''Kull'' is a collection of

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

by Robert E. Howard. It was first published in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

Lancer Books Lancer Books was a publisher of paperback books founded by Irwin Stein and Walter Zacharius that operated from 1961 through 1973. While it published stories of a number of genres, it was noted most for its science fiction and fantasy, particularl ...

under the title ''King Kull''. This edition included three stories completed by

Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...

from unfinished fragments and drafts by Howard. Later editions, retitled as ''Kull'', replaced the stories with the uncompleted fragments. Two of the stories, and the poem, "The King and the Oak", originally appeared in the magazine ''

Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...

''.

* Prologue * " Exile of Atlantis" * "

The Shadow Kingdom "The Shadow Kingdom" is a fantasy short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, the first of his Kull stories, set in his fictional Thurian Age. It was first published in the pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in August 1929. The story introduces ...

" * "The Altar and the Scorpion" * "Black Abyss" (completed by

from an unfinished draft entitled "The Black City") * "Delcardes’ Cat" * "The Skull of Silence" * "Riders Beyond the Sunrise" (completed by Lin Carter from an untitled fragment) * "

By This Axe I Rule! "By This Axe I Rule!" is a fantasy short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, the last of his Kull stories, set in his fictional Thurian Age. It was first published in the Lancer Books paperback ''King Kull'' in 1967. This story was rejec ...

" * "The Striking of the Gong" * "Swords of the Purple Kingdom" * "Wizard and Warrior" (completed by Lin Carter from an untitled fragment) * "

The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" is a fantasy short story by American author Robert E. Howard, one of his original short stories about Kull of Atlantis, first published in ''Weird Tales'' magazine c. 1929. It is one of only three Kull stories to ...

" * "The King and the Oak"

Reception

Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome (in collaboration with Jerome Bixby), John ...

reviewed the collection favorably, describing Howard's writing as "combining a masochistic megalomania with a strong streak of horror writing." He noted that Carter's pastiche-completion of "Black Abyss" was surprisingly successful."Galaxy Bookshelf",

Galaxy Science Fiction ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...

, February 1968, pp.158–59.

Publication history

*1967, US,

73-650 , Pub date 1967, Paperback, as ''King Kull'' by Robert E. Howard and

*1976, UK,

Sphere Books Sphere Books is the name of two British paperback publishers. History The original Sphere Books was launched in 1966 by Thomson Corporation. Sphere was sold to Pearson PLC in 1985 and became part of Penguin. The name was retired in 1990. In 19 ...

, Pub date 1976, Paperback, as ''King Kull'' *1978, US,

Bantam Books Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. ...

, Pub date September 1978, as ''Kull'', removes Carter edits *1985, US,

Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. is a fantasy and science fiction small press publisher in New Hampshire that was founded in 1964. It is notable for publishing fantasy and horror novels with lavish illustrations, most notably Stephen King's Th ...

, Pub date November 1985, Hardcover, as ''Kull'', removes Carter edits *1995, US,

Baen Books Baen Books () is an American publishing house for science fiction and fantasy. In science fiction, it emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, and military science fiction. The company was established in 1983 by science fiction publisher an ...

, Pub date July 1995, Paperback, as ''Kull'', removes Carter edits, adds story "The Curse of Golden Skull" *2006, US. Del Rey , Pub. date 2006, Trade paperback, as "Kull, Exile of Atlantis", includes early non-Kull work from 1924, as well as biographical essays detailing Kull's creation.

References

Sources

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Contents

Reception

Publication history

References

Sources

Further reading