The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard [Paperback]

Robert E. Howard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2008

Here are Howard’s greatest horror tales, all in their original, definitive versions. Some of Howard’s best-known characters–Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, and sailor Steve Costigan among them–roam the forbidding locales of the author’s fevered imagination, from the swamps and bayous of the Deep South to the fiend-haunted woods outside Paris to remote jungles in Africa.

The collection includes Howard’s masterpiece “Pigeons from Hell,” which Stephen King calls “one of the finest horror stories of [the twentieth] century,” a tale of two travelers who stumble upon the ruins of a Southern plantation–and into the maw of its fatal secret. In “Black Canaan” even the best warrior has little chance of taking down the evil voodoo man with unholy powers–and none at all against his wily mistress, the diabolical High Priestess of Damballah. In these and other lavishly illustrated classics, such as the revenge nightmare “Worms of the Earth” and “The Cairn on the Headland,” Howard spins tales of unrelenting terror, the legacy of one of the world’s great masters of the macabre.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The latest book in Del Rey’s program to collect the works of Conan the Destroyer’s creator includes more and better horror stories than even Howard’s staunchest fans may have previously believed existed. Here are more tales of Howard’s arguably finest creation, Solomon Kane, and more classic tales of nightmarish things lurking just around the corner on the way to school as well as jumping out at far-flung travelers even in such places as a somewhat pulpish Africa, where they would be expectable. Howard’s vivid depiction of lurking nightmare recalls his contemporary H. P. Lovecraft, and his equally fine use of regional settings makes one think of early Manly Wade Wellman. One cannot do more than sample this volume without deeply regretting Howard’s short career, nor that Conan of Cimmeria so completely and for so long overshadowed the rest of his creations. Add Greg Staples’ grim-toned illustrations, and the resulting volume is a desirable acquisition for any fantasy collection. --Roland Green

Review

“For stark, living fear . . . what other writer is even in the running?”
–H. P. Lovecraft

“[Behind Howard’s stories] lurks a dark poetry and the timeless truth of dreams.”
–Robert Bloch

“Howard had a gritty, vibrant style–broadsword writing that cut its way to the heart, with heroes who are truly larger than life.”
–David Gemmell

“Howard’s writing seems so highly charged with energy that it nearly gives off sparks.”
–Stephen King

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345490207
• ISBN-13: 978-0345490209
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #100 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > 20th Century

More About the Author

(1906-1936) Robert Erwin Howard was born and rasied in rural Texas, where he lived all his life. The son of a pioneer physician, he began writing professionally at the age of fifteen. Howard killed himself in June 1936 when he learned that his beloved mother had fallen into a coma.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A last! A big book of REH horror!, November 2, 2008

By 

Charles Hoffman (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard (Paperback)

Here, at last, is a hefty trade edition containing the bulk of Robert E. Howard's horror stories. Best known as an author of heroic fantasy, Howard was also a most able practitioner in the horror genre. The stories assembled here have heretofore been scattered about in a number of mass market paperbacks over the last forty years--two or three stories here, a half dozen or so there. It is indeed a blessing to get them all between two covers in a quality edition. Here is a volume that belongs in the core collection of every serious horror enthusiast.

Howard's horror stories fall roughly into several categories based on theme and setting. There are those with a regional southwestern setting ("The Horror from the Mound," "Old Garfield's Heart") as well as others set in the haunted piney woods region of the deep South ("Pigeons from Hell," "Black Canaan"). Memorable stories with a Celtic backdrop include "The Cairn on the Headland" and "Dermod's Bane." We also find tales of the horrid "little people" that abound in Celtic lore. Stories utilizing Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos include the memorable "The Black Stone" and adventures of occult researchers Conrad and Kirowan. Sometimes these categories overlap: "The Valley of the Lost" is a little people story with a US southwestern setting, for example.

Howard enthusiasts will debate, as we are wont to do, some of the inclusions and omissions to this volume. "Worms of the Earth" has already appeared in TWO other Del Rey Howard volumes. But then it is arguably Howard's finest story, and I dare say as good as any story written. It deserves to be as well known as "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Dunwich Horror." I wish I could get as excited over "Rattle of Bones," however.

STORIES I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SEEN INCLUDED: "The Hyena" was the first horror story Howard sold to Weird Tales (the first horror story he sold anywhere, for that matter). It forshadows the controversial "Black Canaan" in the sense that supernatural horrors reflect racial and sexual tensions. "The Moon of Zembabwei" and "Black Hound of Death" are two good "piney woods" stories that were left out, but the "piney woods" story is still well represented here. "Black Wind Blowing" was one of Howard's contributions to the "weird menace" or "shudder" pulps; the plot is outlandish, but the atmosphere of horror and impending doom is impressive. "The People of the Black Coast" is Howard's most Lovecraftian tale in some respects. Note that I said "Lovecraftian", NOT "Cthuloid." There's no Von Juntz, no Nameless Cults, none of the Mythos trappings, just a stark depiction of hapless humans as the prey of utterly alien but superior beings. "The People of the Black Coast is as much science fiction as horror, but then so is Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness."

I thought the books illustrations were very nice, and as always Rusty Burke provides an informative introduction. In a world where contemporary horror is presently dominated by chicks' overheated erotic fantasies about their imaginary vampire boyfriends, The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard is like a Godsend.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Scary, October 29, 2008

By 

Jay "SarahsJay" (Douglasville, GA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard (Paperback)

For the first time I'm aware of, a systematic effort has been made to collect the majority of R E Howard's work in the horror genre. Surprisingly given the sheer number of stories and poems here, the overall quality of the volume is quite high. Of course there are a few surprising omissions here. Skullface, Valley of the Worm, Cobra in the Dream, and Grisly Horror are unaccountably absent, as is Queen of the Black Coast, one of the more horrifying entries in the Conan series. I guess these were probably omitted because the book is rather lengthy although as above noted, the quality of the stories is quite high. Standouts here are Wolfshead, Black Canaan, Hoofed Thing, Thing on the Roof, Hills of the Dead, and Pigeons from Hell. The poems tend to have even greater moody atmospherics than the stories--not surprising given Howard's brilliance as a poet. Even the artwork is superb. Here though I have a major quibble. There simply isn't enough of it. While the previous entries in the ongoing Del Rey series of Howard's work were laden with artwork, this has one illustration at the beginning of each story and in some a full-page plate. While the artwork is beautiful and magnificently captures the spirit of the stories, several key scenes are missing although what we are presented with is simply amazing. (Personally I would have liked to see the artist's representation of that savage beauty, the Bride of Damballah, from Black Canaan.) Nonetheless despite my wish for more in this current volume, the book is well done and shows a broad swath of Howard's ability as a horror writer. I hope more are to come in this remarkable series of books.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Howardian Horror - The Good and the Bad, October 26, 2009

By 

CB - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard (Paperback)

Before I begin this review, I want to note that I have enjoyed Robert E. Howard's fiction for a number of years, first discovering the old Ace Conan paperbacks (with the Frazetta covers) back in high school. With that said, The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard is a grand showcase of Howard's prowess at writing a scary tale, though the quality of the stories featured herein varies from one extreme (fantastic) to the other (downright awful).

Here you will find a large number of tales, poems, and story fragments (only a few of the latter) in which Howard writes of werewolves, vampires, Lovecraftian horrors, sorcery, lost and abominable civilizations still grasping for life, and even traditional ghost and revenant yarns. It, however, is a mixed bag at best; included are two Solomon Kane tales, the most famous of the Bran Mak Morn stories ("Worms of the Earth"), his best-known horror tale ("Pigeons from Hell"), and many more. While it is not made clear by the book, careful readers will no doubt find that the stories are placed in this book as they were originally published - the quality of the writing, pacing, and action increases the further into the book you get.

It has been said that Howard's writing was often formulaic, and indeed you'll find this is the case with about 55% of the stories here; with some of them (most notably "The Hoofed Thing" and "The Noseless Thing") you can figure out the plot from the first couple of paragraphs. However, other stories ("Delenda Est," "The Thing from the Mound," for instance) are expertly written and showcase Howard's deep interest in history, both ancient and local. Howard's writing really shows a spark when he includes locales familiar to him, such as the swamps bordering Louisiana and the rocky lands of his native Texas - here his stories take on a truer, more visceral cast that really sets them apart. His poetry is also exceptional - dark and atmospheric, with visions and literary combinations that will remain with you. Cthulhu Mithos fans will not be disappointed, either, as such Lovecraft-inspired stories as "The Thing on the Roof" and "The Black Stone" are also included. I would recommend this book for the fan of horror, but most especially for those interested in Howard's writing beyond Conan, etc.