Trails in Darkness (Reh Library Volume VI) [Paperback]

A mix of brooding postbellum Southern settings, and some Lovecraftian style stories (Howard and Lovecraft were long-distance friends and affected each other's work). Note that this volume uses Howard's unexpurgated original language, and doesn't prettify the post-War South. Several stories feature Scots-Irish bloodfeuds sprung from the dust of Texas.

"The Dead Remember" - Set in 1877 and told in the form of letters and official documents, unusual for Howard. Jim Gordon, the author of the first letter, decided to take time out from a cattle drive at the home of Joel, an ex-slave he knew, to get some food. After getting plastered on tequila, Gordon lost all his money at dice, then shot and killed Joel and his fortune-telling wife Jezebel - and Jezebel, dying, said he wouldn't live out the year.

"Black Canaan" - A rumor of a brewing uprising in the Black River end of that part of Louisiana known as Canaan brings the narrator home from New Orleans to check out the real situation among those only a generation from slavery. But someone has unearthed some African magic that's even worse for the oppressed than the oppressors...

"Kelly the Conjure-Man" - The title character, born a slave and rumored to be the son of a Congo ju-ju man, held immense power in the Ouachita pinelands of Arkansas, where he settled after the War.

"The Valley of the Lost" - John Reynolds, last surviving fighting man of his Texan clan in the aftermath of yet another gunfight in the Reynolds-McCrill feud, takes shelter in haunted Lost Valley rather than die unavenged. Some places, though, are better lost. This tale bears the marks of Howard's long-time friendship with H.P. Lovecraft; enjoy.

"The Man on the Ground" - A very short story of a fatal fight in another Reynolds blood-feud.

"Black Hound of Death" - Here we have an evil-cult-of-Malik Nous story, but different from "Dig Me No Grave" in BEYOND THE BORDERS.

"'For the Love of Barbara Allen'" - John Grimes, after hearing one of his grandfather's tales of the campaigns of Nathan Bedford Forrest, is swept into a flashback of a past life, as his grandfather's brother. "[War] upsets the balance of things, and throws lives into confusion that eternity cannot make right."

"The Hoofed Thing" - Crossover Cthulhu-type story, but with more brawn than Lovecraft himself normally deployed.

"The Moon of Zambebwei" - This is something like "Black Canaan", but far different in detail. Richard Ballville, absolute master of Ballville Manor in the Deep South, has held Constance Brand a prisoner for three years, faking her death - but now he's dying, and has only one hope for her survival: his rival and worst enemy, Bristol McGrath. The relationship between Ballville and McGrath is almost more interesting than anything else. McGrath would kill Ballville if he weren't already dying, and Ballville regrets nothing and rejoices in McGrath's past suffering, but they can trust each other on the most important matter in their world.

"The Horror from the Mound" - Steve Brill, who regrets leaving herd work for his failing farm, chaffs his neighbor Lopez on avoiding the Indian mound near the boundary of their lands. Unexpectedly, Lopez lets drop that de Estrada, a Spanish explorer famed for his gold, actually left it, and it's cursed - but Brill doesn't believe in curses, more's the pity.

This is a collection of tales set in the US in relatively modern times. But it is still very much bread and butter Howard. The dark and foreboding woods, stinking swamps and dangerous backwaters, hidden caves and secret passages are the setting but black magic, evil savages and long lost empires are the adversaries.

I wouldn't say it is Howard at his best but I couldn't put it down. Some of the stories are distinctly un-PC but that aside it's still a fine read today.

REH wrote brilliantly and vivdly about exotic or imagined locales, but these ten short stories take place in America. As usual, Howard packs his yarns with action and weirdness. If you are a fan of pulp fiction, Howard is a must. Most of these stories take place in frontier or early southwest America and feature an odd mix of cowboy/supernatural adventure. Among the better of these are "Black Canaan" , "Valley of the Lost" and "Black Hound of Death." There are a couple stinkers in here, but their short length still keep them readable. One tale that doesn't fit in with the others is "The Hoofed Thing." It seems to take place in a fairly modern setting and is clearly one of REH's contributions to HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. The story is a refreshing departure from the typical Lovecraftian "hero" , who is replaced by the typical sword-wielding Howard hero. While not nearly as desirable a collection as RE! H's "Beyond the Borders", this is still a very worthwhile read, allowing Howard to flex his prose muscles outside the realms of his Conan.