Skull-Face and Other Weird Tales

I approached this audiobook expecting the usual Howard fare—barbarians, sorcery, and a healthy dose of testosterone—but *Skull-Face* delivered something far stranger. Gordon and Gill’s performances are the secret weapon here. Gordon doesn’t just *read* these lines; he *grunts* them, snarls them, and occasionally whispers them like a curse half-remembered in a fever dream. His Narath-Hotep in *Skull-Face* is a standout: a man who’s equal parts detective and doomed prophet, his voice dripping with the weight of secrets that rot his bones. Gill, meanwhile, gives the women in these tales a presence that’s equal parts regal and ruthless. Her portrayal of Tavia in *The Shadow Kingdom*? Chilling. But the production isn’t perfect. A few tracks suffer from a slight tinny resonance, as if the recording booth was a tin shack in a hurricane, and the pacing occasionally stumbles in the quieter interstitial moments, making the transitions between stories feel a tad abrupt. That said, the strengths far outweigh the flaws. Howard’s stories here are like time capsules of weird fiction—unpolished, unhinged, and utterly intoxicating. If you’re a fan of Lovecraft but tired of the same old cosmic dread, or if you crave pulp that’s more than just swords and sandals, this audiobook will burrow into your brain and set up shop. Just don’t expect to sleep easy afterward.