User:SkyWriter/Robert E Howard Chronologies

The writings of Robert E Howard take place in a series of fictional ages, loosely fitting into a framework detailed in the essay, The Hyborian Age.

The first age, the pre-cataclysmic age, is that of Kull.

The second age, the hyborian age, is that of Conan.

The present age weaves aspects of the purely fictional ages with the current world.

Although Howard did not deliberately force all of his stories into the same mythology, their historic and prehistoric settings can form a kind of fictional world history similar to that of Tolkien.

Conan Chronologies have been prepared by a variety of people from the 1930s onward to provide a timeline into which to fit the numerous Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard and later writers.

No completely consistent timeline that would accommodate every existing Conan story is possible. This is so for several reasons, including (a) errors that crept into the earliest chronologies, (b) the later disregard by the early chronologists of material by Howard that did not fit the existing schemes, (c) the writing of much post-Howard Conan material to conform to these demonstrably erroneous chronologies, and (d) the writing of other post-Howard material that ignored both existing chronologies and chronological information established in previous stories by Howard and others.

The following are the major schemes that have been advanced over the years, together with their strengths and weaknesses.

Miller/Clark chronology
A Probable Outline of Conan's Career (1936), completed during Howard's lifetime by P. Schuyler Miller and John D. Clark, was said by Howard to follow his vision "pretty closely." The strongest point in favor of this chronology is the affirmation by Howard. The major weaknesses are that it misses a few chronological points in the stories that point to a slightly different arrangement, and it does not cover all Conan stories by Howard, having been compiled before the entire corpus was published. It naturally omits all post-Howard writings. All of these weaknesses but the first were subsequently rectified, as the Miller/Clark chronology was revised on numerous occasions over the years to take into account newly discovered and newly written material.

Notable among subsequent versions was An Informal Biography of Conan the Cimmerian (1952), a revision by Clark and L. Sprague de Camp used to bridge stories in the first hardcover edition of the Conan stories, published by Gnome Press. With further revisions by de Camp, the chronology performed the same service in the first paperback edition, the publication of which was begun by Lancer Books and completed by Ace Books. These versions included additional Howard stories that became known after 1936, though the placement of these stories could not be vetted by the now-deceased Howard. De Camp's successive revisions included all non-Howard material published through the time of the revision, as well as versions of Howard stories rewritten by de Camp to fit his view of the chronology. His final version of the chronology, Conan the Indestructible (1986), incorporated the first seven volumes of the series of Conan pastiches published by Tor Books.

As the long-time "official" chronology, most of the post-Howard stories were written to fit into de Camp's chronology. Its major weakness were its perpetuation of the inaccuracies of the 1936 version, erroneous placements of Howard stories that had come to light after that version, and the shoe-horning in of Howard tales that either did not fit the scheme or had no obvious placement through rewriting or completion (in the instance of fragments) by de Camp and/or his collaborator Lin Carter.

Order (earliest and latest forms)
All stories added after the earliest version are indented.


 * "Legions of the Dead"
 * Conan the Barbarian (as an alternate account of Conan's early years)
 * "The Thing in the Crypt"


 * "The Tower of the Elephant"
 * Conan the Destroyer
 * Conan the Magnificent
 * Conan the Invincible
 * "The Hall of the Dead"
 * "The God in the Bowl"


 * "Rogues in the House"
 * Conan and the Sorcerer
 * Conan the Mercenary
 * The Sword of Skelos
 * Conan the Victorious
 * Conan the Unconquered
 * "The Hand of Nergal"
 * "The City of Skulls"
 * "The People of the Summit"
 * "The Curse of the Monolith"
 * Conan and the Spider God
 * "The Blood-Stained God"
 * "The Frost Giant's Daughter"
 * "The Lair the Ice Worm"
 * Conan the Defender
 * Conan the Triumphant


 * "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 1)
 * Conan the Rebel (between chapters 1 and 2 of "Queen of the Black Coast")


 * "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 2)
 * "The Vale of Lost Women"
 * "The Castle of Terror"
 * "The Snout in the Dark"
 * "Hawks Over Shem"
 * The Road of Kings


 * "Black Colossus"
 * "Shadows in the Dark"


 * "Shadows in the Moonlight"
 * "The Road of the Eagles"


 * "A Witch Shall Be Born"
 * "Black Tears"


 * "Shadows of Zamboula"
 * "The Star of Khorala"


 * "The Devil in Iron"
 * "The Flame Knife"


 * "The People of the Black Circle"
 * "The Slithering Shadow"
 * "Drums of Tombalku"
 * "The Gem in the Tower"


 * "The Pool of the Black One"
 * Conan the Buccaneer


 * "Red Nails"
 * "Jewels of Gwahlur"
 * "The Ivory Goddess"


 * "Beyond the Black River"
 * "Moon of Blood"
 * "The Treasure of Tranicos"
 * "Wolves Beyond the Border"
 * Conan the Liberator


 * "The Phoenix on the Sword"
 * "The Scarlet Citadel"
 * Conan the Conqueror
 * Conan the Avenger
 * "The Witch of the Mists"
 * "Black Sphinx of Nebthu"
 * "Red Moon of Zembabwei"
 * "Shadows in the Skull"
 * Conan of the Isles

Robert Jordan chronology
A Conan Chronology by Robert Jordan (1987) was the attempt of Conan writer Robert Jordan to create a new Chronology including all Conan material written up to that point, including the first sixteen volumes of the series of Conan pastiches published by Tor Books (although inexplicably omitting the eighth, Conan the Valorous). It was heavily influenced by the Miller/Clark/de Camp chronologies, although deviating from them in some respects. Its major strength was its inclusion of almost all existing works published at the time of its compilation. Its weaknesses are the perpetuation of those from previous chronologies, as well as its often idiosyncratic departures from them, for which Jordan seldom actually provides his reasons.

Order

 * 1) "Legions of the Dead"
 * 2) "The Thing in the Crypt"
 * 3) Conan the Defiant
 * 4) "The Tower of the Elephant"
 * 5) Conan and the Sorcerer
 * 6) Conan the Mercenary
 * 7) Conan: The Sword of Skelos
 * 8) Conan the Destroyer
 * 9) Conan the Magnificent
 * 10) Conan the Invincible
 * 11) "The Hall of the Dead"
 * 12) Conan the Fearless
 * 13) "The God in the Bowl"
 * 14) Conan the Warlord
 * 15) Conan the Champion
 * 16) "Rogues in the House"
 * 17) Conan the Victorious
 * 18) Conan the Unconquered
 * 19) "The Hand of Nergal"
 * 20) "The City of Skulls"
 * 21) "The People of the Summit"
 * 22) "The Curse of the Monolith"
 * 23) Conan the Valiant
 * 24) "The Blood-Stained God"
 * 25) "The Frost Giant's Daughter"
 * 26) "The Lair of the Ice Worm"
 * 27) Conan and the Spider God
 * 28) Conan the Defender
 * 29) Conan: The Road of Kings
 * 30) Conan the Triumphant
 * 31) "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 1)
 * 32) Conan the Rebel
 * 33) "Queen of the Black Coast" (Part 2)
 * 34) "The Vale of Lost Women"
 * 35) "The Castle of Terror"
 * 36) "The Snout in the Dark"
 * 37) "Hawks Over Shem"
 * 38) "Black Colossus"
 * 39) "Shadows in the Dark"
 * 40) Conan the Renegade
 * 41) "Shadows in the Moonlight"
 * 42) "The Road of the Eagles"
 * 43) "A Witch Shall be Born"
 * 44) "Black Tears"
 * 45) "Shadows in Zamboula"
 * 46) Conan the Raider
 * 47) "The Star of Khorala"
 * 48) "The Devil in Iron"
 * 49) "The Flame Knife"
 * 50) "The People of the Black Circle"
 * 51) Conan the Marauder
 * 52) "The Slithering Shadow"
 * 53) "Drums of Tombalku"
 * 54) "The Gem in the Tower"
 * 55) "The Pool of the Black One"
 * 56) Conan the Buccaneer
 * 57) "Red Nails"
 * 58) "Jewels of Gwahlur"
 * 59) "The Ivory Goddess"
 * 60) "Beyond the Black River"
 * 61) "Moon of Blood"
 * 62) "The Treasure of Tranicos"
 * 63) "Wolves Beyond the Border"
 * 64) Conan the Liberator
 * 65) "The Phoenix on the Sword"
 * 66) "The Scarlet Citadel"
 * 67) The Hour of the Dragon
 * 68) The Return of Conan
 * 69) "The Witch of the Mists"
 * 70) "Black Sphinx of Nebthu"
 * 71) "Red Moon of Zembabwei"
 * 72) "Shadows in the Skull"
 * 73) Conan of the Isles

William Galen Gray chronology
Timeline of Conan's Journeys (1997, rev. 2004), was fan William Galen Gray's attempt to create "a chronology of all the stories, both Howard and pastiche." Based on a close reading of all the stories and drawing on the earlier Miller/Clark and Jordan chronologies, it represents the ultimate expression of their tradition to date. In his placement Gray follows sometimes one of its predecessors and sometimes the other, with his occasional departures from both being well-reasoned. The weaknesses of the Gray chronology are those inherent in its tradition, as it can only incorporate the complete corpus of pastiches by perpetuating the chronological scheme according to which they were written. Its major strength is its inclusion of all existing works published to date, including all the Tor pastiches. Three pastiches (the movie adaptations Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer and the John M. Roberts novel Conan the Bold) are rejected by Gray as apocryphal "legends," as their portrayals of Conan's early life contradict those established both by Howard and the Miller/Clark chronological tradition.

Order

 * 1) Conan of Venarium
 * 2) "Legions of the Dead"
 * 3) "The Thing in the Crypt"
 * 4) Conan the Defiant
 * 5) Conan the Hunter
 * 6) Conan the Indomitable
 * 7) Conan the Free Lance
 * 8) Conan the Formidable
 * 9) "The Tower of the Elephant"
 * 10) Conan and the Sorcerer
 * 11) Conan the Mercenary
 * 12) Conan: The Sword of Skelos
 * 13) Conan the Outcast
 * 14) Conan the Magnificent
 * 15) Conan the Invincible
 * 16) "The Hall of the Dead"
 * 17) Conan the Fearless
 * 18) "The God in the Bowl"
 * 19) Conan the Warlord
 * 20) "Rogues in the House"
 * 21) Conan the Victorious
 * 22) Conan the Unconquered
 * 23) "The Hand of Nergal"
 * 24) "The City of Skulls"
 * 25) Conan the Hero
 * 26) "The People of the Summit"
 * 27) "The Curse of the Monolith"
 * 28) Conan the Valiant
 * 29) Conan and the Spider God
 * 30) "The Blood-Stained God"
 * 31) Conan the Valorous
 * 32) "The Frost Giant's Daughter"
 * 33) "The Lair of the Ice Worm"
 * 34) Conan the Relentless
 * 35) Conan the Savage
 * 36) Conan the Defender
 * 37) Conan the Triumphant
 * 38) Conan the Guardian
 * 39) "Queen of the Black Coast" (part 1)
 * 40) Conan the Rebel
 * 41) "Queen of the Black Coast" (part 2)
 * 42) Conan at the Demon's Gate
 * 43) "The Vale of Lost Women"
 * 44) "The Castle of Terror"
 * 45) "The Snout in the Dark"
 * 46) Conan the Gladiator
 * 47) Conan and the Emerald Lotus
 * 48) "Hawks Over Shem"
 * 49) "Black Colossus"
 * 50) "Shadows in the Dark"
 * 51) Conan: The Road of Kings
 * 52) Conan the Renegade
 * 53) "Shadows in the Moonlight"
 * 54) Conan of the Red Brotherhood
 * 55) Conan: Scourge of the Bloody Coast
 * 56) Conan the Champion
 * 57) "The Road of the Eagles"
 * 58) "A Witch Shall be Born"
 * 59) "Black Tears"
 * 60) Conan and the Manhunters
 * 61) "Shadows in Zamboula"
 * 62) Conan the Raider
 * 63) "The Star of Khorala"
 * 64) Conan and the Death Lord of Thanza
 * 65) Conan and the Amazon
 * 66) "The Devil in Iron"
 * 67) "The Flame Knife"
 * 68) Conan and the Shaman's Curse
 * 69) "The People of the Black Circle"
 * 70) Conan the Marauder
 * 71) Conan and the Mists of Doom
 * 72) "The Slithering Shadow"
 * 73) "Drums of Tombalku"
 * 74) "The Gem in the Tower"
 * 75) Conan and the Grim Grey God
 * 76) "The Pool of the Black One"
 * 77) Conan the Buccaneer
 * 78) "Red Nails"
 * 79) Conan and the Gods of the Mountain
 * 80) "Jewels of Gwahlur"
 * 81) "The Ivory Goddess"
 * 82) Conan and the Treasure of Python
 * 83) Conan: Lord of the Black River
 * 84) Conan the Rogue
 * 85) "Beyond the Black River"
 * 86) "Moon of Blood"
 * 87) "The Treasure of Tranicos"
 * 88) "Wolves Beyond the Border"
 * 89) Conan the Liberator
 * 90) "The Phoenix on the Sword"
 * 91) "The Scarlet Citadel"
 * 92) The Hour of the Dragon
 * 93) The Return of Conan
 * 94) Conan the Great
 * 95) "The Witch of the Mists"
 * 96) "Black Sphinx of Nebthu"
 * 97) "Red Moon of Zembabwei"
 * 98) "Shadows in the Skull"
 * 99) Conan of the Isles

Apocryphal:
 * Conan the Barbarian
 * Conan the Bold
 * Conan the Destroyer

Joe Marek chronology
Joe Marek's chronology is limited to stories written (or devised) by Howard, though within that context it is essentially a revision of the Miller/Clark tradition. Noting the Miller/Clark chronology's general approval by Howard, he tends to follow it when it does not contradict the internal evidence of the stories or force Conan into what he perceives as a "mad dash" around the Hyborian world within timeframes too rapid to be credible. Marek's strength is in his well-reasoned arguments for story placement. The major weakness of his chronology is his noting of the evidence for a chronologically wide gap between "Beyond the Black River" and "Wolves Beyond the Border" but failure to incorporate it in his scheme.

Order

 * 1) The Hyborian Age, Part One
 * 2) Cimmeria (poem)
 * 3) "The Frost Giant's Daughter"
 * 4) "The Tower of the Elephant"
 * 5) "The Hall of the Dead"
 * 6) "Rogues in the House"
 * 7) "The God in the Bowl"
 * 8) "The Hand of Nergal"
 * 9) "Black Colossus"
 * 10) "Queen of the Black Coast"
 * 11) "The Snout in the Dark"
 * 12) "Shadows in the Moonlight"
 * 13) "A Witch Shall Be Born"
 * 14) "Shadows in Zamboula"
 * 15) "The Slithering Shadow"
 * 16) "The Devil in Iron"
 * 17) "The People of the Black Circle"
 * 18) "Drums of Tombalku"
 * 19) "The Vale of Lost Women"
 * 20) "The Pool of the Black One"
 * 21) "Red Nails"
 * 22) "The Teeth of Gwahlur"
 * 23) "Beyond the Black River"
 * 24) "The Black Stranger"
 * 25) "Wolves Beyond the Border"
 * 26) "The Phoenix on the Sword"
 * 27) "The Scarlet Citadel"
 * 28) "The Hour of the Dragon"
 * 29) The Hyborian Age, Part Two
 * 30) Notes On Various Peoples Of The Hyborian Age
 * 31) Letters

Dale Rippke chronology
Dale Rippke established The Darkstorm Conan Chronology (2003), a completely revised and heavily researched chronology, including only those stories written (or devised) by Howard. The Dark Horse comic series follows this chronology. Its major strength is its well-documented support for its various arguments for story placement, based on the texts as Howard wrote them, which lead him to some of the same conclusions as Marek. Most of his significant differences with Marek come in the middle of their respective efforts. While works completed or revised by other hands and post-Howard works find no place in this chronology they were not intended to, the often erroneous assumptions under which they were written precluding their inclusion. A minor weakness is the seemingly arbitrary disappearance and reappearance of Conan's horned helm from story to story.

Order

 * 1) "The Frost Giant's Daughter''
 * 2) "The God in the Bowl''
 * 3) "The Tower of the Elephant"
 * 4) "The Hall of the Dead"
 * 5) "Rogues in the House"
 * 6) "The Hand of Nergal"
 * 7) "Shadows in the Moonlight"
 * 8) "Black Colossus"
 * 9) "Queen of the Black Coast"
 * 10) "The Snout in the Dark"
 * 11) "The Slithering Shadow"
 * 12) "A Witch Shall Be Born"
 * 13) "The Devil in Iron"
 * 14) "The People of the Black Circle"
 * 15) "Shadows in Zamboula"
 * 16) "Drums of Tombalku"
 * 17) "The Vale of Lost Women"
 * 18) "The Pool of the Black One"
 * 19) "Beyond the Black River"
 * 20) "The Black Stranger"
 * 21) "Red Nails"
 * 22) "Jewels of Gwahlur"
 * 23) "Wolves Beyond the Border"
 * 24) "The Phoenix on the Sword"
 * 25) "The Scarlet Citadel"
 * 26) "The Hour of the Dragon"