Chuck Dixon Pens New Conan The Barbarian Novel ‘The Siege Of The Black Citadel’ In Robert E. Howard’s Bravura Writing Style

John F. Trent |

Mar 10, 2023

The Siege of the Black Citadel (Arkhaven), 2023

Chuck Dixon is primarily known as a prolific comic book creator known for his iconic runs on Batman, Punisher, Tim Drake, and Birds of Prey. However, he’s also a novelist with his six book time traveling extravaganza series Bad Times as well as his 11-book vigilante justice series Levon Cade. Now, Dixon is dipping his toes in Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian.

Dixon is no stranger to Conan, having written multiple tales about the Cimmerian in The Savage Sword of Conan comic book series. And now he’s plying his trade with the savage mercenary in a novel titled, The Siege of the Black Citadel.

The novel sees Conan joining the forces of Prince Xathomidas as he wages war against his cousin and the mad emperor Strabonus. The campaign has gone well for Xathomidas, but Strabonus still holds out within the Black Citadel or Talas K’rith.

With winter encroaching, Xathomidas fears his siege might be compromised and he tasks Conan along with a number of other sell-swords to find a way into the fortress. Conan quickly finds out that the fortress “is guarded by things more terrible than walls and swords.”

Speaking with Bounding Into Comics, Dixon explained why he wanted to write this story, “I wanted to write a straight up war story of Conan’s time as a mercenary. But I also wanted to throw in a Lovecraftian monster as well as a depiction of dark sorcery in the Hyperborean Age with all its dire consequences.”

Dixon also relished the challenge to write in what he describes as Howard’s bravura style, “I was totally immersed in Howard’s bravura writing style as an adolescent. I liked the challenge of creating a new Conan story written in that style.”

He added, “So, much of Howard’s prose relied on the reader to create vivid images in their own imaginations as they read. I really wanted to see if I could inspire that same brand of wild visuals.”

The Siege of the Black Citadel is the first in what will be a series of novels from Dixon about Robert E. Howard’s Conan. A preview of the novel can be read on Arkhaven.com.

The novel can also be purchased for $12.99 through Arkhaven.com. It will be available to purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers by the end of March.