Shadow Kingdoms: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard

Shadow Kingdoms collects some of Robert E. Howard's earliest published weird fiction stories from the 1920s and early 1930s. The book represents Volume 1 of a series dedicated to Howard's non-Conan works that appeared in Weird Tales magazine. The collection includes supernatural horror tales and dark fantasy pieces that showcase Howard's developing voice as a pulp writer. Characters face ancient evils, mythological beings, and cosmic horrors across various settings including medieval kingdoms and lost civilizations. These stories demonstrate Howard's fusion of action-adventure with horror elements, laying groundwork for what would become sword-and-sorcery fiction. The volume contains editorial notes providing historical context about Howard's early career and the pulp magazine market of the era. The tales explore themes of civilization versus barbarism, humanity's place in an indifferent universe, and the thin line between heroism and savagery that would later define Howard's more famous works. Editor Paul Herman's curation reveals the origins of Howard's distinctive literary approach to fantasy and horror.

Readers value this collection for assembling Howard's earliest weird fiction works chronologically, offering insight into his development as a writer. The scholarly introduction and story notes provide historical context that many reviewers found helpful. Liked: - Inclusion of rare, hard-to-find stories - High-quality printing and binding - Paul Herman's detailed story notes - Organization by original publication date Disliked: - Some readers found the early stories rough and unpolished - Several mentioned the $60 price point as high - A few noted repetitive plot elements across stories Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (156 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (28 reviews) Notable Review Quotes: "Shows Howard's growth from amateur to professional" - Goodreads reviewer "Great for completists but newcomers should start elsewhere" - Amazon review "The annotations alone justify the purchase" - SFRevu.com

The Sword and Sorcery Anthology by David G. Hartwell, Jacob Weisman A collection of classic sword and sorcery tales featuring works from authors who influenced and were influenced by Howard's style of dark fantasy.

Tales of Ancient Lands by Clark Ashton Smith Smith's collection presents gothic horror and fantasy stories set in imagined prehistoric realms with dark sorcery and elder gods.

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard The first volume in a three-part series contains Howard's original, unedited Conan stories with the author's preferred text.

Elric: The Stealer of Souls by Michael Moorcock Chronicles of an albino sorcerer-king who wields a cursed sword present a continuation of Howard's sword and sorcery tradition.

The Book of Swords by Gardner Dozois An anthology of sword and sorcery fiction collects tales from authors who work in Howard's tradition of heroic fantasy.

🗡️ Robert E. Howard typed at an incredible speed, often reaching 86 words per minute, and would frequently become so immersed in his writing that he would act out his characters' movements and dialogue while working. 📚 The stories in "Shadow Kingdoms" were originally published in Weird Tales magazine between 1925 and 1930, during Howard's early period as a professional writer. 🌙 Howard created the character of Kull, featured in this collection, before his more famous character Conan. Many scholars consider Kull to be a prototype for the later development of Conan the Barbarian. ✉️ Howard supported himself and his ill mother entirely through his writing, making him one of the first pulp authors to earn a living solely from his fiction work. 🏰 The fictional prehistoric setting of Valusia, where many of these stories take place, was influenced by Howard's fascination with Atlantean myths and Theosophical concepts of lost civilizations.