"Skull-Face" by Robert E. Howard / A HorrorBabble Production

[@HorrorBabble]

Skull-Face returns! If you're a fan of Howard, be sure to check out The Cybrarian's fantastic work: kzbin.info

[@soulreaver1983]

😎👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@bobbymarcum772]

Yeah the cybrarian is excellent, especially his renderings of Conan, whose adventures in my opinion, are weird enough for Horrorbabble to try sometime!!!

[@machine3589]

Cybrarian is excellent.

[@Eris123451]

He's OK, though not my personal favorite. I seem to recall when we were listening to the Conan stories recently we only listened to the Cybrarian when we couldn't find other readings of them. He makes a thoroughly workman job of reading them though so that isn't really a complaint.

[@seanmurphy6480]

MISTER GORDON...YOU HAVE SELECTED A MASTERPIECE.. AND PULLED IT OFF IN STYLE..🎯🥸👍

[@THEPAGEBURNER1979]

You kept her sweet voice the same. Thats a woman of beauty and we never even seen a picture of her and never need to. 🥰😍 Well done HB take a bow.

[@pariahthistledowne3934]

There were pics of them both together, and YES, she is as she sounds.

[@pariahthistledowne3934]

Check out her Poetic Readings...GASP!

[@Mindboggles]

@@pariahthistledowne3934 So I went to google and was pretty shocked when I saw the photo of Ian on Linkedin. He looks like he belongs in a rock band from the early 2000s with the haircut and all haha

[@bobbymarcum772]

I have a poster size cover of the Skull Face issue of Fantastic Tales hanging in my drawing room. Now to locate some hashish and enjoy a listen

[@KosMik_Skul]

that sounds dope. how did u get that? what's does it look like? do you know who did the artwork?

[@sub-jec-tiv]

@@KosMik_SkulThe hash sounds dope? 😉 Pulp covers are the best. 🥰 Not afraid to be bold.

[@tonyespelage9712]

Do you have any friends from Oregon or Northern California, better than it ever was.

[@seanmurphy6480]

WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE DRAWING ROOM.? DRAWINGS ?

[@Drifter2025]

I just checked out that cover and it's awesome. Thanks for the recommendation

[@Jason-ng2vf]

Awesome!!! Can't ever go wrong with R.E.H. Thanks Ian!

[@donaldmccleary9015]

Halfway through and this story is awesome! Boy, Howard knew how to write! I like how he, Lovecraft, Ashton, and others weaved parts of each others' work into their stories. More to follow..... Oh my goodnes this is great. I read of the character a week ago online and, whew, Ian and Jennifer release it a week later! Awesome! The fight at the altar is awesome. I can tell Howard was a boxer by the way he describes the fight scenes. This goes on the shelf of "Coolest Stories Ever". Thanks!

[@bobbymarcum772]

I can't believe the controversy over this tale. Imagine, London being covertly destroyed by foreign, non English illegals from within. It's so far fetched no one should be so serious about it. Actually the only fantasy in this story is the presence of John Gordon trying to stop it. And the governments relative ignorance of the plot.

[@travisbickle1951]

He did in fact box, and well. If I recall correctly, he did so while he served as a soldier, though that might be someone else. He describes his primary character that he wrote frequently, Conan the Cimmerian, who he would be if he had lived thousands of years ago. Like Conan, he was a drinker, an explorer, a womanizer, capably dangerous. Unlike his contemporary Lovecraft, though he wrote horror stories, he did not live in fear of the world around him, and also unlike Lovecraft, he recanted his antiquated racest beliefs before he died. Unlike Lovecraft, he self deleted. A great loss. He was a great man, an excellent writer, who Lovecraft, the Grandfather of American Horror, gave high praise to.

[@joshuaobrien6137]

@@travisbickle1951 Lovecraft didn't have a chance to, he died of stomach cancer before he could though his writings actually showed a significant reduction in his racism and to be fair to lovecraft he also was a little crazy. I mean he hated jews but married a jewish woman and was friends with jews. Kind of unfair to characterize him as just another racist, people are more nuanced then that.

[@ravensrest3895]

I love how the old school cassette is used, man do I miss those old Feric 90s lol

[@TransRoofKorean]

I only recently discovered how much I love his Conan stories. They're pretty wild. A couple of them struck me as to how "Lovecraftian" elements of them were (like in "Tower of the Elephant"). They're a few decades older than I'd thought. The most fascinating thing to me is they seemed way more like any "Dungeons & Dragons"-style stories than any I'd ever read, more than any Forgotten Realms books, etc. I don't really know how to explain that, but I mean it...

[@AAron-gr3jk]

D&d took inspiration from many excellent writers back then. Howard, Lovecraft, Moorcock, Vance, Clark Ashton Smith and many others. Read The Seven Geases and tell me that's not Lolth lifted right out of those pages :)

[@travisgray8376]

Howard is an amazing writer makes U feel like your there chilling with Conan as your reading it. Totally transports you there with only a single sentence it's insane.

[@jacksonmyers3187]

REH is so interesting, he approached horror so much from the adventure angle.

[@joshuaobrien6137]

Personally I think his Conan stories are his weakest. To be fair they where also some of his first stories and they are good but Conan is a bit one dimensional(though the world building was great). I think he really hit his stride with his later stories especially his Solomon Kane stories, his westerns where also good(though I've only managed to find one of them, had a weird vibe, it felt almost Mark Twain inspired with its humor but was surprisingly good maintaining both the humor and the adventure elements).

[@marymurray4566]

Thanks!

[@HorrorBabble]

Thank you, Mary!

[@colemarie9262]

Last night I searched for this very story!! On point as usual Horror Babble.

[@davidwhite7294]

I did a few times over the last week. There was one before on KZbin but it disappeared.

[@Austrian_blood]

I enjoy listening to all of #horrorbabble's content when it is dark. Living in Florida allows me to sit on the lanai, close my eyes, and listen to some great horror stories. Thank you.

[@lisamariehennessey4532]

Brilliant absolutely fecking awesome and on top of all that we are treated yet again with the angle voice of Jen what have we done to get such a treat . Thank you so much 🎉🎉❤

[@OccultNoir]

Thank you for the re upload! This is masterclass

[@graelent9]

So awesome!! I have been searching for this! Excellent with Ian's narration... thank you !

[@ericschuster2680]

That wonderful thumbnail-art made me hyped af already.

[@rev.dr.dayspring7805]

WOW! Thank you all at HORRORBABBLE for all the amazing hard work you all do. I cannot thank you enough!! You are the great herd of G.O.A.T.s... than in you for the C.A.S. , HP LOVECRAFT, R.E.H., R. BLOCH, H. KUTTNER, W.H. HODGESON, A.MACHEN, AND SO MANY OF THE FINEST CLASSICS OF WEIRD TALES AND MORE! AMONG THOSE NAMES I NEGLECTED IS A CONTEMPORARY AUTHOR, IAN GORDON! I will be "joining" HORRORBABBLE with my next paycheck!

[@bobbymarcum772]

There really ought to be mote college level weird fiction coursed available to English lit majors, it's carved a big enough niche of influence by now. If they offer beat lit classes, and they do,, surely weird fiction qualifies

[@martywood8543]

Well, this is just dandy. Bravo, HorrorBabble.

[@stevepalpatine2828]

Fantastic Ian, brilliant story and brilliantly presented. I've missed this one its one of Howards best.

[@travisbickle1951]

Personally, I prefer his sword and sorcery to his horror stories, but they're all excellent.

[@loganlogon3720]

It's been a while since I listened to this one and it struck me that this was the voice of not just a very dry man, but also a very damp man.😆

[@kyetes.866]

YES 😂

[@beitodesstrafe]

😂🤣🤣

[@THEPAGEBURNER1979]

YOU MADE MY YEAR THANKS IAN & JEN ❤ I know i was part of that pain in the ass group. My Favorite story of all.

[@The_child-catcher]

Was it taken down for copyright or something?

[@davidwhite7294]

@@The_child-catcherl wondered too.

[@ganjiuana]

Thanks for all these treasures you post for all of us to enjoy. I listen daily and nightly to sleep. Please continue the great work!

[@soulreaver1983]

Thanks for covering one of my favourite stories Ian i have all 3 skull-face omnibus books!🙂

[@Ivanhoe52]

I have listened it few years ago, here. Glad that it's back again... 🙂

[@tjjudd101]

I had a three-hour drive today, and this was the perfect listen.

[@thefisherking78]

Absolutely epic work of fantasy horror. Thank you so much for what you do!

[@listerjne]

i love drug users in horror stories. they always bypass a lot of questions. "yeah so this scary skull showed up and said im basically a pawn but also that i should get drugs forever??? and upon reflection i think i know him???" no fear no existentialism just like "so the skull that spoke to me looked like this"

[@listerjne]

i e v only listened to the fiest 2 parts ppease bear with me im going thru a lot and havent had time to fully Hear a lot of stories lately

[@listerjne]

also the tomb of the white baron addled my neuronz i could not comprehend anything

[@listerjne]

not sure how much ive heard so far but WOW they got tunnels and operations and shelves of treats and sailors and a guy called gordon which is never not confusing (i hear gordon more than ian so im always thinkin HBs name is just gordon) anyway this is such a treatttttt god bless the roberts

[@listerjne]

wow his birth and death dates are weird jan 11 1906 - jun 22 1936 thats 2 halves also i resent that this dude was so iconic before he could even be in his 30s

[@listerjne]

update it was consensual so maybe he planned the halves but i doubt it

[@earthcat]

"I am weary, now, of word and vow--of the wind and the winter weather... I'll reel thru a few more years,somehow--then I'll quit them altogether." Robert E. Howard 22:14

[@Zraitor]

Despite all the problematic elements in it this is one of the most entertaining and fun stories I've read/listened to.

[@janusz_pies3194]

Ah, the great Gordons, flawless performance as always!

[@MrJwrench]

This is my favorite I literally just bought it a week ago on bandcamp

[@HobbesFTW]

I really liked this story, thank you as always for the upload!

[@casard5235]

Great stories within this tale. Well done on the narrations. A fun, capturing listen. Thank you.

[@anthonybarnwell767]

Superb job Mr Gordon bravo 👏🎉

[@josephinejacobs4390]

I loved it. Keep it flowing Horror Babble. Ta.

[@TEQNEEK]

What the heck kind of mystical hashish were they smoking back in the day?

[@jason.larsenthedanishgreek1226]

In my head-canon he is in fact using a mixture of concentrated opium and hash. There's no way he is having that severe withdrawal no matter how much THC he uses. And what a horrible way to escape from his PTSD! Sativa hash trips would be literally the worst... at least acid might help with ego death

[@willmfrank]

The same kind as in "Reefer Madness," apparently...

[@bobbob-dd6il]

Amazing story, Thank-you horror babble, I was entertained all evening.

[@Graham-ce2yk]

Thank you for bringing this one back, what was the issue that caused it to go away in the first place, I'm curious?

[@Graham-ce2yk]

I'd also like to suggest you have a look at Robert W. Chambers 1919 work 'The Slayer of Souls' a heady work that melds the 'Yellow Peril' (minus the Japanese who are held to be 'quite good chaps'...), the terrible Hun (The Germans) and of course Communists into a civilization threatening peril and the only person who has the power to undo this terror, a single woman... I have the suspicion that this tale lies at the back of at least one Call of Cthulhu campaign.

[@pariahthistledowne3934]

perhaps hit too close for certain Factions @@Graham-ce2yk

[@70schild420]

My dad used to say”it’s not what you saw it’s how you say it.”you my friend know how to SAY it!!❤❤

[@DennisMoore664]

Been away for a bit but damn do I love that intro!

[@CountingHouse]

Its been year since you first uploaded this one. I cant believe I havent said before, Jenn gave a perfect performance as Zuleika.

[@CountingHouse]

Its back! Its actually back! "HELL'S FIENDS! I WILL SEE YOU OR DIE!"

[@andreasfilis9001]

Ready for it!

[@Enshadowed]

I'm so happy for this tale!

[@charlesrodden4019]

Balls of concentrated purgatory is probably the best description of hash ever

[@machine3589]

Excellent! Love to see this return. Was audio bad on the original so you took it down?

[@katiaplantscientist]

Kthulos may be the same mischief maker from Robert E Howard's Kull the Conqueror story "Delcardes' Cat". I think Kthulos is one of the funniest villains I've ever encountered in one of these horror stories, he seems to have a wicked sense of humour and awareness of how the ridiculous the story really is.

[@AAron-gr3jk]

I'm a fan of the voice actress who plays Zuleika so over the top :):):):)

[@robbabcock_]

Terrific tale!

[@Loschh]

Fantastic!

[@shemasmcguire3999]

Dude I need the hashish that the main character was smoking

[@beverlyamarantes9775]

Thank you guys, its now story time!👺

[@TeamQuigley]

Omg it's back. (Proceeds to happy dance) 😊

[@Shea_rat_milk]

Beg for more REH

[@MrJwrench]

8:39 When I was a man, like other men. Not yet a sullen, cringing, slave of dreams.

[@dartmart9263]

QUESTION: Wasn’t there a similar story about a “skull face” character that arose from an ornate (Egyptian?) sarcophagus in a corner of an old bookstore? Was that REH, or Bloch, maybe? Does anyone know? Thanks

[@mstone-wd7kc]

That damn hashish!

[@itzybitzyspyder]

I'm a hashish addict but big bad evil guys are monologue addicts...

[@tonygreenfield7820]

I know they are completely unconnected but this story reminds me so much of the Tom Baker Doctor Who story, "The Talon's Of Weng Chiang".....

[@dianecheney4141]

I'm not surprised by Howard quoting Kipling or Blake, but the Poet? Would he have quoted Salmund Rushdie?

[@demillebrandon1185]

You fool!!! Warren wasn't smoking hash 😂😂

[@AsiniusNaso]

Ah yes, the proof that Lovecraft's xenophobia wasn't THAT far off from his contemporaries... I love Howard's works, but this one is up there with Red Hook and Fu Manchu in just how startling its attitudes are.

[@sike2399]

Presentism. FFS, stop making me agree with Bill Maher...

[@lightreign8021]

Your ridiculous made up terms for rational self preservation are nearing an end.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

This isn't really xenophobic as he's talking about degenerate druggies and their dealers, but he seems to think hash is a mild hallucinogen. This story was printed during prohibition era, so you can imagine where he got that idea.

[@roryd4852]

Ironically, in the nineteenth century, Great Britain fought three wars with China to force China to buy opium from Great Britain because Great Britain bought so much tea from China that the balance of trade between the two nations had become very unfavorable to Great Britain.

[@jamesnurgle6368]

​@@sike2399so when can you judge the values of the past or consider past works in the light of the present day? when listening to this story do you have to pretend that the values presented are correct, and they in no way make you uncomfortable?

[@samsonsoturian6013]

You can tell the novel is old because it treats hash like an exotic hallucenogen. It is neither.

[@williamdistefano5698]

Either im sleeping great tonight... or not at all 😅

[@durere]

7 minutes in, and the hash enjoyer inside me demands I roll one, and continue listening sunken in a hot steamy bath. After: Did it, loved it. Had all the elements an admirer of Don Quix' craves, plus that elusive happy ending I'm a sucker for. All that being said, they must have laced their hasheesh in those days, because the addiction is a piece of cake to kick (you only need to want it, lol). Also, and I hate to use this terminology, you are quite brave uploading it in 2023, I'm sure you know what I mean.

[@The_child-catcher]

I'm fairly certain it was laced with opium.

[@taowroland8697]

The Mossad be like: I'm something of a skull-faced man myself

[@leroybrownjr]

Hashish was a monster itself back in the day

[@bigsarge2085]

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[@nickkorkodylas5005]

1:03:30 That aged like strawberry milk.

[@ricardorios492]

Oh yeah, this is Robert E. Howard’s work, everyone should read it …………..sword and sorcery and heavy metal YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@RolandWieffering1]

But a great story nevertheless. The realization of the hero's and heroine that there are more creatures of who's life we don't know diddly squat. Is a precursor to the situation we are now in. We know there's Alien life but why is it such a big deal.? Anyway, all the best from Holland.

[@dawwe8869]

Eyy

[@jeffhaley2706]

😎

[@sub-jec-tiv]

These early 20th century drug fiction tales always make me wonder, why have i never in my life had the *really good* stuff? Clearly marijuana was a much more powerful drug than it seems these days, judging from its representation in early 20th century weird fiction! 😂

[@MrMonkfiish]

when eaten rather than smoked it can have a much more potent and long-lasting psychoactive effect educing hallucinations or a dream-like state for hours at a time, the method of ingestion makes all the difference. It strikes me that Robert was a little judgey about the consumption of such substances but what really surprises me is that the conspiratorial thinking on display in this work regarding the non-white races is so similar to modern Right-Wing rhetoric. How little we have learned.

[@Kropothead]

⁠@@MrMonkfiishRight-wing racial ideology hasn’t meaningfully changed or improved since the days of Lovecraft and Howard. It’s a cruel relic of a benighted past.

[@Mr_Flerb]

@@KropotheadYou’re describing racial ideology that’s too extreme to be called right-wing. In fact, I’d say it lies at the point on the circle where “right” and “left” extremism coincide and hold that races are fundamentally different and should kept apart.

[@williepete1969]

Hashish is more potent

[@CJM-rg5rt]

@@Kropothead the news is evil, along with the agents that implant these ideas. It's so deep if you look into it. All designed to keep us from thinking, whether you want to believe that or not it's true.

[@kristinacable]

❤❤❤❤🙂

[@justanotherdreamer.8669]

Fantastic reading and such a treat to have a three and a half hour long tale read by you, Ian! Still, I can't help but mention that this tale bothers me with its overt racism and references to beliefs of white supremacy. I have listened to some other tales of Robert E. Howard and while appreciating his mysterious worlds and his fantastic style of writing, I have noticed some of these racist undertones in his other work too. However, they certainly weren't as blatant as “lizard man unites all the colored races against the supreme white man we must stop him!" so I was a bit shocked with how this story went. Regardless, I listened to it to the end and I was mesmerized by his writing style. I really don't know where I am going with all this, I just feel sad that so many great horror stories of that time are so deeply drenched in racism.

[@jason.larsenthedanishgreek1226]

Omg are you serious? You know this is like 90 years old. That's simply the way they saw them and spoke. Why don't you look around and see who's REALLY causing the viiiiiol.nce for example in NY subways. Stop your annntiwwwhite bs

[@jason.larsenthedanishgreek1226]

You know everyone is laughing at you right? You're drenched in commmie lies and no common sense.

[@WhyYChrome]

Y/T is done ☑️

[@AkiraGuitar777]

Hashiiissshhhhh 😋😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😂

[@CS-hu5be]

Its fun to listen to:3. Though Kinda extra racist narrative😅

[@detromaniac]

A nice juxtaposition to the blatant racism pushed by "progressives" these days.

[@pariahthistledowne3934]

Good Golly, as if this one is not timely! FFS!

[@dla1509]

I see Warren is unchanged.

[@amodernalchemist432]

What the hell kind of _hashish_ are these fellas smoking!?! Was it smuggled from Cthulu's homeworld, Vhoorl, or what?!?

[@JustAGuyIsAll]

The narrator sounds like a Muppet when doing the low voice of the evil character. 😂

[@HorrorBabble]

As intended...?! Ha.

[@TheCollectibleCritic]

One thing is totally clear the hash we have today sucks! 😂

[@Austrian_blood]

Opium, not hashish would cause this. BTW.👻

[@rickyhurtt5568]

Dammit man, dude acts like he's gonna die from withdrawal. Might be a little true dramatic. Great story though. Can't believe I've never read or heard it before

[@Andreas-o2d]

😊😊😊😊😊😊 Og

[@philmcclenaghan7056]

Honestly, these stories are just an excuse to say "hashish" every 5 minutes. Why are they so obsessed with the word? You can tell they revel in any excuse to say it. It's annoying and I hate that word.

[@jason.larsenthedanishgreek1226]

You're funny.

[@sarge4455]

Wesley Pipes enjoys it

[@jamesnurgle6368]

I feel like this one might have benefited from a foreword about quite how overt the racism gets...

[@Eris123451]

Not really, although that's still a fair criticism and one that's often leveled at Lovecraft as well.

[@janusz_pies3194]

Oh noes! the eeevil raycism, help, oh my feelings, I'm... I'm gonna faint! But seriously, get lost prude.

[@jamesnurgle6368]

@@janusz_pies3194 I'm guessing you just don't words good but, you like racism?

[@markletts2000]

American?

[@joestuttard1495]

Zoolaker annoys me. Otherwise, great story

[@BryinWillis-e8g]

1hr 49min

[@RolandWieffering1]

A pity the people who wrote about hasjiesj didn't know what they were writing about. Hasjiesj is not addictive and there are no withdrawal symptoms.

[@mstone-wd7kc]

Yes, there seems to be a conflation of hashish and opium. Oh well, it is fiction…

[@Tacklepig]

Literally anything that feels good is addictive. The story doesn't talk about withdrawal symptoms.

[@CJM-rg5rt]

I didn't hear anything about withdrawal, besides withdrawal from reality.

[@RolandWieffering1]

@@Tacklepig Steve is talking about his craving for the stuff, and gets something to drink that takes away his craving.

[@epimetrius7348]

​@Tacklepig juice tastes pretty good, but so does coffee, one can lead to headaches from not drinking it, the other doesn't. Addiction is different from habit.

[@derekdecker555]

So I love the work of the Lovecraft Circle but, and I’m not trying to start a thing in the comments here, I always cringe when the race talk comes into it. And I get it, it was arguably the most race obsessed era in history all over the world, but with a modern persons ears it’s a tough listen sometimes.

[@The_child-catcher]

I would argue that the current era is the most race obsessed era in history.

[@derekdecker555]

@@The_child-catcher nah, I think most people are over it. Yeah the government and media want to keep dragging it up to divide us, but I think most people just want coexist with the people around them. You gotta think, in the time this story was written, you had things like “the yellow menace”, antisemitism was everywhere, Hitler was plotting the course of his “master race”, Japan was conquering the rest of Asia because they felt racially superior, the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide and more all within a space of like 30 years.

[@jacobkarbacka2166]

​You would argue incorrectly

[@jacobkarbacka2166]

​@@The_child-catcher .

[@Mr_Flerb]

Well, perhaps tied for most race-obsessed with right now.

[@matthewmallan1995]

Drugz eh!? Lolz 🤪

[@Bobo411]

Howard really plays into the racist fears of white people here and it's grating to listen to considering what the Brits were doing to the "blacks, browns, and yellows" during that time.

[@jason.larsenthedanishgreek1226]

You know everybody is laughing at you right, commmmie?

[@droptableaccount1820]

I mean London went from 95% native British to 35% today.. so I think skull bro won.

[@benwil6048]

Typical Reefer madness lvl of bs about hashish lol. Seems more like opium to me lol

[@pocadon]

It's quite queer hearing how different generations use words differently and how naturalism was the foundation of racism. Later the "out of Africa" theory was pushed so it wasn't so racist.

[@benruniko]

Hahahahahahaha this story is so ironic. I mean, its a great horror story, well written and very well recorded! Thank you so much for it! But seriously, the “non white people are spooky” is so blech. Add to that the idea of enslaving the world with drugs when that is literally what the British empire tried to do… wow it just makes me laugh. And yeah the crimes of the drug pushers beggar belief and imagination. But it was humanity that did it, and white humanity more than others. Still, a fun listen! Thank you!

[@murfling]

Enjoying but not sure references to apartheid South Africa are timely.

[@murfling]

Not to belittle narration or story. Just a bit of a raw nerve right now.

[@marycollins2163]

Too weird for me

[@cynicallyyours]

Nice story but I wish there was more focus of terror and horror rather than the protagonist’s heroism. I need more scary stories.