Two of the most famous contributors to the Conan legend present the official novel of Conan the Barbarian, the seminal fantasy film written by John Milius and Oliver Stone.

In the novel by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, the Cimmerian youth Conan witnesses the death of his parents at the hands of Thulsa Doom, a priest of Set. Enslaved, he is trained as a gladiator. Gaining his freedom he allies with Subotai, a Hyrkanian archer, and a skilled swordswoman thief named Valeria. Together they raid the Tower of the Serpent, and then Conan breaks away to seek the cult of Doom—and revenge on the sorcerer who leads it.