVID GEMMELL.

Author of Legend and White Wolf "The voice of Robert E. Howard still resonates after decades with readers--equal parts ringing steel, thunderous horse hooves, and spattered blood. Far from being a stereotype, his creation of Conan is the high heroic adventurer. His raw muscle and sinews, boiling temper, and l.u.s.ty laughs are the gauge by which all modern heroes must be measured."

--ERIC NYLUND.

Author of Halo: The Fall of Reach and Signal to Noise "That teller of marvelous tales, Robert Howard, did indeed create a giant [Conan] in whose shadow other 'hero tales' must stand."

--JOHN JAKES.

New York Times bestselling author of the North and South trilogy "For stark, living fear . . . what other writer is even in the running with Robert E. Howard?"

--H. P. LOVECRAFT.

"Howard . . . painted in the broadest strokes imaginable. A ma.s.s of glimmering black for the menace, an ice-blue cascade for the hero, between them a swath of crimson for battle, pa.s.sion, blood."

--FRITZ LIEBER.

"Forget Schwarzenegger and the movies. This is pure pulp fiction from the 1930s, before political corrections and focus groups dictated the direction of our art. Swords spin, entrails spill, and women swoon."

--Men's Health 375.

"Howard wrote pulp adventure stories of every kind, for every market he could find, but his real love was for supernatural adventure and he brought a brash, tough element to the epic fantasy which did as much to change the course of the American school away from precious writing and static imagery as Hammett, Chandler, and the Black Mask pulp writers were to change the course of American detective fiction."

--MICHAEL MOORc.o.c.k.

Award-winning author of the Elric saga "In this, I think, the art of Robert E. Howard was hard to surpa.s.s: vigor, speed, vividness. And always there is that furious, galloping narrative pace."

--POUL ANDERSON.

"Howard honestly believed the basic truth of the stories he was telling. It's as if he'd said, 'This is how life really was lived in those former savage times!'"

--DAVID DRAKE.

Author of Grimmer Than h.e.l.l and Dogs of War "For headlong, nonstop adventure and for vivid, even florid, scenery, no one even comes close to Howard."

--HARRY TURTLEDOVE.

376.

THE FULLY ILl.u.s.tRATED ROBERT E. HOWARD LIBRARY.

from Del Rey Books The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane The b.l.o.o.d.y Crown of Conan Bran Mak Morn: The Last King The Conquering Sword of Cona n 377.

The Conquering Sword of Conan is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fict.i.tiously.

A Del Rey Trade Paperback Original Copyright 2005 by Conan Properties International, LLC. Ill.u.s.trations copyright 2005 by Gregory Manchess All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Del Rey Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

DEL REY is a registered trademark and the Del Rey colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

Conan is a registered trademark of Conan Properties International, LLC.

This edition published by arrangement with Wandering Star Books, Ltd., London.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2005935622 eISBN 0-345-48605-6 www.delreybooks.com v1.0 378.