The Lost Valley of Iskander

Short story by Robert E. Howard

"The Lost Valley of Iskander"
Short story by Robert E. Howard
First edition
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Adventure
Publication
Published in	The Lost Valley of Iskander
Publication type	Hardback
Publisher	FAX
Publication date	1974
Series	El Borak

"The Lost Valley of Iskander" is an El Borak short story by Robert E. Howard. It was not published within Howard's lifetime. The first publication was in the FAX Collector's Editions hardback The Lost Valley of Iskander in 1974.^[1] Its original title was "Swords of the Hills".

Plot

Francis Xavier Gordon, carrying an oiled silk parcel destined for India, dodges an assassination attempt at night. The parcel contains proof that a Hungarian is plotting to start a religious war in Central Asia, intended to send hordes of religious fanatics boiling across the border into India to plunder on a staggering scale. This Hungarian is pursuing Gordon across Afghanistan when their activity looses a dry avalanche, trapping an innocent local. When Gordon frees the local from the boulder pinning him, the boy invites Gordon to the safety of his home, the valley of Iskander. The inhabitants there descend from a colony of Greek soldiers and their women left behind by Alexander the Great on his campaign through Persia. Abandoned in that remote wilderness on Alexander's death, they established themselves in a remote box canyon and thrive there, isolated from the world by the ferocity of the Afghan hill tribes surrounding them. Gordon is led by his new friend to meet the king of Iskander and in the crowd he sees a Turkish trader he's been acquainted with in the past. That trader swiftly leaves the canyon and finds the Hungarian. The Hungarian hires him to go back, get Gordon's parcel, and deliver it to him. Gordon fights off the trader and his few Iskander assistants, killing one of them. The trader goes immediately to the king, claiming that Gordon is a wizard with a magical, destructive scroll on his body and that Gordon attacked him when he tried to protect the town by taking the scroll to destroy it. Gordon denies this, saying he will kill any man who tries to take the parcel from him. The king takes this as a challenge, and they engage in unarmed combat. Just as Gordon knocks the king out, word comes that an enormous group of Afghans have stormed the fortified entrance to the canyon. The description of their leader matches that of the Hungarian. Gordon, now in charge of Iskander by right of combat, leads their army to oppose the invaders. Eventually he meets the Hungarian in single combat, armed with scimitars. When Gordon kills the Hungarian, the Afghans give up the fight, retreating ahead of the pursuing Iskanders. The king returns to consciousness near the end of battle and realizes that a man who fought like Gordon did could not be a thief or wizard. He finds the deceitful Turk and kills him. He then finds Gordon and explains this, inviting Gordon to stay and live with them, but Gordon demurs, saying he must return to his own people after resting a few days.

References

^ "Publication History". Howard Works. Retrieved 2008-02-11.

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Lost Valley of Iskander

List of stories and publication details at Howard Works

Works by Robert E. Howard

Fantasy

Conan	"Beyond the Black River" "Black Colossus" "The Black Stranger" "The Devil in Iron" "Drums of Tombalku" "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" "The God in the Bowl" "The Hall of the Dead" "The Hand of Nergal" The Hour of the Dragon "Iron Shadows in the Moon" "Jewels of Gwahlur" "The People of the Black Circle" "The Phoenix on the Sword" "The Pool of the Black One" "Queen of the Black Coast" "Red Nails" "Rogues in the House" "The Scarlet Citadel" "Shadows in Zamboula" "The Snout in the Dark" "The Tower of the Elephant" "The Vale of Lost Women" "A Witch Shall be Born" "Wolves Beyond the Border" "Xuthal of the Dusk"
Kull	"By This Axe I Rule!" "Exile of Atlantis" "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" "The Shadow Kingdom"
Bran Mak Morn	"The Children of the Night" "Worms of the Earth"

Adventure

El Borak	"Blood of the Gods" "The Coming of El Borak" "The Country of the Knife" "The Daughter of Erlik Khan" "Hawk of the Hills" "The Lost Valley of Iskander" "North of Khyber" "Son of the White Wolf" "Three-Bladed Doom"

Comedy

Sailor Steve Costigan	"Alleys of Peril" "Blow the Chinks Down!" "Breed of Battle" "The Bull Dog Breed" "Champ of the Forecastle" "Circus Fists" "Dark Shanghai" "Fist and Fang" "General Ironfist" "Night of Battle" "The Pit of the Serpent" "Sailor's Grudge" "The Sign of the Snake" "The Slugger's Game" "Sluggers on the Beach" "Texas Fists" "The TNT Punch" "Vikings of the Gloves" "Waterfront Fists" "Winner Take All"
Breckinridge Elkins	A Gent from Bear Creek Mayhem on Bear Creek The Pride of Bear Creek

Sailor Steve Costigan

Breckinridge Elkins

Horror

John Kirowan	"The Children of the Night" "The Haunter of the Ring" "The Black Stone"

Other

Short story collections	Skull-Face (1946) The Dark Man (1963) Kull (1967) Red Shadows (1968) Wolfshead (1968) Red Blades of Black Cathay (1971) Marchers of Valhalla (1972) The Sowers of the Thunder (1973) Tigers of the Sea (1974) Worms of the Earth (1974) Black Vulmea's Vengeance (1976) The Iron Man (1976) Hawks of Outremer (1979) The Road of Azrael (1979) Lord of the Dead (1981) Nameless Cults (2001) People of the Dark (2005) Heroes in the Wind (2009)
Other stories	Almuric "Black Canaan" "The Cairn on the Headland" "The Curse of the Crimson God" "Hawks Over Egypt" "Pigeons from Hell" Post Oaks & Sand Roughs "The Road of the Eagles" "The Shadow of the Vulture" Skull-Face "The Sowers of the Thunder" "The Twilight of the Grey Gods"
Other characters	Cormac Fitzgeoffrey Dark Agnes de Chastillon Kirby O'Donnell Red Sonya Solomon Kane The Sonora Kid Steve Harrison Turlogh Dubh O'Brien
Poetry	Always Comes Evening (1957) ("Men of the Shadows") Singers in the Shadows (1970) Echoes from an Iron Harp (1972) Shadows of Dreams (1989) Poems (A–H) (I–O) (P–Z)
See also	Bibliography "The Hyborian Age" Unaussprechlichen Kulten