Beyond the Black River

The Dark Storm Conan Chronology #22

by Robert E. Howard

This early work by Robert E. Howard was originally published in 1935 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'Beyond the Black River' is a story in the Conan series in which he battles the Hyborian Picts in the unsettled lands beyond the Black River. Robert Ervin Howard was born in Peaster, Texas in 1906. During his youth, his family moved between a variety of Texan boomtowns, and Howard - a bookish and somewhat introverted child - was steeped in the violent myths and legends of the Old South. At fifteen Howard began to read the pulp magazines of the day, and to write more seriously. The December 1922 issue of his high school newspaper featured two of his stories, 'Golden Hope Christmas' and 'West is West'. In 1924 he sold his first piece - a short caveman tale titled 'Spear and Fang' - for $16 to the not-yet-famous Weird Tales magazine. Howard's most famous character, Conan the Cimmerian, was a barbarian-turned-King during the Hyborian Age, a mythical period of some 12,000 years ago. Conan featured in seventeen Weird Tales stories between 1933 and 1936 which is why Howard is now regarded as having spawned the 'sword and sorcery' genre. The Conan stories have since been adapted many times, most famously in the series of films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories, Sword and Sorcery, Pulp, Adventure, Classics

100 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1935

About the author

Robert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."

He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.

—Wikipedia

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fort full of settlers near the Pictish border finds itself under attack by the Picts and Conan is there to help the settlers. This is quite a well-written Conan story full of sword and sorcery action and excitement. It’s gripping, a bit atmospheric and very entertaining. The ending is also a bit unexpected and definitely only adds to an already gripping and gritty story. I’ve seen other reviewers compare the supposedly more civilized settlers taking away the lands from the supposedly more savage Picts, to the cowboys and Indians from the Wild West. And I have to admit, I can see the resemblance.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clear standout among the Howard Conan stories I've read. More mature and tightly plotted, Howard's prose is also consistently superb here. There is a tense foreboding to the story right from the start that builds steadily through to the chilling end. Much of the story is told through the POV of one of Conan's companions, rather than the Barbarian himself. Highly recommended!

[Benjamin Uke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conan is fighting as a mercenary for Aquilonia, the realm he eventually becomes king of. Its distant, out-of-touch leaders are attempting to expand into a wild jungle frontier, and the local animal tribes of Picts (ancient Scots) barbarians are having none of it.

As will happen, a wizard is in the process of uniting the tribes and preparing to smash them into the frontier fort that protects the Aquilonian settlers. The main charecter is Balthus, one of the woodsmen who works at the fort and inevitably finds himself paling in comparison with the ultimate power fantasy character. Together they are in a “time bomb” scenario, where Conan and Balthus must escape and warn the fort that the Picts are amassing to attack.

Overall, this is a fun, brutal short story, and if you haven't given the original Conan stories a look I recommend doing so.

Note: (If you can get beyond the incredible amounts racism). Yet there are descriptors of the Picts feral subhumans. Sure, Howard uses long-dead races and peoples to stereotype. That said if you feel these depictions of people might be uncomfortable for you, justifiably skip it. However, for me, it doesn’t take away from the writing skill.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Barbarian Paramour's adventures. There's nothing quite like them, if you ask me.

No slightly bludgeoning the enemy with beef bones in this one, and much to my (and Conan's) utter dismay, no Babe of the Lithe, Supple Figure (BotLSF™), but lots of vicious creatures, evil villains, deliciously severed heads and scrumptious gore aplenty. So all's good and stuff.



Why of course my dear. But only if you promise to behave and not eat them. I'm kind of attached to the little suckers, you see.

P.S. In case you didn't know, Robert E. Howard's prose is better than 99% of today's Fantasy writers. Evocative, atmospheric, epic and downright amazing. Howard is one of the most underrated authors ever, and a truth universally acknowledged this bloody shrimping should be.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond the Black River Robert E. Howard, Fast paced storyline thats completely engaging and enjoyable, spoilers ahead so quit reading now, Conan is a scout and soldier in the Aquilonian army serving in the border fort Tuscelan built on recently conquered Pictish lands. The situation is precarious being under manned and Zogar Sag a Pictish wizard chieftain unifying numerous clans into a formidable army and using magic powers to control wild beasts. Conan saves Balthus an idealistic crusader from a Pictish trophy hunting warrior. They become friends and are given the task of scouting the Picts. Conan leads a squad of soldiers to assassinate Zogar but most are ambushed and killed, no surprise Conan escapes capture, Balthus is caught and will be sacrificed. Conan recues Balthus and they escape, on learning that the Picts will destroy the fort, Conan goes further on warning Aquilonian settlers to flee east back over the Thunder River, Conan is angered at the Aquilonian nobles and their useless administration abilities, sowing seeds in Conans mind that the King and many of his nobles need to disappear but thats another story. Simple story that has tradtional western theme transplanted to sword and sorcery. Read from my 925 page copy of The Complete Chronicles of Conan. Book is big enough to smash evil sorcerors, warriors, tone deaf minstrels into next year anytime anywhere by Crom

[Leothefox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of long stories contains 4 Conan stories, including the under-appreciated “Jewels of Gwahlur” aka “The Servants of Bit-Yakin”. Like anything by Howard, it's worth the trip.

Included here also is the collaborative story “The Challenge from Beyond”, which Howard worked on with no less than C.L. Moore, A. Merritt, H.P. Lovecraft, and Frank Belknap Long. The differences in style are obvious and the transitions are marked in italics, so we can see the moment that Lovecraft's sequel to “The Shadow Out of Time” becomes Howard's own weird brand of manly madness.

Also in the non-Conan segment is “The Grisly Horror”, a tale that follows the same themes of “The Black Hound of Death” and “Black Canaan” as well as similar setting. It's another yarn of an exceptionally manly white man returning to the swamps of his youth to face an ancient horror out of Africa. It echoes the Solomon Kane stories in some ways and benefits by Howard's usual energy and inventiveness.

The Conan stories here are all classics, and I especially enjoy “Jewels of Gwahlur” for it's distinctive setting and abundant weirdness.

[David B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conan battles the savage Picts in an attempt to protect Aquilonian settlers who have established homesteads on the border of their territory.

This is one of Robert E Howard’s best stories, with powerful, evocative prose and a well-constructed frontier milieu. Howard had a life-long interest in historical fiction and wrote some himself. However, it was his fantastic adventures that put food on the table. Here, we can see a setting that is clearly analogous to the Old West and the uneasy relationship that existed between settlers and American Indians. Howard was a giant among the old pulp authors. None were better than him at constructing a novella-length narrative with epic sweep.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very heroic stuff. With some trusty sidekicks, Conan helps save the countryside from an invading horde. I really enjoyed this one. Conan is more unselfish in Beyond the Black River than some of the other stories. His sidekicks are a fierce dog and a sympathetic warrior capable in his own right. This was a nice alternative to the usual damsel in distress, whose only attribute seems to be the ability to scream.

[Baal Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems that many people rank this as their favorite Conan story, and I am in agreement based on the selection of stories I've read so far. The plot is tight with no wasted time or or words, and it breaks from the usual formula without betraying the essential nature of Conan. This gives me hope for finishing the complete works collection I'm more than half way through now.

[Иван Иванов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ето че гаврътнах и седмия том. Впечатленията ми накратко:

The Grisly Horror - Изненадващо слаб разказ, който би стоял по на място сред ранните произведения на Хауърд. Някакъв тип, бледо подобие на Соломон Кейн, спасява любимата си от зловещ негърски култ. Стилът е добър, но сюжетът и героите са елементарни. - 3/5
Jewels of Gwahlur - Едно от готините приключения на Конан, който този път е по следите на легендарно съкровище в затънтено негърско кралство. - 5/5
Beyond the Black River - Знам, че това се води един от най-добрите Конански разкази, но на мен никога не ми е бил сред любимите. "Индианската" обстановка не ми е много на сърце, а и сюжетът не е кой знае какво. - 4/5
The Challenge from Beyond - Научнофантастичен разказ, написан в съавторство с К.Л.Мур, Абрахам Мерит, Х.Ф.Лъвкрафт и Франк Белкнап Лонг. Получила се е доста любопитна творба, която прочетох с удоволствие. - 4/5
Shadows in Zamboula - Е, това вече е Робърт Хауърд в най-добрата му форма! Конан и загадъчно момиче в беда, канибали, зъл жрец и магически пръстен. - 5/5

Като цяло, малко неравномерен сборник, но му давам петица най-вече заради последния разказ.

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume contains one of the best of all Conan stories, "Beyond The Black River". These stories are presented unedited as they originally appeared in the magazine. Highly recommended

[Thomas Kroepfl · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me the is THE Conan story. I loved it the most and yet nothing really happened in it.

[Seth Skorkowsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Howard's better stories. Here, we follow Conan as he fights to defend a outpost from the local Picts who are none too pleased to have Aquilonians moving into their territory. The Pictish tribes have united, and with the help of a dark wizard, move to destroy the invading settlers.

The story flows wonderfully, gaining steam as it moves along, and the action is vivid.

[Edoardo Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the time Robert E. Howard wrote this tale of Conan the Barbarian, he had both thoroughly learned the craft of writing and fixed the world of the Hyborian Age in his own imagination and the imagination of the reader. The result, in Beyond the Black River, is a taut, surprisingly melancholy tale told through the point of view of a young man who aspires to be a warrior like Conan. The story is as sharp as one of Conan's axes and as spare as a winter wolf. There are very few writers who create characters who transcend their own ability and time: with Conan, Howard emphatically did so.

[Ahmat Stuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Robert E. Howard's best. A clear standout from all the other Conan tales and it goes beyond just pure entertainment - basically a western in the Conan universe.
Couple that with tight pacing, great prose, intense action sequences and overall sense of foreboding that goes throughout the entire story and hits critical mass at the very end. Great read, would highly recommend.

[Andrew Sorrentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tense, bloody action. A sense of immediacy permeates the narrative. Conan is very much the protagonist with a worthy supporting cast. The resolution seems rushed, and completed almost too easily.

[Steven Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it dark and powerful. The real Conan.

[Mark Tallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond the Black River is an excellent Conan story written by Robert E. Howard. Easily one of my favourites 'to date' sitting alongside Red Nails, The Tower Of the Elephant and The People of the Black Circle. The story is full of action, weirdness, horror, & dark magic, all the ingredients that the master of Pulp Fiction (Howard) did so well.

[Stifynsemons · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2 stars, I liked it, but not the Conan story I'm hunting

Power, speed, and serenity in the face of overwhelming enemies and supernatural horrors. That's Conan. In Beyond the Black River, Conan is with settlers pushing into barbarian forests. But 'Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph'

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

These Conan stories are perfect when they’re good. So influential, so engrossing. Plenty of action, cool settings. There’s usually some kind of moral or commentary buried under there. It’s a great trip into a fantasy world. I really wish magazines still did this sort of thing.

Tower of the Elephant is still the best one to me, but this ranks a close second.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conan puts on his best Natty Bumppo in this frontier western. It is a fairly unique feel for the Cimmerian, increased by the extended narration from a witness rather than the bale-fire eyed barbarian himself. It is perhaps the mystic that feels most forced in this adventure.

[Stijn Bun · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a unique point of view, and perfectly condensing the underlying message of the Conan stories, this is one of Howard's best works!

[Stuart Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of REH's best short stories. Includes four Conan stories, some of the best. "A Witch Shall Be Born", where Conan finds himself nailed to a cross. "Jewels of Gwahlur", where Conan uses some trickery as well as his sword. "Beyond The Black River", which is unique in that it is a Conan tale told from the POV of a traveling soldier and gives us a picture of Conan through the eyes of a relatively civilized man dealing with a true barbarian for the first time. "Shadows of Zamboula" finds Conan again out of money and out of work, until someone tries to feed him to a herd of cannibals and he rescues a naked woman who asks him to kill a dark wizard. A really good selection of Conan stories.

"The Grisly Horror" is one of REH's U.S. based tales involving black magic and an old feud. "The Challenge from Beyond" is an exceptional story in that the Challenge is made by the publisher. Five established authors of the weird are set to write a single story, each one taking up one part and building on the work of the previous author. C.L. Moore, A. Merritt, H.P. Lovecraft, REH, and Frank Belknap Long combine for a strange transdimensional tale with space worms and an ancient evil. REH's addition is easily identifiable as it is the part with the most bloodshed.

All really good, fun and sometimes creepy thrills.

[Bettie]

Opening:

1 Conan Loses His Ax

The stillness of the forest trail was so primeval that the tread of a soft-booted foot was a startling disturbance. At least it seemed so to the ears of the wayfarer, though he was moving along the path with the caution that must be practised by any man who ventures beyond Thunder River. He was a young man of medium height, with an open countenance and a mop of tousled tawny hair unconfined by cap or helmet. His garb was common enough for that country—a coarse tunic, belted at the waist, short leather breeches beneath, and soft buckskin boots that came short of the knee. A knife-hilt jutted from one boot-top. The broad leather belt supported a short, heavy sword and a buckskin pouch. There was no perturbation in the wide eyes that scanned the green walls which fringed the trail. Though not tall, he was well built, and the arms that the short wide sleeves of the tunic left bare were thick with corded muscle.

Hah - Why does that chapter title tickle me so much!?

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42254

[Robin Dawes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pulp fiction from this era is often casually racist, and this is no exception. But Howard bends the mold a bit and concedes that the 'civilized' settlers are in fact taking lands away from the 'savage' tribes who previously occupied them. The story could be transplanted from imaginary Aquilonia to the Old West with very few changes. The few supernatural elements of the tale are almost irrelevant.

In terms of the writing, this is Howard at his best: terse, bold and gripping. This story's Conan has a social conscience blended with a weary cynicism.

Gore alert: there is a lot of explicit and gruesome violence - not unexpected in a Conan story but more shocking here because the story is less fantastical than most others in the Conan series.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the father of the sword-and-sorcery genre, a very interesting and well-written short story. To be honest, I didn't have that much expectation going into the story. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised by the amount attention given to the writing (especially after The Skylark of Space), the plot, the characterization and the action scenes. The religious mythology is also intriguing, though I probably didn't understand fully as I haven't read the whole Conan canon to appreciate the significance of some of the beasts and symbols. Still, a satisfying read.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining listening 🎶🔰

Another will written barbaric Conan adventure thriller short story by Robert E. Howard about Conan once again involved in war to save people from the wading and magic using Pics. Once again Conan saves the day by killing the magician allowing the people too defeat the Pics. I would recommend highly recommend Robert E. Howard writings to readers of action novels 👍🔰. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or listening 🎶 to Alexa as I do because of eye damage and health issues. 2022 👑😃

I read this as part of Conan: The Barbarian complete collection 2018

[Seth Kenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other Conan stories are filled with intrigue, betrayal, sexual tension, conflict, and heroism. This one is flat-out brutal.

It's an interesting one because Conan's basically multi-classed as a ranger, in this one. He even gets an animal companion. He also gets a male companion rather than his usual female.

His enemies in this one are the fierce Picts, who are evil, savage, and genuinely frightening. Lots of gore in this one, so prepare yourself. Good stuff.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conan teams up with a warrior named Balthus in an attempt to thwart the conquests of the Pictish sorcerer Zogar Sag. Just like People of the Black Circle, it's a nonstop adrenaline fest with lots of blood and guts.

“Barbarism is the natural state of mankind, civilization is unnatural.” Those closing words were the highlight of the story for me and stuck with me after finishing.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of another one of his "let's add Conan into the stories. Good build up, but the sudden end surprised me as to it's abruptness. This book took a short turn in an awkward direction and then had to end too suddenly.