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 the great H.P. Lovecraft said.

The purpose of this book is twofold. First, and foremost, it is to provide a reading guide to the sword-and-sorcery fiction of Robert E. Howard. The second purpose of the book is to provide some critical commentary on the fiction and Howard’s writing in general. While much has been made of sword-and-sorcery, little critical writing has ever been done on the subject. Too long sword-and-sorcery, perhaps even all fantasy fiction, has been ignored by critics. Hopefully this work will be the first of many dealing with such aim.