Where to start with Conan the Barbarian

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If you’re just starting to explore the world of Conan, then two things have to be said:

First — awesome! You’ve made a great decision by stepping into the sandals of the greatest barbarian the Hyborian Age has ever seen.

I’m honestly a little jealous — you’ve got some of the best sword & sorcery stories of all time ahead of you.

Second — it’s a big world. And it can feel a bit confusing or even overwhelming at first.

I know I spent the first few years of my Conan/Robert E. Howard obsession just trying to figure out what goes where and who’s connected to whom.

That’s where this post comes in — to help you find the best place to start.

A quick introduction to Conan the Barbarian

Conan was created in the spring of 1932 by Robert E. Howard, a young pulp writer from Texas. His first appearance came later that year in Weird Tales magazine.

Since then, Conan’s legend has only grown — through short stories, novels, films, comics, art, video games, and more.

He’s the original sword-swinging adventurer, a surivivor against all odds and the blueprint for nearly every barbarian that’s ever followed.

Even if you’ve never read Howard, chances are you’ve heard of Conan the Barbarian.

Where to start with Conan (a beginner’s guide)

So where should you start?

Thankfully, the answer is simple:

👉 Start with the original stories by Robert E. Howard.

There aren’t a huge number of them — just 20 completed short stories, one novel, and a few unfinished fragments — but they’re packed with vivid world-building, fierce action, and Howard’s signature poetic energy.

If you want to understand Conan — really understand him — you need to read these.

What About All the Other Conan Books?

Good question! You’ve probably seen loads of Conan books by other authors — and we’ll get to those soon.

Everything that followed — all the Conan pastiche novels, comics, movies, and games — is built on the foundation of Howard’s original stories.

They’re where the character and the world truly began.

So, I strongly recommend getting started with the originals.

All of Conan’s character traits (both good and bad!) come from these stories, as does the incredibly rich world-building of the Hyborian Age.

Ever heard of The Tower of the Elephant or Queen of the Black Coast? Those are originals and very much worth your time. You won’t regret it.

There are various ways to read the collected short stories (and one novel).

Del Rey Editions

The generally best-regarded way is with the Dey Rey editions. There are three of them, and they contain everything REH wrote about Conan.

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian

The Bloody Crown of Conan

The Conquering Sword of Conan

I like them because they are:

• Faithful to Howard’s original text
• Well-edited and restored (no rewrites by later authors)
• Richly illustrated
• Affordable and widely available
• Beautiful as a matched set (including Howard’s other characters and stories)

Another Great Option: The Conan Chronicles

If you’re in the UK or Europe, you might want to check out The Conan Chronicles (Gollancz). It’s a hefty collection available in both hardback and paperback.

It presents the stories in chronological order of Conan’s life, which some readers like. That said — you don’t need to read the stories in order.

One of the joys of Conan is that you can jump in anywhere and still enjoy the ride. I honestly can’t remember which story I read first–and it doesn’t matter!

Fun fact: the first published story, The Phoenix on the Sword, features a 40-something Conan brooding over a map as King of Aquilonia — not exactly the wild-haired savage most people expect to meet first!

Other ways to read the original Conan books

If those options don’t do it for you, there are several more.

Because many of Howard’s stories are now in the public domain, you can read several of them for free over at Project Gutenberg and other similar sites.

If you’re curious or just want to dip your toes in, this is a great way to get started.

You can also pick up old collections of short stories in paperbacks, but these can be a bit complicated to begin with.

There are LOADS of them, and if you’re not careful you might end up with Conan stories not from Robert E Howard (not a huge drama of course, but not what we’re looking for here).

Here’s Conan the Swordsman to get you started. Prices can vary, but they had it for $5 on Amazon last time I checked.

Audiobooks: A Solid (But slightly Flawed) Option

There’s a decent Conan audiobook collection out there — and I listen to it regularly. The narrator (Finn J.D. John) generally does a solid job, but his female voices can be a bit jarring and sometimes pull me out of the story.

Still, it’s a great way to experience the stories — especially since it includes all the tales originally published in Weird Tales. Just note that it’s missing three important stories not published in the magazine:

• The God in the Bowl
• The Frost-Giant’s Daughter
• The Vale of Lost Women

Even with those omissions, the introductions before each story are fantastic and add helpful context.

Final Thoughts

So, where should you start with Conan?

Right at the beginning — with the stories written by the man who created him. Whether you’re reading them in a lovingly restored edition, flipping through a 70’s paperback, or listening on your commute, the original tales are where Conan truly lives.

Where next?

The good news is, the books are just the beginning. After that there are an incredible amount of world-class comics (my personal favourite), films, pastiches, and much, much more. — and I’ll be covering all of those in upcoming posts. Check back to this section for updates.

Here’s a full guide on how to start with the Conan comics.

And finally–want to explore another character who was ‘kinda’ created by Robert E Howard?

Here’s a no spoiler review of Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone.