The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard

By: Robert E. Howard

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 23 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Robert E. Howard, renowned creator of Conan the Barbarian, was also a master at conjuring tales of hair-raising horror. In a career spanning only 12 years, Howard wrote more than 100 stories, with his most celebrated work appearing in Weird Tales, the preeminent pulp magazine of the era.

In this collection of Howard's greatest horror tales, some of the author's best-known characters - Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, and sailor Steve Costigan among them - roam the forbidding locales of Howard's fevered imagination, from the swamps and bayous of the Deep South to the fiend-haunted woods outside Paris, to remote jungles in Africa.

Included in this collection is Howard's masterpiece "Pigeons from Hell", a tale of two travelers who stumble upon the ruins of a Southern plantation - and into the maw of its fatal secret. In "Black Canaan", even the best warrior has little chance of taking down the evil voodoo man with unholy powers - and none at all against his wily mistress, the diabolical High Priestess of Damballah. Also included is the classic revenge nightmare "Worms of the Earth" as well as "The Cairn on the Headland".

©2008 Robert E. Howard Properties, Inc. (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

“For stark, living fear...what other writer is even in the running?” (H. P. Lovecraft)

“[Behind Howard’s stories] lurks a dark poetry and the timeless truth of dreams.” (Robert Bloch)

“Howard’s writing seems so highly charged with energy that it nearly gives off sparks.” (Stephen King)

Reminiscent of Dime Novel Fiction

So you're thinking of choosing this audiobook as your monthly pick thinking, (at 23 hours), you'll get more bang for the buck? Maybe, but maybe not. If you're a real connoisseur of the genre, you may consider these stories classics. However, if your interest is in contemporary horror, you may find 23 hours a bit much. I guess for my own tastes, a little of this somewhat dated style of horror is best taken in small doses.

Gone all too soon

H. P. Lovecraft called Robert E. Howard the greatest writer of horror tales of their time.
Come and see why.
Then lament over his early, tragic death.

Conan, just like you expect

These aren't brilliant literature, they're pulp stories. If you never read one, they might be better than you think. Taste vary. I'd love to give 5 stars for being classics (in my world) but pulp is necessarily pulpy.

Nice Collection

Stumbled upon Robert Howard through a short story from another collection. Thought it was pretty decent. Was happy to find this title in Audible. Read through the reviews and was shocked that some people were taken back by the 'racist' overtones in some of the stories. As a writer and reader, I know we cannot have thin skins. The world is not a fine a friendly place most of the time. Racist? Don't know. I believe using a racist term in a story does not necessarily make an author an evil person, who lives in fantasy and writes about other people and places (psst, that's what an author does). Context, people. Context. These were written in the 1920s and 1930s. Moving on. These tales are very like H.P. Lovecraft--poetic, good detail, full of monsters and creepy things, but some are not as great as Lovecraft's writing. It's still good and worth it, but some stories don't have that polish to them. I won't point them out, because these are my opinions and I am not going to taint another reader's / listener's experience. Overall, very impressive and exhaustive collection of tales. The narration is great and I am glad I purchased this.

Good Range of Howard's Weird Fiction

A lot of great stories in here with few or no duds among them. You get to hear a lot of stories from the various Howard universes, like Solomon Kane and Conan stories with horrific elements. As well as one-off stories in a theme similar to Lovecraft, but a more action/adventure focus. It was a great performance which always kept me engaged and excited to hear more. Great book, I would recommend it. My only complaint is that the track titles are generic (Track 1, Track 2, etc...) and not the story names.

Wonderful.

A must have for any horror fanatic. many tales of terror and woe, woven together in masterful fashion. A few unfinished works, but worth the investment.

Racism makes many stories unpalletable.

As a fan of weird fiction and horror, I was excited to round out my knowledge of the classics of the genre. There 's a lot to like in Howard's work; he eloquently builds suspense and dread and there's plenty of gripping action. However, for every story I enjoy, there's another with racist language or stereotyped caricatures that leave me with a bad taste. While it is interesting to hear the prejudices of the 1920s cast over a fantastic landscape, more often than not it is just too difficult to forgive the language. Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry

I enjoyed the experience

I really liked the book. I want more awesome better than music. I like books

Old but good

Sme excellent stories especially viewed in historical context. my only complaint: would it have killed you to give the chapters titles based on the stories they contain rather than numbers? I can't find anything if I want to listen to a story out of order.

loved it

amazing. from ghosts to horrible juju voodoo men. all the way to cosmic beings from Atlantis to rh'layea this man has some great horror stories. With Lovecraft's work inspiring some of his work.