Status Updates From The Horror Stories of Rober...

Further along, there's a fair amount of good scares and twists. Some stories tend to get bogged down by lengthy dialogue (or monologue...) but make up for it with descriptive energy and satisfying conclusions.

Neat how Howard created his own mythos for some of these stories. He even references Lovecraft's Necronomicon in one.

Further along, the quality of the writing has improved but nothing has jumped out and wowed me yet. The atmospheric horror is decent but mostly familiar, or rather, I'm more desensitized to stories like these now. Will keep reading since they're at least enjoyable in their pulpy, fast-paced way.

Reading through some of these I'm reminded that Howard tends to get hung up on repetition, and he also tends to write many similar stories. But at the same time, they're full of energy and rhythm, and he is certainly a deliberate writer who knows his bounds well.

"The Valley of the Lost": this kind of story doesn't work for me. Any character who throws all his will and sanity away, especially a character who was rough and tough, and bemoans the state of man and life and death is no fun and holds nothing of appeal. I never connect with Lovecraftian writing such as this. Howard is much better at telling stories of man facing down despair and death than these stories of failure.