Shadows in the Skull

This article is about a short story. For the protagonist and principal character, see Conan the Barbarian.

"Shadows in the Skull"

Author	L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Conan the Barbarian
Genre(s)	Fantasy short story
Published in	Conan of Aquilonia
Publication type	Collection
Publisher	Ace Books
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Publication date	1977

"Shadows in the Skull" is a short story by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter featuring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian created by Robert E. Howard. It was first published in the February 1975 issue of the magazine Fantastic, and was first appeared in book form by Ace Books in the paperback collection Conan of Aquilonia in May 1977, which was reprinted several timesthrough 1994. The first British edition was published by Sphere Books in October 1978.

Plot summary

Aided by Zembabwean Wyvern-riders and black Amazons, King Conan of Aquilonia and his son Prince Conn track their arch-foe, Stygian sorcerer Thoth-Amon, to the extreme southern end of the Hyborian continent.

The sorcerer has taken refuge with the last remnants of the evil Serpent Men, shape-changers who have menaced mankind throughout its prehistory. Conan's host locates their skull-cave redoubt, only to fall victim to their ploy of emulating beautiful Stygian women.

His final battle with Thoth-Amon in the sorcerer's own domain proves as hard-fought as their previous encounters, but is ultimately successful at ridding the world of the fiend. It is in fact Conan's 13-years old son Conn who deals the death blow to his father's old arch-enemy.

References

Laughlin, Charlotte; Daniel J. H. Levack (1983). De Camp: An L. Sprague de Camp Bibliography. San Francisco: Underwood/Miller. p. 239.
Shadows in the Skull title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Preceded by "Red Moon of Zembabwei"	Complete Conan Saga (William Galen Gray chronology)	Succeeded by Conan of the Isles

Conan the Barbarian

Stories, books

Books	Conan (books)

Original works by Robert E. Howard	"Beyond the Black River" "Black Colossus" "The Black Stranger" "Cimmeria" "The Devil in Iron" "Drums of Tombalku" "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" "The God in the Bowl" "The Hall of the Dead" "The Hand of Nergal" The Hour of the Dragon "Jewels of Gwahlur" "The People of the Black Circle" "The Phoenix on the Sword" "The Pool of the Black One" "Queen of the Black Coast" "Red Nails" "Rogues in the House" "The Scarlet Citadel" "Shadows in the Moonlight" "Shadows in Zamboula" "The Slithering Shadow" "The Snout in the Dark" "The Tower of the Elephant" "The Vale of Lost Women" "A Witch Shall be Born" "Wolves Beyond the Border"

Non-Howard works (some based on non- Conan Howard works)	"Black Sphinx of Nebthu" "Black Tears" "The Blood-Stained God" "The Castle of Terror" "The City of Skulls" Conan and the Amazon Conan and the Death Lord of Thanza Conan and the Emerald Lotus Conan and the Gods of the Mountain Conan and the Grim Grey God Conan and the Manhunters Conan and the Mists of Doom Conan and the Shaman's Curse Conan and the Sorcerer Conan and the Spider God Conan and the Treasure of Python Conan at the Demon's Gate Conan, Lord of the Black River Conan of the Isles Conan of the Red Brotherhood Conan of Venarium Conan, Scourge of the Bloody Coast Conan the Barbarian (1982) Conan the Barbarian (2011) Conan the Bold Conan the Buccaneer Conan the Champion Conan the Defender Conan the Defiant Conan the Destroyer Conan the Fearless Conan the Formidable Conan the Free Lance Conan the Gladiator Conan the Great Conan the Guardian Conan the Hero Conan the Hunter Conan the Indomitable Conan the Invincible Conan the Liberator Conan the Magnificent Conan the Marauder Conan the Mercenary Conan the Outcast Conan the Raider Conan the Rebel Conan the Relentless Conan the Renegade Conan the Rogue Conan the Savage Conan the Triumphant Conan the Unconquered Conan the Valiant Conan the Valorous Conan the Victorious Conan the Warlord "The Curse of the Monolith" "Death-Song of Conan the Cimmerian" "The Flame Knife" "The Gem in the Tower" "Hawks over Shem" "The Ivory Goddess" "The Lair of the Ice Worm" "Legions of the Dead" "Moon of Blood" "The People of the Summit" "Red Moon of Zembabwei" The Return of Conan The Road of Kings "The Road of the Eagles" "Shadows in the Dark" "Shadows in the Skull" "The Star of Khorala" The Sword of Skelos "The Thing in the Crypt" "The Witch of the Mists"

Collections	Black Colossus The Bloody Crown of Conan The Coming of Conan The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian The Complete Chronicles of Conan Conan The Conan Chronicles (Howard et al) The Conan Chronicles (Jordan) The Conan Chronicles, 1 The Conan Chronicles 2 The Conan Chronicles, 2 The Conan Chronicles II Conan of Aquilonia Conan of Cimmeria Conan the Adventurer Conan the Avenger Conan the Barbarian (1954) Conan the Barbarian (2011) Conan the Freebooter Conan the Swordsman Conan the Usurper Conan the Wanderer Conan the Warrior The Conquering Sword of Conan The Devil in Iron The Essential Conan The Further Chronicles of Conan Jewels of Gwahlur King Conan The People of the Black Circle The Pool of the Black One Queen of the Black Coast Red Nails Rogues in the House Sagas of Conan The Sword of Conan Tales of Conan The Tower of the Elephant The Treasure of Tranicos

Scholarship	The Blade of Conan The Conan Grimoire The Conan Reader The Conan Swordbook The Spell of Conan

Authors

Creator	Robert E. Howard

Later authors	Poul Anderson Leonard Carpenter Lin Carter L. Sprague de Camp Roland J. Green John C. Hocking Robert Jordan Sean A. Moore Björn Nyberg Andrew J. Offutt Steve Perry John Maddox Roberts Michael A. Stackpole Roy Thomas Harry Turtledove Karl Edward Wagner

Other media

Television	Conan the Adventurer (animated series) Conan and the Young Warriors Conan the Adventurer (TV series)

Film	Conan the Barbarian (1982) Conan the Destroyer (1984) Kull the Conqueror (1997) Conan the Barbarian (2011) The Legend of Conan (2016)

Comics	Conan (comics) Conan (Marvel Comics) Conan (Dark Horse Comics) Savage Sword of Conan

Games	Age of Conan (Rise of the Godslayer) Conan (2004) Conan (2007) Conan: Hall of Volta Conan: The Mysteries of Time Conan Against Darkness! Conan Collectible Card Game Conan Role-Playing Game Conan: The Roleplaying Game Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of Conan the Buccaneer Conan the Mercenary Conan Triumphant Conan Unchained!

Setting

Characters	Bêlit Conan the Barbarian Kulan Gath Queen Taramis Red Sonja Serpent Men Thoth-Amon Thulsa Doom Valeria Vammatar Xaltotun Zenobia

Deities	Crom Mitra Set

World	Hyborian Age Aquilonia Cimmeria Acheron Empire

Chronology	The Hyborian Age Conan Chronologies

Kull	Thurian Age

Red Sonja	"The Shadow of the Vulture"

References	Cohen the Barbarian Conan the Librarian

Works by L. Sprague de Camp

Viagens Interplanetarias

Krishna	"Finished" (1949) "Perpetual Motion" (1950) The Queen of Zamba (1949) "Calories" (1951) The Hand of Zei (1950) The Hostage of Zir (1977) The Prisoner of Zhamanak (1982) The Virgin of Zesh (1953) The Bones of Zora (1983) The Tower of Zanid (1958) The Swords of Zinjaban (1991)

Kukulkan	The Stones of Nomuru (1988) The Venom Trees of Sunga (1992)

Other	"The Animal-Cracker Plot" (1949) "The Colorful Character" (1949) "The Continent Makers" (1951) "The Galton Whistle" (1951) "Git Along!" (1950) "The Inspector's Teeth" (1950) Rogue Queen (1951) "Summer Wear" (1950)

Collections	The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens (1953) The Virgin of Zesh & The Tower of Zanid (1983)

Harold Shea (with Fletcher Pratt and others)

de Camp/ Pratt canon	"The Roaring Trumpet" (1940) "The Mathematics of Magic" (1940) The Castle of Iron (1941/50) "The Wall of Serpents" (1953) "The Green Magician" (1954) "Sir Harold and the Gnome King" (1990) "Sir Harold of Zodanga" (1995)

Collections	The Incomplete Enchanter (1941) Wall of Serpents (collection) (1960) The Compleat Enchanter (1975) The Complete Compleat Enchanter (1989) The Enchanter Reborn (1992) The Exotic Enchanter (1995) The Mathematics of Magic (2007)

Pusadian series

Stories	The Tritonian Ring (1951) "The Eye of Tandyla" (1951) "The Owl and the Ape" (1951) "The Hungry Hercynian" (1953) "The Stone of the Witch Queen" (1977) "Ka the Appalling" (1958) "The Rug and the Bull" (1974) "The Stronger Spell" (1953)

Collections	The Tritonian Ring and Other Pusadian Tales (1953)

Novarian series

Stories	"The Emperor's Fan" (1973) The Fallible Fiend (1973) The Goblin Tower (1968) The Clocks of Iraz (1971) The Unbeheaded King (1983) The Honorable Barbarian (1989)

Collections	The Reluctant King (1985)

Neo-Napolitanian series

Novels	The Incorporated Knight (1987) The Pixilated Peeress (1991)

Conan series (with Robert E. Howard and others)

Novels	Conan and the Spider God (1980) Conan of the Isles (1968) Conan the Barbarian (1982) Conan the Buccaneer (1971) Conan the Liberator (1979) The Return of Conan (1957)

Short stories	"Black Sphinx of Nebthu" (1973) "The Treasure of Tranicos" (1953) "Black Tears" (1968) "The Blood-Stained God" (1955) "The Castle of Terror" (1969) "The City of Skulls" (1967) "The Curse of the Monolith" (1968) "Drums of Tombalku" (1966) The Flame Knife (1955/81) "The Frost Giant's Daughter" Conan (1953) "The Gem in the Tower" (1978) "The God in the Bowl" (1952) "The Hall of the Dead" (1967) "Hawks Over Shem" (1955) "The Ivory Goddess" (1978) "The Lair of the Ice Worm" (1969) "Legions of the Dead" (1978) "Moon of Blood" (1978) "The People of the Summit" (1970/78) "Red Moon of Zembabwei" (1974) "The Road of the Eagles" (1955) "Shadows in the Dark" (1978) "Shadows in the Skull" (1975) "The Snout in the Dark" (1969) "The Star of Khorala" (1978) "The Thing in the Crypt" (1967) "The Witch of the Mists" (1972) "Wolves Beyond the Border" (1967)

Collections	Conan (1967) The Conan Chronicles (1989) The Conan Chronicles 2 (1990) Conan of Aquilonia (1977) Conan of Cimmeria (1969) Conan the Adventurer (1966) Conan the Avenger (1968) Conan the Freebooter (1968) Conan the Swordsman (1978) Conan the Usurper (1967) Conan the Wanderer (1968) Sagas of Conan (2004) Tales of Conan (1955) The Treasure of Tranicos (1980)

Other speculative fiction

Novels	The Carnelian Cube (1948) Genus Homo (1950) The Glory That Was (1960) The Great Fetish (1978) Land of Unreason (1942) Lest Darkness Fall (1941) None But Lucifer (1939) Solomon's Stone (1942)

Short stories	"Aristotle and the Gun" (1958) "The Blue Giraffe" (1939) "The Command" (1938) "Divide and Rule" (1939) "Employment" (1939) "The Gnarly Man" (1939) "A Gun for Dinosaur" (1956) "The Hardwood Pile" (1940) "Hyperpilosity" (1938) "Internal Combustion" (1956) "The Isolinguals" (1937) "Judgment Day" (1955) "Living Fossil" (1939) "The Merman" (1938) "Nothing in the Rules" (1939) "The Reluctant Shaman" (1947) "The Stolen Dormouse" (1941) "The Wheels of If" (1940)

Collections	Aristotle and the Gun (2002) The Best of L. Sprague de Camp (1978) Divide and Rule (1948) Footprints on Sand (1981) A Gun for Dinosaur (1963) The Purple Pterodactyls (1980) The Reluctant Shaman (1970) Rivers of Time (1993) Scribblings (1972) Sprague de Camp's New Anthology (1953) Tales from Gavagan's Bar (1953/78) The Undesired Princess (1951) The Virgin & the Wheels (1976) The Wheels of If (1948) Years in the Making (2005)

Historical fiction

Novels	The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate (1961) The Arrows of Hercules (1965) An Elephant for Aristotle (1958) The Bronze God of Rhodes (1960) The Golden Wind (1969)

Fiction edited

Anthologies	The Fantastic Swordsmen (1967) The Spell of Seven (1965) Swords and Sorcery (1963) Tales Beyond Time (1973) 3000 Years of Fantasy and Science Fiction (1972) Warlocks and Warriors (1970)

Single author	Conan the Conqueror (1967) Conan the Warrior (1967) The Wolf Leader (1950)

Nonfiction

Science and history	The Ancient Engineers (1963) Ancient Ruins and Archaeology (1964) Antarctic Conquest (1949) The Ape-Man Within (1995) Darwin and His Great Discovery (1972) The Day of the Dinosaur (1968) Elephant (1964) Energy and Power (1962) Engines (1959) The Evolution of Naval Weapons (1947) The Fringe of the Unknown (1983) Great Cities of the Ancient World (1972) The Great Monkey Trial (1968) The Heroic Age of American Invention (1961) Inventions and Their Management (1937) Man and Power (1961) The Ragged Edge of Science (1980) Rubber Dinosaurs and Wooden Elephants (1996) Spirits, Stars, and Spells (1966) The Story of Science in America (1967)

Lit crit and biography	Blond Barbarians and Noble Savages (1975) The Conan Reader (1968) Dark Valley Destiny (1983) Lands Beyond (1952) Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers (1976) Lost Continents (1954) Lovecraft: A Biography (1975) The Miscast Barbarian (1975) Science-Fiction Handbook (1953/75) Time and Chance (1996)

Nonfiction edited

Multi-author	The Blade of Conan (1979) The Conan Grimoire (1972) The Conan Swordbook (1969) The Spell of Conan (1980)

Single author	To Quebec and the Stars (1976)

Poetry

Demons and Dinosaurs (1970) Heroes and Hobgoblins (1981) Phantoms and Fancies (1972)

Works by Lin Carter

Callisto series

The Green Star Saga

Thongor series

The Wizard of Lemuria (1965/69)
Thongor and the Dragon City (1966/70)
Thongor Against the Gods (1967)
Thongor in the City of Magicians (1968)
Thongor at the End of Time (1968)
Thongor Fights the Pirates of Tarakus (1970)
Young Thongor (2012)
The Sword of Thongor (Robert M. Price) (2016)

Conan series

Novels	Conan of the Isles (1968) Conan the Barbarian (1982) Conan the Buccaneer (1971) Conan the Liberator (1979)

Short works	"Black Sphinx of Nebthu" (1973) "Black Tears" (1968) "The Castle of Terror" (1969) "The City of Skulls" (1967) "The Curse of the Monolith" (1968) "Death-Song of Conan the Cimmerian" (1972) "The Gem in the Tower" (1978) "The Hand of Nergal" (1967) "The Ivory Goddess" (1978) "The Lair of the Ice Worm" (1969) "Legions of the Dead" (1978) "Moon of Blood" (1978) "Red Moon of Zembabwei" (1974) "Shadows in the Dark" (1978) "Shadows in the Skull" (1975) "The Snout in the Dark" (1969) "The Thing in the Crypt" (1967) "The Witch of the Mists" (1972)

Collections	Conan (1967) The Conan Chronicles (1989) The Conan Chronicles 2 (1990) Conan of Aquilonia (1977) Conan of Cimmeria (1969) Conan the Swordsman (1978) Conan the Wanderer (1968) Sagas of Conan (2004)

Kull series

"Exile of Atlantis" (1967)
King Kull (1967)

The Gondwane Epic

The Warrior of World's End (1974)
The Enchantress of World's End (1975)
The Immortal of World's End (1976)
The Barbarian of World's End (1977)
The Pirate of World's End (1978)
Giant of World's End (1969)

The Chronicles of Kylix

Tara of the Twilight

Tara of the Twilight (1979)

Xothic Legend Cycle

The Xothic Legend Cycle: The Complete Mythos Fiction of Lin Carter (1997)

Other speculative fiction

Anthologies edited

Flashing Swords!	Flashing Swords! #1 (1973) Flashing Swords! #2 (1973) Flashing Swords! #3: Warriors and Wizards (1976) Flashing Swords! #4: Barbarians and Black Magicians (1977) Flashing Swords! #5: Demons and Daggers (1981)

The Year's Best Fantasy Stories	The Year's Best Fantasy Stories (1975) The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 2 (1976) The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 3 (1977) The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 4 (1978) The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 5 (1980) The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 6 (1980)

Weird Tales	Weird Tales #1 (1980) Weird Tales #2 (1980) Weird Tales #3 (1981) Weird Tales #4 (1983)

Other anthologies	Dragons, Elves, and Heroes (1969) The Young Magicians (1969) Golden Cities, Far (1970) The Magic of Atlantis (1970) New Worlds for Old (1971) The Spawn of Cthulhu (1971) Double Phoenix (1971) Discoveries in Fantasy (1972) Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy (1972) Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy Volume II (1973) Kingdoms of Sorcery (1976) Realms of Wizardry (1976)

Nonfiction

Tolkien: A Look Behind "The Lord of the Rings" (1969)
Lovecraft: A Look Behind the "Cthulhu Mythos" (1972)
Imaginary Worlds (1973)

Poetry

Dreams from R'lyeh (1975)

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