Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Pulp Extract: Skulls in the Stars


He saw nothing, but he knew - he felt - that other eyes gave back his stare, terrible eyes not of this earth. He straightened and drew a pistol, waiting. The moonlight spread like a lake of pale blood over the moor, and trees and grasses took on their proper sizes.
- From Robert E. Howard's "Skulls in the Stars" featuring Solomon Kane first published in Weird Tales, January 1929.

I'm having a religious experience with THE SAVAGE TALES OF SOLOMON KANE. I have read Mr. Howard before but not the Kane series from beginning to end. What an amazing group of stories.

12 comments:

Ed Gorman said...

Man Skulls in The Stars is a great title. Great story too.

David Cranmer said...

Ed, I am absolutely floored by this top collection. It may be the first book in a long time that I begin rereading immediately after I finish it.

Chris said...

I LOVE those stories. I'm envious of you getting to read them for the first time.

When I was at the Howard museum, the woman there told me of a guy standing in Howard's old room and recited the poem "Soloman Kane's Homecoming" and how powerful it was. That had to be something.

David Cranmer said...

Chris, I am very late to the party but I am kind of glad I am. It's just what I needed to reenergize the reading cells. I am savoring these gems like they are the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Richard Prosch said...

The Kane stories are my Howard favorites. Dark Horse recently put out a big, fat b&w collection of the '70s comic book stories (THE SAGA OF SOLOMON KANE)--a couple adapting the originals with some sweet art.

David Cranmer said...

Rich, I'm aware of that and will probably look for it.

Deka Black said...

Solomon Kane, along Conan and Kull, my three favorite REH characters. Fortunately, all his stories (the kane ones) have been published in Spain :D

pattinase (abbott) said...

Every day there is ten more things I want to read out there. STOP already.

Cloudia said...

Haunting

Warm Aloha from Waikiki :)

Comfort Spiral

David Cranmer said...

Deka, Same here in the US. I think that is why I've always taken my time to read the entire series. Seventeen stories total, I believe.

Patti, I know, Whenever I go to your blog, Randy Johnson, or James Reasoner etc I'm reaching for the credit card.

Cloudia, Indeed. Buenas dias.

Charles Gramlich said...

Good stuff for sure.

David Cranmer said...

You ain't kidding.