When I was a young lad about 12 or so, I was painfully shy (I attended a Parochial school with limited English speaking ability-both of my parents were immigrants) and while I wanted to make friends it wasn't easy.

I tried my best to please my teachers (they empathized religion and reading) but I really couldn't make sense of the bible (remember my limited English) too many multisyllabic names and I didn't find it interesting at the time because in general it was just too hard to read.

Then one day, I stepped into Marty's Curio Shop (a magazine and toy store just down the block from where I lived) and entered the world of comic books.

"WOW!"... Was my first reaction to the lurid covers of superhero vs. villain, "BAMM, POP!" was what was I reading after I got home with my bag of goodies (about 10 comics!). My purchases included the Flash, Superman, Batman, Justice League, Archie and of course the Savage Tales of Conan magazine.

I found them all exciting and easy to read, however the character Conan really fired my imagination, an honourable savage that dealt with his enemies at the end of his sword, outwitting fiendish sorcerers and was able to wrest a kingdom on ability alone!

In short it was the trashy comics (it was considered so at the time) that sparked my interest in reading and actually made me a full fledged bookworm. By the way I would have graduated Valedictorian except my math scores weren't up to snuff.

Anyway , it was by my deep abiding interest in Conan Tales that convinced my good friend Kevin Breznahan (he's an actor with lots of screen credits, check his IMDB resume, to do a reading of one of Robert E Howard's Conan stories (THE SCARLET CITADEL) that is almost ready for publication. The audio book should be out by Sept 15th 2008, and will be selling in my EBAY audio book store.

However for those who are interested, you can download or listen to the first chapter of "THE SCARLET CITADEL" free, as read by Kevin with the link below

(Free Full Ebook in Mobipocket or plainText format also available)

The real Conan is nothing like the Movie character where Arnold Schwarzenegger portrayed him as dumb muscle bounded hero with a limited vocabulary(Arnold's accent was too thick, so they curtailed his speaking parts), in fact the original book character was a cunning warrior and did have a command of the language

You can also listen/download the FULL short story Audiobook of "RATTLE OF BONES" a Solomon Kane adventure with the same above link. For those in the know, Solomon Kane was another infamous iconic character in Robert E Howard's universe.

(Free full Ebook in Mobipocket or plainText format also available)

About Robert E Howard

Robert E Howard was a prolific writer of more than 300 plus stories and poems, among which Conan the Cimmerian (also known as Conan the Barbarian, the Thief, the Liberator,etc..) was his most famous character. Along with such other iconic characters (Solomon Kane, Kull, Red Sonja) Robert E Howard is acknowledged as the author to have singlehandly created the "Heroic Sword and Sorcery" genre in writing. His books and ideas have been countlessly rewritten and incorporated in today's movie and book culture.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for an in-depth interview with Kevin Breznahan: How to Become a Successful (and STAY Successful) Actor!

A Collector's List of Conan Books written by other authors

A List of Conan Books written by other authors

1. * Conan the Invincible (Jun. 1982) (by Robert Jordan)
2. (YES! FANS OF "THE WHEEL OF TIME" SERIES, THIS IS THE SAME ROBERT JORDAN)
3. * Conan the Defender (Dec. 1982) (by Robert Jordan)
4. * Conan the Unconquered (Apr. 1983) (by Robert Jordan)
5. * Conan the Triumphant (Oct. 1983) (by Robert Jordan)
6. * Conan the Magnificent (May 1984) (by Robert Jordan)
7. * Conan the Destroyer (Jul. 1984) (adaptation by Robert Jordan of the movie of the same title)
8. * Conan the Victorious (Nov. 1984) (by Robert Jordan)
9. * Conan the Valorous (Sep. 1985) (by John M. Roberts)
10. * Conan the Fearless (Feb. 1986) (by Steve Perry)
11. * Conan the Renegade (Apr. 1986) (by Leonard Carpenter)
12. * Conan the Raider (Oct. 1986) (by Leonard Carpenter)
13. * Conan the Champion (Apr. 1987) (by John M. Roberts)
14. * Conan the Defiant (Oct. 1987) (by Steve Perry)
15. * Conan the Marauder (Jan. 1988) (by John M. Roberts)
16. * Conan the Warlord (Mar. 1988) (by Leonard Carpenter)
17. * Conan the Valiant (Oct. 1988) (by Roland Green)
18. * Conan the Hero (Feb. 1989) (by Leonard Carpenter)
19. * Conan the Bold (Apr. 1989) (by John M. Roberts)
20. * Conan the Great (Apr. 1989) (by Leonard Carpenter)
21. * Conan the Indomitable (Oct. 1989) (by Steve Perry)
22. * Conan the Freelance (Feb. 1990) (by Steve Perry)
23. * Conan the Formidable (Nov. 1990) (by Steve Perry)
24. * Conan the Guardian (Jan. 1991) (by Roland Green)
25. * Conan the Outcast (Apr. 1991) (by Leonard Carpenter)
26. * Conan the Rogue (Nov. 1991) (by John M. Roberts)
27. * Conan the Relentless (Apr. 1992) (by Roland Green)
28. * Conan the Savage (Nov. 1992) (by Leonard Carpenter)

FOR A COMPLETE COLLECTOR'S LIST OF CONAN BOOKS CLICK BELOW

Solomon Kane Stories by Robert E Howard

* 1 "Red Shadows"

* 2 "Skulls in the Stars"

* 3 "Rattle of Bones"

* 4 "The Moon of Skulls"

* 5 "Hills of the Dead"

* 6 "The Footfalls Within"

* 7 "Wings in the Night"

* 8 "Blades of the Brotherhood"

* 9 "The Right Hand of Doom"

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane

(a beautifully illustrated edition of Solomon Kane stories, poems and the uncompleted story fragments that Robert E Howard never finished)

Ramsey Campbell completed three of Robert E. Howard's unfinished Solomon Kane stories,

"Hawk of Basti",

"The Castle of the Devil"

"The Children of Asshur"

These 3 Kane stories finished by Ramsey Campbell are available in 2 paperback editions:

Solomon Kane: Skulls in the Stars

(this 1st book contains:

1. Skulls in the Stars,
2. The Right Hand of Doom,
3. Red Shadows,
4. Rattle of Bones,
5. The Castle of the Devil,
6. The Moon of Skulls,
7. The One Black Stain,
8. and The Blades of the Brotherhood

Hills of the Dead (Solomon Kane, # 2)

(this edition contains:

1. The Hills of the Dead,
2. Hawk of Basti,
3. The Return of Sir Richard Grenville,
4. Wings in the Night,
5. The Footfalls Within,
6. The Children of Asshur,
7. and Solomon Kane's Homecoming)

That's it folks! Thanks for stopping by!