While Conan Slept…

Robert E. Howard scholar Fred Blosser critically analyzes Howard’s dark fiction.

Robert E. Howard laid much of the groundwork for modern heroic fantasy as creator of the immortal Conan. On an even broader canvas, he was an acclaimed master of weird fantasy in many forms, from vampire, zombie, and ghost tales to thrillers about exotic super-villains; from stories that helped define the legendary Cthulhu Mythos to the exploits of occult detectives; from science fiction to memorable fantasies about the supernatural in vivid settings of the American South and Southwest.

The Annotated Guide to Robert E. Howard’s Weird Fantasy scrutinizes this full range of Howard’s dark fiction by listing, summarizing, and critically analyzing more than 50 tales. Surveyed not only are widely anthologized horror classics like “Pigeons from Hell” and “The Black Stone,” but also many lesser-known tales that further illuminate Howard’s genius for creating “real emotions of spectral fear and dread suspense,” as H.P. Lovecraft once said.

Whether you’ve read all of Robert E. Howard’s weird fiction, or even none of it at all, you’ll find new perspectives, incisive analysis, and engaging commentary in this definitive guide.