The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard

This is a great collection of REH's stories, and almost all his familiar characters are here: Conan, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn...the only one missing is Kull. But they're tied thematically because REH reused a surprising number of his characters in different stories, and--the real shock to me--he also used H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos quite liberally as well.

This is, however, a book to be read in sips of one or two stories at a time. Large gulps will serve only to make the reader overly aware of certain elements. Horrors and fears are almost always "nameless" and monsters and demons are almost always "faceless." REH tends to use certain story elements again and again, but, to be fair, his writing tends to overcome these show more shortcomings.

The stories do show their age a touch, as, after several hundred pages, I found myself hoping for at least one strong heroine (all the primary characters are male) and the racism could, at times, become a little overpowering.

For the most part, however, this is a great introduction to the writings of REH and the various time periods he dabbled in. show less

Robert E. 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 show more setting, for example.

This collection of stories 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.

If you enjoy a vintage weird tale with class, this is the book for you! show less

I've never read any other author with so great an imagination as Robert E. Howard. His versatility as a writer is more than impressive. But his wide coverage of different genres inevitably results in some lame compostions among the gems.

"Horror Stories" offers a mixture of good, bad, and somewhere in between. Certain stories ramble on too long, others are good but with potential to be better, while others are simply brilliant.

Mr Howard knew how to create creepy and suspenseful fiction, though I don't rate his horror works as highly as his action/adventure or humorous tales. Still, this is worth checking out of you're a REH fan.

Growing up, I owned a short collection (6 stories) of Robert E Howard. I thoroughly enjoyed those stories.

Over the years, wherever I lived, I would check the local library to see if they had any of his horror story collections. Alas, they only had his fantasy stories.

Finally, this book came out and I bought it.

I must confess I was a little disappointed. Most of the stories, on their own, are quite good. However, the themes and style are quite repetitive. If you've read a select few stories, the rest will be similar.

This is a great collection of stories. "Pigeons from Hell," "Worms of the Earth," "Black Canaan," and so many other weird and atmospheric tales of supernatural horrors.