I've been very curious about the stories by this pulp legend. For a while I sort of stuck on either getting his horror stories or the two best of collections of his stories (now those have a little bit more variety to them). Of course I settled for the collection of his horror, which id kind of obvious since I also like horror too, and I was immediately hooked!
Robert E. Howard is most remembered as the creator of Conan the Barbarian and one of the writers of the pulps who were pioneers of the sword & sorcery brand of fantasy. Now this collection has some of those sword & sorcery stories that really lean into, but it's not just the sword & sorcery, there's also a few westerns, sea adventures and even a story involving boxing! And that's quite a bit of variety! And even has some of his poems!
Howard's style of writing is much more simple, and the stories aren't as descriptive as fellow writer, and friend, Lovecraft's is (and I do love Lovecraft!). His stories fast, snappy and filled with adventure and action. And I know there are other pulp writers from that long ago era who also wrote the same way as Howard. There's even some stories that he did that are also part of the Cthulhu mythos, and also some fragments of stories he started, but never really finished in his lifetime.
His stories aren't just eerie and creepy, and all that good stuff, but just really fun to read! I really must get those two book best of series that's also available too, and those have a lot more variety to them! There's also another writer who also is in the same camp as Robert, and of course several others, Fritz Leiber. Now there's another writer that I might want to check out!
by i-the-muso-1968