Author Archives: Keith West

The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard: “Pigeons From Hell”

10 Replies

“Pigeons From Hell”
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
Originally published in Weird Tales, May 1938

And so we come to what is arguably the greatest horror story of Robert E. Howard.  Although it wasn’t published until nearly two years after his death, “Pigeons From Hell” has remained one of Howard’s most popular nonseries stories.

It’s a Southern Gothic that contains some truly chilling scenes. I’ve read it at least twice before, but it’s been probably a decade since the last time. It had lost none of its power when I reread it earlier this evening. Continue reading →

“Rustle of Wings” by Fredric Brown

6 Replies

“Rustle of Wings”
Fredric Brown
First published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, August 1953

Fredric Brown was born on this date, October 29, 1906.  He passed away in 1972.

Brown was probably the only writer to be equally regarded in both the science fiction & fantasy and mystery fields. He’s experiencing something of a renaissance in the mystery field right now. He deserves to be rediscovered as a writer of science fiction and fantasy. His only science fiction in print that I’m aware of are the two Fredric Brown megapacks from Wildside Press. Continue reading →

Quick Update

5 Replies

Just a quick post so you know what to expect for the next six weeks or so.

I’ve kind of gotten sidetracked from the Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard by classic ghost stories.  I’ll still try to get one or more Howard posts in by the end of the month, as well as one or two more ghost story posts, all on things I’ve already read.  For instance, Saturday was the birthday of R. H. Malden, who wrote ghost stories. Read one but never managed to get the post written.

Part of the reason for that was I’ve fallen into some of the local writers groups.  This has given me ideas. I’m thinking of publishing some short stories as individual print books.  What I have in mind is to pair a previously published story with an unpublished one. The idea is to have them ready by early December to sell as stocking stuffers.  Waddya think, is this a viable idea?

The other reason I didn’t get a post up over the weekend is that my son’s marching band competed Saturday and advanced from Regional to Area.  The area competition is this weekend. I won’t be attending because my department is hosting a conference this weekend. I’m giving a presentation on Saturday. I’ve had to cancel my trip to Bouchercon next week. Time and money restrictions.

I’m planning on trying NaNoWriMo this year if Real Life doesn’t get in the way. Writers groups influence again. Before that, I need to finish a story for an anthology submission by the end of the month and provide a review as well. I’m not going to be taking any requests for reviews beyond what I’ve already committed to until I get some writing done.

That’s what’s up with me through the end of the semester.  What are you folks up to?

“He That Hath Wings”

3 Replies

“He That Hath Wings”
The Best of Edmond Hamilton
edited by Leigh Brackett
paperback $14.99
ebook $6.99
Original appearance Weird Tales July 1938

Edmond Hamilton was born on this date, October 21, in 1904.  He passed away in 1977. Last year for his birthday, I looked at “Monster-God of Mamurth“.  This year I want to look at “He That Hath Wings”.

“He That Hath Wings” is one of Hamilton’s best works, so I was surprised to find that it hasn’t been reprinted very often.  Fortunately, The Best of Edmond Hamilton is in print, although the cover illustration of the current edition (see below) isn’t nearly as good.

Just so you know, I’m going to discuss this story in detail, so expect spoilers. Continue reading →

When Dracula Seeks Revenge

9 Replies

Dracula’s Revenge
Charles R. Rutledge
ebook $2.99

Here’s a seasonal little book you’ll want to read if you like well-written vampire stories.

Charles Rutledge has been writing dark fantasy set in Georgia for a few years now, and he’s got a set of recurring characters that are loving homages to writers of by-gone days.  While this story isn’t set in the fictional town of Wellman, it does feature the occult detective Carter  de Camp.

Jennifer Grail is a detective who gets called in on a strange murder. The victim is found in his home, his throat slashed open but with no blood.  The reader knows this isn’t an ordinary murder. Continue reading →

The Legacy of Karl Edward Wagner

23 Replies

Today marks the 25th anniversary of Karl Edward Wagner’s death. He was born on December 12, 1945 and passed away on October 14, 1994.  The ISFDB has both dates wrong.  Deuce Richardson posted a photo of KEW’s grave marker on his tribute.

There have been several tributes posted today. They include posts by Charles R. Rutledge, Brian Murphy, Scott Oden, and David J. West.  All are erudite and substantial, and you should read them.

Wagner considered himself more of a horror writer than a writer of fantasy or sword-and-sorcery (a term he hated).  As a fiction writer, he was all of that and more. His work, if you can find it, and if you can afford it, is worth reading.  He’s out of print and getting harder to find (and more expensive) all the time. Continue reading →

What’s Your Favorite Ghost Story?

6 Replies

So it’s the time of year when spooky stuff seems to pervade the air.  I like a good ghost story anytime of year, but there’s something about when the air turns crisp that just seems to make them the perfect thing to be reading.

I’m always on the lookout for a good, scary ghost story.  Charles Rutledge posts the contents of a horror “anthology” every year.  I put the word anthology in quotes because he doesn’t publish anything.  It’s just the book he would publish were he to actually do so.

I find this a fun and entertaining exercise.  I had read more of this year’s list than I have of some in previous years.  There were too that stood out to me.  One I had read years ago, and the other was new to me. Continue reading →

The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard: “The Dwellers Under the Tomb”

2 Replies

“The Dwellers Under the Tomb”
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
Del Rey
Paper $20.00
Ebook $7.99

This is another story that wasn’t published during Howard’s lifetime, but it’s a stronger work than “Dermod’s Bane“.  “The Dwellers Under the Tomb” was first published in 1976 in Lost Fantasies.  It follows a similar pattern to stories such as “The Noseless Thing”, “Dig Me No Grave“, “The Children of the Night”, and “The Haunter of  the Ring”.

The narrator is a man named O’Donnell who is staying with his friend Gordon, who may be the same Gordon as appears in the stories listed above.  They are awakened by a pounding on the door.  It’s Job Kiles, who is in a state of panic, because he saw the face of his dead brother at his window.  The brother had died a few days earlier, but not before swearing he would return from the grave to take vengeance on Job.  The brother had spent his portion of the family fortune, and Job wouldn’t let the brother spend his.  Job has come to Gordon for help.

Mild spoilers below the fold. Continue reading →

The Art of J. Allen St. John

2 Replies

J. Allen St. John

Artist J. Allen St. John was born on this date, October 1, in 1872.  He is best remembered for illustrating the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the covers he did for various pulp magazines, especially Weird Tales.  Burroughs (Edgar Rice, not William S.) is reputed to have said St. John was his favorite artist.  It’s easy to see why.  In honor of his birthday, I want to highlight some of his art work. Continue reading →

The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard: “Dermod’s Bane”

2 Replies

“Dermod’s Bane”
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
Del Rey
Paper $20.00
Ebook $7.99

This is a minor story, apparently written early in Howard’s career, but not published in his lifetime.  It was first published in Magazine of Horror, Fall 1967.

As usual, there will be spoilers.  In this case, it will be hard to avoid them, the story is so short. Continue reading →