Black Colossus

The Dark Storm Conan Chronology #11

by Robert E. Howard

The story is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan leading the demoralized army of Khoraja against an evil sorcerer named Natokk, the Veiled One.

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

44 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1933

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 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.32568 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!



You know you’re in for a teensy lit bit of a disappointment when your Cimmerian Paramour isn’t wearing his signature loincloth from the get-go. (Could be that Bêlit—aka the Most Titillating Queen of the Black Coast—is behind on the washing or that all my boyfriend’s loincloths were irremediably damaged the last time he was off crushing skulls, I can’t say for sure. I sent Fleet Admiral DaShrimp to investigate and am still awaiting his report on this most troubling occurrence.) Well I guess I shouldn’t complain since my Bubbly Barbarian is still hot as fish. (My exoskeleton gets tingly all over when I see him grinning like a maniac while sprawled in a chair with his feet up, and “busily engaged in gnawing a beef-bone.” Swoon and stuff.) He’s even hotter than I originally thought, actually:

“She noted the breadth and power of his hands; they were not the stubby undeveloped paws of a troglodyte.”

Ha! My boyfriend ain’t no uncivilized primitive! He’s got sexy as shrimp metacarpi!

“With a guilty start she found herself imagining those strong fingers locked in her dark hair.”

Whoa whoa whoa, not so fast young lady! No touching my Savage Dumpling! (Or him touching you and stuff.) Your whole damsel in distress act might work on Conan, and he might be willing to cut throats for you (because he is obliging and cordial like that), but don’t you go getting any ideas in your silly little head!



Thanks for the support, Bertie! You’re a real pal!

Okay, maybe I should backtrack for a second and tell you what this story is about. So. There’s an ancient city in ruins and an evil sorcerer’s tomb. There’s a princess called Yasmela (the chick who wants my boyfriend to put his Super Sexey Hands in her dirty, greasy hair). There’s a deliciously vile succubus who very generously wants to teach said princess “the ancient forgotten ways of pleasure.” Such a considerate soul he is. Not sure why Yasmela gets all freaked out when he pays her visit. Especially since he’s got the most soothing voice ever.

“A low subtle inhuman sibilance that was more like the soft abominable hissing of a serpent than anything else.”

See what I mean? Anyway, so Yasmela the Big Crybaby gets scared as fish and finds herself a Super Drunk Hot Barbarian in Shining Scarlet Cloak to help get rid of her friendly Sex Ed teacher. She promotes him from his Most Turbulent of All Local Mercenary Rogues position to Luscious Commander of the Armies of Khoraja (because she’s a bloody shrimping princess and does whatever the fish she wants and stuff). After which things got real disappointing really fast. I mean, you’d think that repulsive succubus + tasty Conan would = YUM, right? Well, okay, it was kinda sorta yummy because there was an epically epic battle and stuff, but the thing is, there was nothing but an epically epic battle. And as much as I like epically epic battles and seeing my boyfriend skewering enemies and smiting them with beef bones, it gets pretty old after a while. Besides, we didn’t even get to attend a single Sex Ed class, which sucks big time, if you ask me.



Looks like I’m not the only one who thinks this is a total rip-off.

· 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 ★★★★

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine Conan story. What really stands out for me is Howard's incredible skill describing the world. Such vivid, immersive and often haunting detail for everything from the desolate and imposing landscapes, to the people of the various tribes/nations, from wretched to noble. Also an exquisitely rich detailing of ancient evil lore, myths and legends that frame the story with an air of pervasive eeriness. So good. Nobody does it like Howard.

[Jayakrishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conan is recruited by Yasmela, a young princess, who is being haunted by a horny demon in her sleep. Her Kingdom is also in ruins due to civil strife. Moreover, a virulent desert cult led by a man with magical powers is planning to invade Yasmela's kingdom. The drunk, beef bone gnawing Conan, who lives purely on impulse is an unlikely candidate to lead an army. But he takes up the responsibility. The story begins with a thief entering the tomb of a long dead king. It contains some of the familiar Robert.E.Howard thrills with serpents attacking men who dare to step into strange hidden chambers, caverns and dungeons.

This Conan story is interesting for its depiction of female sexuality. The helpless Yasmela is literally swept off the floor by Conan's swagger and barbarian attitude towards life. Howard might have taken a dig at the prohibitionists in the US when Conan complains to Yasmela about the white-livered reformers who shut down all the "grog-houses". The ambiguous ending when Yasmela throws herself at Conan and his reaction towards her, emphasized the helplessness of women in a world ruled by barbarians.

The battle scenes between the two armies, one on a mountain slope and other attacking from the bottom, are splendidly described but also violent and disturbing, perfectly capturing the zeitgeist of a time when kingdoms invaded others because they had nothing else to do.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conan is a lowly mercenary soldier at the start of Black Colossus and ends as a general leading a princess's army over a wizard-led hoard. Enjoyable and notable as one of the few Conan stories containing a female sidekick/heroine with somewhat of a backbone.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid Conan short story where Conan leads an army against an evil sorcerer. It’s refreshing to see that Conan’s female companion in this story actually displays some inner strength. The ending’s an epic large battle and while it’s really cool as a concept, it doesn’t work so well in such a short story.

[Perry Whitford · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a renowned thief breaks into the impenetrable ivory dome of the Kuthchemes, in which are said to lay the bones of Thugra Khotan, rumors start to spread that a great new prophet has arisen east of Stygia named Natohk, the Veiled One.

At the same time a beautiful princess, Yasmela of Khoraja, is molested by a 'clot of darkness, a blur in the sight, a monstrous night-born incubus'. Must have been like being ravished by a chimney sweep on speed.

So she calls on the aid of Mary Poppins Hyboria's most ancient of gods, Mitra, who answers thusly (people always answer 'thusly' in Hyboria):

'"Go forth upon the streets alone, and place your kingdom in the hands of the first man you meet there."

She could have come across a latrine attendant, but of course she runs into Conan. Set in the time when he was a mere mercenary for hire, Black Colossus is the first story to feature the barbarian in the company of a female character. Lucky lady.

The refined Yasmela recoils from his brutishness initially, at the same time 'something breathless and perilous inside her leaned toward him; the hidden primitive chord that lurks in every woman's soul was sounded and responded.' Ronnie Corbet never struck that chord.

So Conan becomes a stud as well as a slayer, a wish-fulfillment double-whammy that would play out more frequently in subsequent chronicles.

The story also features an excellent climax in which Conan experiences initial intimations of a higher ambition.

[Baal Of · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I've got an understanding of the formula now. Enjoyable pulp.

[Κεσκίνης Χρήστος · Rating 5 out of 5]

Περιμένατε εμένα να σαε πώ οτι είναι αριστούργημα; Ε λοιπον, είναι, όσες φορές και να το διαβάσεις

[Manuel Alfredo Collado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puede que sea uno de mis relatos menos favoritos del autor hasta ahora.

En esta ocasión nos encontramos a un Conan mercenario que se verá ascendido a alto cargo del ejército para defender el pequeño reino de Khoraja, cuyo rey se encuentra cautivo y que tiene por regente a una joven reina llamada Yasmela, de las atroces manos de un gran hechicero llamado Natohk, que ansía tanto el dominio del mundo como a la propia Yasmela.

Diría que la atmósfera del relato es la adecuada, pero los personajes son demasiado planos y el final vago y abrupto. Tenemos a un enemigo que es malo porque sí y que quiere dominar el mundo (pocas cosas más aburridas y simplonas existen), a una reina poco preparada y rendida ante los salvajes encantos del cimmerio y a unos nobles estúpidos que infravaloran al bárbaro. Me hubiera gustado ver algo más.

[Jeff Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an early work in the Conan series as it lacks the development and depth of the later stories. Readers familiar with the cannon will recognize shades of The People of the Black Circle and The Hour of the Dragon.

[xenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've come to realise that dark fantasy books like The Black Company or The Last Wish were not simply a reaction to the high fantasy of The Lord of the Rings, but also a resurrection of Conan-styled narratives about mercenaries. There's a pragmatism and pessimism to these stories. Under the grand sweep of kingdom politics, the little people are crushed. Only through instrumentalising himself does Conan survive. In fact, he revels in it.

It's kind of terrifying. Like many dark fantasy protagonists, he's a victim of trauma (born out of war), forced to survive in a harsh world (as thief, pirate, mercenary). Howard lived through an oil boom, seeing the worst excesses of capitalism tear apart his home town. Glen Cook, the author of The Black Company, was in the military during the Cold War. Is it any wonder a certain isolation enshrouds their protagonists, caught in the senseless machinations of unencounterable political forces, bereft of emotional support and love?

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Yasmela, the city of Khoraja's remaining sovereign, has been haunted by terrifying apparitions of the evil wizard Natohk. When Natohk threatens to bring his demonic hordes to Khoraja, Yasmela prays to the god Mitra for help. Mitra responds and tells her to place the fate of her entire kingdom into the hands of the first man she meets out in the city streets, and that man just so happens to be a drunk and feisty Conan.

Not quite as adventurous or horrific as the best works in the series, but a clean and fun ride with a creepy villain nonetheless. It was also nice seeing Conan show off his skills in front of a bunch of prudish nobles that looked down on him as a savage unworthy of their attention or respect.

[Luana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first Conan tale I've read (following the Ace/Lancer paperback chronology) to feature action on an epic scale: while most Conan stories have some Herculean effort on the protagonist's behalf, they are usually close quarters or with small casts. Black Colossus features a rather incredible battle that got the blood pumping like Howard was shaking my shoulders while spittle flecked my face.

The story climaxes in the quintessential Conan scene of a naked girl on an altar being menaced by a skeletal wizard about to get his shit wrecked by the Cimmerian.

*makes devil horns and bangs head*

[Mark Tallen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Conan story written by Robert E. Howard. This particular story isn't in my top picks of the ones that I've read so far though. It starts off really well and has a good middle section with the ending being the weakest part. Good fun though throughout.

[Nuno Ferreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Com uma narrativa rica e altamente contextualizada, um enredo extraordinário e um talento inimitável, Robert E. Howard conseguiu gravar o seu nome da eternidade ao criar um dos protagonistas mais fascinantes da literatura de género. Este conto é apenas um exemplo do quão notável o autor é e o porquê de figurar entre os autores mais admiráveis do séc. XX.

"O Colosso Negro" não traz só Conan na sua melhor forma; aqui encontramos uma narrativa estreitamente centrada em política e um tom de épico e decadência que dificilmente conseguimos encontrar em outros contos fantásticos, ainda que bruxos, monstros e deuses surjam em vários momentos.

[CONTÉM SPOILERS]

A história é passada na cidade de Corajá. Um mago poderoso chamado Thugra Khotan é despertado de seu sono de três mil anos por um ladrão zamorano azarado chamado Shevatas, que não sobrevive à experiência. Thugra acorda com ambições de domínio absoluto. Assume então o nome de Natohk, que reúne um exército de tribos do deserto e se propõe a conquistar as nações hiborianas. O primeiro passo é dirigir-se ao pequeno reino de Corajá, com uma população variegada de hiborianos e shemitas.

Atualmente, o país é governado por Yasmela, a irmã do rei, que é ele próprio um cativo da vizinha Ophir. Com medo da invasão pendente de Natohk, Yasmela acaba por aceitar o conselho de uma aia e dirige-se a um templo para pedir ajuda ao deus dos seus antepassados, Mitra, então esquecido pelo povo, que a instrui a vaguear nas ruas e a entregar a defesa do seu reino ao primeiro homem que ela encontre.

Com efeito, o primeiro homem que ela encontra é Conan, O Cimério. Conan já tem uma posição no seu exército como soldado mercenário, mas graças às instruções de Mitra e à ação de Yasmela, o cimério toma o comando, o que causa transtorno nos comandantes de maior patente e de melhor nascimento. Conan demonstra habilidades táticas, mas os seus esforços são prejudicados pelos oficiais abaixo dele, influenciados pela magia de Natohk.

Ao longo da narrativa, o poderoso mago deixa claro que conquistar o mundo não é a sua única ambição: ele também deseja desesperadamente a bela Yasmela para si mesmo. A história culmina com uma grande batalha, onde Conan enfrenta o exército de Natohk e o persegue até às ruínas decrépitas de um templo estígio.

O conto possui uma narrativa e vivacidade incomparáveis, entre as melhores já escritas por Howard e talvez mesmo entre todas as histórias curtas que já li em fantasia. "O Colosso Negro" é uma história carregada de boas surpresas e cheia de embalo, com uma cadência muito própria, apenas prejudicada pelo início algo arrastado e confuso, que serviu para contextualizar o leitor mas acabou prejudicando bastante o ritmo do conto no seu todo.

Ainda assim, a partir do momento em que Conan assume o protagonismo, a história alavanca e somos presenteados não só com uma história bem contada e cheia de ritmo, como contada de forma única, com um vocabulário amplo e uma maturidade literária que faz os personagens saltarem da página. Howard foi um autor único, com uma vida curta mas riquíssima no que diz respeito à magnífica obra que nos deixou.

[Drew Canole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another classic Conan tale and the first that starts the trend of a damsel in distress although its more pronounced in the next tale Iron Shadows in the Moon. Also rehashed for the novel Hour of the Dragon with the ancient wizard being awoken trope.

Here the princess Yasmela recruits the handsome Conan to lead her army and fight the ancient wizard Thugra Khotan.

Comic:
Marvel Savage Sword 2 (reprinted large and in color in Marvel Treasury Edition 15)
Darkhorse Conan the Cimmerian 8-13 (Conan, Vol. 8: Black Colossus) art by Tomás Giorello

The Savage Sword comic is one of the best they ever did in my opinion.

[NekroRider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere around 4.25/5 stars - Another great Conan story set in his mercenary days. Also always enjoy the thief story lines. Final 2.5 pages of battle were as awesomely epic as expected. In this tale, an ancient evil rises again and the gods conspire to bring Conan in to face it. Short story, so won't describe more, but in its way kind of fits the darker October reads I've read this past month.

Also, Conan finishing off by galloping pell-mell on horse back after a creepy shape shifting sorcerer is becoming a very fun pattern lol

[Will Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining for what is is but for me this was one of the lesser of Howard’s Conan stories. I do not think Howard does a great job with grand large scale fantasy battles instead he excels when he is writing more adventure oriented tales like “the tower of the elephant” or any of the Solomon Cane stories.

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another solid story about Conan where a princess is directed by her god to give control of her army to the first man she sees, who is Conan. Conan is younger in this one and it reminded me a bit of Conan the Destroyer. The beginning felt like something out of a different story and the ending left too much ambiguous, otherwise I really enjoyed this one.

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Knedelfina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dobra, autor ogarnął, że można pisać kobiety, ale jeszcze nie do końca ogarnął jak.

[Aditigro · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always with Conan stories, the writing and creativity of Robert E Howard are unparalleled

[Johnny Bahama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good for a story not about a giant dong.

[Kamas Kirian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable overall, but not quite as good as some others. Conan doesn't make an appearance until a third of the way into the story. Then, the battle at the end and the final resolution seemed somewhat rushed, leaving me disappointed with the conclusion.

I liked Yasmela. I liked Conan. The rest of the characters were barely there and I wasn't invested in them. I did like the overall story arc, it seemed like something that could be expanded into a really good novel. It was fast paced and hinted at a larger world of political machinations.

[Antonis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 / 5

Black Colossus is a short story, by Robert E. Howard, that is part of the larger episodic series of Conan the Barbarian. There were several elements that pleasantly surprised me and a few that did the opposite.

Considering that it was written more than 80 years ago, I was expecting the language and style to be almost archaic and boring but I was very wrong. Howard's description and points of focus still feel fresh and attractive to read! The world-building as expected is amazing!

Some things were not so good though. First, Conan as a character often came out as obnoxious. Howard tells us he is rough and barbaric and raw but he appeared also thick, boring and a bit dum at some points. And to make things even more incredulous, Conan has this "magic" gift of making all females fall in love with him without any effort.

Talking of women, they appear to be here only as erotic objects or to serve a similar purpose. I know this is supposed to be barbaric medieval fantasy but this was way too one-sided. Howard's treatment of women is not something to gloat over and it annoyed me enough that if it continues in his other stories I will be forced to stop reading them.

A final minor gripe I have is with some battle tactics and strategies. It just didn't feel right, and I suspect that Howard was not an expert on historical or medieval warfare. It's sad because 80% of the story was really amazing (like 4.5 stars worth) and the last 20% completely ruined it! Oh, and let's just not talk about the ending! I mean the end of the ending, like the final few sentences. THAT was cringe!!!

Still, there is pure energy mystical magic and thick atmosphere everywhere! It's dripping from the world, the characters, even the writing. So I will continue reading some more stories and see how I like them. Maybe 2-3 more at least... and let's hope for something slightly better or improved!

3 / 5

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

A friend got me this on a whim which was nice! I enjoyed it in a limited way through the lens of exploring early fantasy writing. Par for it's time it has some very luxurious language that feels a tad over-written by today's standards. It's also obviously difficult to be dropped into the middle of what appears to be a long and winding series about Conan and his intricate world. When world-building there's a certain amount of proper-nouns that have to be introduced. But this felt particularly bewildering with all the different races, countries, kingdoms, and characters they kept dropping in the small 40 pages of this story. The story itself was enjoyable and fun to read although the ending confused me. The language - while archaic at times - had a certain poetry to it that felt pulpy but also impressive and atmospherically fitting of the world. I enjoyed it as I might enjoy watching an old black and white film. Both can sometimes be a bit taxing to get through, but the study and enjoyment of what came before can be enlightening and entertaining.

[Lucas Jarche · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far Howard seems to excel at writing a fairly straightforward adventure yarn - Conan wins fights by being stronger and better than the villains. The villains strike some intriguing notes, but their defeat is usually pretty direct. There’s not so much humour as you might find in Vance or philosophy as you might find in Moorcock, and that’s ok, because it doesn’t really pretend to be anything it’s not. It’s Conan hitting stuff with swords and saving the beautiful (or rather “dainty” in this one) damsel in distress, and there’s plenty of that in this book (down to “the hidden primitive chord that lurks in every woman’s soul was sounded and responded”).

I like to try to imagine what it was like reading fantasy and adventure stories back in those days, getting episodic content magazines and not having the internet. Wild.

[Lawrence Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really likes this one. I love the whole Egyptian theme through-out these stories, but this was utilized it even more. I was wondering for a bit why this sort of theme would be in these stories until I remembered that they were written only a mere ten years after the discovery of the pharoah Tutankhamun, aka king Tut. Love these Ancient Egypt themes woven in. Totally should not have cut to black there at the end, if you know what I mean!

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Princess Yamila is haunted by a sorcerer,,back from the dead. She rules her land in the absence of her brother, the king. But an attack looms, her soldiers deserting, it doesn't look good.
In desperation she goes to the temple of Mitra, where she is told to trust her armies to the first man she meets in the street.
She encounters an unwashed barbarian and follows the god's instruction.

[Shevek · Rating 3 out of 5]

La misma mierda de siempre, pero bien hecha. Una buena historia en la que no faltan la princesa en apuros y el hechicero malvado, con un Conan que esta vez ejerce de mercenario y jefe militar. Me gustó especialmente la introducción, que funciona muy bien como mini-historia de robos, con toda su intriga y tensión, y como presentación del enemigo. El final, en cambio, es mucho más soso y sin giros sobrenaturales de estos made by Howard.