The Moon of Skulls, by Robert E. Howard (The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, vol. 2) Edited by Paul Herman Published by Wildside Press 216 pages, hardcover, $35.00 (limited to 1200 copies) Contents The Gothic Orient (introduction) by Mark Finn Skull-Face Dead Man's Hate The Fearsome Touch of Death A Song out of Midian Shadows on the Road The Moon of Skulls The Hills of the Dead Black Chant Imperial The Voice of El-Lil Robert E. Howard's writing career began in 1924, and by 1929, he was selling steadily to different markets. However, Weird Tales continued to be his most dependable, if not financially reliable, market. In the pages of "the unique magazine," Howard had plenty of room to explore ideas and cross genre barriers that he may not have been able to with other pulp fiction magazines. 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, "Skull-Face" was the first novella Howard sold, and in many ways, is a key to understanding the rest of Howard's canon. A detailed, complicated plot, a compelling cast of characters, and a collision of themes and ideas make "Skull-Face" required reading for Howard fans. 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.