“Part Two – Words Of Power”
A temple keeper is dead and the nephew of Governor Patanius plays ignorant of Conan’s accusations. Now the Cimmerian must act quickly or be thrown to the unscrupulous Numalian Court of Justice. With a heavy hand, Conan slays all but Inquisitor Demetrio and his captain of the guard. Any justice dealt that evening will be delivered by swinging blade.
Valusia, the City of Wonders. King Kull and his trusted ally Brule have discovered a plot to overthrow the kingdom by replacing those in power with doppelgangers. The serpent men of Set are exposed, but can two men confront tens, maybe even hundreds of adversaries before they are overwhelmed? Kull must make some deep decisions before it is too late.
Across time and continents, a bizarre chant begins to fill the air inside the Gordon family home. They’re the words of a long dead cult of snake worshipers. Professor John Kirowan and Evelyn Gordon seem to be the only ones in the room who can hear them. The serpent ring gifted to Evelyn is the cause of the phenomena.
“Shadow Of The Serpent: Howard, Kull, And The Birth Of Sword And Sorcery”
Jeffrey Shanks continues his in-depth analysis of Robert E Howard with this fascinating article on The Shadow Kingdom – a novelette first published in Weird Tales (1929). This story would introduce the world to Kull of Atlantis and the sinister serpent men who attempted to overthrow his rule over Valusia. Shanks gives some very precise references which inspired Howard and his early works.
For those unfamiliar with Robert E Howard and his development of the Serpent Men of Set, I would suggest reading this article thoroughly. There have been several conspiracies floating around the internet recently, claiming Howard was trying to expose humanity to a real-world threat of lizardmen – both alien and subterranean in nature. This is absolutely not true. Not true at all. Thankfully, Jeffrey Shanks has zeroed in on the sources that inspired Howard and his creation of the modern sword and sorcery genre.
Review
What a fun issue this was! Writer Jim Zub continues to impress with his marriage of the two classic Robert E Howard stories The God of the Bowl and The Shadow Kingdom. Who knows where this will take us. I can’t wait to dive into issue three of the “Scourge Of The Serpent” event. I give this book four out of five stars.
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[Aztrias Petanius], [Brule The Spear-Slayer], [Conan The Barbarian], [Councilor Tu], [Demetrio the Inquisitor], [Dionus], [Evelyn Gordon], [Gonar the Seeker], [Governor Patanius], [Ibis (Stygian God Of Knowledge And Magic)], [James Gordon], [Joseph Roelocke], [Kalanthes of Hanumar (Priest of Ibus)], [Kallian Publico], [King Kull], [Kull The Conqueror], [Michael O’Donnel], [Mitra (God Of The Hyborians)], [Professor John Kirowan], [Red Slayers], [Set (Stygian Snake God)], [Valka (Atlantian God)]
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English (US) · 