The People of the Black Circle


Read by Mark Nelson

(4.6 stars; 406 reviews)

"The People of the Black Circle" is one of the original novellas about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine in three parts over the September, October and November 1934 issues. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan kidnapping a regal princess of Vendhya (pre-historical India) and foiling a nefarious plot of world domination by the Black Seers of Yimsha. Due to its epic scope and atypical Hindustan flavor, the story is considered an undisputed classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his best tales. It is also one of the few Howard stories where the reader is treated a deeper insight on magic and magicians beyond the stereotypical Hyborian depiction as demon conjurer-illusionist-priests. (Summary by Wikipedia) (3 hr 36 min)

Chapters

01 - Death Strikes a King 11:59 Read by Mark Nelson
02 - A Barbarian from the Hills 19:46 Read by Mark Nelson
03 - Khemsa Uses Magic 15:38 Read by Mark Nelson
04 - An Encounter in the Pass 13:54 Read by Mark Nelson
05 - The Black Stallion 24:09 Read by Mark Nelson
06 - The Mountain of the Black Seers 28:31 Read by Mark Nelson
07 - On to Vimsha 18:55 Read by Mark Nelson
08 - Yasmina Knows Stark Terror 17:49 Read by Mark Nelson
09 - The Castle of the Wizards 42:48 Read by Mark Nelson
10 - Yasmina and Conan 23:23 Read by Mark Nelson

Reviews

Best Conan Story


(5 stars)

a personal favorite. however, at chapter nine, 39 minutes or so into it, it will either play an advertisement and then skip to the next chapter, or just skip to the best chapter, no matter what I do. this is EXTREMELY annoying please fix this, as it messes up a good book and a good reader

A thundering good tale, well read


(5 stars)

Once again Mr Nelson delivers a fine, engaging reading which brings the text to life. I really was gripped by this one. its a powerful tale of men who are men, women who are women and evil magicians who are real evil magicians. A cohesive plot and plenty of action.

Great Conan story, superbly read.


(5 stars)

People of the Black Circle is one of the shorter Conan stories. Full of battles, magic, adventure, and vengeance. It’s a really entertaining story, and Mark Nelson’s storytelling is unmatched by anyone I’ve heard on LibriVox so far.

A Sword and Sorcery Classic


(5 stars)

One of my favorite Conan tales. This one features plenty of swords against sorcery and a plot that is definitely a bit more complex than most Conan stories. Another flawless reading by Mark Nelson.

Fantasy at it's best


(5 stars)

Robert E. Howard was a brilliant wordsmith. painting a picture with each sentence. sword play and spell casting wonderfully combined. and the reading was first rate.

good but...


(4 stars)

The story was well read. It was also well written, but too short. I thought the ending was merely the end of a chapter. Overall it was good.

Awsome


(5 stars)

Thanks for the REH stories, they're great. Hope you'll do lots more. Regards from Holland. Rowie

Exciting


(5 stars)

Read well and a good story. Make me want to read more from this author