‘The Tower of the Elephant’ – Robert E. Howard

I was in the office yesterday so needed a little light reading, on my phone, for the journey home (I managed to sleep the whole way into work which was a nice bonus). I’d usually go for a Black Library short story but realised that it had been an absolute age since I’d read anything by Robert E. Howard, ‘Conan’ in particular, so… A few minutes browsing Amazon later and I decided on ‘The Tower of the Elephant’, a story that I’ll admit, I wasn’t too keen on last time I read it but I knew the story and after the day I’d had… I wasn’t in the mood for anything new, I wanted something that I could read but not necessarily have to concentrate on too much. So that was my read on the way home, and for a few minutes after I got back to mine, and you know what? It was a lot better than I remembered 😊

I’m sure you all know the story but if you don’t…

Conan is drinking in a particularly disreputable tavern when he overhears a conversation about the treasures to be found in the Tower of the Elephant. All he needs to do is gain entrance to the Tower and ensure that he doesn’t gain the attention of the Sorcerer Yara, known for his power and his willingness to use it for evil ends…

Entering the tower is easy but once he is inside, can Conan stay alive long enough to learn the secret of the Tower of the Elephant…?

Well, the answer is yes, of course he can, but that’s really besides the point in a Conan tale. We know that Conan can face down any obstacle in his path, the joy comes in watching just how he does it, whether it’s by strength of iron or a barbarian’s guile. Or, in the case of ‘The Tower of the Elephant’, Conan’s willingness to accept the unknown over ‘civilisation’ as a part of his own code of honour. The story itself is relatively straightforward but with a lot more to it than you’d think. Every step Conan takes, gaining entrance to the Tower and once he’s inside, is a challenge that Conan might not be able to manage. I mean to say, he does manage it but the threats are unknown and Howard not only draws that tension out but leaves his readers in no doubt that we’re dealing with something prety special with Conan. He may be naïve to the ways of civilisation but his barbarian upbringing leaves him uniquely place to tackle situations that a more civilised man would fall foul of. Plus, all of it makes for amazing spectacle, just how ‘sword and sorcery’ needs to be.

The secret of the Tower (which again, I’m sure you all know but just in case you don’t, I won’t spoil it) is cleverly employed by Howard, not only to teach us a lesson about not judging everything by its looks but also as a worldbuilding exercise that gives Conan’s world a little context and history. It’s not quite cosmic horror but it’s not far off and I really enjoyed it.

Last time I read ‘The Tower of the Elephant’, I came away feeling that Conan hadn’t had much of a challenge. Reading it now, I can see that wasn’t true at all; Conan faces up to a lot (both in and outside the Tower) over the course of the tale and it all made for a gripping tale that I’m glad I came back to. I’ll have to dig out my Fantasy Masterworks books again and dip into a few more short stories.