While Howard's sword and sorcery work is definitely his best (and a little of that is included here), there is good stuff here displaying a definite talent for the horror story. The beginning is the weakest - I don't like much of 'In the Forest of Villefere' or 'The Dream Snake' and 'The Spirit of Tom Molyneaux' is not too horrific. However, after that, things improve significantly. There are several stories here to please the Mythos fan, too, the Hoofed Thing being the best. In the introduction, Burke talks of communication between Howard and Lovecraft, where the latter explains his invention, and why the former had seen more writers than just HPL mention various entities in stories. Some nifty illustrations too, particularly man with knife versus tentacled horror. A very timely Halloween release indeed, and coming across more Howard is always a very good thing. Also, ebooks at the same time as print, and for not the same price, also well done. This volume continues a most excellent series with the three Conans, Kull, Solomon Kane, Barn Mak Morn, and the two Best Of volumes gone before. Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : In the Forest of Villefere - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Wolfshead - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Dream Snake - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Sea Curse Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Little People - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Rattle of Bones - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Spirit of Tom Molyneaux - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Casonetto's Last Song - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Touch of Death - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Out of the Deep - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Restless Waters - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Shadow of the Beast - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Dermod's Bane - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Hills of the Dead - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Dig Me No Grave - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Children of the Night - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Black Stone - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Thing on the Roof - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Horror from the Mound - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : People of the Dark - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Delenda Est - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Cairn on the Headland - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Worms of the Earth - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Valley of the Lost - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Hoofed Thing - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Noseless Horror - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Dwellers Under the Tomb - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The House of Arabu - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Man on the Ground - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Old Garfield's Heart - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Kelly the Conjure Man - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Black Canaan - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Haunter of the Ring - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Pigeons From Hell - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Dead Remember - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The Fire of Asshurbanipal - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Golnar the Ape - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Spectres in the Dark - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : The House - Robert E. Howard Horror Stories Of Robert E Howard : Untitled fragment [Beneath the glare of the sun] - Robert E. Howard Choose carefully when you kill a werewolf. 2.5 out of 5 Hanging around Spanish noble types is bad for your health. This time, it took a while to work out whether this gentleman Was Don Leopard, or Don Lupin. The latter was the case, and causes quite a few problems. 3.5 out of 5 Scary snooze leaves sleeper smooshed. 2.5 out of 5 When a brother tells his sister that there is maybe something in that Machen pyramid and scary little Pict stuff, she should listen, not go wandering off in the middle of the night, requiring heroic pugilistic spectral druid-assisted rescue. 3.5 out of 5 In which Kane enters the Cleft Skull tavern, and finds that is most definitely lives up to its name. 3 out of 5 Battered boxer's ghostly aid. 2.5 out of 5 Satan high priest's recording's a smash. 4 out of 5 Dead dude's digits dancing. 3 out of 5 Dead men and tentacles around Faring Town. 3.5 out of 5 Marriage, pirates and hanging. 3 out of 5 Gorilla ghost death. 3.5 out of 5 Irish tree legend. 3 out of 5 This involves Kane's relationship with N'Longa, and how he came to possess his staff. Also, Kane, Zunna and N'Longa are involved in some vampire hunting and slaying. 3.5 out of 5 Conrad and Kinrowan, and a dead occultist with an unhealthy interest in the Elder Ones, beyond your garden variety voodoo and black magic stuff. 4 out of 5 Anthropological arguments and reminiscences over Cthulhu cults. 3 out of 5 A Cthulhoid type venture. Not somewhere you want to be. Fairly proficiently done. 3.5 out of 5 A book collector acquires a copy of Nameless Cults. It motivates the man he got it for to go back to th temple of the Toad God. The amulet he acquires there has very unfortunate consequences. 3 out of 5 If an old priest tells you that the body in the tomb is an undead Spanish nobleman, and you happen to be a credulous cowboy, next time, believe him! 4 out of 5 "I came to Dagon's Cave to kill Richard Brent." 10 out of 10 for courage, minus several million for common sense. Luckily, there is a bit of reincarnated presence ancient barbarian named Conan and other action here so not everybody dies. 4 out of 5 Vandal time. 3 out of 5 Another reincarnation type horror, with a Norse flavor. Nice to be given necessary supernatural artifacts via the reapparance of centuries dead ancestors, when that happens, that is for sure. 3.5 out of 5 One of Bran Mak Morn's subjects is being crucified while he is visiting some Roman commanders. This does not sit well with him or his aide, as he feels the punishment does not fit the crime, and the Romans are making a joke of doing what they will with the barbarians. Bran has a plan for revenge on the Roman who gave the order, but Gonar cautions him against using mystic means. Bran ignores here, and seeks the Black Stone with the help of a were-woman. What he unleashes is a lot more than he bargained for. 4 out of 5 A murderous Texas feud gets a dose of old supernatural horror. 4 out of 5 A neighbour with Nameless Cults and a pet murdering monster summoning. 4.5 out of 5 Singh me a mendicant mummy. 3.5 out of 5 Conrad comes to realise his friend may have something quite a bit worse than a vampire problem. 3.5 out of 5 As dreams of the woman Lilitu haunt the warrior Pyrrhas, necromancy is in his future, it would seem. 3.5 out of 5 A Texas feud gets ghostly. 3.5 out of 5 Giving the Ghost Man back his loaner. 3.5 out of 5 Disappearance mystery. 3 out of 5 Creepy swamp monsters, of the female variety. Not too bad, the atmosphere is done fairly well. 3 out of 5 Egyptian sorcerer makes placid wife a bit accidentally murderous. 3 out of 5 A man is murdered, and in no ordinary fashion. When law enforcement investigates this is the story he gets from a witness: "and my God, sir, he was dead! His head had been split open. I saw brains and clotted blood oozing down his face, and his face,,," It appears there is a zuvembie in town, the long awaited aftermatch of a property that had white women mistreating their black slaves, badly. 4 out of 5 Cursed correspondence. 3.5 out of 5 If you suspect a priceless gemstone with a magic-type name may be connected to cthulhoid alien monsters, well, I would suggest that trying to rob your local jewellery store bare-handed is a less hazardous activity than the acquisition of such an artifact. 4 out of 5 Becoming a man. 3.5 out of 5 Boxing ghosts. 3.5 out of 5 Conrad and Kinrowan investigate a mad poet's joint, and find it a tad Lovecraftian. 3.5 out of 5 Brill, Allison and some tomb looting. 3 out of 5