"Wolves Beyond the Border" is one of the original Conan stories by American writer

Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was an American writer who wrote pulp magazine, pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He created the character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sor ...

, a fragment begun in the 1930s but not finished or published in Howard's lifetime. It is a peripheral story in the canon in that while it takes place in Conan's "Hyborian Age" and during Conan's lifetime, Conan does not actually appear, but is merely mentioned. The story was completed by

L. Sprague de Camp Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American author of science fiction, Fantasy literature, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of ...

and in this form first published in the collection '' Conan the Usurper'' (1967). It has since been published in its original form in the collection '' The Conan Chronicles Volume 2: The Hour of the Dragon'' ( Gollancz, 2001) and '' The Conquering Sword of Conan'' (Del Rey, 2005).

Plot summary

(From the ''Conan The Usurper'' version, ) Set during the time of Conan's conquest of Aquilonia, the foreword and story refer to ongoing battles between the armies of Conan and King Numedides. The Picts see an opportunity, however. Narrated by a border ranger named Gault Hagar's son, he witnesses a secret Pictish ceremony conducted by Tenayoga, a shaman, and Lord Valerian, an Aquilonian nobleman. Gault travels to Fort Kwanyara, near the village of Schondara, where he delivers a secret message to Hakon rother of the fort's commander exchanges news on Conan's forces, and discovers Lord Valerian's treachery. Valerian is arrested and detained, but escapes his imprisonment and flees into the Pictish Wilderness. Gault escapes his encounter with a giant ape and follows Valerian to a nearby cabin, where he spies on the nobleman's meeting with Tenayoga. The leaders of four Pictish tribes plan on joining forces and consult a wizard in their swamp. Gault, Hakon, and their rangers attack the cabin, setting it alight but Valerian escapes, along with Tenayoga and some henchmen. It is at this point that the original fragment ends. The two rangers track those who escaped the carnage into a swamp and are soon captured. The tribes agree to raid Schondara first and quickly depart, leaving their captives bound at the stake. Gault escapes his bonds, slays the wizard, and the pair are just in time to sabotage the Pictish assault while being declared as heroes. The atmosphere of the story is reminiscent of the

American Frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the Geography of the United States, geography, History of the United States, history, Folklore of the United States, folklore, and Cultur ...

, with a plot that could have been easily transferred to that environment, with Aquilonian settlers as early Americans and Picts as Indians. Indeed, Howard did effect such a transformation with the preceding Conan story, " The Treasure of Tranicos", which is set in the same Pictish environment: failing to find a publisher, he transferred the story to a historical American background.

Adaptation

The story was first adapted by

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...

and

Ernie Chan Ernesto Chan (July 27, 1940 – May 16, 2012), born and sometimes credited as Ernie Chua, was a Filipinos, Filipino-Americans, American comics artist, known for work published by Marvel Comics and DC Comics, including many Marvel issues of series ...

in ''Savage Sword of Conan'' #59The Savage Sword of Conan #59
(in comicvine.com) and then in 2005-2006 by

Timothy Truman Timothy Truman (born February 9, 1956) is an American writer, artist and musician. He is best known for his stories and Wild West-style comic book art, and in particular, for his work on '' Grimjack'' (with John Ostrander), ''Scout'', and the ...

and Tomas Giorello for

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

References

External links

Conan the Barbarian at AmratheLion.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolves Beyond The Border 1967 short stories Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard Pulp stories Fantasy short stories Horror short stories Picts in fiction Short stories published posthumously