A new chapter of the Titan comics & Heroic Signatures massive narrative event: The Battle of the Black Stone. A thrilling story about Conan the Barbarian facing incomprehensible Lovecraftian horrors written by New York Times Bestselling author James Lovegrove.
Still mourning Bêlit and flush with gold after a heist, Conan attempts to drink away his sorrows. In his tavern-hopping journey he meets and befriends married couple Hunwulf and Gudrun and their son, Bjørn. A decade ago, Hunwulf eloped with Gudrun after killing her betrothed, they live on the run from her tribe, who are desperate for revenge.
Bjørn has the makings of a shaman, while Hunwulf is prone to having strange fits which bring him visions of past and future lives. When a descendant warns Hunwulf of imminent danger, he and his wife ride out to ambush the tribe, leaving Bjørn with Conan, who vows to protect the boy with his life.
Unfortunately, Conan is betrayed by a former accomplice, and Bjørn is kidnapped by the tribe. Conan and Bjørn’s vengeful parents search for the lad. They catch up to the tribe, only to find Bjørn has been taken by murderous bat-winged figures, who fought with talon and sword. The boy, and other “gifted” children have been taken to the Rotlands, a place plagued by a contaminating supernatural force that warps all who go there. To save Bjørn, the trio must go to the heart of the Rotlands, where strange, horrifying fates await at every turn.
James Lovegrove is the New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Odin. He has been short-listed for many awards including the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and the Scribe Award. He won the Seiun Award for Best Foreign Language Short Story in 2011, and the Dragon Award in 2020 for Firefly: The Ghost Machine. He has written many acclaimed Sherlock Holmes novels, including Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon. As well as writing books, he reviews fiction for the Financial Times. He lives in Eastbourne in the UK.
“Howard’s writing seems so highly charged with energy that it nearly gives off sparks.”—Stephen King
“In Howard's grim and all too realistic view, the barbarians are always at the gate, and once a culture allows itself to grow soft, decadent or simply neglectful, it will be swept away by the primitive and ruthless.”—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
“I read books, and I dreamed of Mars, and the planets in those books, and of the Hyborian Age of Robert E. Howard’s Conan books…”—George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones
“I adore these books. Howard had a gritty, vibrant style—broadsword writing that cut its way to the heart, with heroes who are truly larger than life.”—David Gemmell, author of Legend
“Those of us who believed in Conan at the right moment in our lives never stop believing. We might not grow up to become him, but we never grow out of him, either.”—Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Only Good Indians
“Howard was a true storyteller—one of the first, and certainly among the best, you’ll find in heroic fantasy.”—Charles de Lint, author of The Wild Wood and The Onion Girl
A new chapter of the Titan comics & Heroic Signatures massive narrative event: The Battle of the Black Stone. A thrilling story about Conan the Barbarian facing incomprehensible Lovecraftian horrors written by New York Times Bestselling author James Lovegrove.
Still mourning Bêlit and flush with gold after a heist, Conan attempts to drink away his sorrows. In his tavern-hopping journey he meets and befriends married couple Hunwulf and Gudrun and their son, Bjørn. A decade ago, Hunwulf eloped with Gudrun after killing her betrothed, they live on the run from her tribe, who are desperate for revenge.
Bjørn has the makings of a shaman, while Hunwulf is prone to having strange fits which bring him visions of past and future lives. When a descendant warns Hunwulf of imminent danger, he and his wife ride out to ambush the tribe, leaving Bjørn with Conan, who vows to protect the boy with his life.
Unfortunately, Conan is betrayed by a former accomplice, and Bjørn is kidnapped by the tribe. Conan and Bjørn’s vengeful parents search for the lad. They catch up to the tribe, only to find Bjørn has been taken by murderous bat-winged figures, who fought with talon and sword. The boy, and other “gifted” children have been taken to the Rotlands, a place plagued by a contaminating supernatural force that warps all who go there. To save Bjørn, the trio must go to the heart of the Rotlands, where strange, horrifying fates await at every turn.
Creators
James Lovegrove is the New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Odin. He has been short-listed for many awards including the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and the Scribe Award. He won the Seiun Award for Best Foreign Language Short Story in 2011, and the Dragon Award in 2020 for Firefly: The Ghost Machine. He has written many acclaimed Sherlock Holmes novels, including Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon. As well as writing books, he reviews fiction for the Financial Times. He lives in Eastbourne in the UK.
“Howard’s writing seems so highly charged with energy that it nearly gives off sparks.”—Stephen King
“In Howard's grim and all too realistic view, the barbarians are always at the gate, and once a culture allows itself to grow soft, decadent or simply neglectful, it will be swept away by the primitive and ruthless.”—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
“I read books, and I dreamed of Mars, and the planets in those books, and of the Hyborian Age of Robert E. Howard’s Conan books…”—George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones
“I adore these books. Howard had a gritty, vibrant style—broadsword writing that cut its way to the heart, with heroes who are truly larger than life.”—David Gemmell, author of Legend
“Those of us who believed in Conan at the right moment in our lives never stop believing. We might not grow up to become him, but we never grow out of him, either.”—Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Only Good Indians
“Howard was a true storyteller—one of the first, and certainly among the best, you’ll find in heroic fantasy.”—Charles de Lint, author of The Wild Wood and The Onion Girl
