The People of the Black Circle

Introduction

“The People of the Black Circle” is one of the original novellas about Conan the Cimmerian. First published in Weird Tales magazine in three parts over the September, October and November 1934 issues. Howard earned $250 for the publication of this story.

It’s set in the Hyborian Age and concerns Conan kidnapping an exotic princess from Vendhya (prehistoric India) while foiling a nefarious plot of world conquest by the Black Seers of Yimsha. Due to its epic scope and atypical Hindustan flavor, the story is considered an undisputed classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his best tales. It is also one of the few Howard stories where the reader is treated to a deeper insight into magic and magicians beyond the stereotypical Hyborian depiction as demon conjurer-illusionist-priests.

Published in:

The L. Sprague de Camp edited version of this story appears in the following places: 

Listen to the story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_KXrSg8oZU&ab_channel=Love%2CBooks%2BRobots