Yet his enemies are not only those he can see.The intrigues of the powerful court eunuchs reach south from Imperial Aghrapur, and the plottings of generals who would sit on the throne, and even the conjurings of his own mind, will be turned against him.Only one man could survive. Only one man could triumph. Only Conan the Hero

    Two are a disaster...And a deadly disaster, too. For Conan, after refusing to help the evil wizard Ethram-Fal, has been cursed with a spell that is slowly, inexorably squeezing the life from his mighty frame.The only person who can banish the spell--besides Ethram-Fal, of course--is the sorceress Zelandra: a raven-haired beauty who practices only white magic...or so she says. Zelandra has offered to lift the spell from the Cimmerian, if only he will do her one small service: steal the deadly Emerald Lotus from the clutches of Ethram-Fal in his impregnable desert fortress.No good can come of this, Conan thinks to himself. Once sorcery gets mixed up in it, the whole job goes to hell!Unfortunately, he's right.

    Dimma, the Mist Mage, knows nothing of the muscular Cimmerian, but the vile necromancer's plans require his death. Thayla, beautiful Queen of the Pili, would rather take Conan to her bed, but her own plots mean he must die. The sorcerous changeling Kleg wasn't only to do his master's bidding, but Conan stands in his way. Even the lovely Cheen will let nothing stop her from recovering the sacred Talisman of her people.The game is deadly, the stakes are life, but whatever the risks, Conan of Cimmeria will play until the final toss.

    Brave men cowered, for a madman wore the crown. Now mighty Conan, sword in hand, girded himself for a terrible confrontation. Chosen commander-in-chief of the rebels, the great hero faced a deadly foe, Numedides, mad king of Aquilonia, and his vaunted sorcerer, Thulandra Thuu. Who would survive this monstrous battle of good and evil? When would the forces of light prevail?

    Howard and further chronicled by other fantasy greats, including such notables as L. Sprague de Camp, Poul Anderson, and Robert Jordan.Now Harry Turtledove, one of today's most popular writers of fantasy and SF, contributes a novel to the Conan saga--a tale of Conan in his youth, in the year or so before he becomes the wandering adventurer we know from the tales of Howard and others.On the verge of adulthood, he lives in a Cimmerian hamlet, caring for his ailing mother, working in his father's smithy, and casting his eye on the weaver's daughter next door.Then war comes: an invasion by the Aquilonian Empire. Conan burns to join the fight, but he's deemed too young. Then, from the border country, comes an unbelievable report: The Aquilonians have smashed the Cimmerian defending forces, and can rule as they please. Soon their heavily garrisoned forts dot the countryside. Their settlers follow after, carving homesteads out of other men's land.Every Cimmerian longs to drive the intruders out with fire and sword, but they must stay their hands, for the Aquilonians have promised savage reprisals. Then, intolerably, the Aquilonian commander takes a wholly dishonorable interest in the weaver's daughter -- and he's not a man to wait, or even ask permission.It's not a recipe for a peaceable outcome.

    Howard's CONAN was never so lusty, never so deadly as in this new adventure chronicling the early years when the youthful sword-wielder first rode out of the Cimmerian hills and into the broad, savage world, turning from smith's son to Conan the mercenary.Imprisoned by sorcery, bound by an impetuous pledge of loyalty, the greatest hero of them all battles for the greatest treasure of them all - his very soul! Only the dark eyed, sultry ruler of Khauran, Land of Unhappy Queens, can shatter the mirror which holds his ensorceled soul prisoner - but to do that she must shatter also her only hope of happiness in the arms of her demon lover.

    These widely acclaimed adventures introduced the world-famous barbarian to a whole new generation of enthusiastic readers. Here are three powerful sagas, featuring all the storytelling magic and epic splendor that have made Robert Jordan one of the most beloved fantasy authors in history.Conan the Invincible: Less than nineteen years old and new to the snares and enticements of civilization, the young Conan must join forces with a dangerously seductive female bandit to storm the palace of Amanar, a supremely evil necromancer, and confront the dreaded Eater of Souls.Conan the Defender: As revolution brews in the shadowy streets of Belverus, Conan braves the traps and treacheries of the Royal Palace of the Dragon. Pursued by the luscious and shameless Sularia, the mighty warrior challenges a magic-spawned menace that cannot die: the invincible Simulacrum of Albanus.Conan the Unconquered: Conan defies the sorcerous power of the Cult of Doom for the sake of a beautiful young woman known only as Yasbet. From the glory of fabled Aghrapur to the demon-haunted wastes of the Blasted Lands, Conan proves himself the greatest hero of a bygone era of high adventure.

    Yet it all began with a handful of stories from Robert E. Howard. In the decades since, there have been feature films, television and comic book series, and numerous spin-off novels. In 1979, Poul Anderson—winner of a staggering eight Hugo and three Nebula Awards—wrote what is regarded as one of the finest adventures in the canon of Conan: Conan the Rebel. Conan the barbarian and Belit, his raven-haired beauty, lead a band of savage pirates striving to free Belit’s people from the iron grip of an evil reptile god and its cruel minions. Striking at the heart of tyranny, Conan must break the chains of oppression before eternal darkness claims them all.

    Awaiting him will be his fiercest battle: the cold steel of his sword against the hell-fed powers of the sorcerer Thoth-Ammon.

    Also released as Tales of Conan.

    In Stardock town, two boys come of age and go deep into the Empire of Great Kesh. A dark plot implicates the highest-ranking nobles, and the Nighthawks clan of Assassins.

    When Conan learns his rescuers are the daring Rebels of the White Rose, he joins their blood-soaked insurrection.But Conan's struggles are only beginning, for the road to the throne is defended by the Final Guard--indestructible warriors made of stone. Conan must draw steel against these indomitable foes and pray that Krom will guide his blade both strong and true.

    In his hands, it would taste blood and cleave its own path through war, seeking vengeance for mortal--and immortal--treachery.

    Also included is an introduction by Herbert describing his personal feelings about the filming of David Lynch's movie version of Dune; Herbert's own favorite short story, Seed Stock and tales from throughout his career, some never before collected.

    In Synthetic Men of Mars, Carter is joined in his adventure by Vor Daj, one of his courageous, young, ed warriors; together they venture into new lands in search of Rav Thavas-the mastermind of Mars-and perhaps the only one who can restore the beautiful Deja Thoris to health. Thavas, however, is preoccupied with sinister and dangerous plans of his own. In Llana of Gathol, the tenth adventure, Carter fi nds himself incarcerated in the Pits of Horz, with giant rats for company-then the dead rise from their tombs and the heroic exploits really begin.