The People of the Black Circle
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The original short story was written by Robert E. Howard and first appeared in Weird Tales magazine, Vol. 24 #3, September 1934 - Vol. 24 #5, November 1934
| "The People of the Black Circle" | |
| Author | Robert E. Howard |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | Conan the Cimmerian |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Published in | USA |
| Publication type | Pulp magazine |
| Publisher | Weird Tales |
| Publication date | 1934 |
"The People of the Black Circle" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine in three parts over the September, October and November 1934 issues. Howard earned $250 for the publication of this story.[1]
It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan kidnapping a regal princess of Vendhya (pre-historical India) and foiling a nefarious plot of world domination by the Black Seers of Yimsha. Due to its epic scope and atypical Hindustan flavor, the story is considered an undisputed classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his best tales.[2] It is also one of the few Howard stories where the reader is treated a deeper insight on magic and magicians beyond the stereotypical Hyborian depiction as demon conjurer-illusionist-priests.
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[edit] Plot summary
| “ | "Devi!" he cried involuntarily, losing his head momentarily in his fright.
"Devi" It was like an explosive echo from the hillman's lips. Chunder Shan saw recognition and intent flame up in the fierce blue eyes. The governor shouted desperately and caught at his sword, but the hillman moved with the devastating speed of a hurricane. He sprang, knocked the governor sprawling with a savage blow of his knife-hilt, swept up the astounded Devi in one brawny arm and leaped for the window. Chunder Shan, struggling frantically to his feet, saw the man poise an instant on the sill in a flutter of silken skirts and white limbs that was his royal captive, and heard his fierce, exultant snarl: "Now dare to hang my men!" and then Conan leaped to the parapet and was gone. A wild scream floated back to the governor's ears. |
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— Robert E. Howard, The People of the Black Cirlce
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This Conan story is set in mythical Hyborian versions India-Pakistan (then united) and Afghanistan (Vendhya and Ghulistan respectively).
The death of Bunda Chand, King of Vendhya, via a curse channelled to his very soul through a lock of his hair which fell in the hands of a nefarious cabal of sorcerers leads to the ascension of his sister, Devi Yasmina, who vows to get revenge on his killers, the Black Seers of Yimsha. Conan, meanwhile, has become chief of a tribe of Afghuli hillmen. Seven of his men have been captured by the Vendhyans and Yasmina intends to use them as collateral to force Conan to kill the Seers. However, Conan infiltrates the border fort where they are held and kidnaps the Devi instead (with the intent of exchanging her for the seven men). The problems are complicated by Kerim Shah, an agent of King Yezdigerd of Turan, who arranged Bunda Chand's death in order to lead an army through the mountains and invade in the subsequent confusion and turmoil. His contact with the Black Seers, Khemsa, has fallen in love with the Devi's maid Gitara. They decide the strike out on their own, kill the seven hillmen and pursue Conan and Yasmina to kill them both as well.
Conan escapes into the Afghuli villages of the Zaibar Pass and Himelian Mountains (Hyborian equivalents of the Khyber pass and Himalayas). Yar Afzal, chief of the Wazuli village, is killed by Khemsa and the people turn against Conan, yet he manages to escape again with Ysamina. Khemsa again catches up with the pair but his attack is interrupted by four Rakhshas from Yimsha. His original masters kill Khemsa and Gitara, stun Conan and steal Yasmina. Khemsa survives a fall from the mountain-side long enough to give Conan a warning and a magic girdle. Shortly after, Kerim Shah and a group of Irakzai (Iraqis), also intent on capturing the Devi for his own ends, encounter Conan. They join together to rescue Yasmina, both open about their private reasons for doing so, and approach the mountain of Yimsha. Most of the men are killed in the attempt but, following Khemsa's warnings, Conan succeeds in killing the Black Seers and rescuing Yasmina.
As they escape they encounter the Turanian army of King Yezdigerd in conflict with Conan's former hillmen (who blame him for the death of the seven captives). Despite their attitude, Conan feels obliged to assist but cannot abandon the Devi. This problem is resolved when a Vendhyan army, invading the mountains to rescue their Queen, arrives. Together, Conan with his Afghulis and Yasmina with her cavalry, they destroy the Turanian army. Conan leaves with the hillmen and the Devi returns to her country.
[edit] Notes
The story has its strongest points in the almost comedic contrast between Conan and the Devi, forming a veritable odd couple. The depiction of Khemsa and Gitara is also very convincing and serves Howard as the chance to sketch a young, enthusiastic wizard which dares to revolt against his masters for the love of a girl, instead of the usual cranky old wizard poring over iron-bound tomes. It can be inferred that the practice of magic slowly saps all interest in mundane pursuits like love, but Khemsa, being young and relatively inexperienced can still find interest in them (even if they result in his death).
[edit] Republishing history
| The People of the Black Circle | |
 Dust-jacket of the first stand-alone book publication of the novella |
|
| Author | Robert E. Howard |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | David Ireland |
| Cover artist | David Ireland |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Donald M. Grant Conan |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novella |
| Publisher | Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. |
| Publication date | 1974 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 149 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
| Followed by | A Witch Shall be Born |
The story was republished in the collections The Sword of Conan (Gnome Press, 1952) and Conan the Adventurer (Lancer Books, 1966). It was first published by itself in book form by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in 1974[3]. It has most recently been republished in the collections The Conan Chronicles Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle (Gollancz, 2000) and The Bloody Crown of Conan (Del Rey, 2005).
[edit] Adaptation
The story was adapted by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala in Savage Sword of Conan #16.
[edit] Notes
- ^ REHupa Fiction Timeline, retrieved 20 August 2007
- ^ Patrice Louinet. Hyborian Genesis: Part 2, The Bloody Crown of Conan; 2005, Del Rey.
- ^ Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd., 322.
[edit] External links
- Conan wiki • The People of the Black Circle • Synopsis, characters, locations, and publishing history
- Conan the Barbarian at AmratheLion.com
- Conan.com: The official website
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