The People Of The Black Circle

"The People of the Black Circle" is a thrilling fantasy tale by Robert E. Howard, set in the mysterious East. It follows Conan as he becomes entangled in a high-stakes kidnapping involving a powerful sorcerer and a beautiful princess. Political intrigue and dark magic collide in this gripping adventure.

In the kingdom of Vendhya, the king has just died, struck down by the spells of the black prophets of Yimsha. The king’s sister, Yasmina, decides to avenge him…and contacts Conan, then chief of the Afghuli tribe. But several of Conan’s warriors have just been killed by the men of the kingdom of Vendhya, further complicating the matter. The princess thought she could use the Cimmerian, but rather it is she who will serve his interests... Sylvain Runberg and prodigious designer/illustrator Jae Kwang Park adapt one of the most ambitious and complex Conan stories of Robert E. Howard. An adventure where epic battles, witchcraft and plots mingle in a mystical and scary Orient. Where revenge is an art…

Regarded by critics and fans alike as one of the most thrilling and tightly plotted of the Conan the Barbarian tales, The People of the Black Circle has the intrepid warrior absconding with a beautiful princess and desperately trying to foil a plot of world domination that has been hatched by a nefarious cabal of ruthless killers.Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery sub-genre. Voracious reading, along with a natural talent for prose writing and the encouragement of teachers, created in Howard an interest in becoming a professional writer. From the age of nine he began writing stories, mostly tales of historical fiction centering on Vikings, Arabs, battles, and bloodshed. One by one he discovered the authors that would influence his later work: Jack London and his stories of reincarnation and past lives, most notably The Star Rover; Rudyard Kipling's tales of subcontinent adventure and his chanting, shamanic verse; the classic mythological tales collected by Thomas Bulfinch. Howard was considered by friends to be eidetic, and astounded them with his ability to memorize lengthy reams of poetry with ease after one or two readings.

Alexandre Kojève (1902–1968) was an important and provocative thinker. Born in Russia, he spent most of his life in France. His interpretation of Hegel and his notorious declaration that history had come to an end exerted great influence on French thinkers and writers such as Raymond Aron, Georges Bataille, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jacques Lacan, and Raymond Queneau. An unorthodox Marxist, he was a critic of Martin Heidegger and interlocutor of Leo Strauss who played a significant role in establishing the European Economic Community; a polyglot with many unusual interests, he wrote works, mostly unpublished in his lifetime, on quantum physics, the problem of the infinite, Buddhism, atheism, and Vassily Kandinsky’s paintings. In The Black Circle, Jeff Love reinterprets Kojève’s works, showing him to be an essential thinker who challenged modern society and its valuation of individuality, self-interest, and freedom from death. Emphasizing Kojève’s neglected Russian roots, The Black Circle puts him in the context of the late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Russian debates over the proper ends of human life. Love explores notions of perfection, freedom, and finality in Kojève’s account of Hegel and his neglected later works, clarifying Kojève’s emancipatory thinking and the meaning of the oft-misinterpreted “end of history.” Combining intellectual history, close textual analysis, and philosophy, The Black Circle reveals Kojève’s thought as a profound critique of capitalist individualism and a timely meditation on human freedom.

Before Robert Jordan conquered the bestseller lists with his phenomenally successful Wheel of Time series, he revived the legendary fantasy hero, Conan the Cimmerian. These widely acclaimed adventures introduced the world-famous barbarian to a new generation of readers. This volume contains three tales, CONAN THE INVISIBLE, CONAN THE DEFENDER and CONAN THE UNCONQUERED, all of which feature the storytelling magic and epic splendour that have made Robert Jordan one of the best-loved fantasy authors of all time.

Winner, CODE’s 2016 Burt Award for First Nation, Inuit and Métis Literature In this important graphic novel, two brothers surrounded by poverty, drug abuse, and gang violence, try to overcome centuries of historic trauma in very different ways to bring about positive change in their lives. Pete, a young Indigenous man wrapped up in gang violence, lives with his younger brother, Joey, and his mother who is a heroin addict. One night, Pete and his mother’s boyfriend, Dennis, get into a big fight, which sends Dennis to the morgue and Pete to jail. Initially, Pete keeps up ties to his crew, until a jail brawl forces him to realize the negative influence he has become on Joey, which encourages him to begin a process of rehabilitation that includes traditional Indigenous healing circles and ceremonies. Powerful, courageous, and deeply moving, The Outside Circle is drawn from the author’s twenty years of work and research on healing and reconciliation of gang-affiliated or incarcerated Indigenous men.

Savage tales of the iconic barbarian! When an agent of the dreaded Black Seers of Yimsha assassinates the king of Vendhya, the king's sister Yasmina inherits the throne -- and vows vengeance! But her plans against the Black Seers are derailed when she is kidnapped -- by Conan?! Before long the Cimmerian has ruthless mercenaries, vengeance-crazed tribesmen, sinister sorcerers and an entire army hard on his heels -- and that's just how he likes it! Plus, Conan's journeys continue, taking him from the Exiled Lands to Hesterm and beyond. Thieves, demons, warriors and more all await him -- and all will fall prey to his savage sword! COLLECTING: Conan and the People of the Black Circle (2013) 1-4; Conan: Children of the Sun (2012) 1; Conan: Exiles (2017) 1; material from Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword (2010) 1-4, 6-10; Dark Horse Presents (2014) 21

C.1, GENERAL FUNDS, SAM'S, 3/23/2010, $12.99.