8 h 11 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 11 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What is a king worth when his crown is gone and his sword cannot defeat the enemy?
In Robert E. Howard’s The Hour of the Dragon, Conan rules Aquilonia by strength, not birthright. But enemies turn war and ancient sorcery against him. They restore the sorcerer Xaltotun to life, and Conan loses his throne to a power that courage alone cannot overcome.
Imprisoned, Conan finds help in Zenobia, a young woman willing to risk her life for him. Beyond captivity lies hostile country and a dangerous pursuit of the Heart of Ahriman. This powerful jewel offers an answer to Xaltotun’s magic, but reclaiming a kingdom demands more than a strong sword arm.
What you’ll discover
- A king without his crown Follow Conan as he draws on his past as a warrior, thief, and wanderer.
- Sorcery beyond the battlefield Face Xaltotun, whose ambitions reach far beyond the plans of those who summon him.
- Courage in a prison Meet Zenobia, whose choice to help Conan places her own safety at risk.
- The hunt for a jewel Pursue the Heart of Ahriman through dangers that carry Conan far beyond Aquilonia.
- More than brute strength Discover how memory, patience, and a keen eye for courage matter alongside steel.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy sword and sorcery, fast chases, daring escapes and a fierce hero who fights his way through kingdoms, pirate ships and haunted temples.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Four plotters wake a dead wizard
- A plague, a battle, and a falling cliff
- Chained in the pits, Conan fights free
- A witch shows the king his fallen realm
- Conan walks into the Iron Tower
- The hunt for the jewel leads south
- Amra the corsair sails into Stygia
- Barbarian instinct stands against ancient sorcery
- Kingship rests on loyalty, not blood
- A story told in fast scenes and strong images
Who’s who
- ConanThe Cimmerian barbarian who has become king of Aquilonia. He fights to win back his stolen throne and to find the one jewel that can beat a wizard.
- XaltotunA priest of Set from ancient Acheron, brought back from the dead. He serves the plotters in public and follows his own dark plans in private.
- ValeriusThe yellow-haired heir of Aquilonia's old dynasty. He takes the throne with Nemedian help and rules with a bitter, dangerous hatred of everyone around him.
- TarascusThe ambitious brother of the Nemedian king who seizes the crown after the plague. He fears the wizard he helped to raise and plots against him.
- AmalricThe wealthy baron of Tor who commands the Nemedian army and plans to use both kings and the wizard to win an emperor's throne.
- ZenobiaA slave girl in the palace at Belverus who has loved Conan from afar. She risks her life to free him from the pits.
- ZelataA mountain witch who shelters Conan and lives with a great gray wolf. She shows Conan visions of his kingdom and gives him a riddle.
- HadrathusA calm priest of the outlawed Asura cult in Tarantia. He shelters Conan and tells him why the Heart of Ahriman matters so much.
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The Hour of the Dragon
by Robert E. Howard · 1935
A dead wizard wakes in Belverus, and Conan must find a jewel to win back his stolen throne.
Medium level5–10 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
What if the man who takes your crown cannot be killed by any sword? That is the problem facing Conan, king of Aquilonia, in The Hour of the Dragon.
The Hour of the Dragon at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 50 min3 h 50 min fast, 5 h 45 min slow
- Length
- 69,000 words22 chapters
- Pages
- 201 pages303 in large print
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1935by 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
Four plotters wake a dead wizard
The book opens with a ritual. Four men stand around a green sarcophagus in the city of Belverus, each holding a black candle. Orastes, a priest thrown out of his order for dabbling in black magic, lays a blazing red jewel on a withered mummy. The jewel is the Heart of Ahriman, and it brings the body back to life.
The man who rises is Xaltotun, once high priest of Set in the empire of Acheron, which fell three thousand years ago. The three other men each want something. Tarascus wants Nemedia, Valerius wants Aquilonia, and Amalric wants power behind them both. Together they ask the wizard to clear the way.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1935
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 20 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Howard, Robert E. The Hour of the Dragon. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hour-of-the-dragon.
Howard, R. E. (2026). The hour of the dragon. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hour-of-the-dragon (Original work published 1935)
Howard, Robert E. The Hour of the Dragon. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hour-of-the-dragon.
@book{howard2026hour,
author = {Howard, Robert E.},
title = {The Hour of the Dragon},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hour-of-the-dragon},
note = {First published 1935}
}
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What is The Hour of the Dragon about?
It follows Conan, king of Aquilonia, after a wizard brought back from the dead helps Nemedia crush his army. Conan escapes, and he searches the world for the Heart of Ahriman, the one jewel that can match the wizard's magic.
Who is Xaltotun in The Hour of the Dragon?
Xaltotun is a priest of Set from the ancient empire of Acheron, who died three thousand years before the story. Four plotters bring him back with the Heart of Ahriman, hoping his necromancy will win them crowns.
What is the Heart of Ahriman?
It is a glowing red jewel of cosmic origin that can restore life and also destroy it. Xaltotun once guarded it against those who could wield it against him, and Conan seeks it to overcome his sorcery.
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
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