| "The Devil in Iron" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short story byRobert E. Howard | |||
 | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| Language | English | ||
| Genre | Fantasy | ||
| Publication | |||
| Published in | Weird Tales | ||
| Publication type | Pulp magazine | ||
| Publisher | Rural Publishing Corporation | ||
| Publication date | August 1934 | ||
| Chronology | |||
| Series | Conan the Cimmerian | ||
| |||
"The Devil in Iron" is one of the original stories by American writerRobert E. Howard aboutsword and sorcery heroConan the Cimmerian, first published inWeird Tales in August 1934. Howard earned $115 for the publication of this story.[1]
The plot concerns the resurrection of a mythicaldemon, the theft of a sacred dagger, and an unrelated trap that lures Conan to the island fortress roamed by the demon. The story's plot loopholes and borrowed elements from "Iron Shadows in the Moon" lead some Howard scholars to call this story the weakest of the early Conan tales.[2]
The actions of a greedy fisherman awaken an ancient demon, Khosatral Khel, on the remote island of Xapur. Khel resurrects his fortress which once dominated the island, including its cyclopean walls, gigantic pythons, and undead citizens.
Meanwhile, an evil governor from Turan, Jehungir Agha, tricks Conan into pursuing Princess Octavia to the island of Xapur. Jehungir Agha plans for Conan to fall into a prepared trap on the island. The unforeseen resurrection of Khel and his ancient fortress interrupts Agha's original plan.
When Conan arrives on Xapur, he battles not only the mercenaries employed by Jehungir Agha, but also a giant serpent and the iron-fleshed Khosatral Khel.
Weird Tales first published "The Devil in Iron'" in the August 1934 issue. The story was republished in the collectionsConan the Barbarian (Gnome Press, 1954),Conan the Wanderer (Lancer Books, 1968), andThe Devil in Iron (Grant, 1976). It has more recently been published in the collectionsThe Conan Chronicles Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle (Gollancz, 2000) andConan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932–1933) (Del Rey, 2003).
Roy Thomas,John Buscema andAlfredo Alcala adapted this story inSavage Sword of Conan #15. TheDark Horse Comics seriesConan the Slayer adapted the story in issues #8-11.
The Devil in Iron public domain audiobook atLibriVox| Preceded by | Original Howard Canon (publication order) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Original Howard Canon (Dale Rippke chronology) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Complete Conan Saga (William Galen Gray chronology) | Succeeded by |
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