REIGN of Books Podcast discussion

Phoenix on the Sword - awesome finale! SPOILERS: Conan, like an injured tiger, was going to take down as many foes as possible before he fell; then this insane demon beast clears the room and Conan - bloodied and bewildered - throws an ax that should have crushed the thing's skull. Nope, but as the thing sucks out his soul, Conan drags it, grabs the hilt of his sword and drives the enchanted weapon's fragment through its brains.... by the skin of his teeth.

Conan fights a mucho creepy wizard in "the Scarlet Citadel." Man, Conan has nerves of steel. After he loses one of his five senses in the citadel, he kept going. I would've flipped. The beginning and end of the story parallel in a lot of ways. Can you tell the symmetry? One of my favorite Conan short stories so far!

The Scarlet Citadel (1 hour read) has amazing symmetry in the narrative structure. Conan is going against insurmountable odds at the beginning and end. But his barbarian instincts make him incapable of backing down. What do you think of his crazed instincts in this tale?