| "The Devil in Iron" | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Preceded by | "The Vale of Lost Women" |
"The Devil in Iron" is one of the original stories by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian, first published in Weird Tales in August 1934. Howard earned £115 for the publication of this story.[1]
The plot concerns the resurrection of a mythical demon due to the theft of a sacred dagger, and an unrelated trap that lures Conan to the island fortress roamed by the demon. Due to its plot loopholes and borrowed elements from Iron Shadows in the Moon, some Howard scholars claim this story is the weakest of the early Conan tales.[2]
Contents |
| “ | "She threw up her hands with a terrible scream as for the first time she saw the occupant of the throne. The wedge-shaped head had lifted from its coils and thrust out toward her on a yard of shining neck. Then with a smooth, flowing motion, it began to ooze from the throne, coil by coil, its ugly head bobbing in the direction of the paralyzed girl..." | ” |
|
— Robert E. Howard, "The Devil In Iron"
|
In "The Devil in Iron," an ancient demon, Khosatral Khel, is awakened on the remote island of Xapur due to the meddling of a greedy fisherman. Upon reawakening, Khel resurrects the ancient fortress which once dominated the island, including its cyclopean walls, gigantic pythons, and long-dead citizens.
Meanwhile, Conan — a leader of the Vilayet kozaks — is tricked by the villainous Jehungir Agha into pursuing the lovely Octavia to the island of Xapur. Jehungir Agha plans for Conan to fall into a prepared trap on the island. The unforeseen resurrection of the island demon and its ancient fortress, however, interrupts these plans.
When Conan arrives on Xapur, he must defeat not only the forces of the Agha led by Jelal Khan, but a giant serpent as well, and the iron-fleshed monstrosity that is Khosatral Khel.
The Devil in Iron was first published in August 1934 issue of Weird Tales. The story was republished in the collections Conan the Barbarian (Gnome Press, 1954) and Conan the Wanderer (Lancer Books, 1968). It has more recently been published in the collections The Conan Chronicles Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle (Gollancz, 2000) and Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932-1933) (Del Rey, 2003).
The story was adapted by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala in Savage Sword of Conan #15.