In a personal note this is my favorite Conan The Cimmerian story. This isn't just peak Conan, this is peak Robert E. Howard. My favorite quote is of course: “Barbarism is the natural state of mankind…Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph.”

In a letter written to H.P. Lovecraft in December of 1934, Howard said of this story, “In the Conan story I’ve attempted a new style and setting entirely - abandoned the exotic settings of lost cities, decaying civilizations, golden domes, marble palaces, silk-clad dancing girls, etc., and thrown my story against a back-ground of forests and rivers, log cabins, frontier outposts, buckskin-clad settlers, and painted tribesmen. Some day I ‘m going to try my hand at a longer yarn of the same style, a serial of four or more parts.” That was “The Black Stranger”? In July of 1935, Lovecraft wrote Howard that the story was ‘splendidly vivid,’ and that there was “no question that you and Clark Ashton Smith are the twin pillars of that institution (Weird Tales).” Novalyne Price recorded that Howard said, “I sold Writhe a yarn like that a few months ago. I’m damned surprised he took it. It’s different from my other Conan yarns…no sex…only men fighting against the savagery and bestiality about to engulf them. I want you to read it when it comes out. It’s filled with the important little things of civilization, little things that make men think civilization’s worth living and dying for.”

@Thagomizer

Жыл бұрын

I remember Novalyne Price commented that she didn't care much for Conan. That said, I've always wondered which of Howard's stories was her favorite.

"Barbarism is man's natural state, civilization is just a whim of circumstance"....that is a bold ass statement and this is why CONAN! Is the best 💪👍💪

This one was wonderful! I always love more on the demons and jhebbal sag family!

I do not know if I could go through life without Robert E. Howard's original conan story's nothing else ignites the imagination and lights a fire under my ass like the age of conan

The Cybrarian does do a nice narrative of Conan's stories and other works so shout-out to him and for throwing him in this video (and some familiar music too 💜❤️) Helps that's it's in Scotland too. One step closer to Ireland ;)

For me, this is the definitive Conan story. It highlights how much of a warrior Conan is and has some many undertones of story that even the most learned individual can find many discussion pts in it. Each character in this story has a chance to shine, especially the supporting cast of Balthus and Slasher. I love the Conan story and great job covering it. I look forward to more content.

@JeffMPalermo

Жыл бұрын

Could not agree more in fact I did a video on my channel just on this story.

Thanks for linking our audiobook in your description.

Story time; I'm a die-hard Conan fan, and Beyond the Black River is my absolute favourite Conan story (hell, it's my all-time favourite story, period). I recently stumbled across your channel and subscribed (I was even considering starting a channel like this of my own someday)... and today, on my 27th birthday, my girlfriend surprised me with a book reprint of the May 1935 Weird Tales issue that contains the first half of this story. And now, I open KZread to see this video on it too! Talk about a great birthday morning haha. Cheers! 🤟🏻

I can't tell you guys how proud I am to see how far you guys are doing on this channel. Keep going strong my dudes!

For me, this is the most heart-wrenching Conan story. You can criticize Howard's treatment of the various damsels in distress all you like, but this story confirmed what I'd always felt about them: They're audience inserts. Balthus is a male version, even though he is a capable fighter in his own right. Realizing that he doesn't have plot armor the way that Conan does, you genuinely care for him and are concerned about his ultimate fate. I think Howard utilizes Conan best when he is seen through the eyes of others, or plays a role in someone else's story, as in here, or in "A Witch Shall Be Born".

can't wait till you do "the God in the Bowl". thats a favorite of mine

The audiobook you found for this one rules!

That background warrior music serves the CONAN story best it really sets the mood 👍

What I especially love about your Robert E. Howard Conan retrospectives is that not only do you give an amazing synopsis of the stories that Robert E Howard wrote, you also give us a history lesson about the events in the darker parts of human history that inspired Howard when he crafted his Hyborean Age. I look forward to the next story that you will cover. I also wonder if your retrospective will expand to include the other works by Howard, especially Solomon Kane.

Blessed be the algorithm.

Man, it really irked me how Conan looks in the Cimmerian version of Beyond the Black River. Where's the damned horned helmet?? I feel it really should have been three issues long. Even the Frost Giant's Daughter is three issues long. Can't wait to listen to this!

Thanks for putting this up.

By Crom, how didn't I find your channel sooner. I've been looking for and listening to Conan Audio Books on KZread for months. I'm very happy I found your channel. Subscribed. Thanks

If any of you like heavy music, I beg you check out "the black river" by the band called The Sword. Most underrated band ever! I love the audiobook u used. That guy really has that bad ass voice that we expect from a slightly aged but still very much strong conan. Bruh Conan lead the raid of venarium at the age of 15. Ive read a dark horse comic series about Conans childhood. It makes me so insecure lol. Im almost 18 and I doubt I could even survive an attack like that let alone lead it. You can say its unrealustic as much as you want but there were actual people in our history like that. Those were different times. And times like that may come again if we believe in the cycles of civilization and barbarism.

@ThekidManson

Жыл бұрын

Their old stuff was Incredible. I got to see them live right after The Warp Riders came out. I hate to say it,but I don't like most of their new stuff at all

Absolutely epic tale. One of my favorite stories and one of Howards very best.

Amazing content! Your channel will grow big in time--you certainty deserve it!

Gotta say, the Conan music is the best. Invokes everything that Conan stands for. Adventure, glory, epic battle, ect More then LotR or any other fantasy. Just the best.

The best Conan story!!

My ten favourite Conan Stories Tower of The Elephant Rogues in The House Queen of The Black Coast The People of The Black Circle Red Nails Jewels of Gwahlur Beyond The Black River Phoenix of The Sword Scarlet Citadel Hour of The Dragon These are my favourite and best Conan stories in my opinion.

Where is "Red Nails" ? I hope you will do a review and retrospective in Red Nails in the future.

The take away of this story. Slasher was a 10/10 good boi

The Cybrarian 🍻

Read and seen all Conan 🤗👍

Hey bro when are U gonna continue and do Red Nails and Hour of The Dragon two best stories Robert E Howard ever did. This one is one of the very best too.

I would like you to do shadows in zamboular.

I really like your employment of real-world historical parallels/analogies... Slavery, American Empire etc. when discussing Conan. There's a tendency to associate Conan with current conservative/traditionalist thinking - a demographic not typically associated with critical self-reflection regarding such things as the brutal and violent reality of American power, and how the USA attained its position. But I think that if you claim to admire Conan for Howard's critiques of 'civilization', then you must recognize those parallels. We already live in an age of brutal barbarism. The fact that some of us are largely removed from the worst of it is just a happy accident!

What’s the background music?

@TheStowAway594

9 ай бұрын

I think it's from the Conan the barbarian movie soundtrack.

The young Balthus sounds a lot like Mako. 😉

Conan pours one out for the shades of Balthus and Slasher at the end of this story long before Tupac was a gleam in his dad's eye.

So anyway, the Picts are strange ethnically. Yes, they are 100% coded as Native Americans because Howard grew up with these sort of stories, but the Picts of the Hyborian Age are white! It's even mentioned in the story itself. "'The demon isn't going to get Tiberias' head if I can help it,' he growled. 'We'll carry the body into the fort. It isn't more than three miles. I never liked the fat fool, but we can't have Pictish devils making so cursed free with white men's heads.' The Picts were a white race, though swarthy, but the border men never spoke of them as such." So either way, it's interesting how this fits into Howard's racist worldviews. I've noticed modern writers, and even Modiphius who made the latest Conan RPG, are clearly aware of it, and thus softens the xenophobia. In the 2019 run, Conan even comes to understand them and it does a lot to humanise them. Overall, I think it's a positive change, keeping the spirit of Howard but not his prejudices. Your thoughts?

@lucascoval828

2 жыл бұрын

Based Howard.

@cheersbro7347

Жыл бұрын

The times when Howard grew up were different times. Of course he had some racist thought as he grew up in an area that still had a problem with agressive tribes. I think even his grandmother was kidnapped by indians or something. I dont think this way. I think every race is perfect to its own natural environment. However this "racist" views make sense in a savage world in a savage age so I think it kinda makes the story more believeable. Men kill the elves like animals in the witcher books and its a "cool story element" but when we replace stuff with real or more realistic races to make out setting more grounded "DaS rAySiS" Its such a wierd thing that there us a story about a savage age with war, monsters, evil magic, plague, raids, murder, slavery, r@pe etc. but when racism comes up everyone thinks the book tries to present it as a good thing. No. Its one of the many bad things that make the world more dangerous and exciting. If racism is such a bad thing (and I agree it is) than why do people immidiately think an author is spreading racism just because a fictional character is? Its dark fantasy about anty heroes. They are not perfect.

@travisgray8376

3 ай бұрын

Nuclear holocaust is upon us but all people seem to care about is fear of racism.

@travisgray8376

3 ай бұрын

Nuclear holocaust is more worrying to me then fear of spreading racism. Or racism itself. Nuclear holocaust is worse cuz no one survives end of humanity but to alot of people it seems to be all about worldview n which worldviews are accepted n the ones that are not but end of the day there all just different worldviews all about perception but nuclear holocaust is actually a danger to all humans but people talk more about rascim then about nuclear war which seems weird to me n devastating

51:48 what the hell is conan doing with that bow lol?

@TheStowAway594

9 ай бұрын

Killing people, that's what Conan does! Lol I personally prefer Buscema's art over the new color stuff. The newer comics just look generic and rushed, whereas Buscema has always been an absolute master at anatomy, dynamic poses, unique grizzled faces, and very pretty women that actually have hips and not overly large eyes.

@cheersbro7347

9 ай бұрын

@@TheStowAway594 the bow string is on the wrong side of his arm. I szre it was just a mistake by buscema but you could never shoot like that. If you know archery this looks like a very retarded thing to do xd. Bit I love buscema too.

@bryantroyer8008

2 ай бұрын

It's not his idea of a manly weapon

Süper

There are some details you completely missed looking at this from exclusively an american perspective, though addmitingly anlot ofnit is related to how the history of the continent will go after conan's age is over. The picts are going to be the ones who end the hyborean age, as they unite under one banner, and after transitioning to the iron age, they will swarm over the west, exterminate the Aquilonians and the numedians, and all in all bring utter ruin to the people of the west. This is very much inspired by what happened to western rome, as it was conquered and subjugated by northern barbarians who came from the frontiers. As such, a lot of the subtext of this story isnt just about the morality of the aquilonians, but the very real fact that there is an existential threat on their borders that they flat out arent taking seriously. And because they will at the end of the day fail to conquer the Pictlands, their entire civilization will end, just as happened to western rome, who failed to bring the german tribes into the fold of civilation, either as subjects, or as developing allies, and so were swept away by the invading hordes who formed new kingdoms. That is what the ending talk is about. Barbarism WILL thriumph, because the Aquilonians didnt take the picts seriously when they were still in a position to do so, and so will pay the ultimate price for this underestimation. The romans had centuries to conquer Germania, but they never did, just like the aquilonians had all the time in the world, but never gave it a real effort, and so will be conquered by the people they so looked down upon.

"Beyond the Black.. River" as Conan strikes down a black guy💀

The world of Conan is a reflection to our real world history well Robert E Howard is a big fan of history Is why I like the universe he made when mankind go back to barbarism Time will tell 💪💀🗡🪓⚔️🏹

@jasonsantos3037

Жыл бұрын

@Ichiban Hentai Otaku I agree with that