Red Nails
One of the strangest stories ever written—the tale of a barbarian adventurer, a woman pirate, and a weird roofed city inhabited by the most peculiar race of men
ever spawned.
"Red Nails" is the last of the stories about Conan the Cimmerian written by American author Robert E. Howard. A novella, it was originally serialized in Weird Tales magazine from July to October 1936. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan encountering a lost city in which the degenerate inhabitants are proactively resigned to their own destruction. Due to its grim themes of decay and death, the story is considered a classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his best tales.[1]
The story was republished in the collections The Sword of Conan (Gnome Press, 1952) and Conan the Warrior (Lancer Books, 1967). It was first published by itself in book form by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in 1975 as volume IV of their deluxe Conan set. It has most recently been republished in the collections The Conan Chronicles Volume 2: The Hour of the Dragon (Gollancz,2001) and The Conquering Sword of Conan (Del Rey, 2005) (published in the United Kingdom by Wandering Star as Conan of Cimmeria: Volume Three (1935-1936)), as well as The Best of Robert E. Howard, Volume 2: Grim Lands ( Del Rey, 2007).
"Red Nails" begins in the jungles far to the south of any known civilized or barbarian lands. Valeria of the Red Brotherhood enters this wilderness, fleeing persecution after killing a would-be rapist. She is followed into the wilderness by Conan, a fellow adventurer who hopes to make her his woman. They meet and quarrel, but their stand-off is interrupted by a "dragon" (actually a dinosaur) that mauls their horses. They retreat to a crag the monster cannot scale, but are trapped without food or water. Conan recognizes some poisonous fruit growing nearby. The pair fashion a spear, coat the tip with poison from the fruit, and thrust it into the jaws of the monster. Although blinded, the raging monster pursues them by their scent. Overtaken, Conan whirls to face the beast and lures it to its death.
Conan and Valeria emerge from the forest and make their way to a strange walled city they spotted from the crag. There are no grazing herds or cultivated fields; they assume the city is deserted. When they arrive at the city, Conan forces open the door, long since rusted shut. The couple enter a bizarre twilight world. The city, which they come to know as Xuchotl, is a single massive structure completely enclosed and roofed over. A single great hallway runs the length of the city, but there are no other streets or open courtyards. It consists entirely of four tiers of rooms, chambers and passageways. Xuchotl is constructed of jade with traces of other exotic materials.
The pair separate to search the city's seemingly empty halls. Valeria encounters a man named Techotl whom she joins in a fray between two factions that dwell in the once populous city. Aided by Conan, they defeat their enemies. Techotl invites Conan and Valeria into the stronghold of his people, the Tecuhltli. They are welcomed by the rulers, Olmec and Tascela. As Conan and Valeria rest, Olmec recounts the history of his people.
The city of Xuchotil was built long before its current inhabitants arrived. In those earlier times, a slave — Tolkemec — betrayed his masters and guided the newly arrived invaders into the city where they put to death the original builders. The conquerors were led by two brothers, Tecuhltli and Xotalanc, who afterward ruled peacefully over the city until a feud developed when Tecuhltli stole the bride of his brother Xotalanc. The slave Tolkemec betrayed both sides for his own purposes and was exiled to the catacombs.
As Olmec tells his tale…
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ever spawned.
"Red Nails" is the last of the stories about Conan the Cimmerian written by American author Robert E. Howard. A novella, it was originally serialized in Weird Tales magazine from July to October 1936. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan encountering a lost city in which the degenerate inhabitants are proactively resigned to their own destruction. Due to its grim themes of decay and death, the story is considered a classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his best tales.[1]
The story was republished in the collections The Sword of Conan (Gnome Press, 1952) and Conan the Warrior (Lancer Books, 1967). It was first published by itself in book form by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in 1975 as volume IV of their deluxe Conan set. It has most recently been republished in the collections The Conan Chronicles Volume 2: The Hour of the Dragon (Gollancz,2001) and The Conquering Sword of Conan (Del Rey, 2005) (published in the United Kingdom by Wandering Star as Conan of Cimmeria: Volume Three (1935-1936)), as well as The Best of Robert E. Howard, Volume 2: Grim Lands ( Del Rey, 2007).
"Red Nails" begins in the jungles far to the south of any known civilized or barbarian lands. Valeria of the Red Brotherhood enters this wilderness, fleeing persecution after killing a would-be rapist. She is followed into the wilderness by Conan, a fellow adventurer who hopes to make her his woman. They meet and quarrel, but their stand-off is interrupted by a "dragon" (actually a dinosaur) that mauls their horses. They retreat to a crag the monster cannot scale, but are trapped without food or water. Conan recognizes some poisonous fruit growing nearby. The pair fashion a spear, coat the tip with poison from the fruit, and thrust it into the jaws of the monster. Although blinded, the raging monster pursues them by their scent. Overtaken, Conan whirls to face the beast and lures it to its death.
Conan and Valeria emerge from the forest and make their way to a strange walled city they spotted from the crag. There are no grazing herds or cultivated fields; they assume the city is deserted. When they arrive at the city, Conan forces open the door, long since rusted shut. The couple enter a bizarre twilight world. The city, which they come to know as Xuchotl, is a single massive structure completely enclosed and roofed over. A single great hallway runs the length of the city, but there are no other streets or open courtyards. It consists entirely of four tiers of rooms, chambers and passageways. Xuchotl is constructed of jade with traces of other exotic materials.
The pair separate to search the city's seemingly empty halls. Valeria encounters a man named Techotl whom she joins in a fray between two factions that dwell in the once populous city. Aided by Conan, they defeat their enemies. Techotl invites Conan and Valeria into the stronghold of his people, the Tecuhltli. They are welcomed by the rulers, Olmec and Tascela. As Conan and Valeria rest, Olmec recounts the history of his people.
The city of Xuchotil was built long before its current inhabitants arrived. In those earlier times, a slave — Tolkemec — betrayed his masters and guided the newly arrived invaders into the city where they put to death the original builders. The conquerors were led by two brothers, Tecuhltli and Xotalanc, who afterward ruled peacefully over the city until a feud developed when Tecuhltli stole the bride of his brother Xotalanc. The slave Tolkemec betrayed both sides for his own purposes and was exiled to the catacombs.
As Olmec tells his tale…
Red Nails
One of the strangest stories ever written—the tale of a barbarian adventurer, a woman pirate, and a weird roofed city inhabited by the most peculiar race of men
ever spawned.
"Red Nails" is the last of the stories about Conan the Cimmerian written by American author Robert E. Howard. A novella, it was originally serialized in Weird Tales magazine from July to October 1936. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan encountering a lost city in which the degenerate inhabitants are proactively resigned to their own destruction. Due to its grim themes of decay and death, the story is considered a classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his best tales.[1]
The story was republished in the collections The Sword of Conan (Gnome Press, 1952) and Conan the Warrior (Lancer Books, 1967). It was first published by itself in book form by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in 1975 as volume IV of their deluxe Conan set. It has most recently been republished in the collections The Conan Chronicles Volume 2: The Hour of the Dragon (Gollancz,2001) and The Conquering Sword of Conan (Del Rey, 2005) (published in the United Kingdom by Wandering Star as Conan of Cimmeria: Volume Three (1935-1936)), as well as The Best of Robert E. Howard, Volume 2: Grim Lands ( Del Rey, 2007).
"Red Nails" begins in the jungles far to the south of any known civilized or barbarian lands. Valeria of the Red Brotherhood enters this wilderness, fleeing persecution after killing a would-be rapist. She is followed into the wilderness by Conan, a fellow adventurer who hopes to make her his woman. They meet and quarrel, but their stand-off is interrupted by a "dragon" (actually a dinosaur) that mauls their horses. They retreat to a crag the monster cannot scale, but are trapped without food or water. Conan recognizes some poisonous fruit growing nearby. The pair fashion a spear, coat the tip with poison from the fruit, and thrust it into the jaws of the monster. Although blinded, the raging monster pursues them by their scent. Overtaken, Conan whirls to face the beast and lures it to its death.
Conan and Valeria emerge from the forest and make their way to a strange walled city they spotted from the crag. There are no grazing herds or cultivated fields; they assume the city is deserted. When they arrive at the city, Conan forces open the door, long since rusted shut. The couple enter a bizarre twilight world. The city, which they come to know as Xuchotl, is a single massive structure completely enclosed and roofed over. A single great hallway runs the length of the city, but there are no other streets or open courtyards. It consists entirely of four tiers of rooms, chambers and passageways. Xuchotl is constructed of jade with traces of other exotic materials.
The pair separate to search the city's seemingly empty halls. Valeria encounters a man named Techotl whom she joins in a fray between two factions that dwell in the once populous city. Aided by Conan, they defeat their enemies. Techotl invites Conan and Valeria into the stronghold of his people, the Tecuhltli. They are welcomed by the rulers, Olmec and Tascela. As Conan and Valeria rest, Olmec recounts the history of his people.
The city of Xuchotil was built long before its current inhabitants arrived. In those earlier times, a slave — Tolkemec — betrayed his masters and guided the newly arrived invaders into the city where they put to death the original builders. The conquerors were led by two brothers, Tecuhltli and Xotalanc, who afterward ruled peacefully over the city until a feud developed when Tecuhltli stole the bride of his brother Xotalanc. The slave Tolkemec betrayed both sides for his own purposes and was exiled to the catacombs.
As Olmec tells his tale…
ever spawned.
"Red Nails" is the last of the stories about Conan the Cimmerian written by American author Robert E. Howard. A novella, it was originally serialized in Weird Tales magazine from July to October 1936. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan encountering a lost city in which the degenerate inhabitants are proactively resigned to their own destruction. Due to its grim themes of decay and death, the story is considered a classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his best tales.[1]
The story was republished in the collections The Sword of Conan (Gnome Press, 1952) and Conan the Warrior (Lancer Books, 1967). It was first published by itself in book form by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in 1975 as volume IV of their deluxe Conan set. It has most recently been republished in the collections The Conan Chronicles Volume 2: The Hour of the Dragon (Gollancz,2001) and The Conquering Sword of Conan (Del Rey, 2005) (published in the United Kingdom by Wandering Star as Conan of Cimmeria: Volume Three (1935-1936)), as well as The Best of Robert E. Howard, Volume 2: Grim Lands ( Del Rey, 2007).
"Red Nails" begins in the jungles far to the south of any known civilized or barbarian lands. Valeria of the Red Brotherhood enters this wilderness, fleeing persecution after killing a would-be rapist. She is followed into the wilderness by Conan, a fellow adventurer who hopes to make her his woman. They meet and quarrel, but their stand-off is interrupted by a "dragon" (actually a dinosaur) that mauls their horses. They retreat to a crag the monster cannot scale, but are trapped without food or water. Conan recognizes some poisonous fruit growing nearby. The pair fashion a spear, coat the tip with poison from the fruit, and thrust it into the jaws of the monster. Although blinded, the raging monster pursues them by their scent. Overtaken, Conan whirls to face the beast and lures it to its death.
Conan and Valeria emerge from the forest and make their way to a strange walled city they spotted from the crag. There are no grazing herds or cultivated fields; they assume the city is deserted. When they arrive at the city, Conan forces open the door, long since rusted shut. The couple enter a bizarre twilight world. The city, which they come to know as Xuchotl, is a single massive structure completely enclosed and roofed over. A single great hallway runs the length of the city, but there are no other streets or open courtyards. It consists entirely of four tiers of rooms, chambers and passageways. Xuchotl is constructed of jade with traces of other exotic materials.
The pair separate to search the city's seemingly empty halls. Valeria encounters a man named Techotl whom she joins in a fray between two factions that dwell in the once populous city. Aided by Conan, they defeat their enemies. Techotl invites Conan and Valeria into the stronghold of his people, the Tecuhltli. They are welcomed by the rulers, Olmec and Tascela. As Conan and Valeria rest, Olmec recounts the history of his people.
The city of Xuchotil was built long before its current inhabitants arrived. In those earlier times, a slave — Tolkemec — betrayed his masters and guided the newly arrived invaders into the city where they put to death the original builders. The conquerors were led by two brothers, Tecuhltli and Xotalanc, who afterward ruled peacefully over the city until a feud developed when Tecuhltli stole the bride of his brother Xotalanc. The slave Tolkemec betrayed both sides for his own purposes and was exiled to the catacombs.
As Olmec tells his tale…
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940012404664 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | JC PUB NETWORKS |
| Publication date: | 03/31/2011 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 552 KB |
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