Short Story: The Devil in Iron

Premise
A haunted sea, a lonely island, and an ancient thing of bronze set the stage for a tense, atmospheric Conan adventure. The story opens as the barbarian becomes entangled in a scheme driven by greed and occult curiosity: a remote islet, abandoned civilizations, and a long-slumbering artifact are dragged back into the light by human ambition. The situation quickly escalates when the artifact is reanimated and begins to act with a terrible, inhuman purpose, forcing Conan to confront both mortal treachery and a supernatural force of antiquity.
The tale combines straightforward sword-and-sorcery action with pulpy horror, contrasting the practical, violent resourcefulness of Conan with the cold, ritualistic malice that can arise when men play with powers they cannot control. The island acts as a crucible where human duplicity and preternatural menace collide, and Conan's instincts for survival and combat are tested to their limits.

Plot Summary
Conan's arrival on the island is the kind that leads to trouble: an attempt to aid or plunder draws him into local intrigues. Wealthy collectors and secretive cultists, driven by lust for lost treasures and arcane secrets, converge on the ruin where a bronze figure lies entombed. Their scheming, born of envy, spite, and the desire to command a fallen god, sets in motion events that nobody among them can control. The villagers and would-be masters of magic are soon outmatched by forces older than their covetous designs.
When the bronze monstrosity is awakened, it proves to be more than a mere statue. It stomps across the island with remorseless power, indifferent to the petty alliances and rivalries of men. Conan, confronted by both human foes and the rampaging construct, must use every scrap of cunning and ferocity he possesses. The narrative follows his desperate, physical struggle against an enemy that is equal parts mechanical might and uncanny vitality. In the midst of fighting traitors and cultists, Conan also faces the moral chaos created by those who sought to harness an ancient horror for their own ends.
The climax brings the various strands together: human treachery is exposed and punished as the bronze terror is met with blade and wit. Conan's victory comes through a combination of brute force, tactical instinct, and his refusal to be cowed by the supernatural. The island's secret is shattered and the immediate threat ends, but the story leaves an impression of the thin line that separates civilization from primeval violence and the fragile consequences of tampering with forgotten powers.

Themes and Atmosphere
The story juxtaposes the raw, heroic individualism of Conan with the rotten sophistication of men who dally with magic. Pride, greed, and curiosity drive characters to unseal tombs and courts of old power, and those motives often prove more dangerous than the things they awaken. The bronze monstrosity functions as a literal and symbolic reminder that relics of the past may carry their own will and judgment, and that human schemes are fragile before the weight of ancient forces.
Robert E. Howard's prose in this tale emphasizes muscular action and moody setting, blending horror motifs into a brisk adventure. The island's isolation sharpens the stakes, and the dual antagonisms, human betrayal and supernatural violence, create a relentless pace. The result is a compact, violent story in which Conan's practical brutality and keen survival instincts are portrayed as the most effective tools against both men's guile and the eerie impotence of a resurrected idol.