Reading from Kull: Exile of Atlantis, pages 141-44
The Curse of the Golden Skull is one of Howard's most fascinating works, revealing his sense of the immensity of Creation, the puniness of man and the cyclic blooming of evil in what might be his most infamous form—flowers. This story also reveals Kull as Howard's most compelling creation, more than a hero, but a force of nature, a symptom of civilization and a planter of seeds haunting future ages.
This brief—ages spanning tale—is written in three distinct scenes.
The first scene begins with Rotath of Lemuria dying, having been piteously cleaved by that savage upstart barbarian usurper, Kull and left to die, but not before a spite-ringing curse passes his lips.
The Second scene, facing an illustration by Justin Sweet of an Indian Jones type explorer venturing into a jungle-shrouded precinct, is of a single paragraph, consisting of four sentences, the favorite of mine quoted here:
"The green oceans rose and wrote an epic poem in emerald and the rhythm thereof was terrible."
The third scene, illustrated by Sweet, is of Howard's present day, the substance of which should await the reader and remain undisturbed until that time.
Skulker Jones: A Tale of Dark Deviltry at the End of Caucasian Time
Skulker Jones is the sequel to A Hoodrat Halloween and an urban horror tale of a failed man looking for a final saving grace.
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