Shadows In The Moonlight

The Dark Storm Conan Chronology #10

by Robert E. Howard

On the run from the army of Turan, Conan and fellow fugitive Olivia hide out on a small island in the Vilayet Sea. They soon find themselves stalked by an unseen terror in the jungles and threatened by a group of pirates belonging to the Red Brotherhood, which is led by Conan's sworn enemy-Sergius of Koth! However, those may be the least of Conan's concerns, because when the moon rises on this island, the ruins of a lost civilization stir and an ancient, deadly curse awakens! Conan will be pushed to his limits as he and Olivia fight to survive!

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

60 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1934

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

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

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

My crappy non-review for The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian is imploding! I exhausted all my character allowance! So now I have to resort to crappily non-reviewing all the stories in the collection separately! Go me and stuff!

The cover for this short story sucks. I mean, seriously, why would you use this boring-as-fish image:



When you could have this slightly scrumptious illustration featuring my Cimmerian Paramour and his Squeeze of the Moment:



Beats me and stuff.

“He was powerfully built, naked but for a girdled loin-cloth, which was stained with blood and crusted with dried mire. His black mane was matted with mud and clotted blood; there were streaks of dried blood on his chest and limbs, dried blood on the long straight sword he gripped in his right hand. From under the tangle of his locks, bloodshot eyes glared like coals of blue fire.”

Why hello there, Barbarian Cutie Pie mine!

Soooooo, this story is one of my favorites in this collection so far. Because Conan finally realized that he was wearing way too many clothes in Black Colossus, and ditched them all in favour of his beloved loincloth. I am most pleased and stuff. Because it is a thrilling tale of adventure, anthropomorphic horrors, supple spines, ancient ruins, butchery and fury and hate oh my! , lustrous dark hair, non-magic mushroom-induced weird dreams, bold swashbucklers, surprisingly civilized barbarians, hairy mountains of thews and ferocity, strangely virile maidens (don’t ask), mystery, viciously barbaric civilized men, fishy statues, the grandfather of all parrots (again: don’t ask), and last, but certainly not least, violent, unexpected haircuts (yes, hair is indeed a major plot device in this particular story).



Told you it was violent.

What I liked most about this story? Hard to say. Seeing my boyfriend drenched in blood fresh out of the shower and three quarters naked in regional costume, maybe? Then again I have to admit having him radiate fury his usual benevolence on his companions is pretty high on the list, too.

“The first man who tries to climb over the side, I'll split his skull,” promised Conan.

Such heart-warming kindness! It really is quite touching, is it not?

Another cool thing about this story is Olivia, aka the Squeeze of the Moment. When she first came on the scene she seemed to be naught but a lame damsel in pathetic distress. You know the type: swoons at the sight of a mere drop of blood, goes into hysterics when her tender skin is torn and her soft limbs bruised, and has a little head that is a fluttering maelstrom of dizzy fright *eyeroll* Not to mention that the silly girl was revoltingly prejudiced against barbarians at the beginning of the story, too. (Yeah, well, that didn’t really last long and she was all, “hey you barbaric barbarian, I no longer find your touch repugnant, so come to mama and stuff” about five minutes after meeting him.) So I was just about ready to unleash my murderous children on her when, lo and behold, she grew an exoskeleton, and got unexpectedly badass! Mr Howard, you keep surprising me with your surprisingly surprising female characters. I am most pleased indeed.

By the way, you know what the icing on the cake shrimp on this Cimmerian paella was? Treacherous as fish, violent as shrimp and deliciously vindictive half-naked dogs pirates.



Pretty vicious-looking, huh?

I thought they weren’t the friendliest bunch at first (they did try to kill my boyfriend deadly dead a little), but it seems I was wrong:

“Friends—friends, Conan. We are thy comrades! We be all lusty rogues together!”

I obviously misjudged the poor guys at the beginning of the story. Looks like they’re a pretty philanthropic gang after all.

The End.

➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): this short story is Slightly Very Good (SVG™) and stuff. Also, it features one of the best final lines in the history of best final lines.

"I'll make you Queen of the Blue Sea! Cast off there, dogs! We'll scorch King Yildiz's pantaloons yet, by Crom!"

P.S. This story was also published under the title "Iron Shadows in the Moon." Just so you know. You're welcome and stuff.

· Introduction to the world: The Hyborian Age ★★★★
· Main review: The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian ★★★★
· Book 2: The Bloody Crown of Conan ★★★★
· Book 3: The Conquering Sword of Conan ★★★★

[Benji's Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite of Howard's stories, but there's still enough here to enjoy. I do feel as though this early damsel-in-distress tale could have gone deeper and shown more of Conan and the rescued princess' relationship.

Though, this is pulp fiction, after all. I love pulp fiction, so I can excuse some characters not being really fleshed out through the story, but this one seems forgettable and unessential. There are much better Conan tales out there to jump into if you're looking to get into the character.

[Benjamin Uke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shadows In The Moonlight is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian in 1934. This story has the same plot device as “Queen of the Black Coast” and “The Castle of Terror”.

(Conan is described as “powerfully built, naked but for a girdled loincloth. Story begins with stranger in some distress. Stranger meets big man.
Man is Conan.
Conan slaughters his way through rest of story. Conan ends with some woman to bed. etc.)
AHEM

We open with Olivia, once daughter of the King of Ophir but now just a slave girl, being pursued by pirates. After rescue she has a vivid dream full of religious symbolism worth of a study of it’s own. Olivia is unsettled She screams and tells Conan they must leave this mysterious island or else-
(not spoiling it)

While a fan of old-school pulp, this is pretty much the “standard” Conan plot and forgettable.

[Jayakrishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conan saves a damsel in distress - a princess, from her pursuer. Together, they escape on a boat and hideout on an island. Strange beasts might inhabit the spooky island but their immediate danger is a ship full of pirates who take Conan prisoner.

The story focuses on the debate between civilization and barbarianism. The princess takes a liking to the barbaric Conan over her father and pursuer who were both civilized but could not make her happy.

I felt like Howard did not realize the true potential of this action adventure story. The relationship between the princess and Conan was not explored properly. It could have been more entertaining. But still a good read.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conan is on the run, the sole survivor of his crew of mercenaries. When he sees a girl getting abused, he swiftly intervenes with deadly violence and they flee together to a seemingly uninhabited island. But they quickly realize they should have stayed away as pirates arrive on the island. And then the island proves to be not so uninhabited as they thought it was.


This is just a really strong and gripping Conan short story.

[Mark Tallen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable Conan story and while it isn't my favourite Conan tale of the ones that I've read, I liked it. I love the pure escapism that the Conan stories provide in spades. Robert E. Howard laced these tales with Adventure, horror, magic, action, monsters, pirates and provided us with just damn good stories to enjoy.

[Baal Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure escapist pulp fiction. By this point I've accepted that Howard's writing is much better than what I presumed before I ever actually read any of it. This story contains all the elements that make a Conan story what it is, so either that's going to work for the reader, or not.

[Johnny Bahama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girl went from being abused by some spoilt rich kid to being consensually tethered to Conan’s anaconda. Not a bad Saturday.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conan finds himself the sole survivor in yet another battle. After rescuing a slave girl he ends up on a seemingly deserted island.
Howard's descriptions put the reader right into the stories

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, here we get the actual first damsel in distress Conan story... such a cliche for all the comic books and maybe the worst aspect of Conan. It's nearly erotica as we get the story from Olivia's POV and her being protected by and falling in love with the barbarian.

That said, it's also a very interesting story. Aspects are used later in The Devil in Iron (which I think is a superior tale). But I really like the subplot with the pirates that Conan takes lead of.

Comics:
Savage Sword 4
Darkhorse Conan the Cimmerian 22-25 (Conan, Vol. 10: Iron Shadows in the Moon and Other Stories)

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining reading 📘

I read this as part of the Conan: The Barbarian complete collection in 2017

Robert E. Howard is one of my favortite authors. I started reading the Conan paper back novels in the 1960s. I would highly recommended this novel and author to reads of action novels. 2017

[Andrés Iglesias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy entretenida. Y otro gran ejemplo de la influencia de la obra de Lovecraft en Conan, algo que yo desconocía. No sé si es intencional o no, pero hay frases e imágenes que parecen salidas de una obra de los mitos. Bien, bien.

[Antonis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadows In The Moonlight was rather average compared to the previous Conan stories I've read. It started interestingly, during the middle it fell rather flat and at the end it had a conclusion worthy of a Conan story but nothing exceptional. Conan is presented as the typical barbarian with few words and fewer clothes. The female protagonist is as usual the usual damsel in distress who is woved by Conan's appearance and actions. There's an exciting setup with a mysterious beast and an creepy ruined temple with some scary guardians. Add to that a band of pirates and you have the promise of a an amazing story featuring a tripple-threat but it just remains a promise as the plot's resolution is weaker than expected.
In conclusion, though not really bad, it's not one of the best Conan stories either.

[Seth Kenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great Conan the Barbarian story. The location is lush, the story has mystery, adventure, and sexual tension, and Conan is [mostly] at his best. Olivia is an intriguing and, thankfully, ultimately a brave companion for him, and I wish she was in more stories.

There's really nothing not to like here, except that it's too short.

[Luana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Conan outing with possibly one of my favorite moments in the character's history: Conan seeing a big parrot and spending a paragraph just HYPIN DAT BITCH UP

[Balazs Badics · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this fast-paced Conan tale, Conan, the barbarian finds himself on a mysterious island after fleeing from a violent past encounter. The island, seemingly deserted, holds eerie secrets and ancient dangers that slowly reveal themselves. Conan is accompanied by a strong-willed woman, and together they must navigate both supernatural threats and human treachery. The story blends action, suspense, and dark fantasy in a compact narrative. Howard’s vivid descriptions and pulpy style create a tense, atmospheric adventure.

Shadows in the Moonlight offers classic sword-and-sorcery thrills but lacks the depth found in some of Howard’s stronger Conan stories. The plot moves quickly, sometimes at the expense of character development and emotional stakes. While the setting is intriguing, the supernatural elements feel underexplored and rushed. The dialogue and pacing can be uneven, making the story feel more like a sketch than a fully fleshed-out narrative. Still, fans of pulp fantasy may appreciate its raw energy and moody atmosphere.

[Isaac Lystila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This was standard fare Conan, the most interesting aspect of this one was the complex relationship between Conan and Olivia, which probably could have been fleshed out more if Howard wasn't confined to a depression-era pulp word count.

But Olivia is the most fleshed out and sympathetic of Conan's female companions i've read so far, much more in-depth than Belit, the pirate queen who hypnotizes her small army of amoral male buccaneers into discipline by- dancing nude in front of them?

Olivia's definitely a bit more scrappy than Yasmela from The Black Colossus, even if it's just by virtue of her less than glamorous surroundings and she seems like the best match for Conan yet-assuming the soul of a barbarian could ever truly settle. The mystery of the statues is creepy but the rest of the obstacles in this story are rehashed from earlier ones, It's no Scarlet Citadel but it's still good stuff.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantasy adventure Conan the Barbarian yarn by Robert E. Howard.

Short story. On the run from the army of Turan, Conan and fellow fugitive Olivia hide out on a small island in the Vilayet Sea. They soon find themselves stalked by an unseen terror in the jungles and threatened by a group of pirates belonging to the Red Brotherhood, which is led by Conan's sworn enemy. However, those may be the least of Conan's concerns, because w! Conan will be pushed to his limits as he and Olivia fight to survive!

Conan saves a damsel in distress - a princess, from her pursuer. Together, they escape on a boat and hideout on an island (finding ruins of a past civilization) on which the moon rising moon awakens an ancient, deadly curse. If that isn't enough, a ship full of pirates also land on the island

[Анатолій Волков · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Тени в лунном свете» Основные компоненты рассказов о Конане на месте – красивая девушка, едва прикрытая одеждой, могучий варвар сметающий все на своем пути, и кучка врагов + монстр на свою беду набредший на Конана и вздумавший попугать его даму сердца.
После разгрома своих товарищей (казаков) Конан один выживает и спасается бегством, направляясь к морю, по пути встречаем генерала той армии, которая его победила и соответственно наказывает его, попутно спасая девушку от его похотливы лап. Дальше уже вместе они снова натыкаются на проблемы в виде пиратов и т.д., и т.п. Тени в лунном свете — это собственно застывшие статуи, которые оживают при лунном свете, когда-то, древний бог наложил на них заклятие и превратил в статуи.

[Ethan Knierim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging tale on a strange island with cursed ruins and a lurking giant. Like many Conan tales, so much of this story could be directly inserted into a D&D game with little issue. The simplicity of Howard's monsters is fantastic and the pacing of his narratives leaves no dull moments. The character who brought me to re-read this tale is Olivia. She is wrought after an archetype I greatly appreciate. She is a common person thrust into peril who grows braver and braver as the plot progresses. She will make for an interesting pirate beyond the pages of the story.

[Lucas Jarche · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, this is a very clear damsel-in-distress story with big strong Conan coming and saving the day. But it’s also a story with ancient unknowable statues coming to life in a dream sequence that mercifully explains very little of the situation. Refreshingly vague and ominous for Howard, and even a little spooky. Plus, he’ll occasionally throw in an olde-timey word for something like shambles (slaughterhouse), that I appreciate.

[Lance Lasalle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically a hodge-podge of various Conan motifs. A few lovely bits of imagery. A touch of world-building. And a couple of monsters + pirates.

. At one point the OD (Obligatory Damsel), who Conan promises to make Queen of the Seas (and who never appears in a subsequent story) rescues Conan from captivity.

Oops, spoilers.

[Aksel Erzinclioglu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite different to the other Conan stories I've read. Mostly from the POV of Olivia, this one sets us on a small island and keeps switching its focus at every turn. I always thought I knew where it was headed and it constantly would take a different turn, keeping me on my toes. A very enjoyable Conan installment!

[Leonardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is not as gripping a tale. The developed suspense does not get its payoff in Conan and Olivia having to openly face the horror of the island. Most notable is that we meet a terrible ape-man who is the only one aside from Conan who has thews, making him a worthy adversary.

Thews counter at 4

[Per · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://archive.org/details/WeirdTale...
https://freeread.com.au/@RGLibrary/Ro...

http://www.howardandrewjones.com/swor...

[Stifynsemons · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.822 stars, I liked it and might read again

Iron Shadows in the Moon is a short original Conan tale that is well crafted. It does not overcome the generic faults of its class, but it is an entertaining fast paced read. Not the story I am looking for though.

Conan shows contempt for the abilities of civilized men, and because actions speak louder than words Olivia comes to believe that barbarians are civilized and civilized men are barbarians. Not a new theme for Conan, nor is his susceptibility to trickery.

[Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you love reading the words sward and blood over and over, this is the tale for you. I don't think this aged well, but then I'm not sure this story was ever for anyone other than fantasy fiction fans.

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard continues to deliver mythical mysteries that blend world building both subtly and intriguingly. I actually really enjoyed the multiple different antagonists of this story. Conan always finds himself in the thick of it, no matter where he goes.

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Conan story was pretty run of the mill. He rescues a pretty lady from a bad guy, then later fights some man apes and kills a pirate captain to take over a pirate ship. I still have 75% of the Conan ouvre to go but this felt totally recycled from other stories.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has always been one of my favorite pieces by Howard. There's the classic Conan plot paired with a great setting and an interesting combination of threats