The sweeping and thrilling novel about the world’s most beloved swordsman: Conan the Barbarian.
First published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, The Hour of the Dragon, also known as “Conan the Conqueror,” is Robert E. Howard’s only full-length novel featuring Conan the Barbarian. It is considered by many to be one of the author’s best works.
During Conan’s reign as King of Aquilonia, a group of conspirators plot to depose him in favor of Valerius, heir to Conan’s predecessor, Numedides, whom the swordsman had slain to gain the throne. To accomplish their goal they resort to resurrecting Xaltotun, an ancient sorcerer from the pre-Hyborian empire of Acheron. With Xaltotun’s aid, the Aquilonian army is defeated by that of the rival kingdom and occupied. Conan is captured and slated for execution—until the slave girl Zenobia risks her life to free him. Now, Conan’s quest will take him across the lands of Hyboria.
The Hour of the Dragon is a testament to a writer who has been coined the inventor of the sword and sorcery genre.
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Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) was an American author of pulp fiction, who made a name for himself by publishing numerous short stories in pulp magazines. Known as the “Father of Sword and Sorcery,” Howard helped create this subgenre of fiction. He is best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, who has inspired numerous film and television adaptations. Howard committed suicide at the age of thirty.