What do you think?
Rate this book
Adventures in Science Fantasy
The REH Foundation Press is proud to present Adventures in Science Fantasy, a collection of Robert E. Howard’s sort of science fiction stories. Michael A. Stackpole, author of Conan the Barbarian (the novelization of the recent film) and many other books, writes in his introduction:
"Howard’s stories do not adhere to one definition of science fiction, which holds that science must be part of the solution of any problem. In fact, in most of these stories, the application of science is the genesis of the problem, and man’s heroic spirit is the solution."
This volume is printed in hardback with dust jacket, in a limited quantity of 200 copies, each individually numbered. Cover art by Mark Schultz; introduction by Michael A. Stackpole; and edited by Rob Roehm.
Contents
The Science Fiction of Robert E. Howard: Introduction by Michael A. Stackpole
Adventures in Science Fantasy
The Last Laugh
The Gondarian Man
The Supreme Moment
The People of the Black Coast
King of the Forgotten People
Almuric
The Challenge from Beyond
Miscellanea
A Twentieth Century Rip Van Winkle
The Iron Terror
The Last Man
The Last White Man
A Room in London
The Man Who Went Back
Untitled Synopsis (“Hunwulf”)
"Howard’s stories do not adhere to one definition of science fiction, which holds that science must be part of the solution of any problem. In fact, in most of these stories, the application of science is the genesis of the problem, and man’s heroic spirit is the solution."
This volume is printed in hardback with dust jacket, in a limited quantity of 200 copies, each individually numbered. Cover art by Mark Schultz; introduction by Michael A. Stackpole; and edited by Rob Roehm.
Contents
The Science Fiction of Robert E. Howard: Introduction by Michael A. Stackpole
Adventures in Science Fantasy
The Last Laugh
The Gondarian Man
The Supreme Moment
The People of the Black Coast
King of the Forgotten People
Almuric
The Challenge from Beyond
Miscellanea
A Twentieth Century Rip Van Winkle
The Iron Terror
The Last Man
The Last White Man
A Room in London
The Man Who Went Back
Untitled Synopsis (“Hunwulf”)
- GenresScience Fiction
283 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Robert E. Howard
3,300 books2,636 followersRobert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.
—Wikipedia
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 9, 2020
Probably closer to a 3.5 overall, but not Howard's best work.
The centerpiece of the collection is the short novel (or long novella) Almuric, Howard's take on Burroughs/Barsoom-style planetary romance -- Esau Cain from our world is transported to the distant, savage world of Almuric, where he'll have all manner of adventures fighting beasts and beast-men (although conveniently he's freakishly strong) and meet an attractive, white-skinned princess, of course. At times, it actually feels more like a parody than a serious story; and at times it feels like Howard might also be taking the piss out of his own mighty-thewed Cimmerian as well as out of that noble Virginian, John Carter of Mars; and apparently the last bit of the story was completed or rewritten by other hands than Howard's? But I'm glad I finally read it.
Bookended by a number of shorter "science fantasy" pieces, none of which I'd consider Howard's best work. The most interesting, if not entirely successful, is actually the round robin story The Challenge from Beyond, written by Howard, C.L. Moore, A. Merritt, H.P. Lovecraft and Frank Belknap Long -- Moore wrote a couple of pages, then sent it to Merritt, who wrote a couple of pages and sent it on in turn, etc.; usually whoever was taking their turn would try to wrench the story in a new direction and/or leave a mess for the next author to try to clean up, and if nothing else I get the feeling that they were all having fun with it.
The centerpiece of the collection is the short novel (or long novella) Almuric, Howard's take on Burroughs/Barsoom-style planetary romance -- Esau Cain from our world is transported to the distant, savage world of Almuric, where he'll have all manner of adventures fighting beasts and beast-men (although conveniently he's freakishly strong) and meet an attractive, white-skinned princess, of course. At times, it actually feels more like a parody than a serious story; and at times it feels like Howard might also be taking the piss out of his own mighty-thewed Cimmerian as well as out of that noble Virginian, John Carter of Mars; and apparently the last bit of the story was completed or rewritten by other hands than Howard's? But I'm glad I finally read it.
Bookended by a number of shorter "science fantasy" pieces, none of which I'd consider Howard's best work. The most interesting, if not entirely successful, is actually the round robin story The Challenge from Beyond, written by Howard, C.L. Moore, A. Merritt, H.P. Lovecraft and Frank Belknap Long -- Moore wrote a couple of pages, then sent it to Merritt, who wrote a couple of pages and sent it on in turn, etc.; usually whoever was taking their turn would try to wrench the story in a new direction and/or leave a mess for the next author to try to clean up, and if nothing else I get the feeling that they were all having fun with it.
February 9, 2016
Another great selection of Robert E. Howard stories. It amazes me the wide selection of story types he wrote: Fantasy, Western, horror, Supernatural, Humor, Detective and here an entire book of SiFi from the mind of my favorite writer. No matter the type of story you are guaranteed a fast paced action packed adventure. Mr. Howard as always has my highest recommendation
February 20, 2015
Wow! I really enjoyed "Almuric," and the other tales were great REH tales. The miscellania at the end were weak, but that is to be expected, since they amounted to tales written when he was in high school and was still learning his craft.
I really like these REH Foundation books. They are bound well, heavy, and just wonderful to own and read.
I really like these REH Foundation books. They are bound well, heavy, and just wonderful to own and read.
June 1, 2025
After having read, Almuric, I now have an inkling to read Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom saga!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews