Blood, Faith, and Shadows: The Best Solomon Kane Stories by Robert E. Howard

The world of pulp fiction has given us countless heroes, but few possess the stark moral clarity and righteous fury of Solomon Kane. Howard’s somber Puritan wanderer stands apart from his more famous creation Conan, offering us a different kind of hero—one whose adventures traverse the haunted landscapes between historical fiction and supernatural horror.

As someone who’s obsessed with Howard’s weird poetic prose and the shadowy realms of his sword and sorcery tales, I find myself continually drawn back to Kane’s adventures every now and then. There’s something uniquely compelling about this grim avenger that resonates across the decades, perhaps speaking to our deepest notions of justice and retribution.

The Anatomy of an Avenger

What makes Solomon Kane such a fascinating character isn’t just his skill with rapier and flintlock, but the psychological complexity that drives him. Unlike Conan’s hedonistic pursuit of treasure and women, Kane is motivated by an almost obsessive sense of divine mission. He embodies the terrifying certainty of Puritan theology—convinced he walks as God’s instrument of vengeance against the wicked.

This theological framework creates a tension within the character that Howard exploits masterfully. Kane condemns sinfulness with one breath while unleashing brutal violence with the next, creating a character whose inner contradictions mirror the harsh dichotomies of his 16th-century worldview.

So now I present to you a ranking of The Longbox of Darkness’ favorite stories (and in some cases, story fragments) of our favorite swashbuckling Puritan fanatic. These do not include Howard’s narrative poetry featuring Kane, however excellent it may be. Hopefully this ranking will urge you readers to seek out the collected stories.

The Lesser Fragments: Unrealized Potential

13.”Death’s Black Riders” (Fragment)

The briefest of Howard’s Kane fragments amounts to little more than literary vapor—a few evocative lines describing Kane’s encounter with a spectral horseman. While it hardly constitutes a story, even these few sentences showcase Howard’s gift for atmospheric dread, suggesting a narrative that might have reached the heights of “Skulls in the Stars” had he continued.

12.”The Children of Asshur” (Fragment)

This unfinished tale hints at Howard’s fascination with lost civilizations—a theme he would explore more fully in his Conan stories. The concept of an isolated Assyrian society surviving in the depths of Africa represents a fascinating collision of historical elements that would have provided rich storytelling possibilities. The fragment’s tantalizing setup makes its abandonment all the more frustrating for dedicated Kane scholars.

11.”Hawk of Basti” (Fragment)

The introduction of Jeremy Hawk offers a rare glimpse into Kane’s past relationships. The dynamic between these two Europeans—one seeking justice, the other power—could have developed into a nuanced exploration of colonialism and moral compromise. Howard’s decision to abandon this narrative thread leaves readers wondering about the complex history that shaped Kane’s worldview.

10.”The Castle of the Devil” (Fragment)

Perhaps the most promising of Howard’s abandoned Kane narratives, this German-set fragment introduces John Silent, whose pragmatic amorality contrasts brilliantly with Kane’s rigid moral code. The final line Howard wrote—”Your speech is wild and Godless,” said Kane. “But I begin to like you”—suggests a potential friendship that would have illuminated Kane’s character through contrast. The Gothic setting of a corrupt baron’s castle evokes classic horror elements that would have suited Kane’s temperament perfectly.

The Middle Realm: Solid Adventures

9.”The Right Hand of Doom” (1936)

While complete, this tale places Kane as observer rather than protagonist, making it feel more like a footnote in his saga than a central chapter. Written by Howard shortly before his death by suicide in 1936, this supernatural story operates effectively within Howard’s universe of cosmic justice. Unfortunately, without Kane’s active participation, it lacks the moral dimension that elevates his best stories.

8.”Blades of the Brotherhood/The Blue Flame of Vengeance” (revised by John Pocsik)

This purely historical adventure (originally a Solomon Kane story from 1929, but later repurposed by Howard as a yarn starring his character Malachi Grim in 1932) showcases Kane’s physical prowess without supernatural elements, creating a straightforward swashbuckling narrative. The coastal setting and pirate antagonists provide a refreshing change of pace, though the absence of eldritch horrors makes it feel somewhat conventional within Howard’s broader canon (and that was the reason it was rejected by Weird Tales Magazine in 1929). Still, the story’s tight pacing and vivid action sequences demonstrate Howard’s mastery of adventure fiction fundamentals.

7.”Rattle of Bones” (1929)

This compact horror tale employs classic Gothic elements to create a sense of claustrophobic dread. The Cleft Skull Tavern functions as a perfect microcosm of malevolence—a confined space where Kane’s righteousness confronts concentrated evil. The ghostly revelation develops with clockwork precision, though the relatively straightforward narrative lacks the epic scope of Howard’s finest Kane stories.

6.”Skulls in the Stars” (1929)

Howard’s characterization of Kane shines brilliantly here, as the Puritan deliberately chooses the dangerous path to confront evil rather than avoid it. The spectral antagonist embodies the consequences of human cruelty, creating a thematic resonance that elevates the tale beyond simple ghost story. Kane’s unwavering confrontation with supernatural horror establishes his pattern of meeting evil directly, regardless of the danger to himself.

5.”The Footfalls Within” (1931)

This African adventure deepens the mythology surrounding Kane’s staff while showcasing his fierce opposition to slavery—a moral stance that transcends his Puritan background. The story connects Kane’s Christian worldview with ancient magical traditions, creating a syncretic spiritual landscape that would become a hallmark of the character. The eldritch mausoleum sequence creates a powerful sense of ancient, inhuman evil that contrasts with the human wickedness of the slavers.

The Pinnacle: Howard’s Masterpieces

4.”Hills of the Dead” (1930)

Howard’s reimagining of vampire mythology through an African lens creates a genuinely innovative supernatural threat. Rather than drawing from European Gothic traditions, he presents vampires as primal, savage creatures more aligned with animated corpses than aristocratic predators. N’Longa’s shamanic magic provides a fascinating counterpoint to Kane’s Christian faith, suggesting that different spiritual traditions might access the same divine power. The jungle setting creates an atmosphere of primordial danger that perfectly suits Kane’s character.

3.”Wings in the Night” (1932)

This tale represents Howard at his most viscerally horrific, with imagery that rivals Lovecraft in its cosmic dread. The flying horrors combine elements of traditional harpies with something more primeval and terrifying. Kane’s desperate battle against overwhelming odds showcases both his tactical intelligence and his unyielding courage. The destroyed village creates a devastating emotional context for the violence that follows, with Kane’s vengeance acquiring a more personal dimension than usual.

2.”The Moon of Skulls” (1930)

Howard’s novella-length adventure allows room for both character development and worldbuilding that exceeds his shorter works. The lost city of Negari becomes a character in itself—a physical embodiment of civilization’s decline into savagery. Queen Nakari represents a fascinating antagonist whose beauty masks inner corruption, creating a thematic parallel to the city she rules. The rescue mission provides emotional stakes beyond Kane’s usual justice-seeking, though his fundamental character remains consistent.

1.”Red Shadows” (1928)

Howard’s first Kane story remains his most perfectly structured, with a revenge narrative that moves from Europe to Africa without losing momentum. Le Loup provides a villain worthy of Kane—equally skilled but morally inverted, creating a perfect nemesis relationship. The criminal’s bewilderment at Kane’s motivation (“What are you? I have never seen a man like you”) elegantly articulates the character’s uniqueness within pulp fiction. N’Longa’s introduction establishes the pattern of Kane forming alliances with practitioners of “pagan” magic, suggesting a worldview more complex than his Puritan appearance indicates.

The Influence of Solomon Kane

What makes Kane endure nearly a century after his creation? Beyond Howard’s visceral prose style, the character embodies archetypal qualities that resonate across cultural boundaries. Like the Western gunslinger or the samurai, Kane walks a lonely path of personal honor in a corrupt world. His unwavering moral certainty provides cathartic satisfaction to readers navigating the moral ambiguities of modern life.

Unlike many pulp heroes, Kane’s adventures contain psychological depth beneath their action-oriented surface. His religious framework creates both strength and limitation, with his rigid moral code simultaneously driving his heroism and blinding him to cultural nuance. This complexity elevates the stories beyond simple adventure narratives into explorations of justice, faith, and cultural encounter.

Howard’s decision to place his Puritan protagonist in Africa creates fascinating tensions that continue to reward critical analysis. Kane’s European perspective confronts ancient traditions and supernatural realities that challenge his worldview, forcing him to expand his understanding without abandoning his core principles. This journey from rigid dogmatism toward a more inclusive spirituality gives the stories a surprisingly progressive dimension despite their pulp origins.

The literary DNA of Solomon Kane runs through countless later characters, from Marvel’s Punisher to DC’s Jonah Hex. His influence extends beyond comics into film and television, with characters like Van Helsing and John Constantine inheriting aspects of his righteous fury and supernatural expertise. Even modern urban fantasy detectives owe something to Kane’s template of the lone warrior confronting otherworldly evil.

For Modern Readers

For those encountering Solomon Kane for the first time, Howard’s occasionally dated language and cultural perspectives require contextual understanding. Written in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the stories reflect attitudes of their era, particularly regarding race and colonialism. However, Kane himself often stands against exploitation, defending the innocent regardless of background.

Begin with “Red Shadows” to meet Kane at his most archetypal, then proceed to “The Moon of Skulls” for a deeper dive into Howard’s worldbuilding. “Wings in the Night” showcases his horror elements at their most powerful, while “Hills of the Dead” demonstrates his innovative approach to traditional monster legends.

Even in fragments like “The Castle of the Devil,” readers can glimpse Howard’s creative process and the character developments that might have been. These incomplete works invite readers to participate imaginatively in completing Kane’s journey, considering how these narrative threads might have woven into his broader saga.

The Supernatural Tapestry

Howard’s cosmology deserves special attention for its syncretic approach to the supernatural. Kane moves through a world where Christian theology, African shamanism, and ancient pagan traditions all access genuine spiritual power. This theological pluralism creates a richly textured fictional universe where magic operates according to consistent rules while manifesting through culturally specific forms.

The Staff of Solomon represents this syncretism perfectly—an object with connections to biblical history, ancient Atlantis, and African magical traditions. Its presence connects Kane to a spiritual lineage transcending his Puritan background, suggesting that divine power manifests through multiple cultural expressions rather than a single theological tradition.

Coda: The Shadow of the Puritan

Solomon Kane occupies a unique position in the pulp pantheon—neither as famous as Conan nor as obscure as many forgotten heroes. His adventures balance on the knife-edge between historical fiction and supernatural horror, creating a distinctive atmosphere unlike anything else in Howard’s canon.

What elevates these stories beyond simple pulp entertainment is Howard’s psychological insight and moral complexity. Kane’s rigid worldview confronts situations that challenge his assumptions, creating internal conflicts as compelling as his external battles. His journey from Europe to Africa mirrors a spiritual journey from dogmatic certainty toward a more nuanced understanding of good and evil.

For modern readers seeking something beyond contemporary fantasy tropes, Solomon Kane offers a refreshingly different protagonist—a man driven not by personal gain but by an unwavering sense of divine justice. His adventures remind us that the roots of fantasy literature extend far beyond medieval settings into the shadowy realms where history meets nightmare.

In the grim Puritan with his flintlock pistols and ancient staff, Howard created a character whose righteous fury still burns brightly across the decades—a dark avenger whose quest for justice transcends time, speaking to our eternal struggle against the shadows that threaten to engulf humanity.