The Annotated Guide to Robert E. Howard's Weird Fantasy

by Fred Blosser, Bob McLain (Editor)

Robert E. Howard laid much of the groundwork for modern heroic fantasy as creator of the immortal Conan. On an even broader canvas, he was an acclaimed master of weird fantasy in many forms, from vampire, zombie, and ghost tales to thrillers about exotic super-villains; from stories that helped define the legendary Cthulhu Mythos to the exploits of occult detectives; from science fiction to memorable fantasies about the supernatural in vivid settings of the American South and Southwest. The Annotated Guide to Robert E. Howard’s Weird Fantasy scrutinizes this full range of Howard’s dark fiction by listing, summarizing, and critically analyzing more than 50 tales. Surveyed not only are widely anthologized horror classics like “Pigeons from Hell” and “The Black Stone,” but also many lesser-known tales that further illuminate Howard’s genius for creating “real emotions of spectral fear and dread suspense,” as the great H.P. Lovecraft said. Whether you've read all of Robert E. Howard's weird fiction, or even none of it at all, you'll find new perspectives, incisive analysis, and engaging commentary in this definitive guide.

204 pages, Paperback

Published October 22, 2020

Reviews

[Vincent Darlage · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the mid-1970s, there was a wonderful little book published called The Annotated Guide to Robert E. Howard's Sword & Sorcery. This book became an indispensable companion for fans of Howard’s heroic fiction, and Blosser was originally slated to follow it up with a volume on Howard’s weird tales back in 1976—a project that, until now, never saw the light of day. Nearly fifty years later, we finally have it, and it was worth the wait. Blosser retains the format and spirit of the original Weinberg guide, expanding it into a detailed, category-based exploration of Howard’s darker, stranger, and more supernatural side.

Fred Blosser retained the format of the old Weinberg guide, and assigned REH's weird fantasy into categories. Each category gets an introduction, largely laying the groundwork for the category as a genre, what REH contributed to that category/genre, as well as reasons why some stories are in this category or are in another. Then you get a story, where it was first published, a list of the main characters, an overview of the plot, comments on the story, and where the story can most easily be found by the modern reader. Then, at the end of each category, you get a bullet-list of notes, fragments, and minor stories that didn't warrant a full entry.

Now, if you've read his "informal guides," some of this gets repetitive, but if you haven't (or if you aren't serial-reading them like I am), this guide is awesome, especially as a companion to the Weinberg guide.

Cthulhu Mythos: This section includes The Black Stone, The Thing on the Roof, The Fire of Asshurbanipal, Dig Me No Grave, and The Hoofed Thing. I personally thought his Ar-I-E’ch and the Spell of Cthulhu: An Informal Guide to Robert E. Howard's Lovecraftian Fiction covered all of this better, but it's totally appropriate that these tales (and this category) are in this volume. It's basically a different series than his "informal guides," and it's set up differently. He does a great job of covering these stories, laying out their context, and how REH added to the Mythos.

The Little People: This section includes The Children of the Night, People of the Dark, The Valley of the Lost, and The Little People. This section does a great job, connecting the stories to REH's letters and inspirations. I also like how Blosser included commentary on other commentators of REH's work here.

Gaelic Fear: This section covers The Cairn on the Headland, Dermod's Bane, and The Ghost in the Doorway. One other thing I really like about these essays in general is how Blosser mentions similar stories. He literally created a new reading list for me while I read this. Of course, many of the works I was familiar with, but not all of them... I love discovering new works to read. "The Cairn on the Headland" is one of my favorite REH stories, so I am always happy to read commentary and analysis of this one.

Ghosts: I've always loved ghost stories, and REH's ghost stories are no exception. Blosser includes The Spirit of Tom Molyneaux, The Touch of Death, The Shadow of Doom, Delinda Est, Restless Waters, and The Shadow of the Beast. Again, excellent commentary for each story.

Science Fiction: Blosser's definition of science-fiction is a little different than mine. I don't know if I'd call "Spear and Fang" science-fiction, but that's alright. This section covers Spear and Fang, Almuric, King of the Forgotten People, People of the Black Coast, and a large section of notes for minor stories.

Texas Terrors: This covers his regional horror stories, including The Horror from the Mound, The Man on the Ground, Old Garfield's Heart, The Dead Remember, For the Love of Barbara Allen, The Thunder Rider, and Nekht Semerkeht.

Swampland Shadows: This section includes some of my favorite REH stories, like "Black Canaan" and "Pigeons from Hell." In addition to those two stories, we have The Haunted Hut, a very minor horror story that even Fred Blosser suggests probably couldn't have been published during REH's lifetime, but does have REH attempting to write a story through the viewpoint of an African-American character.

Skull-Face: This section includes Skull-Face (of course), Taverel Manor, and The Noseless Horror. The essays on these are exceptional. I really enjoyed them.

De Montour: This section covers just two stories: In the Forest of Villefere and Wolfshead, with some wonderful essays concerning how REH added to the werewolf lore of his time (The Wolfman wouldn't come out until after his death, which cemented many aspects of werewolf lore for us). Brilliant stuff here.

Jungle Horror: This section covers how the stories here create an Africa that didn't really exist, but that people of that time seemed to thought existed. The following stories are covered here: The Dream Snake, The Hyena, The Voice of El-Lil, The Cobra in the Dream, Black Country, Serpent Vines, and Under the Baobab Tree. I don't know why Blosser gave the last two full entries - they seem to be more appropriate for the "notes" section, but I'm glad he did. Also, in this section, Fred Blosser made one of the few research errors I've seen him make: he lists "The Hyena" as being available in The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard when it actually didn't make the cut for that volume. It is most easily found in Pictures in the Fire.

Faring Town: This includes Sea Curse and Out of the Deep, two stories that take place in Faring Town, plus the poem, "A Legend of Faring Town," is mentioned in the notes.

Psychic Investigators: I really liked the introductory material for this section. Blosser covers the following stories: The Haunter of the Ring, Dwellers Under the Tomb, and Casonetto's Last Song.

Shudder Stories: This section includes Moon of Zambebwei, Graveyard Rats, Black Wind Blowing, Black Hound of Death, and The Devils of Dark Lake.

In the end, The Annotated Guide to Robert E. Howard’s Weird Fantasy stands as both a labor of love and a vital reference for any serious Howard reader. Whether you’re discovering these tales for the first time or revisiting them through a more critical lens, Blosser’s organization, insights, and deep familiarity with REH’s body of work make this book a joy to read. It complements the earlier Annotated Guide to Sword & Sorcery perfectly, filling in the shadowed corners of Howard’s imagination with the same level of care and admiration that have defined Blosser’s career. For those who love Howard’s weird fiction—or simply appreciate Fred Blosser’s thoughtful, informed voice—this volume is nothing short of essential.

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fred Blosser is the man. This is the second of his informal guides to REH that I have read, the first being _Western Weirdness and Voodoo Vengeance_.

Just as he did with WWaVV, Blosser made me envious of his REH library. My own does not suck by any means, but it is not Blosser Fabulous.

For each story discussed, Blosser gives citation of where and when it was first published and what currently in-print volume it can now be found in. It is no fault of Blosser’s, but some of these stories are best found in books from the REH Foundation Press, which are limited print runs and although technically in-print, can be hard to come by. Side note, the REHFP are going to eventually make their books available as POD.

The good news is many of the stories discussed can be found in the Del Rey book _The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard_ which is very much in print and I believe even available as an ebook.

I found two books in my REH collection containing some of the stories in tAGtREHWF (_The Annotated Guide to Robert E. Howard’s Weird Fantasy_) that are not in the Del Rey book: _Shadow Kingdoms: The Weird Works of REH Volume 1_, _Eons of Night_ and _Beyond the Borders_. The first is by Cosmos books the later two by Baen; however, some stories contained in the three are bowdlerized.

Blosser’s books are short, but they seem to send me on side quests of reading stories I have not read before or re-reading stories it has been many years since I have read.

His guides are called scholarly guides, but they are highly accessible. I recommend Blosser’s books to all fans of REH and his creations

Note: this book does not cover any of REH’s weird works in the sword & sorcery genre. It is meant to compliment Robert Weinberg’s _The Annotated Guide to Robert E. Howard’s Sword & Sorcery_ which is sadly OOP.