Beyond the Black River : The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume 7
Sep09

Beyond the Black River : The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume 7

Beyond the Black River The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume 7 Edited by Paul Herman Part One   These ongoing pieces are overviews rather than reviews and therefore contain spoilers galore   When you have a hero who is described as having a  voice ‘as harsh as the rasp of steel’;  who has a yell that is ‘less like the cry of a man than the grunt of a charging lion’; and – listen now, this is the big one – who can take a blow...

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Gardens of Fear The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume 6 pt. II
Aug05

Gardens of Fear The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, Volume 6 pt. II

Gardens of Fear The Weird Works of Robert E.  Howard, Volume 6 Edited by Paul Herman Part Two   These ongoing pieces are overviews rather than reviews and therefore contain spoilers galore   Weird Tales for August of 1934 was home to the tenth published episode in the life of Conan of Cimmeria, Howard’s most commercially successful series to date.  And since I’m that anal-retentive kind of obsessive who likes nice, neat little lists,...

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Alan Moore’s Voice of the Fire
Jul30

Alan Moore’s Voice of the Fire

Anticipating Jerusalem: Alan Moore’s Voice of the Fire   Alan Moore is a phenomenon. Although I don’t read him as religiously as I once did, the man himself – and his astonishing talent with words! – has fascinated me since I first ‘discovered’ him at the helm of the re-imagining of Swamp Thing in the 80s. I also admire him for the manner in which he has maneuvered himself into a position where he can afford to live just as he pleases...

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H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life
Jul30

H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life

H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life   ‘Of course, life has no meaning.  But neither does death.  And this is another thing that curdles the blood when one discovers Lovecraft’s universe.  The deaths of his heroes have no meaning.  Death brings no appeasement.  It in no way allows the story to conclude.  Implacably, HPL destroys his characters, evoking only the dismemberment of marionettes.’ Or: ‘At the intersections of...

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Gardens of Fear The Weird Works of Robert E.  Howard Vol 6
Apr09

Gardens of Fear The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard Vol 6

Gardens of Fear The Weird Works of Robert E.  Howard, Volume 6 Edited by Paul Herman Part One   These ongoing pieces are overviews rather than reviews and therefore contain spoilers galore   By May of 1934 and having already published eight tales of Conan the Cimmerian to considerable reader approval, it was obvious to Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright that with Robert E.  Howard’s barbarian he had something of a tiger by the tale,...

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The Valley of the Worm
Feb24

The Valley of the Worm

The Valley of the Worm The Weird Works of Robert E.  Howard, Volume 5 Edited by Paul Herman   These ongoing pieces are overviews rather than reviews and therefore contain spoilers galore   All right, it’s admittedly unlikely in the extreme that he planned it this way; but if he had done so, then Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright could not have done a better job with the order in which he ran the initial four stories featuring...

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