In February 1930, Kull made a brief come-back in Kings of the Night. It is not uninteresting to note that the protagonist of this story is Bran Mak Morn, the Pictish king, whom we learn to be a direct descendant of Brule, no longer the simple warrior of The Shadow Kingdom, but described as “the greatest of all the Pictish war-chiefs”; Kull had now become only a secondary character, a king without a kingdom in that story.
Kull and Valusia would linger in Howard’s mind until, in March 1932, the character was changed into a Cimmerian and given blue eyes instead of grey–the eyes of Am-ra the Atlantean and of Brule in the Celtic fragment. As to Valusia, its destruction was carried out in the essay The Hyborian Age in April of that year.
Conan and the Hyborian Age were coming.
NOTES ON THE ORIGINAL HOWARD TEXTS
The texts for this book were prepared by Patrice Louinet, Rusty Burke, and Dave Gentzel, with assistance from Glenn Lord. The stories have been checked against Howard’s original typescripts, copies of which were furnished by Glenn Lord, or the first published appearance if a typescript was unavailable. Drafts of Howard’s stories, when extant, have also been checked to ensure the greatest accuracy. Every effort has been made to present the work of Robert E. Howard as faithfully as possible. Deviations from the original sources are detailed in these textual notes. In the following, page, line, and word number are given as follows: 77.1.13, indicating page 77, first line, thirteenth word. Story titles, chapter numbers and titles, and breaks before and after chapter headings, titles, and illustrations are not counted. The page/line number will be followed by the reading in the original source, or a statement indicating the type of change made.
This edition of the Kull stories is based on the best sources available to us; unfortunately, the definitive versions of most of the Kull stories not published during Howard’s lifetime are now probably lost. In 1936, Howard’s father sent the bulk of his son’s typescripts to agent Otis Adelbert Kline. Kline kept the stories he thought had sales potential–among them most of the Kull stories–and resent the rest to Howard’s father. The whereabouts of most of the typescripts that stayed with Kline are unknown, and they are presumed lost. Fortunately, several drafts and/or carbons for these tales were among the lot sent back to Dr. Howard and were eventually acquired by Glenn Lord. This collection is thus based on the best–and sadly only–available texts, and will remain the definitive one unless the lost typescripts are miraculously recovered.
Untitled Story (previously published as “Exile of Atlantis”) Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. 3.3.8: fragance; 3.5.13: no comma after “man”; 3.6.12: conoiseur; 3.7.1: already; 3.8.11: no comma after “tall”; 3.8.12: no hyphen at “slim waisted”; 3.8.12: no comma after “slim-waisted”; 3.9.1: broad shoulder; 3.11.8: “a” not in original; 3.11.13: accept; 3.13.10: that; 3.17.4: period instead of comma after “fighting”; 3.20.11: comma instead of period after “man”; 3.27.5: comma instead of period after “moon”; 3.29.3: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 3.31.9: “a” capitalized; 3.34.1: no period after “moon”; 3.35.2: dont; 3.35.7: comma instead of period after “bluntly”; 4.8.2: long; 4.10.2: dont; 4.10.6: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 4.12.2: som; 4.17.1: comma instead of period after “anger”; 4.23.2: comma instead of period after “shame”; 4.26.3: semicolon instead of comma after “not”; 4.26.6: comma instead of period after “Gor-na”; 4.35.8: “but” capitalized; 4.38.8: “the” before man; 4.39.5: angerly; comma instead of period after “angerly/angrily”; 4.40.1: no period after “creation”; 5.1.7: comma instead of period after “subject”; 5.11.2: comma instead of period after “Gor-na”; 5.13.3: chai chains (“chai” typed to right edge of paper); 5.28.1: comma instead of period after “east”; 5.36.8: “and” capitalized; 5.39.1: “or” capitalized; 6.5.3: no comma after “sacked”; 6.9.6: “that” capitalized; 6.12.10: ruslte; 6.13.7: “since” capitalized; 6.20.7: Sevn; 6.23.1: comma instead of period after “satisfaction”; 6.24.7: preared; 7.12.1: no comma after “boldly”; 7.14.4: “hawk like” (no hyphen); 7.15.2: no comma after “face”; 7.16.1: disspassionate; 7.39.5: comma instead of period after “sharply”; 7.39.8: some-one; 7.40.2: there on; 8.8.5: abouthard eyed; 8.1.4: comma instead of period after “lines”; 8.8.2: “my” capitalized; 8.15.3: couldont; 8.17.5: no comma after “blood”; 8.25.1: What’s; 8.25.2: KUll’s; 8.28.2: girl’s; 8.31.3: KUll’s; 9.1.3: cruse; 9.4.2: boud; 9.5.7: typicaly; 9.7.7: eached; 9.9.5: lanced; 9.11.4: semi-colon instead of comma after “nodded”; 9.17.3: spell bound (no hyphen); 9.18.1: nd; 9.19.4: eople; 9.32.1: Butno; 9.34.2: footit.
The Shadow Kingdom
Text taken from Weird Tales, August 1929. 27.1.4: hall; 50.13.1: wounded.
The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune
Text taken from Weird Tales, September 1929. No changes have been made for this edition.
Untitled Draft
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. Howard changed the name of one character from “Fenar” to “Felgar” beginning on page 5 of the typescript and continuously thereafter. We have thus changed the earlier instances for consistency. 67.2.8: Fenar; 67.10.1: step’s; 67.17.1: rhinocerous; 67.18.7: period instead of question mark after “tale”; 67.19.5: period instead of comma after “Kull”; 67.21.7: comma instead of period after “besides”; 67.23.10: consumated; 67.31.3: period instead of comma after “Valka”; 67.31.5: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 67.34.3: thus; 67.34.5: comma instead of period after “soothingly”; 67.36.3: net work; 67.37.12: no period and quotation mark after “blood”; “blood” followed by “in”; a page apparently missing from typescript at this point; 68.1.11: period instead of comma after “girl”; 68.2.1: period instead of comma after “Aye”; 68.2.5: comma instead of period after “spoke”; 68.2.14: Fenar; 68.4.8: Fenar; no quotation mark; 68.8.13: no single quote after “horses”; 68.17.10: Fenar’s; 68.19.6: reek; 68.20.3: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 68.23.10: comma instead of period after “door”; 68.25.4: kings; 68.25.9: preceeding; 69.2.4: Fenar’s; 69.2.5: period instead of comma after “trail”; 69.2.9: comma instead of period after “ferociously”; 69.5.4: comma instead of period after “Tu”; 69.7.9: comma instead of period after “named”; 69.8.10: period instead of comma after “cities”; 69.21.1: Fenar; 69.25.2: no comma after “allies”; 69.29.2: period instead of exclamation point after “attention”; 69.29.6: comma instead of period after “command”; 69.31.2: curiosly; 69.33.11: caparisioned; 70.8.11: restrain; 70.9.5: comma after “world”; 70.19.11: “were” repeated; 70.23.7: many a drifting; 70.25.5: by gone; 70.28.1: brooding; 70.28.3: clinched; 70.38.5: period instead of comma after “sunrise”; 70.39.1: period instead of comma after “response”; 70.40.1: no quotation mark after “sunrise”; 71.15.4: “him” not in typescript; 71.27.4: that; 71.33.11: debauched; 71.37.13: no comma after “men”; 71.40.1: scruf; 72.3.3: period instead of comma after “steal”; 72.6.2: days (no apostrophe); 72.9.5: period instead of comma after “Valusia”; 72.10.2: apruptly; comma instead of period after “apruptly”; 72.17.2: on; 72.17.6: comma instead of colon after “other”; 72.20.1: period instead of comma after “Aye”; 72.20.4: comma instead of period after “replied”; 72.35.9: period instead of comma after “days”; 72.35.12: And; 72.38.5: period instead of comma after “fellows”; 72.39.4: comma instead of period after “lips”; 75.1.3: period instead of comma after “ways”; 75.2.9: comma instead of period after “contempt”; 75.10.4: comma instead of period after “heed”; 75.13.4: period instead of comma after “barbarian”; 75.18.4: period instead of comma after “position”; 75.19.5: comma instead of period after “end”; 75.19.6: no comma after “North”; 76.3.5: period instead of comma after “Kelkor”; 76.3.7: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 76.4.7: comma after “name”; 76.7.3: comma after “eastern-most”; 76.10.6: period instead of comma after “Kull”; 76.11.6: comma instead of period after “saddle”; 76.12.6: period instead of comma after “any”; 76.12.8: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 76.14.13: no
comma after “land”; 76.15.7: rider’s; 76.16.13: no comma after “hard”; 76.19.11: else desires; 76.25.4: comma after “north”; 76.31.11: no comma after “safe”; 76.38.10: comma instead of period after “gate-guards”; 76.40.4: period instead of comma after “say”; 76.40.7: comma instead of period after “answered”; 77.2.2: period instead of comma after “then”; 77.3.1: comma instead of period after “arm”; 77.5.7: comma instead of period after “covetously”; 77.18.3: comma instead of period after “soldier”; 77.22.1: comma instead of period after “tactics”; 77.27.5: “is” not in typescript; 77.31.7: but; 77.35.9: concience; 77.39.8: statue; 78.14.2: committing of; 78.20.4: consumating; 78.25.3: no hyphen in “class like”; 78.32.1: Kull; 78.35.5: period instead of comma after “hear”; 78.36.8: comma instead of period after “mirth”; 79.1.5: comma instead of period after “woman”; 79.3.7: period instead of comma after “gold”; 79.8.8: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 79.11.1: has there; 79.13.7: comma instead of period after “hand”; 79.14.1: period instead of comma after “king”; 79.17.4: period instead of comma after “king”; 79.23.10: comma instead of period after “suspiciously”; 79.34.5: You; 79.37.1: comma instead of period after “response”; 80.15.4: unconcious; 81.4.4: The; 81.8.3: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 81.17.7: Farsuns; 82.3.4: comma after “pass”; 82.6.7: enlessly; 82.7.10: on; 82.15.5: period instead of comma after “sunrise”; 82.19.7: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 82.19.10: “the” not in typescript; 82.22.2: no quotation mark after “Zarfhaana”; 82.25.4: trails; 82.25.5: lead; 82.27.8: horses (no apostrophe); 82.39.6: no comma after “marked”; 83.2.4: comma after “included”; 83.2.11: spoked; 83.6.1: horseman; 83.7.7: They; 83.11.6: disobeidient; 83.13.3: comma instead of period after “sneered”; 83.15.8: My; 83.16.8: too; 83.20.9: no comma after “unable”; 83.21.3: comma after “stand”; $$$$$83.21.6: comma after “open”; 83.35.11: lead; 83.40.12: horrizin; 84.9.4: Would; 84.11.11: period instead of comma after “dawn”; 84.12.5: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 84.14.4: period instead of comma after “beyond”; 84.14.8: comma instead of period after “man”; 84.14.10: rivers; 84.14.11: mark; 84.16.3: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 84.15.4: period instead of comma after “aged”; 84.35.3: no comma after “battle”; 84.37.1: no comma after “this”; 84.37.7: return; 86.2.4: period instead of comma after “cease”; 86.2.6: comma instead of period after “he”; 86.7.5: period instead of comma after “king”; 86.7.14: acquiesing; 86.9.9: period instead of comma after “forward”; 86.4.3: period instead of comma after “Kull”; 86.12.14: sentance; 86.13.2: sentance; 86.17.11: unweildy; 86.20.2: comma instead of period after “spake”; 86.25.5: period instead of comma after “river”; 86.24.8: comma instead of period after “ferryman”; 86.26.1: period instead of comma after “Forward”; 86.26.3: comma instead of period after “Kull”
The Cat and the Skull
Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. Some questionable readings were checked against Howard’s carbon (see below, “Delcardes’ Cat”) and a transcript prepared by Lord. 89.2.7: a may; 89.17.8: no comma after “usually”; 90.1.3: period instead of comma after “speak”; 90.11.6: period instead of comma after “otherwise”; 90.14.7: “if” capitalized; 90.18.2: geniology; 90.18.7: interupted; 90.29.10: period instead of comma after “old”; 90.29.12: comma instead of period after “Delcardes”; 90.32.1: no opening quote before “How”; 90.32.9: Kully; 90.33.7: period instead of comma after “old”; 90.34.2: timbered; 90.36.5: comma instead of period after “swore”; 90.39.10: comma instead of period after “said”; 91.6.1: paragraph does not begin new line in transcript; 91.8.4: neophites; 91.19.6: “where” capitalized; 91.24.3: period instead of comma after “it”; 91.28.5: comma instead of period after “swore”; 91.30.9: dissapproving; 91.32.5: guilessly; 92.1.11: “you” capitalized; 92.4.6: “the” capitalized; 92.5.4: period instead of comma after “trickery”; 92.5.7: comma instead of period after “maintained”; 92.8.9: comma instead of period after “belief”; 92.16.10: period instead of comma after “defense”; 92.16.13: irrevelently; 92.20.5: “a” capitalized; 92.21.2: period instead of comma after “true”; 92.21.5: “and” capitalized; 92.22.8: comma instead of period after “calmly”; 92.23.1: no opening quote before “Lord”; 92.23.2: Chanceller; 92.25.3: comma instead of period after “snarled”; 92.26.9: period instead of comma after “not”; 92.27.7: comma instead of period after “saying”; 92.27.11: no comma after “Tu”; 93.3.6: comma instead of period after “sourly”; 93.5.4: “this” capitalized; 93.6.6: “no” capitalized; 93.9.10: period instead of comma after “palace”; 93.10.5: “the” capitalized; 93.12.8: period instead of comma after “Valusia”; 93.12.14: “and” capitalized; 94.4.9: equallity; 94.15.1: no comma after “For”; 94.22.7: period instead of comma after “told”; 94.23.3: comma instead of period after “doubt”; 94.26.5: “all” capitalized; 94.29.7: comma instead of period after “Saremes”; 94.32.7: deviding; 94.34.7: “why” capitalized; 94.36.12: period instead of comma after “I”; 94.37.2: “lest” capitalized; 94.40.1: cross roads; 95.17.3: phillosophizing; 96.6.13: curtesy; 96.12.4: “the” capitalized; 97.1.5: period instead of comma after “alone”; 97.1.8: “and” capitalized; 97.5.4: grat; 99.7.9: no comma after “spider”; 99.36.8: comma after “horn”; 100.15.7: disembowlled; 100.16.8: comma after “hand”; 100.27.3: concious; 100.29.4: no comma after “horn”; 103.6.10: conciousness; 103.18.7: where-ever; 103.23.11: no comma after “Kull”; 103.27.2: dazzingly; 103.29.2: comma instead of dash after “shore”; 104.3.9: no comma after “which”; 104.3.11: no comma after “also”; 104.28.6: “bloody” capitalized; 104.31.6: comma instead of period after “king”; 104.33.9: period instead of comma after “race”; 104.34.1: comma instead of period after “sombrely”; 106.12.2: period instead of comma after “lie”; 106.12.5: comma instead of period after “answered”; 106.33.1: period instead of comma after “strong”; 106.33.4: comma instead of period after “lake-king”; 107.1.7: period instead of comma after “ghosts”; 107.3.6: period instead of comma after “doom”; 107.3.13: “for” capitalized; 107.5.3: period instead of comma after “now”; 107.5.12: “for” capitalized; 107.16.2: period instead of comma after “consider”; 107.16.4: comma instead of period after “repeated”; 107.24.11: forgetfullness; period instead of comma after “forgetfulness”; 107.37.6: period instead of comma after “devils”; 107.37.9: comma instead of period after “in”; 107.39.3: period instead of comma after “it”; 108.3.5: “give” capitalized; 108.14.3: period instead of comma after “bold”; 108.14.6: comma instead of period after “lake-king”; 108.19.4: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 108.19.5: am (no capital); 108.19.11: comma after “island”; 108.20.1: no comma after “mainland”; 108.21.7: “the” not in original; 108.34.9: waters; 108.37.8: comma after “below”; 108.38.1: no comma after “surface”; 109.11.8: comma after “itself”; 109.13.1: comma after “forethought”; 109.26.5: “you” capitalized; 109.31.2: period instead of comma after “be”; 109.31.4: comma instead of period after “snarled”; 109.37.12: comma instead of period after “emotion”; 109.39.10: period instead of comma after “carcase”; 111.1.10: comma instead of period after “savage”; 111.10.10: comma instead of period after “dangerously”; 111.14.12: comma before, instead of after, “is”; 111.22.3: comma instead of period after “Tu”; 111.27.4: comma instead of period after “grimly”; 111.30.14: prophesies; 111.39.3: dissappeared; 112.5.2: comma instead of period after “feet”; 112.6.3: decieving; 112.27.4: “to” repeated; 113.2.8: “the” not in original; 113.6.7: prophesies; 113.7.9: Thulses; 113.15.2: period instead of comma after “Kuthulos”; 113.21.9: sentances; 113.25.9: conciousness; 113.29.15: no comma after “Kull”; 113.35.7: no comma after “revealed”; 113.36.2: or; 113.37.8: “that” capitalized; 114.3.7: comma instead of period after “Kuthulos”; 114.20.3: comma instead of period after “hollowly”; 114.39.4: Skull-faced; 115.9.14: Skull-faced; 115.11.9: comma instead of period after “taunted”; 115.20.7: “you” capitalized; 115.21.1: Skull-faced; 1
15.24.9: posseses; 115.26.4: period instead of comma after “not”; 115.26.6: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 115.30.5: “Lord” begins new paragraph; 115.33.9: “as” not in original; 115.37.1: period instead of comma after “eagles”; 115.37.3: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 115.38.6: “you” capitalized; 116.1.8: “mine” capitalized; 116.7.9: comma instead of period after “Spear-slayer”; 116.10.10: “still” capitalized.
The Screaming Skull of Silence
Text taken from Howard’s carbon, provided by Glenn Lord. This version is probably incomplete, lacking its last page. The carbon is seven pages, while the original in the Kline files ran eight. Some questionable readings were checked against a transcript prepared by Lord. 119.21.9: “and Ka-nu”; 119.24.7: “all” capitalized; 119.31.5: period instead of comma after “necromancer”; 119.32.7: “no” capitalized; 119.33.3: snake’s; 119.36.9: excercize; 120.5.14: villian; 120.10.1: comma instead of period after “knowledge”; 120.11.8: comma instead of period after “slave”; 120.19.6: “an” not in original; 120.19.16: “the” not in original; 120.27.5: comma instead of period after “now”; 121.5.5: my; 121.15.4: comma instead of period after “impatiently”; 121.21.3: days; 121.23.6: comma instead of period after “Brule”; 121.25.1: regioned; 122.1.8: period instead of comma after “Kuthulos”; 122.1.10: comma instead of period after “said”; 122.18.1: light; 122.20.4: period instead of comma after “Kuthulos”; 122.23.6: period instead of comma after “again”; 122.23.9: “then” capitalized; 123.36.7: senseate; 123.37.10: no comma after “belly”; 123.38.2: no comma after “hands”; 124.9.2: sahdes; 124.14.1: warthfully; 124.18.2: “the” not in typescript; 124.19.10: Kull; 124.20.4: absymal; 124.26.5: horse shoe; 124.35.8: attonement; 124.36.8: againt; 124.37.2: ceaslessly; 125.5.6: abscence; 125.8.8: a half-erased compound word beginning with “tiger-” (second word erased) appears at this point in the typescript; 125.32.4: no comma after “roaring.”