The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard

Another fine collection of short stories from Robert E. Howard accompanied by some truly amazing artwork by Greg Staples. As I always do with these Del Rey collections, I read one story per week (with a few exceptions when I couldn’t resist the urge to read just one more) and thus it has taken me five full months to get through the collection. No doubt I will go into withdrawal now until I start the next set.

There are 60 items within, counting stories, poems, and unfinished fragments. There are, of course, horror elements in all 60 but the range of “horror” is quite vast. We are treated to everything from traditional supernatural tales, to occult horror, to psychological scares. Occasionally we encounter characters we’ve come across before, including Solomon Kane and Steve Costigan but for the most part these are all unique, stand-alone stories that demonstrate the amazing versatility of this gifted writer. There is even a story that ties in to HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos (not surprising given the pair’s well-known long-term correspondence).

No doubt I will return to these stories from time to time, just like my other REH collections. They never seem to get old.

The Spider #7 - "Serpent of Destruction" by Grant Stockbridge (Norvell Page)

April 1934: Prohibition has been repealed in the United States, much to the dismay of organized crime and less-than-organized crime alike. But if liquor is now legal, narcotics are not, so it’s an easy transition for criminals to transfer their focus. Richard Wentworth, aka The Spider, knows this is a new level of war and he’s willing to risk everything to fight it.

A national crime syndicate has its sights set on the upper crust of society, feeding them cocaine and heroine and never looking back. The Bloody Serpent gang has the market mostly sewn up by the time the story begins. Wentworth is already making moves in the war, but it is apparent he’ll have to pull out all the stops this time. I’ve read several Spider books before but this one seems to have really cranked it up a notch. There is a ton of action here, with knife fights, gun battles, and fisticuffs galore. Wentworth’s disguise kit gets plenty of workouts as well, as he infiltrates and surveils the bad guys. But it’s a far-reaching syndicate with powerful tools of their own as proven when Police Commissioner Kirkpatrick is removed from duty because of his supposed taking of bribes. A set-up of course, but it’s an important tool that’s now off the table for The Spider. (Although Kirkpatrick makes up for this as a total bad ass in several gunfights on Wentworth’s behalf).

The stakes get even bigger when Wentworth’s fiancé, Nita van Sloan, is kidnapped and held as leverage against The Spider’s actions. Fortunately, his old pal, Professor Brownlee is available and tapped to construct a cane with a hidden nozzle that shoots spider venom. This cane is an awesome, perhaps even iconic weapon that The Spider uses to inflict 24 hours of tortuous pain before the victim ultimately dies. Pretty cool!

First published in 1934, this is the seventh entry in the series, and the fifth by the prolific writer Norvell Page who, I believe, had really begun to hit his stride. The plot is nicely complex without becoming obtuse and the action is virtually non-stop. The Spider has no interest in bringing bad guys to jail or in rehabilitating them. He’s happy to annihilate them and simply remove them from any chance of a further life of crime. The ending was pretty sweet with a nice twist in the identity of the main bad guy, the Chief of the Bloody Serpent gang.

Two bonus short stories are included with this volume: “Deadlock” by Arthur Leo Zagat and “The Death Yacht” by George A. Starbird. Bold Venture Press does a fine job with these reprints and I look forward to my next adventure with The Spider.

Creature by John Saul

The small mountain town of Silverdale Colorado is perfect. A company town with perfect weather, perfect neighborly citizens, and the perfect high school with a perfect football team. It is to this perfect town, run by the corporate tech giant, Tarrentech, that the family of 16-year-old Mark Tanner moves; a promotion for his father and a chance to start again for Mark. Little does he know that such perfection comes at a cost. Due to a childhood sickness, Mark is now a short, skinny kid who avoids sports in favor of more scholarly pursuits but when faced with continual bullying from school, friends, and even his own dad, it becomes harder and harder to resist what the town, and the high school sports clinic has to offer.

I’ve tried two John Saul novels before and thought them “OK” but not particularly brag-worthy. But several of my reading friends have been urging me not to give up on him and so I dug this one out of my vast home library of unread books and gave him another try. Happily, I can report that this one surprised me quite nicely, keeping me engaged throughout with good narrative story-building. The character of Mark, especially, was well done and I think I will remember him for a long time to come. It’s not fine literature by any means but that's not what I was looking for when I picked it up to read.

Published in 1989, the plot of this novel makes full use of the dangers and fears of anabolic steroid abuse, vitamin enhancing therapies, etc. of the time. The novel takes things to extremes, of course, in order to create a truly horrifying story but just as in most good horror, it is the nature of humans and how we treat each other that is the real horror occurring.

Uther (The Camulod Chronicles #7) by Jack Whyte

It was with great reverence and a bit of trepidation that I returned to my reading of the Camulod Chronicles.  The first six novels of this amazing series form a complete series by themselves and I was a little worried that even though I had greatly enjoyed those novels, this next one might be more of a “filler” novel. After all, it tells the story of Uther Pendragon, a life that was already mostly covered during the events of book three, The Eagles' Brood, where he is shown growing up with his cousin Merlyn. The shear length of the book also added to my concern, weighing in at over 900 paperback pages. So… at the risk of suffering through a lengthy filler novel, I plunged in anyway, tossing my fears aside for the simple reason that I trust this author, Jack Whyte, to provide me with yet another amazing novel, much as he had with the first six books.

And he did just that. Most of the first half of the book was, indeed, a repeat of the events of The Eagles' Brood but while that book was told from the first person perspective of Merlyn Britannicus as he looked back on long-ago events, this book was from Uther’s third person perspective as those events unfolded. It’s quite a different viewpoint because the two characters are so different from another. 

The second half of the book covered Uther’s life after leaving Camulod (Camelot) as he becomes King of Cambria and leads his alliance in an aggressive defense against Lot of Cornwall.  These events were not covered in previous books in the series other than a passive mention of Uther being off doing his thing in the West. So I was happy to fill in these holes. We do know the end result of Uther’s campaigns, of course, and so the second half of the book does read a little like a tragedy. But to read of Uther’s actions, his thoughts and growth as a character, his relationship with Ygraine, their child Arthur, the difficulty with dealing with various allies as Uther tries to counter the devious Lot… all of that was truly awesome.

Historical novels that center on warfare can often get bogged down in endless battles but the battles that take place in the final 200 pages of this book were absolutely intriguing. To watch Uther’s brilliance at overcoming difficult odds, designing a new brand of warfare when desperately needed, and demonstrate ideal leadership qualities was extremely fulfilling. The battles themselves are like a combination of a strategic chess match and well-choreographed action sequences filled with all the bloody horror one would expect from up close and personal sword play, flails impacting helmets, pounding horse hooves, etc. I never once felt bogged down or wished for the plot to speed up even though this is a very long novel. But don’t get the impression this is strictly a war novel. That’s really only a small part of Uther’s life and of this novel.

Once again, a Jack Whyte novel gets my highest recommendation. But definitely start at the beginning of the series (The Skystone) in order to be privy to the numerous interactions and history leading up to the rise of Arthur himself. Only two more books to go in the larger series and I am already dreading the moment when I will have turned the last page.

Hardcase by Luke Short

Dave Coyle is an outlaw. The sort of outlaw that thumbs his nose at the law, that can escape any jail he’s thrown in, and generally is able to strut about with confidence that his skills are superior to anybody who might disagree with him. But he is loyal to his friends and his actions are mostly honorable. So, when pretty Carol McFee asks for his help in saving her father from having his ranch suckered out from under him with a fake bill-of-sale, Coyle steps in to assist.

I’ve read several hundred westerns over the years, but this is my first by Luke Short, pen name of Frederick Dilley Glidden and not to be confused with the gunfighter of the Old West. Most of his work was published in the 1930s and 40s. This book was first published in 1941 and definitely has that pulp western vibe to it.

The novel is certainly a western novel, but it has many hallmarks of other genres, especially hard-boiled crime with a strong mystery element. Dave Coyle is the protagonist but not afraid to act outside the law to right a wrong. He’s hard-headed but smart. The novel certainly is titled appropriately. The plot is a complex whirlwind of interesting characters. With a couple of exceptions, the reader isn’t always sure who are the good guys and who are the bad hombres. The very nature of the power structure in the town, including the sheriff and his deputy, is well thought out and provided a lot of intrigue, double-crosses, and the mandatory fight scenes. I was impressed with the nature of the scheme to steal the ranch. Very creative, as was the solution engineered by Dave Coyle. The ending was great fun as Coyle proves his own innocence and nails the bad guy in an unorthodox Old West court of law. It’s not a flawless novel to be sure with some parts that wandered around a little, but ultimately it pulled me right along.

I’m glad I read this one and will be looking for more westerns by Luke Short.

The Hunter From the Woods by Robert McCammon

Having read Robert McCammon’s outstanding WWII/adventure/thriller/werewolf/spy novel The Wolf's Hour earlier this month I knew I had to find and read the “sequel” as soon as possible.  The character of Michael Gallatin and his story was just so rich with possibilities that I was thrilled to discover there was another book.  And, still, to this day, I have yet to read a disappointing book by Robert McCammon.

This book is not another novel, however. It is a collection of 6 stories, all very much connected to one another (as well as with the original novel) but each depicting a different episode in Michael’s intriguing life.  Essentially all six stories fill in his background, mostly taking place during the war itself and just prior to the current events of the first novel. The second story here, ‘The Man From London’ is fairly short but serves to illustrate how Michael is recruited by the British Secret Service for his unique talents. Three of the stories are fairly long, novellas really, and were easily my favorites due to the depth that the longer form allows the author to take the plot and the character. In addition, the answer to a burning, unanswered question from the original novel is answered in the last story of this book.

A definite must-read for McCammon fans. 

The Wolf's Hour by Robert R. McCammon

Robert McCammon has always provided me with great entertainment and this time around was no exception.  This is primarily a World War II spy novel wherein Michael Gallatin is on a mission to support the allied D-Day invasion by preventing a Nazi gas warfare scheme.  It’s a clever plot filled with adrenaline-charged action at every turn.  On its own, it would be a very nice thriller but the fact that Michael is also a werewolf makes this one a keeper.

In the hands of a lesser author I would be concerned that combining a werewolf story with a WWII spy novel would come across as hokey at best.  But in McCammon’s hands, it reads superbly.  Michael’s werewolf origin story is told through a series of lengthy flashback sections that not only stand on their own but provide some excellent emotional scenes that tie in well to the events of the spy story. It all works well together and despite its length (over 600 paperback small print pages in my copy) I polished it off quickly, fully absorbed every step of the way.

This is a stand-alone novel but thankfully, McCammon provided some additional material for us in the form of inter-linked short stories collected in a volume entitled, The Hunter from the Woods.  I made room on my shelves for that one as well just as soon as I closed the cover on this book.