Skull-Face and Others

by Robert E. Howard

First collection of the stories of Robert E. Howard published in the United States. This omnibus contains stories about Bran Mak Morn, Solomon Kane, Conan, and King Kull, as well as many earlier tales. Contains one complete novel, twenty-one stories, the article "the Hyborian Age", two poems, and appreciations by E. Hoffman Price and H.P. Lovecraft. 3,000 copies printed. Cover by Hannes Bok.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure

474 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1946

About the author

Robert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."

He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.

—Wikipedia

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happily I have now been able to replace this book after it was lost in a flooded laundry room accident where the books were stored after having to clear out a bedroom to accommodate the birth of our first child. I lost a box of Arkham House books (among other books), Hint - never store your books in a cardboard box, they tends to soak up water. I have been looking for years to replace some of these books. Another one down dozens to go.


Contents:

"Foreward" by August Derleth
"Which Will Scarcely Be Understood" (poem)
"Robert E. Howard: A Memorium" by H.P. Lovecraft
"A Memory of Robert E. Howard" by E. Hoffman Price
"Wolfshead"
"The Black Stone"
"The Horror from the Mound"
"The Cairn on the Headland"
"Black Canaan"
"The Fire of Asshurbanipal"
"A Man-Eating Jeopard"
"Skull-Face"
"The Hyborian Age"
"Worms of the Earth"
"The Valley of the Worm"
"Skulls in the Stars"
"The Rattle of Bones"
"The Hills of the Dead"
"Wings in the Night"
"The Shadow Kingdom"
"Mirrors of Tuzun Thune"
"The Phoenix on the Sword"
"The Scarlet Citadel"
"The Tower of the Elephant"
"Rogues in the House"
"Shadows in Zamboula"
"Lines Written in Realization That I Must Die" (poem)

Cover art : Hannes Bok

[Little Timmy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Robert E. Howard is my all time favorite writer, but for many years much of his work was heavily edited. This is another of the heavily edited collections of Robert E. Howard's stories. I am a purist when it comes to a writers works. I know some of these stories are no longer PC but they should be read as Howard wrote them and understood that he wrote in another time period. Don't read this book unless you just can't find any others of Howard's unedited books to read. Message me if you need a list of what is good from this awesome fantasy and action writer.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This massive volume is one of the crown jewels for collectors of Arkham House books. The best tales here are the ones for which Howard is most famous, his 'sword and sorcery' themed work. These are delivered with a tremendous verve, energy and passion. The best amongst them, 'The Worms of the Earth', is an absolute gem, dripping in fog bound horror, sorcery and suspense. Close behind is 'The Valley of the Worm', a bizarre tale mixing Norse heroic traditions with the elder horrors of the Lovecraftian mythos. Unfortunately, there are some pretty poor inclusions here which let the book down a little. The Solomon Kane stories are rather ineffectual, and the novellete 'Skull Face' is pretty poor. It's central themes also lead me to another problem I had with the whole book - the issue of race. I do think there are some troubling attitudes on display here, and that Howard's preoccupation with all things 'Aryan' touches on narratives prevalent within white supremacist circles. This makes for occasionally uncomfortable reading. Overall though, the best stories here redeem the problems I had with the book.