These Black Friday posts are starting to become an annual tradition. This year I’m going to look at two stories by two different Howards. Robert E. Howard and Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

The Robert E. Howard story is “Red Blades of Black Cathay”. I read it in Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures. This is one of Howard’s historicals. It concerns Godric de Villehard, a Frank. He is searching for the kingdom of Prestor John, which he’s planning to overthrow. He and his men come upon a beautiful young woman and her entourage being attacked. The rescue attempt de Villehard and his men attempt are successful, but he is the only survivor and gravely wounded.

The princess, Yulita, nurses him back to health. She tells him he is in a small mountain kingdom named Black Cathay. She is going to be married to a prince of Cathay, but the marriage has been delayed. Genghis Khan is marching through the area.

Of course Godric is going to get involved with the defense of Black Cathay, win his kingdom, and the girl. Overall, this was a fun and well-told historical adventure story with some well-written combat scenes.

The next story is “Two Black Bottles”, a collaboration between H. P. Lovecraft and Wilfred Blanch Talman. The narrator, a fellow named Hoffman, arrives in a remote village where his uncle, the pastor of the local church, has just died. It seems the uncle was becoming a bit unorthodox in his theology before he died. Most of his parishioners have left the church.

A local shopkeeper warns Hoffman to beware of the sexton, Abel Foster. Hoffman decides to visit the church in spite of warnings. He arrives after dark and finds a cross over his uncle’s grave. Abel Foster is in the bell tower, drinking himself into a state. He’s afraid Hoffman’s uncle is coming to exact revenge of something Abel has done to him.

That  something involves the two black bottles of the title. Exactly what I won’t say. Spoilers, ya know.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s not one of the Lovecraft’s major works, but it’s a fun read.