Rattle of Bones and Other Terrifying Tales (Clover Press, October 20, 2020). Cover by Gabriel Rodriguez

“Damned be the dark ends of the earth where old horrors live again.”
— Robert E. Howard

Some of the finest gifts are from your buddy, a kindred spirit and dog brother in REH fandom, such as that damnable reprobate, Levi Combs. At Gamehole Con this year, Levi gifted me with this beautiful copy of Rattle of Bones and Other Terrifying Tales, by Robert E. Howard. And what a treasure it is!

This collection contains some of REH’s finest horror yarns, such as “In the Forest of Villefère,” “Wolfshead,” “Sea Curse,” “Rattle of Bones,” “The Touch of Death,” “Dig Me No Grave,” “People of the Dark,” and “The House of Arabu.” It was published by Clover Press and features beautiful art by Gabriel Rodriguez. It also features an afterword by horror master Steve Niles, perhaps best known for 30 Days of Night.

[Click the images for larger versions.]

Interior artwork for Rattle of Bones by Gabriel Rodriguez

As the astute reader knows, Robert E. Howard did not only write tales of Conan the Cimmerian and similar heroes, such as Kull and Bran Mak Morn; on the contrary, he dipped his toes in other genres (and actually spawned a few, too).

As part of the “Lovecraft Circle” of writers, Howard was no stranger to tales of the weird, otherworldly, and horrific. In fact, he was fond of riffing on HPL’s creations, adapting, expanding, and deriving inspiration therefrom.

This collection is a brilliant example that showcases Howard’s versatility through powerful prose, tension, and brilliant pacing. Truly, he was a master of his art.

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Jeffrey P. Talanian’s last article for Black Gate was a review of The Weird Tales Boys by Stephen Jones. He is the creator and publisher of the Hyperborea sword-and-sorcery and weird science-fantasy RPG from North Wind Adventures. He was the co-author, with E. Gary Gygax, of the Castle Zagyg releases, including several Yggsburgh city supplements, Castle Zagyg: The East Mark Gazetteer, and Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works. Read Gabe Gybing’s interview with Jeffrey here, and follow his latest projects on Facebook and at www.hyperborea.tv.