“Skull-Face” unfolds within the grim and shadowy realms of opium dreams and ancient secrets. Written by Robert E. Howard and published as a serial in the pages of Weird Tales, beginning in October 1929, and ending in December 1929… The story begins with Stephen Costigan, a hashish addict, ensnared in the depths of a drug-induced nightmare. Amidst his hallucinatory torments, he encounters an otherworldly being with a skull-like face, radiating malevolence and commanding unknown powers. This entity, later revealed to be Kathulos of Egypt, manipulates Costigan into a series of sinister deeds, exploiting his addiction to bend him to his will. Costigan, once a man of esteem and vigor, finds himself reduced to a pawn in Kathulos’s dark designs. Kathulos, wielding knowledge and sorcery from the dawn of time, seeks to execute a grand scheme that spans continents and epochs, with the goal of achieving dominion over all. Amidst the bleakness of his enslaved condition, Costigan encounters Zuleika, a captive of Kathulos’s will, whose beauty and purity offer a glimmer of hope in the darkness that surrounds them. As the narrative unfolds, Costigan grapples with his addiction, the machinations of Kathulos, and his burgeoning love for Zuleika. The story weaves through London’s opium dens, the shadowy realms of ancient gods, and confrontations with forces both human and unearthly.
Appearance List “Skull-Face” 3-part serial in Weird Tales v14 n4-6 (Oct-Dec 1929); Skull-Face and Others (Arkham House, 1946); “Skull-Face” (complete reprint) in Famous Fantastic Mysteries (Vol. 14, No. 1, Dec 1952) [Internet Archive]; Skull-Face and Others (Neville Spearman, 1974); Skull-Face Omnibus, Vol. 1: Skull-Face and Others (Panther paperback, 1976); Skull-Face (Berkley Medallion, 1978) — includes adjacent works/sequels, i.e. Harrison material and Lupoff completion, see next. Skull-Face adjacent works/sequels: “Names in the Black Book” in Super-Detective Stories Vol. 1, No. 3 (May 1934) — features character “Steve Harrison” instead of “Stephen Costigan”; “Lord of the Dead” (unpublished) — first publication in Skull-Face (Berkley Medallion, 1978), features character “Steve Harrison” instead of “Stephen Costigan”; “Taverel Manor” (Skull-Face sequel fragment, unpublished) completed by Richard A. Lupoff as The Return of Skull-Face (FAX Collector’s Editions, 1977).
Description “Skull-Face” unfolds within the grim and shadowy realms of opium dreams and ancient secrets. Written by Robert E. Howard and published as a serial in the pages of Weird Tales, beginning in October 1929, and ending in December 1929… The story begins with Stephen Costigan, a hashish addict, ensnared in the depths of a drug-induced nightmare. Amidst his hallucinatory torments, he encounters an otherworldly being with a skull-like face, radiating malevolence and commanding unknown powers. This entity, later revealed to be Kathulos of Egypt, manipulates Costigan into a series of sinister deeds, exploiting his addiction to bend him to his will. Costigan, once a man of esteem and vigor, finds himself reduced to a pawn in Kathulos’s dark designs. Kathulos, wielding knowledge and sorcery from the dawn of time, seeks to execute a grand scheme that spans continents and epochs, with the goal of achieving dominion over all. Amidst the bleakness of his enslaved condition, Costigan encounters Zuleika, a captive of Kathulos’s will, whose beauty and purity offer a glimmer of hope in the darkness that surrounds them. As the narrative unfolds, Costigan grapples with his addiction, the machinations of Kathulos, and his burgeoning love for Zuleika. The story weaves through London’s opium dens, the shadowy realms of ancient gods, and confrontations with forces both human and unearthly.
