Shadows in Zamboula


Read by Mark Nelson

(4.6 stars; 395 reviews)

Despite a warning received in the Suq by an elderly desert nomad, Conan stays the night in a cheap tavern in Zamboula, run by Aram Baksh. As night falls, a black Darfarian cannibal enters to drag him away to be eaten. All of the Darfar slaves in the city are cannibals who roam the streets at night. As they only prey on travellers, the people of the city tolerate this and stay locked securely in their homes, while nomads and beggars make sure to spend the night at a comfortable distance from its walls. This night, however, Conan finds a naked woman chasing through the streets after her deranged lover; Conan rescues them from an attack by the cannibals. She tells him that she tried to secure her lover's unending affection via a love potion which instead made a raving lunatic of him. Promising Conan "a reward" in return for his assistance, they attempt to kill the high priest responsible for the man's madness. (Summary by Wikipedia) (1 hr 26 min)

Chapters

1 - A Drum Begins 17:22 Read by Mark Nelson
2 - The Night Skulkers 30:25 Read by Mark Nelson
3 - Black Hands Gripping 15:35 Read by Mark Nelson
4 - Dance, Girl, Dance! 23:29 Read by Mark Nelson

Reviews

One of my favorite Conan shorts


(5 stars)

What's not to like. Fantastic short Conan story with a lot of action and some really gruesome subject matter. One of Conan's best payback moments happens here. Mark Nelson does another smashing job with Conan. This one is highly recommended.


(5 stars)

This is one of Howard's "sell out" Conan tales, designed to meet the tastes of Weird Tales audiences. But it transcends the formulaic plot. Queen of the Black Coast, Red Nails, and Beyond the Black River are Conan stories where Howard is at his uncompromising best. The reader brings the tale to life so well.

literary fast food


(4.5 stars)

I love knowing exactly what I'm getting with Conan: girls with supple limbs on lithe bodies, broadswords sending heads flying like hot popcorn out of an open kettle, and wiley villians who are never quite smart enough to outthink the cunning instincts and raw courage of the titular barbarian.

By the prestigious Doctor Raycyst.


(4.5 stars)

This is extremely politically correct! It's absolutely amazing how the slaves are shown as real, genuine human beings, instead of evil rampaging, savage cannibal monsters. Not sexist at all, there are no stereotypical love-crazed women madly running naked through the streets whilst the aforementioned slaves try to kill and eat her. No women who need to be saved by big, strong men here! Amazing how prophetic this novel is of these great times of early 2022, where there are no bad things at all, and especially no viruses, and everyone is very politically correct, it's amazing how this book exactly matches all modern scientists views of minority populations. It is not RAYCYST! That's an amazingly rare achievement. As for It is read awfully and this is not sarcastic at all. Mark Nelson fails to represent transgender LatinX Americans and should never keep reading on LibriVox. His voice is very stinky bad. It is very poopy.

Good, weird, fun tho


(5 stars)

So more adventures with Conan the Barbarian. This time, he ends up in a city where the visitors need to watch their backs because there are cannibals in the area. Strangers tend to disappear. Throw in a pretty lady and Conan is on the job to discover the secrets in the land of Zamboula. Excellent reader, thanks Mark!

Action packed short story


(5 stars)

Well read as ever, some of the language may not suit woke listeners. but it's a rollicking tale and a product of when it was written.

Great short story


(4 stars)

Excellent story, great plot, detailed descriptions for a vivid experience. Strong storytelling with just the right subtle voice/accent changes for each character

hardcore


(5 stars)

this is a shorter yarn but actually one of the most violent and the ending is hair raising if you picture it 🤩