Kull: Exile of Atlantis by Robert E. Howard

For Cimmerian September I read Howard's Kull stories as I've read all of his Conan tales and most of his Soloman Kane tales.

Kull Exile of Atlantis (Random House, 2006) collects everything Robert E. Howard wrote about Kull, a barbarian from Atlantis that becomes king of Valusia during Howard’s fictional Thurian age. It includes the only three stories that were published in the author’s lifetime as well as unpublished stories, fragments, poems, and an essay. Also included are two poems and three fragments about a Co-Magnon character, “Am-ra of the Ta-an,” that pre-date the Kull stories. “Am-ra” becomes one the names Conan is known for in his stories as well the name of the Robert E. Howard fanzine that was published from 1959 to 1982. This volume is beautifully illustrated with black & white sketches and paintings by illustrator Justin Sweet. His sketches have a very pulp feel to them. 

Kull is more brooding than Howard’s later creation Conan and while the stories have action, they’re much more philosophical, metaphysical, and dream-like. Patrice Louinet’s essay “Atlantean Genesis” does an excellent job of explaining the origins of the Kull character and how Howard transitioned to writing Conan tales. 

Here are my reviews of the completed Kull tales.

Untitled Story (Eventually published as Exile of Atlantis)

This story is set before Kull becomes king of Valusia. It begins with Kull and two others (one of them named Am-ra) around a campfire and ends with them reaching their village to find a woman about to be burned at the stake. The discussion around the campfire and the decision Kull makes about the woman sets things up well for future stories where Kull has become King. 

Rating: 4/4

The Shadow Kingdom 

(Weird Tales, August 1929)

An ancient serpent race plots to overthrow Kull and the kingdom of Valusia. Although Picts are ancient enemies of Valusia, the Pictish Warrior Brule the Spear-Slayer warns Kull that there be an attempt on his life and works with him to uncover the conspiracy. Suspenseful. atmospheric, and action packed. This story is often described as the first sword & sorcery story. 

Rating: 5/5

The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune 

(Weird Tales, September 1929)

Weary of life at court, Kull visits a wizard said to know the secrets of life and death. After speaking with the wizard, he begins to spend more and more time staring into a mirror and he neglects his duties as king. Metaphysical with a contemplative Kull and a dream-like atmosphere.

Rating: 4/5

The Cat and the Skull 

After Kull visits the talking cat of Delcardes, he goes on a journey to a city beneath a lake. A dark fairy tale with an explosive finale and we learn about Kull’s nemesis Thulsa Doom. I enjoyed it, even with an obvious revelation at the end.

Rating: 3/5

The Screaming Skull of Silence

Kull travels to a castle said to have “a spectre of silence" sealed inside long ago. Once there he breaks the seal and enters. Chaos ensues. This story had a very mythological feel to it.

Rating: 3/5

The Striking of the Gong 

Kull encounters a mysterious entity and discusses the nature of eternal life and consciousness. One of the most metaphysical of the Kull stories which doesn’t wear out its welcome as it’s very short. 

Rating: 4/5

The Altar and the Scorpion 

An unnamed man prays to the altar of a scorpion to save him and his love from an evil priest. A very short story in which Kull doesn’t appear and is only briefly mentioned. 

Rating: 2.5/5

The Curse of the Golden Skull 

The wizard Rotath of Lemuria places a curse on his bones after he is mortally wounded by Kull. An explorer discovers the bones centuries later. A very short story known for the first mention of Shuma-Gorath, which later becomes a major cosmic entity in the Marvel Universe. 

Rating: 3/5

‘

By This Axe I Rule!

The story begins with a young nobleman petitioning Kull to allow him to marry the love of his life, a slave girl. Kull would like to help but is powerless as the laws of Valusia forbid it. This is not the only time we see someone ask Kull for help with a marriage in which the kingdom’s laws or a family member stands in the way. Howard was thinking about this a lot it seems while working on the Kull stories. 

This story is similar to “The Shadow Kingdom,” in that next Kull deals with a conspiracy to have him assassinated, but different in that there are no supernatural elements. The final showdown is action packed with Kull single handedly battling numerous opponents. I could imagine him taking out his frustrations on his would-be assassins as he swung his ax again and again. 

This story was rejected but Howard didn’t give up. He re-wrote it by changing the Kull character to a new character and adding a sub-plot as well as supernatural elements. He retitled it “The Phoenix the Sword” and sold it to Weird Tales. The first Conan tale was born and history was made. 

Rating: 4.5/5

Swords of the Purple Kingdom

After Kull and Brule discuss unrest in the kingdom, Kull listens to a young man asking for help in getting married (sound familiar?) as the young man’s father is against it. This is another tale with suspense and intrigue as Kull is eventually led into a trap that involves the young woman the man wants to marry. The battle that takes place during the finale at the top of a broken stairway is spectacular.

Rating: 4/5

Kings of the Night

(Weird Tales, November 1930)

A crossover story in which Kull is brought forward in time and space by a wizard to help another Howard character, Bran Mak Morn, King of the Picts, battle against an invasion of Roman legions. Kull joins a group of Norsemen in holding a pass against overwhelming odds in a battle that is even more spectacular than the one from the previous story. 

Rating: 5/5

In Conclusion 

I enjoyed reading the Kull stories and while I didn’t enjoy them as much as Solomon Kane and Conan, this was a fun and interesting read. I felt like I got a good look into Howard’s writing process. As I read more and more of this collection, I could see Howard figuring things out as he went. The Kull stories were a part of a learning process and steppingstones which allowed him to grow as a writer. 

From the essay “Atlantean Genesis” by Patrice Louinet:

“The mixing of historical (or pseudo-historical) elements with elements of fantasy was nothing new; on the contrary it harked back to the very beginnings of literature. What Howard brought to the form was to modernize it, getting rid of the chivalrous aspects, flowery language, and stilted personalities, writing violent tales in a realistic style that reflected Howard’s environment and that of his readership. Critic George Knight once argued convincingly. ‘Because his most popular creations are his his fantasy tales, Howard is put into the category of ‘fantasy writer,’ yet...the most interesting aspect of his fiction is not the fantasy but the realism - a realism springing from Howard’s class, environment, beliefs, and the age in which he wrote.'"

 

Old Moon Quarterly Issue 6

Old Moon Quarterly delivers another interesting mix of dark fantasy and sword and stories. This issue also includes an editor’s introduction, two poems, and a review. Here are my thoughts on the stories.

The Orphan of Bones by Josh Reynolds

A group of ghouls confront a pair of adventurers in order to recover something that the ghouls were protecting. Interesting characters all around and a creepy atmosphere. I’m not sure if I buy something that happens towards the end, but this was still a great read. 

Rating: 4/5

Corpse Wax by R. L. Summerling

After beheading a tyrant king, a woman has dark visions of the future. I didn’t think I was going to like this one as it's written in the second person POV, but the prose and story really drew me in. 

Rating: 4/5

The Marchers in the Fog by Daniel Quiogue

Starving soldiers run into trouble after entering a strangely deserted town. I liked the creepy atmosphere and building sense of dread. 

Rating: 4/5

The Festering Mantle by J.M. Hayes

An “E.R. Eddison-esque” tale in which one of the men guarding a deposed king hiding in a marsh grows suspicious after seeing something mysterious at night. I might have enjoyed this more if I had read some Eddison. 

Rating: 3/5

Towards a Justice by Matt Holder

An old sorcerer enlists the help of a battle-weary knight in order to defeat a group of cultists living by an active volcano. While I really enjoyed the story and the prose, the ending left me flat. 

Rating: 3/5

Diary of a Wolf by Adam McPhee

A werewolf story written in the style of a 17th century diary. I enjoyed the period-accurate writing style and where the story led.

Rating: 4/5

Once again while I enjoyed some stories more than others, I got something out of all of them. Looking forward to reading the next issue. 

Short Stories and Comics I Read in August 2026

Here’s what else I read this month besides the Conan and Warhammer short stories I wrote about in my previous posts. 

Solomon Kane: The Blood Countess by Steven L. Shrewsbury (Titan Books, 2026)

Solomon Kane journeys to Hungary to help an old friend whose daughter has been taken by Elizabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess. Not quite Howard’s Kane but I enjoyed the story and the use of a historical figure. It was also interesting to learn something about the term “puritan” and how it was used in the past.

Rating: 3.5/5

“A Ghost Return” by Dan Abnett (from Gaunt’s Ghosts Vol. 1: The Founding, Black Library, 2017)

Gaunt’s Ghosts is a military science fiction series set in the Warhammer 40K universe. I picked up the first omnibus after really enjoying Dan Abnett’s Brothers of the Snake (2007) last year and I figured it was finally time to jump in. Omnibus Vol. 1 collects the first three books as well as some short stories. 

In this story set before the first book, Commissar Ibram Gaunt and his team descend into a planet in search of a shrine while the planet is being bombarded in another location. Of course, things don’t go as planned. An okay story with a definite prequel feeling to it.

Rating: 3/5

Old Moon Quarterly Vol. 6 (Old Moon Publishing, 2024) 

Another interesting mix of dark fantasy and sword & sorcery stories. I’ll post a full review next month.

Rating: 4/5

Conan the Barbarian Vol. 6: Nest of Serpents. Written by Jim Zub, art by Fernando Dagnino. (Titan Comics. 2026)

This collects issues 21-24 of Titans Conan the Barbarian. I went with the variant cover by Greg Staples. Conan and his allies wind up in Stygia manipulated by a powerful sorceress. Great work from author Jim Zub and artist Fernando Dagino, an excellent combination of narration, dialogue, and art. The story is thrilling and fast paced and the art is gorgeous. 

Rating: 5/5

Next month: Cimmerian September!

Some Warhammer Short Stories by Robbie MacNiven

I was in the mood for some Warhammer fiction and “Heartwood” by Robbie MacNiven looked interesting, so I gave it a read. 

Heartwood (Warhammer Age of Sigmar) Black Library, 2017 

A tale of the Sylvaneth, tree-like humanoids in the Warhammer fantasy universe. After a brutal battle against the servants of Chaos and decay, Nellas the Harvester and Branchwych of her clan encounters challenges while on a journey to save her people. An interesting mix of action, worldbuilding, and melancholy, with really enjoyable prose. 

Rating: 4/5

I enjoyed this so much that I decided to check out some more of Robbie MacNiven’s work. The other stories I read are all from the Warhammer 40K universe. 

Redblade (Warhammer 40K Deathwatch: Ignition Book 4) Black Library, 2015 

A young and reckless Space Wolf clashes with his older pack leader as they defend a refinery in the upper atmosphere of a planet against an onslaught of orks. This does a good job of setting up the characters and situation, has some good action scenes, and a solid ending but I never got into the character and setting. I also didn’t enjoy the prose as much as I did in the previous MacNiven story that I read.  That could either be because of the setting, or it could be because this is an earlier story from the author’s career. 

Rating: 3/5

Blood and Iron (Warhammer 40K: Call of Chaos) Black Library, 2015

A warpsmith for the Iron Warriors, Space Marines who have turned to the service of Chaos, attempts to fuse a demon with a Titan, a massive robotic combat walker. I’m thinking that I’m just not into stories that focus on characters on the side of Chaos, but this story does have some well-done worldbuilding with a great twist at the end. 

Rating 3/5 

A Song for the Lost (Warhammer 40K: Call of Chaos) Black Library, 2015

Ulix, a young Imperium of Man military recruit training under harsh conditions seeks solace in the singing of the mysterious Sister D'Fey, as only her song can ease his suffering. Years later we met him again, we learn how he has changed, and we learn more about his connection to the Sister. Okay, forget what I wrote in the previous review. Here’s a story that involves Chaos that I loved. MacNiven knocked it out of the park with this one. Wonderfully dark and twisted. The prose and the creepy atmosphere really drew me in. 

Rating: 5/5

The Reaping Time (Warhammer 40K: Carcharodons) Black Library, 2016 

A space marine group of the shark inspired Carcharodon chapter is sent to a mining colony to investigate after contact is lost with a ship. Mystery leads to savage action and a brutal ending.

Rating: 4/5

Death Warrant (Warhammer 40K: Carcharodons) Black Library, 2017 

As a rogue trader and her team search for an ancient artifact in a temple on a deserted jungle moon, a squad of Carcharodon space marines show up. After they descend into the depths of the temple together, something begins to awaken. An exciting dungeon crawl adventure.

Rating 4/5

All in all, these were enjoyable reads, but while earlier written stories were fine and competently written, the characterizations and the prose in the newer stories really stood out. MacNiven gets better with each story written. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. 

Four Conan Short Stories from Heroic Legends

Titan Books had a 99-cent sale on a number of their Heroic Legends short stories recently, so I picked up the Conan stories I was missing and I got caught up. 

Conan: The Amulet of Nakamar by Brendan Deneen (Titan Books, 2025)

Shortly after the events of “The Tower of the Elephant,” a young Conan is approached in a tavern and hired to recover a stolen jewel. This felt much too generic and the writing didn’t grab me. I found the constant references to Conan’s childhood training repetitive and some passages seemed to contradict each other. Disappointing. 

Rating: Two swords out of five.

Conan: Marked for Death by Tim Waggoner (Titan Books, 2026) 

Conan and his mercenary companions encounter supernatural trouble after a job gone wrong. I really enjoyed this. A great mix of mystery, action, and horror.

Rating: Four swords out of five. 

Conan: The Treasures of Tortage by Robbie MacNiven (Titan Books, 2026)

I wasn’t expecting a story from the perspective of another character, but the prose grabbed me from the first sentence and never let go. The twist that comes was well done and the ending stuck landing. I'm glad that I didn't read the story description beforehand as it has a spoiler. This is my favorite of the four I read. I loved how Conan is shown using his cunning as well as his strength in this story. 

Rating: Five swords out of five.

Conan: The Green God of Leng by Gavin G. Smith (Titan Books, 2026)

After people across the land are plagued by strange dreams, Conan is asked to help fight off the source of the nightmares. At the end we get a pretty wild final battle. This story has some nice nods to H.P. Lovecraft including the appearance of the Plateau of Leng.  Well done.

Rating: Four swords out of five.

Three great stories of four. Not bad. 

Books I Read in July 2026

One book, one comic, and two short stories this month.

Robert E. Howard Changed My Life: Personal Essays about an Extraordinary Legacy, edited by Jason M. Walz. (Rogue Blades Foundation, 2021)

I picked this up during Robert E. Howard Days 2026. It was my first time making the pilgrimage to Cross Plains, Texas, and I had a fantastic time. I have a blog post that I’m working on about my experiences there but it’s taking longer than expected to finish it. Hopefully soon. 

This is a collection of over thirty essays about how people discovered Howard and how he inspired them. It includes essays by Robert E. Howard Days founders Rusty Burke and Bill “Indy” Cavalier as well as from authors such as Joe R. Lansdale, Scott Oden, Nancy Collins, Roy Thomas, Howard Andrew Jones, Charles R. Saunders, and Michael Moorcock. Although a lot of the essays are written by authors, there are essays by those in other professions as. While I enjoyed some essays more than others, I got something out of all of them. As a Howard fan, I found it quite interesting reading how everyone first encountered him, the variety of characters that they were drawn to, and the different ways Howard’s work made an impact on them. In a way, it was an extension of the experience I had at Robert E. Howard Days 2026. Yeah, I really need to finish writing that post.

Rating: 5/5

Comics

So, I broke down and bought another single issue…

Conan and Dragonero #2. Written by Luca Enoch and Stefano Veitti, art by Lorenzo Nuti. (Titan Comics, July 2026)

This is the second issue of the crossover between Conan and the Italian fantasy character Dragonero. After escaping from the cell he was put in last issue, Conan joins Dragonero on a flying ship only for them to run into a new threat. This issue definitely feels more epic fantasy than sword and sorcery. I liked the art and the issue did a good job of moving the story forward, but as it was such a quick read I’m thinking of sticking to my usual plan of reading the trade. 

Rating: 3/5

Short Stories 

After a friend recently recommended “The Word of Unbinding” by Ursula Le Guin to me, I decided to read it as Le Guin is one of my favorite authors and I still haven’t read much of her work. I wound up reading it and another story as they are the first stories Le Guin wrote set in her Earthsea world. The stories are available in a collection titled The Wind’s Twelve Quarters. 

“The Word of Unbinding” 

A wizard awakes to find that he has been imprisoned by another wizard. After his attempts to escape keep ending in failure, he realizes that he will need to do something quite drastic in order to escape. Quite original and very moving. It’s amazing what Le Guin accomplished in a short story.

Rating: 4/5

“The Rule of Names” 

Things get complicated on an island with a local wizard that isn’t very good at his job, after a mysterious man shows up. I was blown away by the ending. 

Rating: 5/5

Le Guin introduced a lot of concepts in these two stories that she would later flesh out in her Earthsea novels. I read the first one a few years ago and really liked it but I never continued with the other books. I may have to jump back in soon. 

Books and Comics I Read in June 2026

Between a busy month at work, making plans for a much-needed vacation, driving halfway across the US and back (more details to come in an upcoming post), and the heat of summer, not only did I not get much reading done, but I also took forever to write up my notes for what I did read.  Well, I’m finally back so here are some reviews!

Jangar! Slaves of the MInd Mage by L. D. Whitney. (Cliffhanger Press, 2026)

A barbarian raised in the jungle fights to save a woman from savage beast-men. This novelette was a really fun read. A fast-paced sword & sorcery jungle adventure with some world building deftly mixed in. An interesting mix of Tarzan and Conan. I love the cover art by Mike Hoffman as well as the cover design, which is done in the style of the old Ballantine Tarzan paperbacks.

This is the first of a series of six planned stories. The first five will be released as eBooks while the sixth will be included in a collection of the previous stories in paperback. Looking forward to reading more. 

Rating: Five Atlantean swords out of five. 

Conan the Barbarian #32. Written by Jim Zub, art by Doung Braithwaite. (Titan Comics, June 2026)

I’m reading Titan’s Conan the Barbarian in trade as I stopped buying single issues of comics quite a while ago, but I couldn’t resist picking this one up as it’s a done-in-one story. A mysterious woman hires Conan to safeguard her across a desert. It starts out as an adventure story and then becomes something more with its twist ending. This felt like something that would have been published in Weird Tales. The more I think about the ending, the more questions I have. In any case, I really enjoyed it and it was nice to read a stand-alone story. 

Rating: Four Atlantean swords out of five. 

Conan and Dragonero #1. Written by Luca Enoch and Stefano Veitti, art by Lorenzo Nuti. (Titan Comics, May 2026)

When I went to my local comic book shop to pick up Conan #32, I told myself that I wouldn’t pick up anything else… but then I saw this and the item below and I caved. This was a complete blind buy which turned out to be an entertaining read. After Conan is pulled into another world that has dragons, he meets Dragonero, a famous dragonslayer.

I did some research and I learned that Dragonero is a long running Italian fantasy comic. Dark Horse published one volume in English in 2009. This first issue of a seven-issue mini-series has a nice European style art and does a good job of setting things up. I’m not sure how the mix of standard fantasy and sword and sorcery is going to play out, but I’m on board so far. Now, do I wait for the trade or continue to buy single issues…

Rating: Three and half Atlantean swords out of five. 

The Savage Sword of Conan Reforged #1. (Titan Comics, October 2025)

This magazine sized comic is basically a color version of The Savage Sword of Conan, as each issue includes color versions of stories that originally appeared in black and white. I wasn’t planning on picking this up as most of the modern re-coloring of old comics that I’ve seen have been pretty awful, but after flipping through some issues I have to say the coloring done for this is quite good. That and the fact that my local comic shop had a copy of the Boris Vallejo variant cover, plus that it was still at cover price, got me to come away with another single issue. It includes adaptations of two of Robert E. Howard’s most famous Conan stories, an illustrated version of Howard’s poem "Cimmeria," an essay by writer/artist Patrick Zircher, and some pinups. A pretty nice mix. The stories are:

“The Frost Giant’s Daughter” 

Written by Roy Thomas. Art by Barry Windsor-Smith.

(Savage Tales #1, 1971)

“The Tower of the Elephant”

Written by Roy Thomas. Art by John Buscema and Alfred Alcala. 

(Savage Sword of Conan #24, 1977)

The stories are well adapted, the art is fantastic, and as I mentioned the coloring is very well done. Between the stories and the extras, they really knocked it out of the park with this. 

Rating: Five Atlantean swords out of five. 

It’s still pretty hot but things have calmed down, so I’ve been doing more reading this month. We’ll see if I can keep it up.