Cover image for Ablaze’s comic edition of Beyond the Black River.

I recently discovered that there are a number of works by Robert E. Howard available for free on Gutenberg. On my recent trip to Spain to see the eclipse I read Beyond the Black River for the first time.

I have read a number of Conan stories before and would consider them a problematic fave – brilliant story and atmosphere with a mythic feel, but sexism and racism abound. So I was surprised by the novella’s take on the colonialist endeavour:

‘The best land near Thunder River is already taken,’ grunted the slayer. ‘Plenty of good land between Scalp Creek—you crossed it a few miles back—and the fort, but that’s getting too devilish close to the river. The Picts steal over to burn and murder—as that one did. They don’t always come singly.

‘Some day they’ll try to sweep the settlers out of Conajohara. And they may succeed—probably will succeed. This colonization business is mad, anyway. There’s plenty of good land east of the Bossonian marches. If the Aquilonians would cut up some of the big estates of their barons, and plant wheat where now only deer are hunted, they wouldn’t have to cross the border and take the land of the Picts away from them.’