Book excerpt: Conan volume 7: Cimmeria marks a transitional period in young Conan's life, as he spurns civilization — with its turncoats and legal trappings — and returns to the beloved, brutal country of Cimmeria, where he was born and raised. The dangers found in the snowy mountain passes of his barbaric homeland are a welcome change from the mind games and treachery Conan encountered in the cities of the East, but there are unfortunate lessons in treachery to be learned here, too. When a tentative truce with the Aesir is threatened by the actions of Caollan, the first woman Conan ever loved, Conan again finds himself at the heart of a larger conflict that will test not only his physical strength and cunning mind — but his passionate heart as well. * "(Truman) goes back to the same historical and mythical source material Howard must have used and mines it to expand on what Howard already did. Now that's the way to put your stamp on a Howard tale. As a result, this reeks of Robert E. Howard influence. There is blood and there is fire... there is death and despair and indomitable will. Basically, everything you could want from a Conan story." —ComicsBulletin.com * The hardcover version is a direct market exclusive of the trade-paperback collection, printed to initial orders only!