Tag Archives: DMR Books

Kardios Slaughters the Gods

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Today, May 21, is the birthday of Manly Wade Wellman (1903-1986). Although best known for his tales of Jon the Balladeer, Wellman also wrote a number of stories in a variety of subgenres, including sword and sorcery. These stories aren’t as well-known as his Appalachian tales. They are still worth reading.

One of the sword and sorcery characters he wrote about was a chap named Kardios, the sole survivor of Atlantis. The reason Atlantis sunk is that Kardios did something he shouldn’t have. By kissing the queen, he institutes the curse that causes the island to sink. Now he wanders the world having adventures. Continue reading →

Howard in “The House of Arabu”

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Today, January 22, marks the birth of Robert E. Howard (1906-1936). In observance, I’m going to look at “The House of Arabu”. I read it in The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard. It will be reprinted in Renegade Swords from DMR Books later this year. Look for it. I’ll have an announcement when more details about Renegade Swords are released, details such as the publication date.

I don’t know when “The House of Arabu” was written. It wasn’t published until 1952 in The Avon Fantasy Reader #18 under the title “The Witch From Hell’s Kitchen”. I like Howard’s original title much better. The story has been reprinted several times, but it isn’t as well known as much of Howard’s other sword and sorcery. I did notice that the version reprinted in The Ultimate Triumph had a slightly different closing line than the version in The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard. Continue reading →