REH: THE PEOPLE OF THE BLACK CIRCLE (PART 1)

Along with Lin Carter, Lyon Sprague de Camp (27 November 1907 – 6 November 2000), more popularly known as L. Sprague de Camp, was responsible for re-introducing and revitalizing the genres of heroic fantasy and sword and sorcery in the 1960's. He had the good fortune of editing Robert E. Howard's Conan material, and completed a number of unfinished manuscripts found in the Howard Estate and combined them with previously published material (with Carter) into what would become the famous Lancer Paperback series with the unforgettable covers by Frank Frazetta. However, unless one looked closely at the indicia that accompanied each volume, no one would have known that the stories had been written decades before, mostly in the pulp magazine WEIRD TALES.

Mr. de Camp describes "the spell" of Conan thus: "Howard was a natural storyteller, whose tales are unsurpassed for vivid, vivid, colorful, headlong gripping action. The Conan stories are the ultimate in tales of swashbuckling adventures with a strong and sinister flavor of the supernatural." Indeed, few writers could match Howard's skill at building a fantasy world, populated with corrupt kings, dangerous thieves and pirates, voluptuous princesses, lusty "sluts" (one of Howard's favorite terms for describing a loose woman), and of course, plenty of wizards, spells and monsters.

The story today, begun with the first of three parts, is often believed by scholars and fans to be one of Howard's best Conan tales. It combines all the elements that make for a great heroic fantasy story. Originally serialized in WEIRD TALES beginning with the September 1934 issue (with a cover depicting a scene from the story by Margaret Brundage, this version is reprinted from the January 1967 issue of FANTASTIC. The original Hugh Rankin illustrations have been retained.