Books

Titan Books and Conan Properties partner for new and original ‘Conan’ fiction

Expect the first ‘Conan’ short story in May 2022 and novel for September 2022.

June 10, 2021

Today, Titan Books has revealed they have partnered with Conan Properties through their Perilous Worlds imprint to create original new stories featuring Robert E. Howard’s famous character Conan the Barbarian. These new stories will expand on the original work and exist within Conan canon. The first stories will release in 2022 and consist of a novel and two short stories to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the character.

Conan recently was required by Marvel Comics and has had a healthy dose of content from the publisher. There is also a Netflix series currently in development.

“Given the literary origins of Conan and Howard’s other characters, we’ve sought for years to establish a dynamic publishing program of newly written stories. Our relationship with Titan and its team goes back decades, and we’re excited to embark on this joint adventure to create new tales for readers to enjoy,” said Jay Zetterberg, Executive Vice President of Conan Properties.

The cover to the recently released Conan the Barbarian #23 comic book.
Credit: Marvel Comics

The novels will publish via trade paperback editions for the North American and UK markets with the first set to release in September 2022. The first short story is slated for May 2022.

For more on this news, read the official press release below!

London, June 2021

Titan Books and Conan Properties through their Perilous Worlds imprint are excited to announce a program

of original new publishing featuring Robert E. Howard’s most famous character, Conan. Expanding from the

core of Howard’s original work, the new fiction will stand firmly within the Conan canon, beginning with a

novel and two short stories to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the character in 2022.

One of the most universally recognizable iconic figures in modern popular culture, Conan was born from the

creative genius of pulp fiction author Robert E. Howard, forging the creation of a new genre of writing:

Sword and Sorcery. Conan’s epic adventures feature dramatic battles with formidable foes across the

fantasy backdrop of the Hyborian Age, as the world’s most famous barbarian quests across the lands and

eventually becomes king of the largest empire.

Wildly popular for almost a century, Conan continues to captivate fans worldwide. His vast media and

merchandise empire spans feature films, television (including a Netflix series currently in development),

Funcom’s phenomenally successful Conan Exiles video game, a thousand comic books over fifty years

(currently with Marvel), worldwide publishing, collectibles, apparel, and more.

Titan Books’ and Perilous World’s full program will be composed of original novels and new short fiction

digging deeply into the canon of some of the most thrilling characters in fantasy fiction, including Conan,

Kull the Conqueror, Solomon Kane, and Dark Agnes. The mix of formats will build upon Howard’s thrilling

adventures, enabling authors to expand the worlds he created with new layers of detail that will thrust

Conan into the forefront with a modern audience.

“Given the literary origins of Conan and Howard’s other characters, we’ve sought for years to establish a

dynamic publishing program of newly written stories. Our relationship with Titan and its team goes back

decades, and we’re excited to embark on this joint adventure to create new tales for readers to enjoy,” said

Jay Zetterberg, Executive Vice President of Conan Properties.

Speaking on the collaboration, Senior Acquisitions Editor Steve Saffel described the program as “a dream

project for anyone who loves fantasy”, adding that “beginning with the core of Howard’s work, we’ll invite

the finest authors to join us in building upon his worlds and ideas. Through the short fiction component,

we’ll tap into the energies that yielded classics like ‘Red Nails’ and ‘Kings of the Night.’”

The novels will publish in beautifully packaged trade paperback editions for the North American and UK

markets. The first short story is slated for May 2022, with the first novel currently scheduled for September of the same year. The original short fiction will be available exclusively in e-format, and the novels also will

feature a simultaneous e-format release.