Catalogue facts
Introduction
This primary text was once published under the editorial title The Valley of the Lost. Glenn Lord applied that title because he believed the typescript was the story announced for the final, unpublished issue of Strange Tales; when the actual story later surfaced, he titled that text The Secret of Lost Valley. The titles were subsequently corrected.
A titled version appears on a list of Robert E. Howard stories held by Otis Adelbert Kline as King of the Forgotten People. Kline and later agents retained the original typescript, which was eventually donated to the Cross Plains Library. The text begins, “Jim Brill licked his parched lips . . .”
Summary spoilers
The story begins with Jim Brill struggling through a desert storm, thankful for the storm's cover that helped him escape a deadly raid. After a grueling journey, he arrives at a mountainous region where he faces numerous dangers including an enormous spider-like creature that attacks his pursuers.
Brill finds himself at the gates of a hidden city called Khor, ruled by Richard Barlow, who has transformed from an explorer to a sorcerer-like figure commanding the city's inhabitants. Barlow, dressed in extravagant robes and possessing an aura of power, reveals that he has no intention of returning to civilization, having found a new purpose in ruling Khor and studying mystical sciences.
The narrative intensifies as Barlow unveils his ambition to absorb the essence of Genghis Khan from the psychic impressions left in the walls of his chamber. He believes this will grant him supernatural powers to conquer and rule beyond Khor. As Brill confronts Barlow about his inhuman experiments and tyrannical rule, tensions escalate, leading to a violent conflict where Barlow meets his demise.
Brill, now seen as a potential leader by the people of Khor, rejects their offers of kingship. Instead, he seeks to escape the entanglements of the city and return to his life, signifying his disinterest in power or conquest, contrasting sharply with Barlow's megalomaniac ambitions.
Source and links:
- Valley of the lost, Howard Works