Novel: The Hour of the Dragon

Overview
"The Hour of the Dragon" is Robert E. Howard's only full-length Conan novel, originally serialized in Weird Tales in 1935. It casts Conan not merely as a wandering adventurer but as a crowned king suddenly faced with a vast conspiracy to strip him of his throne. The story blends high-stakes political intrigue with brutal action and uncanny sorcery, tracking a deposed monarch's long, hard reclaiming of honor and power.

Narrative Arc
The novel opens with Aquilonia at peace under Conan's rule, yet a shadow of conspiracy grows within its halls. Rivals among the nobility collude with foreign powers and dark priests to restore a long-dormant sorcerer whose return promises to unseat the barbarian king. Conan is betrayed, robbed of his crown and cast into exile, branded a usurper by those who crave his crown.
Stripped of kingship, Conan embarks on a globe-spanning quest that takes him from ruined cities to treacherous deserts and the sorcerous courts of Stygia. He survives by guile, steel and sheer force of will, gathering allies and testing enemies in a series of episodic adventures that all move toward the central goal: the recovery of his crown and the defense of Aquilonia against a supernatural reclamation. The climax pits Conan's earthy valor against ancient arcana in a confrontation that resolves both political and mystical threats to his sovereignty.

Key Conflicts and Sorcery
At the heart of the plot is a collision between human ambition and eldritch power. The conspirators' willingness to employ forbidden rites and to resurrect the past's terrors gives the narrative a sense of mounting dread. Sorcery in the novel is not merely set dressing but an active force that reshapes loyalties and futures; it amplifies the conspiracy into an existential menace to the civilized world Conan rules.
Howard contrasts the cold calculations of court politics with the raw, immediate danger of sorcery. The tension between these elements drives the action: battles of blade and brawn intersect with arcane countermeasures, and Conan's pragmatic instincts often prove the crucial counterweight to otherworldly schemes.

Conan's Character and Allies
Conan emerges here as a complex figure, kingly in authority yet forever shaped by his barbarian origins. He is stubborn, quick to action, and guided by a personal code that prizes strength and honor over lineage and etiquette. Allies who remain loyal to him are defined by courage as much as by skill; they aid his efforts not for dynasty alone but because they respect the man who wears the crown.
The novel allows Conan to be a strategist as well as a warrior, able to navigate courts and battlefields with equal effectiveness. His identity as both outsider and ruler creates compelling moral and practical dilemmas that fuel his decisions and the story's momentum.

Themes and Style
Themes of legitimacy, the cyclical return of ancient evils, and the fragility of civilization recur throughout the narrative. Howard frames barbarism as a force with its own virtues, directness, vitality, and an insistence on personal honor, that can be restorative when civilization decays into corruption. The prose is muscular and brisk, with vivid set pieces and a darkly romantic sweep that keeps the pace urgent.

Reception and Legacy
Regarded as a crowning achievement of the Conan tales, the novel expanded the character's scope and influenced later sword-and-sorcery epics. It remains a touchstone for writers exploring the interplay of political intrigue and fantastical threat, and it endures as a vivid portrait of a king who must fight to define what his realm is worth.