15 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What use is a sharp blade in a lonely place where old magic stirs beneath the moon?
In Robert E. Howard’s Shadows in the Moonlight, Conan is a wanderer and fighter far from any city he knows. A strange stretch of land draws him into danger, where moonlight and old magic make appearances uncertain. Survival calls for more than strength: he needs wit as well as steel.
The ancient Hyborian world is a place of fallen kingdoms, scattered ruins and threats that muscle cannot easily overcome. Conan meets it on his own terms, guided by his own rules. This short, headlong adventure brings the barbarian’s fierce appetite for life against the uncanny, with survival at its heart.
What you’ll discover
- A fighter beyond familiar ground Follow Conan into a strange place far from the cities he knows.
- Moonlight and old magic Enter a lonely landscape where what you see may not be what it seems.
- More than raw strength Discover an adventure that puts wit beside steel when danger closes in.
- A world beneath ruins Explore an imagined age where traces of older times lie scattered across the wilds.
- Survival without soft edges Feel the urgency of a violent, fast-moving tale built around staying alive.
Who will love it
This is for readers who love sword fights, haunted ruins, and heroes of few words. It suits anyone who enjoys sea adventure, pirate crews, and eerie moonlit mysteries.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Olivia must trust someone she fears
- Two outcasts begin a shared journey
- The island offers shelter and danger
- A dream becomes a warning
- Treachery overturns Conan's victory
- Olivia acts despite her fear
- Actions reveal character beyond social labels
- Small signs make dread grow
- The refuge becomes a watching presence
Who’s who
- ConanA Cimmerian barbarian and survivor of a slaughtered raiding band, he fights fiercely, speaks plainly, and wants vengeance, food, and a ship under his command.
- OliviaA daughter of the King of Ophir, sold into slavery and then on the run, she wants safety and freedom from the men who use her.
- Shah AmurathThe Hyrkanian lord of Akif, cultured and cruel, he hunts down the runaway Olivia and wants to keep her as his captive.
- Sergius of KhroshaA huge, shaved-headed Kothian pirate chief who holds a grudge against Conan and wants to skin him alive.
- AratusA rat-faced Brythunian pirate who invokes the Brotherhood's rules to deny Conan the captaincy, quarrels with Ivanos, and wants Conan dead.
- IvanosA lean Corinthian pirate who stands up for Conan mainly out of spite for Aratus, and who bends with the wind.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- 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.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook opens when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Shadows in the Moonlight in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Shadows in the Moonlight
by Robert E. Howard · 1934
A runaway princess and a mud-caked Cimmerian share an island where black iron statues wait for the moon.
Medium levelUnder 2 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeRenews every year · Cancel anytimeHow it works
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What would you do if the only man who could protect you were the kind of man you had been taught to fear? That is the question facing Olivia, a king's daughter, in the opening pages of Shadows in the Moonlight.
Shadows in the Moonlight at a glance
- Reading time
- About 50 min40 min fast, 1 h slow
- Length
- 11,600 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1934by Robert E. Howard
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A runaway meets a madman at the water
The story opens in motion. Horses crash through tall reeds beside the Vilayet Sea, and a slender girl falls from a dying mount. She is Olivia, and she has fled the palace of Shah Amurath, the Hyrkanian lord of Akif. He rides after her on a desert stallion and catches her around midday.
Shah Amurath enjoys cruelty. She begs to know how long her torment will last, and he answers that it will last as long as he enjoys her tears. He wears fine silver mail, speaks in smooth words, and smiles like a gentleman. Polish and kindness are not the same thing.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1934
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 50 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Howard, Robert E. Shadows in the Moonlight. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/shadows-in-the-moonlight.
Howard, R. E. (2026). Shadows in the moonlight. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/shadows-in-the-moonlight (Original work published 1934)
Howard, Robert E. Shadows in the Moonlight. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/shadows-in-the-moonlight.
@book{howard2026shadows,
author = {Howard, Robert E.},
title = {Shadows in the Moonlight},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/shadows-in-the-moonlight},
note = {First published 1934}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every eBookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Shadows in the Moonlight
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Shadows in the Moonlight about?
It follows Conan the Cimmerian and Olivia, a runaway princess, as they escape a Hyrkanian lord by boat and land on a Vilayet Sea island. There they meet pirates, an unseen thrower of stones, and a ruined hall of iron statues.
Who is Olivia in the Conan story?
Olivia is the daughter of the King of Ophir. Her father sold her to a Shemite chief after she refused a prince of Koth, and she ends up in the palace of Shah Amurath before escaping with Conan.
What do the iron statues in the ruins mean?
Olivia dreams that they were once living black warriors turned to metal by a godlike figure, and that the moon wakes them. The pirates' account of flame-eyed attackers confirms the danger, and the statues become the story's main source of supernatural dread.
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.
More by Robert E. Howard
See all their booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
