Shadows in the Skull
Encyclopedia
"Shadows in the Skull" is a short story
by L. Sprague de Camp
and Lin Carter
featuring the fictional sword and sorcery
hero Conan the Barbarian
created by Robert E. Howard
. It was first published in the February 1975 issue of the magazine Fantastic
, and was first appeared in book form by Ace Books
in the paperback collection Conan of Aquilonia
in May 1977, which was reprinted several timesthrough 1994. The first British
edition was published by Sphere Books
in October 1978.
-riders and black Amazons, King Conan of Aquilonia and his son Prince Conn track their arch-foe, Stygian sorcerer Thoth-Amon
, to the extreme southern end of the Hyborian continent.
The sorcerer has taken refuge with the last remnants of the evil Serpent Men, shape-changers who have menaced mankind throughout its prehistory. Conan's host locates their skull-cave redoubt, only to fall victim to their ploy of emulating beautiful Stygian women.
His final battle with Thoth-Amon in the sorcerer's own domain proves as hard-fought as their previous encounters, but is ultimately successful at ridding the world of the fiend.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by L. Sprague de Camp
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
and Lin Carter
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
featuring the fictional sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
hero Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
created by Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
. It was first published in the February 1975 issue of the magazine Fantastic
Fantastic (magazine)
Fantastic was an American digest-size fantasy and science fiction magazine, published from 1952 to 1980. It was founded by Ziff-Davis as a fantasy companion to Amazing Stories. Early sales were good, and Ziff-Davis quickly decided to switch Amazing from pulp format to digest, and to cease...
, and was first appeared in book form by Ace Books
Ace Books
Ace Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns...
in the paperback collection Conan of Aquilonia
Conan of Aquilonia
Conan of Aquilonia is a 1977 collection of four linked fantasy short stories written by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter featuring Robert E. Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. The stories were originally published in Fantastic for August 1972, July 1973, July 1974, and...
in May 1977, which was reprinted several timesthrough 1994. The first British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
edition was published by Sphere Books
Sphere Books
-History:Founded in 1961, Sphere Books began work on its first publication, the 1962 paperback edition of Gottfried Benn's The Trainee Man. Originally part of The Thomson Corporation, Sphere was sold to Pearson PLC in 1985 and became part of Penguin...
in October 1978.
Plot summary
Aided by Zembabwean WyvernWyvern
A wyvern or wivern is a legendary winged reptilian creature with a dragon's head, two legs , and a barbed tail. The wyvern is found in heraldry. There exists a purely sea-dwelling variant, termed the Sea-Wyvern which has a fish tail in place of a barbed dragon's tail...
-riders and black Amazons, King Conan of Aquilonia and his son Prince Conn track their arch-foe, Stygian sorcerer Thoth-Amon
Thoth-Amon
Thoth-Amon is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard. He is an evil wizard in The Phoenix on the Sword, the first of the Conan the Cimmerian stories...
, to the extreme southern end of the Hyborian continent.
The sorcerer has taken refuge with the last remnants of the evil Serpent Men, shape-changers who have menaced mankind throughout its prehistory. Conan's host locates their skull-cave redoubt, only to fall victim to their ploy of emulating beautiful Stygian women.
His final battle with Thoth-Amon in the sorcerer's own domain proves as hard-fought as their previous encounters, but is ultimately successful at ridding the world of the fiend.
External links
- Conan wiki • Shadows in the Skull • Synopsis, characters, locations, and publishing history