Conan swept out his scimitar and heeled his horse. As Ymir broke into a canter. headed straight for the tree to which the witch was tied. Conan uttered a fearful scream—the ancient Cimmerian war cry.

Startled faces turned; the villagers scrambled out of the way. Several were knocked down by the plunging beast. Reaching the fire-ringed victim, Conan leaned into the smoke to smite the bindings that encircled the tree. The strands parted easily. As a collective growl rose from the thwarted peasants, Conan extended his free arm, roaring: “Catch hold, grandmother!”

With a mighty heave, Conan swung her up before the saddle: "Hold on!” shouted Conan.

Conan is back, and at the top of his form!

SFWA Grand Master L. Sprague de Camp was revered in the genre of fantasy for both his fiction and nonfiction. Booklist praised his novel" The Honorable Barbarian, saying: "The action is brisk, and the worlds and characters are described with de Camp's deft, light touch . . . thoroughly agreeable entertainment," while "Kirkus Reviews said of "The Pixilated Peeress "the unassuming style and verve of the telling keep the pages turning. Pure prose junk-food."

But more important, L. Sprague de Camp wrote "Dark Valley Destiny, the definitive biography of Conan's creator, Robert E. Howard, leaving little wonder as to why "Conan and the Spider God is considered one of the finest novels in the canon of Conan. Son of a blacksmith, a former slave and thief, Conan the Cimmerian has risen to the rank of Captain of the Royal Guard. But as usual, trouble is his bedfellow.

Forced to kill while defending himself, Conan must flee the vengeance of the High Priest of Erlik. Foraging through field and forest, meeting friend and foe, Conan cuts a bloody swath through assassins and bounty hunters all the way to the sinister temple of Zath, where he encounters the huge and hideous Spider God. Facing certain death, Conan becomes both the hunter . . . and the hunted.