3 h 33 minAudiobook10 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 87 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 87 pagesAbout this book
What if the shelter you find is a city that lives only for revenge?
Valeria refuses to live under anyone’s control. When Conan follows her into a remote wilderness, a huge creature forces them to fight for survival. Then they reach Xuchotl, an enclosed city whose halls and chambers promise shelter but hide dangers neither warrior understands.
In Robert E. Howard’s Red Nails, the rival Tecuhltli and Xotalanc devote themselves to a murderous feud. Techotl’s gratitude draws the outsiders into his people’s struggle, where their swords make them valuable allies. But Conan and Valeria have no inherited loyalty here. They want to stay alive and keep their freedom.
What you’ll discover
- A city consumed by revenge Enter dark passages and vast chambers where uneasy hospitality carries the threat of violence.
- Two fiercely independent warriors Follow Conan and Valeria as courage and suspicion guide them through a deadly unfamiliar world.
- Revenge made visible Discover the red nails that count fallen enemies and reveal a society consumed by hatred.
- Danger beyond the wilderness Feel the tension shift from a creature’s attack to deliberate human cruelty and sorcerous traps.
- Freedom against inherited hatred Explore the clash between warriors determined to remain free and people bound to mutual destruction.
Who will love it
Readers who love swordplay, monsters and lost cities, and who enjoy a headstrong heroine and a barbarian hero trading insults while the walls close in. It suits anyone who likes tales of peril, sorcery and sharp action.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A pirate flees into the silent forest
- Poison turns the dragon's own forest against it
- The city of jade has no streets
- A feud that has lasted fifty years
- Night brings treachery inside the walls
- What the story is about and how it is told
Who’s who
- ConanA Cimmerian barbarian and former pirate and mercenary, strong and cunning, who has followed Valeria into the forest and wants to reach a ship at the coast.
- ValeriaA fierce Aquilonian swordswoman of the Red Brotherhood who refuses protection from any man and is running from the Stygians after killing an officer.
- TechotlA lean, frightened but loyal warrior of Tecuhltli who guides the strangers to his clan and seeks vengeance on the Xotalancas.
- OlmecThe bearded giant who rules Tecuhltli, bargains with the strangers, and wants victory over the Xotalancas and something more for himself.
- TascelaA beautiful and chilling princess of Tecuhltli whose burning eyes hold secrets and who watches Valeria from the moment she arrives.
- YasalaTascela's sullen maid, who tries to drug Valeria in the night and will not say who sent her.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Red Nails
by Robert E. Howard · 1936
Conan and Valeria flee a dragon and find a jeweled city where two clans fight a feud to the last man.
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In short
Red Nails is a sword and sorcery tale by Robert E. Howard, the Texas writer who gave the world Conan the Cimmerian.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A pirate flees into the silent forest
The story opens on Valeria of the Red Brotherhood, who has ridden for days through a forest where no bird sings. She is tall, golden haired and sea eyed, dressed in silk breeches and soft boots, with a sword on one hip and a dirk on the other. Her horse is spent, so she ties it beside a pool and climbs a dark crag to see what lies beyond the trees.
On a rock shelf near the top she finds a human skeleton with no broken bones. She cannot guess why a man would climb up there to die. From the high spire she sees only a green ocean of treetops, until she turns south. A mile away the forest ends, and on a cactus plain stand the walls and towers of a city. It is an astonishing sight so far from any outpost of civilization.
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What is Red Nails about?
It follows Conan the Cimmerian and the pirate Valeria as they flee through a forest of dragons and reach the strange city of Xuchotl, where two clans have fought a feud for fifty years.
Who is Valeria of the Red Brotherhood?
Valeria is an Aquilonian pirate and swordswoman who left a Stygian border camp after killing an officer. She is proud and quick with her blade, and she resents anyone who tries to protect her.
What are the red nails in the story?
They are copper nails driven into a black ebony pillar in the throne room of Tecuhltli. Each one marks an enemy killed in the feud, so the pillar becomes a grim record of the clan's hatred.
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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