Conan - Blood of the Serpent

- Blurb -

The pulse-pounding return of Conan, the most iconic fantasy hero in popular culture, with a brand-new illustrated standalone novel by New York Times bestselling author S. M. Stirling, tied directly to the famous tales written by Robert E. Howard. Mercenary, thief, soldier, usurper. . . CONAN OF CIMMERIAAs sword for hire for a mercenary troop, Conan finds himself in Sukhmet, a filthy backwater town south of the River Styx considered "the arse-end of Stygia. " Serving in the company known as Zarallo' s Free Companions, he fights alongside soldiers of fortune from Zingara, Koth, Shem, and other lands-a hard-handed band of killers loyal to anyone who pays them well. In a Sukhmet tavern he encounters one soldier in particular-Valeria of the Red Brotherhood, a veteran of freebooters with whom Conan also sailed, launching raids out of the Barachan Isles on the Western Sea. Valeria' s reputation is that of a deadly swordswoman, a notoriety she quickly proves to be accurate. When she runs afoul of an exiled Stygian noble, however, things take a deadly turn, embroiling them both in the schemes of a priest of the serpent god Set. The first new Conan novel in more than a decade, Blood of the Serpent leads directly into one of Robert E. Howard' s most famous sword-and-sorcery adventures, "Red Nails. " As a bonus feature that story, as well, is included in this volume.