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Solomon Kane #2
Solomon Kane: Skulls in the Stars
AVENGER OF EVIL
He was a Puritan, who flinched not from the gates of Hell. Tall, gaunt, hollow-eyed in his opposition to the forces of darkness, he defied the devil himself. Kane, cold, steely-nerved duelist, snatched his long rapier from its sheath and thrust it into the heart of evil... Ghoulish laughter follows him . Foul horror haunts his way. Kane, a man whose blood quickens with adventure. Kane, a man more dangerous than a famished wolf.
Contents:
"The World of Solomon Kane" by J. Ramsey Campbell
"Skulls in the Stars"
"The Right Hand of Doom"
"Red Shadows"
"Rattle of Bones"
"The Castle of the Devil" (Completed by Ramsey Campbell)
"The Moon of Skulls"
"The One Black Stain" (poem)
"Blades of the Brotherhood"
He was a Puritan, who flinched not from the gates of Hell. Tall, gaunt, hollow-eyed in his opposition to the forces of darkness, he defied the devil himself. Kane, cold, steely-nerved duelist, snatched his long rapier from its sheath and thrust it into the heart of evil... Ghoulish laughter follows him . Foul horror haunts his way. Kane, a man whose blood quickens with adventure. Kane, a man more dangerous than a famished wolf.
Contents:
"The World of Solomon Kane" by J. Ramsey Campbell
"Skulls in the Stars"
"The Right Hand of Doom"
"Red Shadows"
"Rattle of Bones"
"The Castle of the Devil" (Completed by Ramsey Campbell)
"The Moon of Skulls"
"The One Black Stain" (poem)
"Blades of the Brotherhood"
173 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1928
4 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
Robert E. Howard
3,011 books2,652 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
July 6, 2017
This was a re-read of one of my favourite Solomon Kane stories.
April 8, 2018
Published in Weird Tales in 1929, this story is perhaps to be taken as a sister piece to 'Rattle of Bones' also published that year and reviewed by us elsewhere.
Howard published seven such stories, set in seventeenth century Africa and Europe, in 'Weird Tales' between 1928 and 1932 (with others appearing in collections long after his death.
In essence, it is another story of occult vengeance made more interesting by the character of Kane whose puritan sense of justice adds horror to the horror in his judgement on the malefactor amidst the approval of villagers who have suffered too long.
The atmosphere of the story is well-drawn even if we are well within the expectations of lurid pulp horror while there is a Lovecraftian element to the nature of the ghost-beast that seeks peace through the death of its tormentor in life.
May 24, 2019
Skulls in the Stars has more emotional depth than Red Shadows. What begins as a simple battle between warrior and evil spirit takes a tragic turn of brotherly betrayal. The spirit has no control over its actions, it is restless and vengeful because it was betrayed and killed by someone it loved. Our hero avenges the spirit and gives it the proper rest it deserves.
Short and sweet.
Short and sweet.
March 23, 2023
3.25⭐
In England, Solomon Kane, a Puritan avenger is on his way to the hamlet of Torkertown, and must choose one of two paths, a direct route that leads across a moor or a winding tortuous one that leads through the quagmires of a swamp. He is warned by a village boy that the moor route is haunted and all travelers who take that road die by some foul horror, so he decides to investigate. Kane, craving the adventure that lies ahead of him, decides to meet the madness of the moors head on. After a ghastly experience in the moor, Kane reveals to the village the truth of what is going on in the night.
In England, Solomon Kane, a Puritan avenger is on his way to the hamlet of Torkertown, and must choose one of two paths, a direct route that leads across a moor or a winding tortuous one that leads through the quagmires of a swamp. He is warned by a village boy that the moor route is haunted and all travelers who take that road die by some foul horror, so he decides to investigate. Kane, craving the adventure that lies ahead of him, decides to meet the madness of the moors head on. After a ghastly experience in the moor, Kane reveals to the village the truth of what is going on in the night.
February 17, 2023
Conan is cooler IMO, these stories feel like you're being rescued by Weird Al's Amish Paradise persona. I'd have probably liked them more if I read them in the 1920s rather than the 2020s. I enjoyed Ramsey Campbell's involvement and will read the other volume of Kane stories he put together.
November 15, 2024
The first Solomon Kane tale. Its a good introduction to the character and seems like a tale from an RPG as Kull takes a trail he's warned against walking and investigates a mystery involving a ghostly entity.
February 21, 2020
Robert E. Howard might be best known for Conan, but his other major creations are just as interesting. Solomon Kane is a Puritan avenger wielding a rapier and dual pistols. He tracks his targets to the ends of the earth to exact revenge or simply smite evil. Kane is like a force of nature, his black clothes and stoic demeanor masking his cold-blooded rage at injustice.
The writing is similar to most pulp writing of Howard's era, the 1920s and 1930s. You can see a lot of his contemporaries, such as H.P. Lovecraft, as they all created their stories and mythos at the same time. Kane is even more straightforward than Conan. There's less world building than in the Hyborian Age. Partially that's due to Kane wandering through the "real" world, traveling from England to Africa in his quests for vengeance.
These are tales that treat good and evil as white and black, both figuratively and literally. Kane seeks out and kills bad men who have done bad things, usually to innocent women. The bad men are also often savages and in several instances African. This is the part of these stories that has aged the worst. It can be tough to treat some of the turns of phrase as historical artifacts, but like everything you have to place it in historical context. Which is not to excuse the ills of our past.
The collection I read contained seven stories and one poem.
Skulls in the Stars: A decent introduction to Kane, showcasing his physical prowess and courage. It includes his trademark vengeance and search for justice. Almost closer to a horror tale than an adventure.
The Right Hand of Doom: Glad to finally read the presumptive origin for the title of the Hellboy story. Otherwise, Kane has very little to do with this story besides serving as the framing device. Again, more like horror than adventure.
Red Shadows: The first great adventure tale in this collection. Kane tracks Le Loup from France to Africa in a good mini-epic that highlights Kane's doggedness.
Rattle of Bones: Another short horror tale. This cements the trend that the horror tales treat Kane more as an ancillary character. It's impressive how much dread Howard can create in such a short space.
The Castle of the Devil: A slightly out of place Kane story. It lacks the adventure and vengeance aspects of the better Kane stories. It's definitely the slowest pace of all the stories here.
The Moon of Skulls: The true epic adventure in the collection. I'm not sure why the collection isn't titled after this one. If you only read one Kane story, read this one. It is the longest, but it shows off all the best aspects of Kane's character. It also, unfortunately, highlights the racial stereotypes.
The One Black Stain: A thankfully short poem. I'm sure Kane and Howard completionists appreciate its inclusion but it can easily be skipped.
Blades of the Brotherhood: This one felt a bit like a retread of "Red Shadows", to the point I thought the same bad guy was going to make an appearance. It brings in pirates, which is unique, even if there aren't any real pirate tropes to distinguish them. Really highlights Kane's sense of justice for innocent women.
A good collection of the "greatest hits" of Solomon Kane.
The writing is similar to most pulp writing of Howard's era, the 1920s and 1930s. You can see a lot of his contemporaries, such as H.P. Lovecraft, as they all created their stories and mythos at the same time. Kane is even more straightforward than Conan. There's less world building than in the Hyborian Age. Partially that's due to Kane wandering through the "real" world, traveling from England to Africa in his quests for vengeance.
These are tales that treat good and evil as white and black, both figuratively and literally. Kane seeks out and kills bad men who have done bad things, usually to innocent women. The bad men are also often savages and in several instances African. This is the part of these stories that has aged the worst. It can be tough to treat some of the turns of phrase as historical artifacts, but like everything you have to place it in historical context. Which is not to excuse the ills of our past.
The collection I read contained seven stories and one poem.
Skulls in the Stars: A decent introduction to Kane, showcasing his physical prowess and courage. It includes his trademark vengeance and search for justice. Almost closer to a horror tale than an adventure.
The Right Hand of Doom: Glad to finally read the presumptive origin for the title of the Hellboy story. Otherwise, Kane has very little to do with this story besides serving as the framing device. Again, more like horror than adventure.
Red Shadows: The first great adventure tale in this collection. Kane tracks Le Loup from France to Africa in a good mini-epic that highlights Kane's doggedness.
Rattle of Bones: Another short horror tale. This cements the trend that the horror tales treat Kane more as an ancillary character. It's impressive how much dread Howard can create in such a short space.
The Castle of the Devil: A slightly out of place Kane story. It lacks the adventure and vengeance aspects of the better Kane stories. It's definitely the slowest pace of all the stories here.
The Moon of Skulls: The true epic adventure in the collection. I'm not sure why the collection isn't titled after this one. If you only read one Kane story, read this one. It is the longest, but it shows off all the best aspects of Kane's character. It also, unfortunately, highlights the racial stereotypes.
The One Black Stain: A thankfully short poem. I'm sure Kane and Howard completionists appreciate its inclusion but it can easily be skipped.
Blades of the Brotherhood: This one felt a bit like a retread of "Red Shadows", to the point I thought the same bad guy was going to make an appearance. It brings in pirates, which is unique, even if there aren't any real pirate tropes to distinguish them. Really highlights Kane's sense of justice for innocent women.
A good collection of the "greatest hits" of Solomon Kane.
January 17, 2012
There are some excellent stories in here, and a poem thrown in for good measure.
Solomon Kane is my favourite Robert E. Howard hero, possibly because he's English so I more readily identified with him when I first encountered him in graphic form as a back-up feature in the UK reprint comic Savage Sword of Conan. As well as being English he was also dour and grim, which appealed to my pre/early teen moodiness, and probably appeals now to my middle-age grumpiness!
The action in these tales of the Puritan avenger swings from the mist-shrouded moors of Devonshire, to the benighted forests of France and Germany, on to the jungles of Africa and then the Spanish Main. Ghosts, revenant wizards, psychotic Barons, decadent Atlantean Queens and savage pirates, all fall before Kane's muskets and rapier.
My favourite story here is Blades of the Brotherhood which sees Kane back in England, after a trail of years, tracking down the pirate captain, Jonas Hardraker, the Fishhawk, to wreak bloody vengeance against him. Kane is outnumbered, but never outclassed! Stirring stuff.
Solomon Kane is my favourite Robert E. Howard hero, possibly because he's English so I more readily identified with him when I first encountered him in graphic form as a back-up feature in the UK reprint comic Savage Sword of Conan. As well as being English he was also dour and grim, which appealed to my pre/early teen moodiness, and probably appeals now to my middle-age grumpiness!
The action in these tales of the Puritan avenger swings from the mist-shrouded moors of Devonshire, to the benighted forests of France and Germany, on to the jungles of Africa and then the Spanish Main. Ghosts, revenant wizards, psychotic Barons, decadent Atlantean Queens and savage pirates, all fall before Kane's muskets and rapier.
My favourite story here is Blades of the Brotherhood which sees Kane back in England, after a trail of years, tracking down the pirate captain, Jonas Hardraker, the Fishhawk, to wreak bloody vengeance against him. Kane is outnumbered, but never outclassed! Stirring stuff.
January 27, 2016
Robert E. Howard is my all time favorite writer, but for many years much of his work was heavily edited. This is another of the heavily edited collections of Robert E. Howard's stories. I am a purist when it comes to a writers works. I know some of these stories are no longer PC but they should be read as Howard wrote them and understood that he wrote in another time period. Don't read this book unless you just can't find any others of Howard's unedited books to read. Message me if you need a list of what is good from this awesome fantasy and action writer.
September 28, 2014
My first time reading Solomon Kane and i loved it! I ve read many Conan stories and i must say Solomon is a great character, if not one of my favourites. He is a grim and dour man, a puritan with a strong faith, a swordsman wielding pistols, vanquishes evil in all its forms and has a warriors savage heart! Howard is victorious yet again!
November 2, 2018
Skulls in the Stars has more emotional depth than Red Shadows. What begins as a simple battle between warrior and evil spirit takes a tragic turn of brotherly betrayal. The spirit has no control over its actions, it is restless and vengeful because it was betrayed and killed by someone it loved. Our hero avenges the spirit and gives it the proper rest it deserves.
Short and sweet.
Short and sweet.
January 17, 2026
Mission 2026: Binge reviewing all previous Reads, I was too slothful to review back when I read them
Robert E. Howard’s 'Solomon Kane: Skulls in the Stars' reads like a moral fable stripped of comfort, where righteousness is less a shield than a burden one insists on carrying anyway. What struck me most on rereading was how deliberately Howard stages the conflict between belief and terror. Kane is not fearless; he is stubborn. He advances into the haunted moor not because he understands it, but because his sense of justice refuses retreat. The supernatural menace here is vague, almost abstract, and that vagueness makes it more oppressive. The skulls, the whispers, the shifting darkness, all function less as concrete threats than as assaults on certainty itself. Howard’s prose is at its best when it leans into atmosphere, letting fog, silence, and isolation do the work of explanation. Violence, when it comes, is abrupt and unsatisfying, and that feels intentional. This is not a story about triumph but about endurance in the face of moral dread. Kane’s Puritan rigidity is not celebrated uncritically; it isolates him, hardens him, and leaves him perpetually alone. Yet there is a grim integrity in his refusal to compromise with fear, even when reason offers no support. What unsettled me was how little the story resolves. Evil is confronted, perhaps even disrupted, but never fully understood or eradicated. The world remains hostile, and Kane continues onward, unchanged and uncomforted. In that sense, the story feels almost existential. Faith here is not a source of peace but a discipline of confrontation, a way of acting when explanation fails. 'Skulls in the Stars' lingered with me not because of its monster, but because of its image of a man who keeps walking into darkness simply because turning back would feel like a deeper kind of surrender.
Most recommended.
Robert E. Howard’s 'Solomon Kane: Skulls in the Stars' reads like a moral fable stripped of comfort, where righteousness is less a shield than a burden one insists on carrying anyway. What struck me most on rereading was how deliberately Howard stages the conflict between belief and terror. Kane is not fearless; he is stubborn. He advances into the haunted moor not because he understands it, but because his sense of justice refuses retreat. The supernatural menace here is vague, almost abstract, and that vagueness makes it more oppressive. The skulls, the whispers, the shifting darkness, all function less as concrete threats than as assaults on certainty itself. Howard’s prose is at its best when it leans into atmosphere, letting fog, silence, and isolation do the work of explanation. Violence, when it comes, is abrupt and unsatisfying, and that feels intentional. This is not a story about triumph but about endurance in the face of moral dread. Kane’s Puritan rigidity is not celebrated uncritically; it isolates him, hardens him, and leaves him perpetually alone. Yet there is a grim integrity in his refusal to compromise with fear, even when reason offers no support. What unsettled me was how little the story resolves. Evil is confronted, perhaps even disrupted, but never fully understood or eradicated. The world remains hostile, and Kane continues onward, unchanged and uncomforted. In that sense, the story feels almost existential. Faith here is not a source of peace but a discipline of confrontation, a way of acting when explanation fails. 'Skulls in the Stars' lingered with me not because of its monster, but because of its image of a man who keeps walking into darkness simply because turning back would feel like a deeper kind of surrender.
Most recommended.
September 9, 2024
In some ways short stories are more satisfying than a standard novel. Well written ones are lean and tightly focused, and they don't lose their momentum and overstay their welcome the way a longer story too often does. The trick is to be able to tell a complete story with a definable objective and a beginning, middle and an end. Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane: Skulls in the Stars is just such a story.
Howard is an evocative writer, and his prose cuts like a knife through your imagination. Given the format, he doesn't have time to go into mind-numbing detail, so he cuts right to the chase and yet still manages to paint a landscape and make you feel what his characters are feeling. No easy trick, that.
This is a simple, but well told story that leaves you wanting to return for a second helping.
Howard is an evocative writer, and his prose cuts like a knife through your imagination. Given the format, he doesn't have time to go into mind-numbing detail, so he cuts right to the chase and yet still manages to paint a landscape and make you feel what his characters are feeling. No easy trick, that.
This is a simple, but well told story that leaves you wanting to return for a second helping.
May 5, 2020
Best known as the creator of Conan, the prolific Robert E. Howard created a number of other heroes: Kull, Cormac Mac Art, Bran Mak Morn. But he deviated from the tales of barbarian berserkers and Gaelic warriors when he created the black-clad Puritan, Solomon Kane.
Kane, an expert swordsman wanders the Earth righting wrongs and meting out justice in the late 16th or early 17th century (an exact date is never mentioned). From lost civilizations in Africa to battling pirates in coastal England, Kane acts as a knight errant with his pistols and rapier, rescuing maidens and bringing God's justice to evildoers everywhere.
I found the inscrutable Solomon Kane to be one of Howard's most interesting characters. Kind of a Batman for the Reformation.
Kane, an expert swordsman wanders the Earth righting wrongs and meting out justice in the late 16th or early 17th century (an exact date is never mentioned). From lost civilizations in Africa to battling pirates in coastal England, Kane acts as a knight errant with his pistols and rapier, rescuing maidens and bringing God's justice to evildoers everywhere.
I found the inscrutable Solomon Kane to be one of Howard's most interesting characters. Kind of a Batman for the Reformation.
September 26, 2022
A mix of original REH works and rewrites, with absolutely no indication which was which (such was the time). As usual with REH works, the ones by him are fantastic and the rewrites/reworks/expansions are...less so. I read this in conjunction with Del Rey's Savage Tales of Solomon Kane to keep track of when the REH writing stopped and the other authors' started.
Content-wise, the stories are fun if not at times extremely problematic by today's standards, particularly those taking place in the jungles of Africa. The Castle of the Devil left me wanting more which the addition by the later writer did not fulfil. Would have loved if Howard had been able to finish this one - it was a great setup.
Content-wise, the stories are fun if not at times extremely problematic by today's standards, particularly those taking place in the jungles of Africa. The Castle of the Devil left me wanting more which the addition by the later writer did not fulfil. Would have loved if Howard had been able to finish this one - it was a great setup.
May 29, 2024
«Черепа среди звезд» Герой этого цикла рассказов – пуританин Соломон Кейн, путешественник, авантюрист, охотник на всякую нечисть, защитник униженных и оскорбленных. По образу очень похож на Ван Хельсинга.
В своих странствиях Кейн оказывается на пустоши за деревней, люди которой предостерегали его отправляться в путь через пустошь, вот только бравому Кейну не почем любая опасность и он не привык поворачивать. На пустоши подстерегает своих жертв призрак, жертва убийства и проклятия, который теперь сам убивает всех прохожих, единственно чтоб не пропустить своего обидчика.
Мистическая история со слегка детективным сюжетом. Призраки, загадочные убийства. Соломон Кейн один самых интересных персонажей во вселенной Говарда.
В своих странствиях Кейн оказывается на пустоши за деревней, люди которой предостерегали его отправляться в путь через пустошь, вот только бравому Кейну не почем любая опасность и он не привык поворачивать. На пустоши подстерегает своих жертв призрак, жертва убийства и проклятия, который теперь сам убивает всех прохожих, единственно чтоб не пропустить своего обидчика.
Мистическая история со слегка детективным сюжетом. Призраки, загадочные убийства. Соломон Кейн один самых интересных персонажей во вселенной Говарда.
August 18, 2021
https://archive.org/details/WeirdTale...
http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0600...
The story starts with a quote from The Dream of Eugene Aram by Thomas Hood...
... available here: https://www.literarynorfolk.co.uk/Nor...
http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0600...
The story starts with a quote from The Dream of Eugene Aram by Thomas Hood...
He told how murders walk the earth
Beneath the curse of Cain,
With crimson clouds before their eyes
And flames about their brain:
For blood has left upon their souls
Its everlasting stain.
... available here: https://www.literarynorfolk.co.uk/Nor...
December 30, 2019
Simplistic and short, but some of the best pulp books are. Solomon Kane has long been a favourite but I had never actually read this so upon seeing a small paperback (almost a pamphlet) I thought I could easily finish this in under a half hour. I liked the descriptions of the environment and it certainly got my creative juices flowing. Made me want to read a bunch of Solomon Kane in 2020. A tale of revenge.
October 12, 2020
The Solomon Kane stories follow the Conan blueprint. A protagonist that doesn't really have a character arc, but gets thrown into adventure after adventure. These are pulp, short stories that are similar, in a lot of ways, to comic book stories. There aren't a lot of Solomon Kane stories and they are a fast read. So if you like the Conan, short stories, and you dig swashbuckling tales as well, this is a solid choice for you.
February 27, 2021
Having begun Conan, of which I plan to read every story, and loving it, I started another of Howard's characters. I purchased the Savage Tales of Solomon Kane but figure to review the stories individually. After one Solomon Kane story I really only have one thing to say, Solomon Kane is a legitimate badass.
June 12, 2023
This story is a good, short work of adventure fantasy / horror pitting Howard's Puritan hero Solomon Kane against a spirit haunting a swamp. Howard moves from plot point to plot point quickly and efficiently without skimping on atmosphere or action. None of the characters other than Kane are particularly fleshed out, but you don't read these stories for the characterization. I greatly enjoyed it.
March 25, 2020
This was a interesting story, and I enjoyed it more than the first Solomon Kane maybe because it felt a bit more like one story. Very creepy atmosphere and a helluva strong conviction. So far these stories have been quite dark, but also quite good. I definitely will keep reading!
June 15, 2020
This story was certainly eerie and full of an atmospheric setting that a good pulp story requires
Howard is at the top of his craft here certainly better to me than rattle of bones
this is classic fare at it best
A good moody read
Howard is at the top of his craft here certainly better to me than rattle of bones
this is classic fare at it best
A good moody read
February 26, 2023
This is the first Solomon Kane I’ve ever listened to . I enjoyed it. I was in the mood for Robert E. Howard stuff so I gave this a try. I will read some more of this character, I liked to horror story aspect of the story.
June 12, 2024
9 This has to be read in order to understand the development of the spec fic/fantasy genre. I loved the early Conan books and I didn’t know that the author killed himself at such a young age. Gone too early for sure. NB this isn’t a Conan book!
November 27, 2024
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Solomon Kane. I enjoyed other stories from around this time, but I wasn’t sure. I picked this up cause it was relatively short, but it was exactly right. This is what I believe to be the perfect introduction to the Puritan and the world he inhabits.
July 18, 2020
Classic Howard
April 3, 2023
A more succinct short story than red shadows. Still not much to differentiate though.
March 4, 2024
Enthalten in der wunderen Weird Tales-Box des Festa-Verlags. Eine ebenso kurze wie wirkungsvolle Kurzgeschichte um den geistertötenden Puritanier Salomon Kane.
June 20, 2024
Silly fun really.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews