Horror Howard, Robert E.: Steve Harrison, Detective: Four Cases. v1. 15 Nov 2025

[GrannyGrump]

Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was an American writer who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He created the iconic character Conan the Barbarian, and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre. He contributed to the Lovecraft mythos, often blending sword-and-sorcery action with cosmic horror themes.

As a seminal figure in the history of modern fantasy, Howard remains a highly read author, with his best work endlessly reprinted. He has been compared to other American masters of the weird, gloomy, and spectral, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Jack London.

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Stories and summaries:

Fangs of Gold

Spoiler:

(People of the Serpent) A thrilling adventure that takes place in a dangerous, atmospheric setting. Steve Harrison tracks a criminal named Woon Shang into a menacing swamp. The narrative blends mystery, horror, and adventure as Harrison ventures into the bayou and encounters voodoo practitioners.

The Tomb’s Secret

Spoiler:

(The Teeth of Doom) Harrison uncovers a conspiracy involving a chemical formula for a deadly gas hidden in a series of dental implants. He investigates a series of murders linked to a wealthy client and an underworld gang, uncovering that the secret formula was developed by the client and his deceased colleagues to safeguard it from a dangerous secret society, the Sons of Erlik Khan.

Names in The Black Book

Spoiler:

Harrison investigates a series of murders orchestrated by his old enemy, the criminal mastermind Erlik Khan, the Last Emperor of the Mongols, who was thought long dead. Khan is targeting people on a list in his “black book,” and as the story progresses, Harrison and his ally Joan La Tour realize their own names are on the list. Elaborate death plots and shadowy conspiracies feature in this action-filled story.

Graveyard Rats

Spoiler:

Harrison investigates a bizarre murder, which leads him to a family feud and a crypt infested with enormous rats. The story combines detective fiction, Western elements, and supernatural horror, as Harrison uncovers a dark conspiracy involving family secrets, a vengeful ghost, and swarms of rats that seem to be instruments of supernatural revenge. A prime example of Howard’s “weird menace” and “pulp horror”, focusing on themes of greed, madness, and the grotesque.

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Contents were first published 1934 ~ 1936.
This book is in the public domain where copyright is “Life+80” or less.
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