Fred Blosser's Informal Guides to REH

[Vincent]

As a longtime admirer of Fred Blosser’s work, I was thrilled to dive into Ar-I-E’ch and the Spell of Cthulhu: An Informal Guide to Robert E. Howard's Lovecraftian Fiction, and it did not disappoint. Blosser has a gift for blending scholarship with readability: his essays never feel stuffy or academic, but instead crackle with the same sense of dark wonder that makes Robert E. Howard’s fiction so enduring. Here, he traces the Lovecraftian threads running through Howard’s stories, illuminating how cosmic dread weaves into the raw vitality of sword-and-sorcery. Even as someone who has read Howard for years, I found myself seeing familiar tales with new eyes, noticing connections and nuances I’d overlooked before.

What I especially appreciated is that Blosser doesn’t present Howard as a derivative writer imitating Lovecraft. Instead, he shows how Howard absorbed those ideas and transformed them into something uniquely his own. The book is welcoming enough for casual fans but deep enough for dedicated scholars, striking that rare balance that makes it both informative and enjoyable. This is an indispensable guide, and one I’ll be revisiting alongside my next reread of Howard’s weird fiction. For fans of Conan, Lovecraft, or pulp in general, this is a must-have.

Fred Blosser’s introduction spells out the relationship between Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft, and (perhaps most importantly) spells out his standards on what stories to include as a Howard “Cthulhu” story. For him, REH must have either actively contributed to the Cthulhu cycle and/or display a strong Lovecraft influence. I thought his approach was commendable.

The next part of the book is for the first part of his approach, the active contributions to the Cthulhu cycle. Blosser gives a summary of the stories he includes, then gives an essay of not only why it is included, but how it contributed to the overall Cthulhu mythos, including how others took his contributions and ran with it.

The next part of the book is about Howard's Lovecraft-influenced work outside the mythos, stories that reflect Lovecraft's themes or styles, but are not Cthulhu stories because they don't mention anything of the mythos. This includes a Solomon Kane story, and one of my favorite stories, "The Cairn on the Headland."

He includes an essay on Cthulhu and Conan, and how Lovecraft's influence basically gave REH the final ingredient for the Hyborian age stories, with Cthuluoid monsters and a sense of horror throughout. Honestly, it's that sense of horror that most Conan pastiches outside of de Camp and Carter's miss.

Blosser then gives a wonderful reference section, where he lists out all of Howard's defining additions to the mythos. After this, are three appendices, "Kull and the Elder Horrors," "An Argument of Dates in the Life of Solomon Kane, Foe of Demons and Dastards," and "Horrors from the Deep: Howard's Stories of Haunted Seaports."

This is an excellent set of summaries, arguments, and essays. If you are a fan of Lovecraft and/or Howard, I highly recommend this book.

[Vincent]

Fred Blosser’s Western Weirdness and Voodoo Vengeance: An Informal Guide to Robert E. Howard's American Horrors is a masterful dive into Robert E. Howard’s American horror stories, illuminating the eerie and unsettling corners of his oeuvre that often get overshadowed by the more famous Conan tales. Blosser brings a remarkable combination of scholarship and enthusiasm, guiding the reader through stories steeped in Western grit, Southern Gothic atmospheres, and pulpy voodoo dread. Blosser demonstrates an uncanny ability to show how Howard’s American settings—dusty plains, swampy bayous, and frontier towns—become just as fertile a ground for cosmic terror and dark suspense as the faraway Hyborian Age.

With the exception of Part I, the major parts of the book are laid out with a story title, where the story was first published, a description of the plot of the story, and then an analytical and historical discussion of the story. Every chapter after the first is a delight, packed with insights, context, and thoughtful analysis that makes even the familiar stories feel fresh and alive.

Part 1, Robert E. Howard: Lone Star Conjurer, is introductory material. It outlines the structure of the book, lays some overall context, and makes appropriate acknowledgements. Basically, as you can tell from the chapter titles, the book is laid out according to Texas' chronology, starting basically in the Hyborian age on up to REH's present, then going outside of Texas for his swampy voodoo terrors. I don't have a lot to say about this section. It's basically an introduction more than a "part one."

Part 2, Wraiths of Ancient Memory: Texas of the Far Past, we get into the stories REH wrote of Texas in the long ago. It begins with "Marchers of Valhalla," set in Texas, but during the Hyborian age sometime after Conan's life. The book moves to "The Thunder-Rider," which was set during the time before the mass arrival of Europeans, "Nekht Semerkeht," set during the time of the Spanish conquistadors. Blosser gives a lot of key details on what was going on in REH's life when he wrote these.

Part 3, Shadows Along the Cattle Trails: Frontier Texas, took on REH's weird Westerns, set during the typical era for Westerns. It begins with "The Man on the Ground," pointing out how REH often uses a feud as a background element in many of these stories. "The Dead Remember" is next, and I learned that the story's first appearance in book form, "The Dark Man and Others" by Arkham House, misprinted this story, making it woefully incomplete (other reprints of the story have the complete story). "The Valley of the Lost" synthesizes several of REH's favorite themes, from the feud to the stunted, degenerate, serpentine race of beings dwelling in caverns and tunnels, but this time in Texas. All in all, a very solid chapter, but with few surprises.

Part 4, Derricks and Devils: Modern Texas, begins with "The Horror from the Mound," one of REH's vampire stories. One of my favorite parts of the analysis is the comparison with Dracula and even Montague Summers gets a mention! Moving onto "Black Wind Blowing," we get a wonderful analysis of the names REH uses in his stories. "The Shadow of Doom" and "A Horror in the Night" have some of the shorter analyses in the book. "The Devils of Dark Lake" offers up the suggestion that it may have been inspired by a pair of lake-shore fishing areas that REH was familiar with.

Part 5, Home is Where the Haunt Is: Robert E. Howard's Corner of Texas brings home the stories taking place in "Lost Plains" and "Lost Knob." I really liked this. I hadn't really realized before how many of these there were, taking place in a fictional version of Cross Plains. It begins with "Old Garfield's Heart." Honestly, the analysis here is what gave this book it's fourth star. Let me mention that, generally speaking, reference works get an automatic 3-stars from me, unless they are really terrible and worthless. A five-star book is something paradigm-changing for me: my life has been altered, my world-view changed, etc. A four-star book means I was impressed, I loved it, and I learned something amazing from it. To have a reference work reach that fourth star is rare for me. But, perhaps because I recently read Oliver's Robert E. Howard: The Life and Times of a Texas Author and so it was in my mind about REH's fears about his weak heart - and Fred Blosser here connects that fear to Old Garfield's Heart... I was astounded that I never connected that before. Dang. Four-stars earned right here. I'll never read "Old Garfield's Heart" the same ever again.

"Graveyard Rats" is next. I also liked the connection between this story and "Old Garfield's Heart." I never realized both were set in Lost Knob. I don't think I've ever seen both stories in the same collection before. In double-checking, I do not have them in the same book anywhere in my collection. Again, this book is earning its fourth star. I'd love to see a collection of the stories in Part 5 in the order Blosser has them in. "For the Love of Barbara Allen" and shows how it could be connected to these other stories in Lost Knob despite not being explicitly set there.

"Spanish Gold on Devil Horse" is set in Lost Plains, but "Wild Water" rounds out the Lost Knob stories. "The Ivory Camel" rounds out this section, and connects with REH's more paranoid moments. All in all, this whole chapter was amazing and, as I said, pushed my rating from the default 3-stars to a 4-star review.

Part 6, Swamps of Voodoo Vengeance: Indigenous Horrors of the South, covers some of my favorite REH stories. These stories move beyond the Texas stories and moves more toward the southern swamps, where voodoo is practiced (according to REH anyway). "The People of the Serpent" is up first, discussing how these stories often have otherwise mismatched characters teaming up to better their odds against a common enemy.

Then we have "Black Canaan," one of my all-time favorite REH horror stories. I adapted elements of "Black Canaan" in Conan: Across The Thunder River, trading the Blacks of this story out for Picts. This story has one of the longer analyses in it, which really pleased me. As I said, I love this story, and I love reading about the story nearly as much as I love reading it. "Pigeons from Hell" was next, which I love almost as much as "Black Canaan." Both are such effective horror stories.

Last up is the hard-to-find "The Haunted Hut." This book was published before Pictures in the Fire, so it doesn't mention that it can now be easily found in that volume. Prior to that wonderful book by the REH Foundation, this story was indeed difficult to get ahold of. It was actually the first story I read when I finally got the book because I couldn't ever find the story.

Part 7, Fear in the Piney Woods, bring terrors from Asia and Africa to the American Deep South. "Moon of Zembebwei," "Black Hound of Death," "The House of Suspicion," and "The Shadow of the Beast" are covered here.

Part 8 is a gazetteer and bestiary of sorts, detailing the locations Howard used in these stories and the monsters that appeared. This is an excellent reference.

The Appendix lists which comic books adapted these stories, many of them adapted into Conan comics. This was fun and a bit of a walk down memory lane, because my first exposure to a lot of non-Conan REH stories were in these comic books. This was in a day and age before the internet, so finding old paperbacks in my hometown was not easy (It wouldn't be until I went to college that I was able to really find old REH paperbacks and begin my non-Conan REH collection in earnest. The used bookstores in Bloomington, Indiana in the late '80s and early '90s were FANTASTIC).

Conclusion
All in all, Western Weirdness and Voodoo Vengeance is exactly the kind of book that reminds me why Fred Blosser’s work has meant so much to me over the years. It’s thorough, insightful, and brimming with respect for Howard’s fiction, yet never loses its readability or sense of fun. Every section added new dimensions to stories I thought I already knew, and in some cases completely reframed the way I’ll approach them in the future. For fans of Robert E. Howard, pulp horror, or the weird Western tradition, this is a volume well worth owning and revisiting. It doesn’t just collect details—it deepens appreciation, and that is a rare and valuable accomplishment.

[Michael]

Thank you Vincent!

[Vincent]

Fred Blosser’s Silken Swords: An Informal Guide to the Women in the Fiction of Robert E. Howard is another enjoyable foray into the realms of sword-and-sorcery and weird fiction, offering his usual mix of thoughtful commentary and deep appreciation for the genre. While I found it entertaining and worthwhile, it didn’t strike me as quite as insightful or groundbreaking as some of his earlier works, particularly Ar-I-E’ch and the Spell of Cthulhu: An Informal Guide to Robert E. Howard's Lovecraftian Fiction and Western Weirdness and Voodoo Vengeance: An Informal Guide to Robert E. Howard's American Horrors. That said, Blosser’s knowledge, enthusiasm, and knack for drawing out fascinating connections still make Silken Swords a rewarding read for fans of pulp literature and fantasy scholarship.

This volume actually has a proper introduction, instead of using Part 1 as an introduction. This is followed by a "How to Use This Guide." He gives a list of female archetypes that he proposes to categorize REH's female characters into: Elder; Maiden; Servant; Supernatural Being; Temptress; Warrior; and Witch.

Part 1 is an A to Z listing of female REH characters, with a short description, their archetype, what series they belong to, and the character's appearances. This was fine, and I don't have a lot to say about this section. It's great if you need to look up a character.

Part 2 is about the unnamed women in the Conan, King Kull, Solomon Kane, and Bran Mak Morn stories. It goes through each stories and classifies the various unnamed women in them. Like part 1, there isn't a lot of meat here, just some bare bones information. Useful if you need that information, but not so much if not (well, that is true of most reference books).

Part 3 is where it got more interesting for me. Now Blosser is writing essays, which I love. His essays long ago in The Savage Sword of Conan is what made me a Fred Blosser fan. His last two reference books would have put the essays first, and his lists toward the end: I think I would have preferred that. Anyway, first up is "Women of the Sword." Blosser goes into more detail with Helen Tavrel, Hellcat of the Heather, Red Sonya of Rogatino, Bêlit, Valeria, Dark Agnes, Conchita, and Olga Von Bruckmann. The essays were mostly just summaries of their roles in the stories they appeared in and some light analysis, with some comparisons and contrasts with the other sword women. Nothing groundbreaking, but not bad either. I think I prefer his analysis of stories over these character summaries.

Part 4 is "Women of Sorcery." He didn't break this up by character like he did part 3, and I preferred it that way. He wove in and out of stories, making comparisons where needed, and it felt more like a cohesive essay on how REH uses these kinds of characters in his stories and less mere character summary.

Part 5 is "Women of Color" which highlighted how REH used various women of color in his stories, where his characters were being racists typical of his time and region (or at least aware of the consequences of racism in the region), and where characters rose above that. Blosser also goes into where reprints often expurgated any hint of racism and explains how this might actually hurt the stories involved. Not a lot of new stuff if you've read the last two books, but if you haven't, you might find this chapter illuminating.

Part 6, "Women of Mystery," is short, and basically re-iterates points made in Part 5, because most of the women in REH's mystery stories were women of color.

Part 7 is "Women of Spice" and covers REH's spicy stories published under the "Sam Walser" pseudonym. This was a pretty decent essay, and covers how the behaviors in those stories weren't really all that shocking back in REH's time, but would be horrifying accounts of rape and sexual assault if written today.

Part 8, "Women of Barbarism" talks about the role of barbarian women in the REH stories - and about how little we actually learn of their role in their own culture. REH mostly focused on barbarians in civilization and rarely dipped into their home lives in their own cultures. Blosser talks about the few times REH does go there, and the hints dropped when he doesn't.

Appendix A goes into variant names for REH's female characters, which were often changed when L. Sprague de Camp and/or Lin Carter wrote their posthumous "collaborations." It's interesting to see how they would change the names for first publication (often in the Gnome Press books or a magazine), but changed many of them back for their Ace/Lancer appearances. Appendices B and C are character lists, and Appendix D is a list of where to find the stories talked about in the book.

All in all, Silken Swords may not have the same spark of originality or depth that I found in Blosser’s earlier guides, but it remains a solid and engaging addition to his body of work. The structure feels more balanced thanks to the proper introduction and clear organization, and while the reference sections are straightforward, the essays provide the real highlights, showcasing Blosser’s enduring passion for Robert E. Howard’s work. For readers interested in exploring how women are depicted across Howard’s varied stories—whether as warriors, sorceresses, or enigmatic figures—this volume offers a useful and enjoyable resource that reinforces why Blosser continues to be such a respected voice in Howard scholarship.

[Vincent]

Having enjoyed Fred Blosser’s earlier volumes such as Ar-I-E’ch and the Spell of Cthulhu, Western Weirdness and Voodoo Vengeance, and Silken Swords, I was eager to dive into The Solomon Kane Companion: An Informal Guide to Robert E. Howard’s Dark Avenger. I first discovered Solomon Kane through Marvel Comics and later through Baen’s 1995 collection, so the idea of an informal guide devoted entirely to this grim Puritan adventurer was immediately appealing. Blosser’s reputation for blending scholarship with an obvious love of Robert E. Howard’s work gave me high expectations going in, and this book certainly has plenty to offer for fans of both Kane and Howard’s wider body of fiction.

Chapter 1 sets up who Solomon Kane is, how he's described, what he does, and what he is like. It was a short chapter and I really don't know what the point of this one was. I would imagine most people who bought and read this did so because they already know and like the character. I don't think I would buy an informal guide to a character I've never read. I guess it is a reference book, so maybe someone might need a quick reference to his appearance.

Chapter 2 is about the weapons Solomon Kane uses and how he may or may not have gained expertise in them: his sword; a dagger; and his matchlocks. I figured he'd go into more details on what these weapons in Kane's time would look like, but Blosser really doesn't. The section on Kane's dagger and knife-fighting ability spends one paragraph on that, then the other paragraphs on his hand-to-hand skills and his marksmanship with muzzle-loading pistols, before we get the section on sixteenth century pistols and rifles. None of this was really all that new or interesting. The best part was on schools of fencing available to Solomon, but that section was so rife with "it may be that" and "might he have" and other suppositions that argue neither for nor against that it felt pointless. I did like the short discussion on matchlocks. I've fired matchlock rifles and it's something a lot of people don't understand.

Chapters 3, 4, 5 & 6 are about the order of the stories in Kane's life, based on the work of Glenn Lord. Most of the major books have them in this order (the Grant volume, the Baen volume, and the Wandering Star/Del Rey volume). He writes it like a biography, which I appreciated but there is a caveat. I liked this chapter, but would have liked more reasoning for the placement of the stories beyond "Glenn's fine work has never been surpassed." I guess I was hoping for more of a deep-dive into the clues and hints that brought about the accepted chronology. But as a biography, I did enjoy reading these three chapters.

Chapter 7 is about the women of the Solomon Kane stories: Marylin Taferal; Nakari, Queen of Negari; Mary Garvin; Zunna; and Nayela. Largely written in biographical fashion, and doesn't really delve heavily into why REH wrote the characters as he wrote them, how the characters drive the plot, if the characters serve as general stereotypes to fit a role in the story, or if they rise to the point of actually having personalities. These things are touched upon, but only lightly. No real discoveries about these characters are proffered. Mostly these entries just restate what they did in the stories.

Chapter 8 is about the supernatural foes of Solomon Kane: The Moor Ghost; Phantom on a Ghostly Steed; the Vampires of the Silent City; Terror from the Sky; and the Dweller in the Mausoleum. My favorite part was about the vampires, and I always appreciate how Blosser brings in Montague Summers (my favorite vampire folklorist). I was, however, disappointed that Blosser didn't mention anything about my favorite thing about "The Hills of the Dead," namely that N'Longa summoned vultures to drive and torment the vampires. That is one of the most unique methods of dispatching vampires in the history of vampire stories (and I've read a lot of them), and REH should be celebrated for having thought of it. Of course vultures would eat vampires! Vultures eat dead flesh... "The Hills of the Dead" is included in the occasional vampire anthology (A Taste for Blood: Fifteen Great Vampire Novellas comes to mind), and usually the compiler mentions the uniqueness of REH's vulture attack (in the aforementioned book, Martin Greenberg says "The tale's ingenious ending is an example of how early twentieth-century authors were already seeking to stretch the vampire myth through variations on the usual methods of destroying vampires"), but Blosser says nothing about it.

Chapter 9 goes into the human enemies of Solomon Kane: John Redly; Le Loup; Gaston l'Armon; Baron Von Staler; Jonas Hardraker; Sir George Banway; and Hassim the Slaver. Again, these entries are more or less biographical or simply restatements of what they did in the stories, with no real examination of their archetype or why REH wrote them the way he wrote them in terms of the role they play in the story and how they bring out the character of Solomon Kane or move the plot forward, or any kind of analysis of their personalities.

Chapter 10 delves into the friends of Solomon Kane: N'Longa the Fetish Man; John Silent; Jack Hollinster; Sir Richard Grenville; and Yussef the Hadji. Again, the entries are lightly biographical, with more emphasis on restating what they did in the stories they appeared in without a lot of analysis, similar to the last few chapters. I was surprised the entry on Grenville was so short, since he's a historical character. Intrigued, I looked him up myself and learned a lot, but little of that appeared in his entry.

Chapter 11 explores the haunted places and lost cities in the Solomon Kane stories: the village of the Black God; the Black Forest; Negari, last outpost of lost Atlantis; secret Basti; and Ninn of ancient Assyria. I liked this chapter better than the preceding several chapters, mostly because of how Blosser links some of the locations to other REH stories. It was light, though, but Blosser delves into these topics more deeply in Chapter 14. Here he merely teases what is to come.

Chapter 12 goes into the variant and associated stories. "Blades of the Brotherhood" is discussed, a rewrite of "The Blue Flame of Vengeance," changing Solomon Kane to Malachi Grim. Blosser goes into some of the differences between the two stories (besides the name change of the protagonist), and how "The Blue Flame of Vengeance" came to be published as "Blades of the Brotherhood" (still in its Solomon Kane version). That history was fascinating and new to me. This chapter also discusses "Redflame," an incomplete story featuring John Silent, a supporting character in an incomplete Solomon Kane story ("The Castle of the Devil") published in Pictures in the Fire. I honestly don't think I realized John Silent was the same character from the Solomon Kane stories when I read "Redflame" a couple of years ago in Pictures in the Fire. I liked this chapter since it had so much new information (well, new to me).

Chapter 13 moves into the untold stories of Solomon Kane, showing where the stories hinted at further adventures that Solomon Kane had, but Robert E. Howard never wrote. While short, this chapter is great for compiling these hints and teasers into one place.

Chapter 14 goes into how the Solomon Kane stories connect to King Kull's and Skull Face's Atlantis. Too short, but I liked this chapter. Great reference material.

Chapter 15 goes into the connections between Solomon Kane and the Cthulhu Mythos, as well as how Lovecraft's writing influenced REH's writing. Nothing new here for those of us who have read Blosser's Ar-I-E’ch and the Spell of Cthulhu: An Informal Guide to Robert E. Howard's Lovecraftian Fiction, but useful to have in this book as well, in terms of overall summary of that deeper dive.

Chapter 16 is pure speculative ideas on which REH characters Solomon Kane could have conceivably met, such as Red Sonya and Dark Agnes.

Chapter 17 talks about Hernando De Guzman, the conquistador of "Nekht Semerkeht." Blosser contends this is basically a Solomon Kane story in many respects, just without Solomon Kane as a character.

Next up are the Appendices, which take up almost 40% of the book. Appendix A lists out the Marvel and Dark Horse adaptations of REH stories (including changes and differences from the original REH stories), and listing out any pastiches by name only. Very useful reference if you want to seek out these adaptations and pastiches. Many of the Marvel comics were where I first encountered Solomon Kane.

Appendix B is a concordance of names from the Solomon Kane saga, similar to L. Sprague de Camp's "An Exegesis of Howard's Hyborian Tales." This is great reference material.

Appendix C is another Solomon Kane chronology, assigning years to the stories and other elements in Kane's history.

Appendix D gives Blosser's reasons for writing this book, many of which were in the introduction. I am not sure why this is an appendix and not just included in the introduction, but he gave good reasons.

Appendix E is a select Bibliography, giving some details to the main sources for the stories. Of the most interest is that Blosser indicates which sources edited or changed REH's writings and which ones didn't. It covers Red Shadows (Donald Grant), Solomon Kane (Baen), The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane (Wandering Star/ Del Rey), and Solomon Kane - L'intégrale (Bragelonne).

Appendix F is a guide to further reading, and, to be honest, I wish there was a compendium that collected all of these essays. I have several of them, but not all of them, and having them all collected would be AMAZING. That's not a criticism of Blosser, by the way, just a wish on my part for someone to do some day.

Appendix G is a reprint of "Red Shadows" by Robert E. Howard.

Overall, The Solomon Kane Companion is an expansive and useful resource, even if some sections feel more like cataloging than deep analysis. The essays that provide context, background, or connections to other elements of Howard’s universe stood out as highlights, while the extensive appendices make this an invaluable reference for anyone exploring Kane’s world across stories, adaptations, and pastiches. While it doesn’t always reach the level of insight found in some of Blosser’s other works, it remains a book I’m glad to have on my shelf, both as a fan of Solomon Kane and as someone who appreciates Blosser’s ongoing efforts to illuminate Howard’s fiction in all its strange and fascinating corners.

[Vincent]

Have any of you read these books? Or read Blosser's essays in the past? I'd love to hear about your experience with Fred Blosser. I feel like I am the only one shouting in the wilderness about Robert E. Howard on this site. Tell me about your experiences with Fred Blosser. Surely some of you have read his works. Do you have a favorite Fred Blosser essay?

Please add your reviews or thoughts on any Fred Blosser book or essay about REH here. This isn't just about my thoughts and reviews. You are all welcome to discuss Fred Blosser's REH essays and books here.

And thank you, Michael, for commenting on this thread. I appreciate that.

[Scott]

I'd love to see Fred Blosser tackle REH's Crusader tales.

[Vincent]

Oh, I would love that too!

I know you are busy writing other things, but I'd buy a Guide to REH's Crusader tales from you also...