Black Vulmeas Vengeance

Robert E. Howard

Pulp adventure, seemingly a bit crude and dashed off quickly, but good storytelling none the less. Pirates and lost cities a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones rolled into one, but also with echoes of one of Howards best known tales of piracy, the Conan story Queen of the Black Coast a superior story. The writing here is okay, entertaining enough, and even manages a little character exposition, but Howard could do and did do better work.

Black Wind Blowing

Robert E. Howard

In Black Wind Blowing, Howard lays it on so thick I half suspected he was trying to do a spoof on the genre. But then, his normal storytelling was always full of bizarre images, hyperactive violence and heavy use of adjectives so this story is probably just an extreme example. It helps too, that Black Wind Blowing has enough wild premises to build at least two or three effective horror stories on. If youre not moved by whats going on at the moment, by the next page the story has shifted gears in a weirder direction.

Blood of the Gods

Robert E. Howard

I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply. I seek not beyond death. It may be the blackness averred by the Nemedian skeptics, or Croms realm of ice and cloud, or the snowy plains and vaulted halls of the Nordheimers Valhalla. I know not, nor do I care. Let me live deep while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging wine on my palate, the hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle when the blue blades flame and crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content.

Boot-Hill Payoff

Robert E. Howard

San Leon lay as if slumbering in the desert heat as the five brothers rode up to the doors of the Cattlemens Bank. None noted their coming; the Red Lode saloon, favorite rendezvous for the masculine element of San Leon, stood at the other end of the town, and out of sight around a slight bend in the street.

Conan the Conqueror

Robert E. Howard

In this final (chronologically) Conan story, Howard demonstrates why he was one of the best adventure writers of all time. In the only novel he ever produced, Howard is able to maintain the blistering pace he is known for, while still weaving a complex and interesting tale. The story is set during Conans time as King of Aquilonia, which is a period in the heros life often overlooked.

Conrad and Kirowan

Robert E. Howard

Professor John Kirowan is a fictional character from Robert E. Howards contributions to H.P. Lovecrafts story cycle the Cthulhu Mythos. Kirowan is often partnered with the character John Conrad, to the extent that these stories are often referred to under the group title Conrad & Kirowan. Professor Kirowan is a younger son of a titled Irish family and a scholar of the Mythos who travelled widely in search of forbidden knowledge. His ancestor, Sir Michael Kirowan was a medieval knight famous for killing a particularly fierce and notorious villain, whose ghost Kirowan will meet and escape from.

Drums of the Sunset

Robert E. Howard

Drums of Sunset was published in eight parts. Steve and Hard Luck, his newfound companion (or is he? The curious should check those back issues linked above!), are hot on the trail of a host of criminals ranging from Navajoes to a ring of counterfeiters. Pieces of the mystery that have plagued Steve for six installments are starting to come together. And oh, the CLIFFHANGER! Steve and Hard Luck are locked in mortal combat with a rowdy group of Native Americans.

Fangs of Gold

Robert E. Howard

Harrison is a brawny police detective who patrols the unquiet slums and dives of River Street, in an unnamed port city where the sun never shines. But REHs stories were far-removed from the mean streets of Hammetts and Raymond Chandlers stories in Black Mask. Like Skull-Face they owe more to Sax Rohmer and to REHs own contemporary horror stories.