Excerpt: Chapter 1. The Coming of Solomon The moonlight shimmered hazily, making silvery mists of illusion among the shadowy trees. A faint breeze whispered down the valley, bearing a shadow that was not of the moon-mist. A faint scent of smoke was apparent. The man whose long, swinging strides, unhurried yet unswerving, had carried him for many a mile since sunrise, stopped suddenly. A movement in the trees had caught his attention, and he moved silently toward the shadows, a hand resting lightly on the hilt of his long, slim rapier. Warily he advanced, his eyes striving to pierce the darkness that brooded under the trees. This was a wild and menacing country; death might be lurking under those trees. Then his hand fell away from the hilt and he leaned forward. Death indeed was there, but not in such shape as might cause him fear. "The fires of Hades!" he murmured. "A girl! What has harmed you, child? Be not afraid of me." The girl looked up at him, her face like a dim white rose in the dark. "You—who are—you?" her words came in gasps. "Naught but a wanderer, a landless man, but a friend to all in need." The gentle voice sounded somehow incongruous, coming from the man. The girl sought to prop herself up on her elbow, and instantly he knelt and raised her to a sitting position, her head resting against his shoulder. His hand touched her breast and came away red and wet. "Tell me." His voice was soft, soothing, as one speaks to a babe. "Le Loup," she gasped, her voice swiftly growing weaker. "He and his men—descended upon our village—a mile up the valley. They robbed—slew—burned—" More Reading: In The 'Solomon Kane' Stories Series by ADB Publishing (The Original) Skulls in the Stars (1929) (The Original) The Footfalls Within (1931) (The Original) The Moon of Skulls (1930) (The Original) The Hills of the Dead (1930) (The Original) Wings in the Night (1932) (The Original) Rattle of Bones (The Original) Red Shadows (This Book)

"Landlord, ho!" The shout broke the lowering silence and reverberated through the black forest with sinister echoing. "This place hath a forbidding aspect, meseemeth." Two men stood in front of the forest tavern. The building was low, long and rambling, built of heavy logs. Its small windows were heavily barred and the door was closed. Above the door its sinister sign showed faintly—a cleft skull. This door swung slowly open and a bearded face peered out. The owner of the face stepped back and motioned his guests to enter—with a grudging gesture it seemed. A candle gleamed on a table; a flame smoldered in the fireplace. "Your names?" "Solomon Kane," said the taller man briefly. "Gaston l'Armon," the other spoke curtly. "But what is that to you?" "Strangers are few in the Black Forest," grunted the host, "bandits many. Sit at yonder table and I will bring food." More In The 'Solomon Kane' Stories Series by ADB Publishing (The Original) Skulls in the Stars (1929) (The Original) The Footfalls Within (1931) (The Original) The Moon of Skulls (1930) (The Original) The Hills of the Dead (1930) (The Original) Wings in the Night (1932) (The Original) Rattle of Bones (This Book) (The Original) Red Shadows

The Moon of Skulls collects Robert E. Howard's fiction and prose published in Weird Tales Magazine from October 1929 to November 1930, plus one from Oriental Stories. These works represent literary stepping-stones to Howard's infamous Cthulhu mythos stories and his most famous character of all - Conan the Cimmerian - and ably demonstrate that each of Howard's stories improved and added to his formidable skills as a master of fantasy and adventure. Continuing the collection of Howard's fiction and poetry in order of publication, Volume Two of The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard picks up where Volume One left off-at one of the most startling and controversial Howard stories of all: Skull-Face, a potent combination of gothic themes and oriental mystique.

Warrior Against the Wicked In a world ruled by piracy, stalked by vampires, peopled by cities of the inhuman, he stood tall amid the terrors of the Dark Continent. Kane, a man of savage and unconquerable courage, strode deep into the jungles, forever slashing his diamond-edged rapier as evil guided the creatures of the night toward him. Wicked whispers of death touched him. Haunted horrors of the world beyond life reached for him. But Kane never halted his march, for he would never rest until the final, epic duel between light and dark was waged...and won. Contents: \* The Mystery of Solomon Kane Introduction by Ramsey Campbell \* The Hills of the Dead \* Hawk of Basti Completed by Ramsey Campbell \* The Return of Sir Richard Grenville \* Wings in the Night \* The Footfalls Within \* The Children of Asshur Completed by Ramsey Campbell \* Solomon Kane's Homecoming

Solomon Kane follows a band of Arab slavers who have taken the people of a friendly village.

Wings in the Night collects Robert E. Howard's fiction and prose published in Weird Tales Magazine from July 1932 to May 1933. These works represent literary stepping-stones to Howard's infamous Cthulhu mythos stories and his most famous character of all—Conan the Cimmerian—and ably demonstrate that each of Howard's stories improved and added to his formidable skills as a master of fantasy and adventure.