1 h 23 minAudiobook2 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In Zamboula, a room for the night can become a trap—and a rescue can lead straight into a priest’s power.
Conan arrives in Zamboula, a crowded trading city where money, religion, and political influence hold an uneasy balance. At Aram Baksh’s inn, shelter conceals a murderous threat. His sword stands between him and a gruesome death. Beyond the inn, the dark streets offer no promise of safety, and helping a stranger brings dangers that strength alone may not settle.
When Conan encounters Zabibi and a man driven into violent madness, he intervenes. She seeks help for her lover, and her account draws him toward the temple of Hanuman. There, the cruel priest Totrasmek holds power through religious authority, drugs, and intimidation. Conan must bring suspicion and practical judgment to bear in a place where elaborate threats serve calculated deception.
What you’ll discover
- A city without safety Enter streets where an inn, a doorway, or a temple can conceal violence.
- A rescue with consequences Follow Conan as helping Zabibi draws him into a struggle involving her lover and a priest.
- Power behind the temple Discover how Totrasmek uses authority and fear to make his temple a place of danger.
- Strength against intimidation Meet Baal-pteor, a formidable strangler whose confidence confronts a fighter who refuses to be overawed.
- A wary, practical hero Enjoy Conan’s blunt suspicion as he faces both physical threats and carefully calculated deception.
Who will love it
For readers who enjoy compact sword-and-sorcery adventures, dangerous city streets, sinister temples, and a hero who distrusts elaborate explanations.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
Who’s who
- ConanA wandering fighter whose strength, suspicion, and practical judgment help him survive Zamboula’s dangers.
- ZabibiA woman who seeks Conan’s help for her maddened lover and directs him toward a powerful priest.
- Aram BakshAn innkeeper who makes his guests vulnerable to the cannibals roaming the city at night.
- TotrasmekA priest of Hanuman whose influence and cruelty make his temple a place of danger.
- Baal-pteorA powerful strangler who confronts Conan inside the temple.
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Ombre a Zamboula
by Robert E. Howard · 1935
Conan enters Zamboula, where a murderous inn and a powerful priest put his strength and suspicion to the test.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Conan arrives in Zamboula, a trading city where people from different lands live under an uneasy balance of power. Money, religion, and political influence shape its public life. After dark, another set of rules takes over. A warning about the innkeeper Aram Baksh gives Conan reason to distrust his lodging, but he stays there nonetheless.
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What is Shadows in Zamboula about?
Conan survives an attempt on his life at a sinister inn, then helps a woman who says a priest has driven her lover mad. The adventure links street violence, cannibalism, religious power, and deception within the dangerous trading city of Zamboula.
Who is Zabibi in Shadows in Zamboula?
Zabibi is the woman Conan encounters after escaping the inn. She asks him to help her lover and identifies Totrasmek as the source of their trouble. Her request gives Conan a reason to enter the temple, though he has to judge her story carefully.
Is Shadows in Zamboula also called The Man-Eaters of Zamboula?
Yes. The story first appeared as Shadows in Zamboula in Weird Tales in 1935, and it has also appeared under the title The Man-Eaters of Zamboula. Both titles refer to the same Robert E. Howard adventure featuring Conan.
The author
Robert E. Howard
1906–1936 · American fantasy writer
Robert E. Howard was an American author born in Peaster, Texas, in 1906. He lived much of his life in Cross Plains, Texas, where he died in 1936. He wrote fantasy, horror, adventure stories, and poetry. His stories featuring Conan appeared in the magazine Weird Tales during the 1930s.
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