"The Devil in Iron" is one of the original stories by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian, first published in Weird Tales in August 1934. Howard earned $115 for the publication of this story.
Title: The Devil in Iron
Author: Robert E. Howard
Blurb: The plot concerns the resurrection of a mythical demon, the theft of a sacred dagger, and an unrelated trap that lures Conan to the island fortress roamed by the demon. The story's plot loopholes and borrowed elements from "Iron Shadows in the Moon" lead some Howard scholars to call this story the weakest of the early Conan tales.
Review
We join Conan as a leader of a raider band, which is raiding within the kingdom of Turan. Conan and his forces are a true thorn on the side of Agha, the leader within the coastal realm. Running out of pride and patience, Agha turns to his counsellor Ghaznavi for help. His advice, get Conan drunk and offer him, beautiful women. Our "villains" chose a slave girl as bait, chosen due to her "Vitality and Substantial Figure." Soon a trap is formed, and Conan is alone with the slave girl on an Island covered in ruins which also plays host to a creature just as old as the ruins.
The story seems rushed and, at times, painful to read. The ending saves it, but in a short read, that seems rather pointless. Unless you need to complete all, I recommend skipping this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I hope you enjoyed the post? I would love to hear your thoughts and start a conversation on the topic. If you have time please do hit follow.
Thank you for stopping by.