Shadows Bend: A Novel of the Fantastic and Unspeakable

by David Barbour and Richard Raleigh

Book Overview

On a dark, stormy night, master of the macabre H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, creator of the legendary Conan the Barbarian, face the ancient god Cthulhu, the most dangerous force in the cosmos.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441007651
• ISBN13: 9780441007653
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 311 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Super Reader

H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard vs Cthulhu What the hell else do you need me to tell you? If you do, and you are perhaps more familiar with The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril (also featuring Lovecraft), then the aforementioned is very much in the tradition of this book, except Shadows Bend does not suffer from the sometimes tedious diversions in the other book. Lovecraft, it appears, is in serious need of help, and there are only two men he believes are likely to be of use, or believe him, so: "Lovecraft turned away and took the three steps down into Cross Plains, Texas, this unwitting way station. It wasn't much of a town, just a place where some roads and power lines seemed to converge for no apparent reason. The few buildings-storefronts and professional addresses-all faced each other, as if to keep the reality of the empty landscape at bay." "The man's flesh seemed nearly blue against his soiled white clothes, and he seemed to have been out in the storm for quite a while, or perhaps he was terrified of the gun, because he was shivering so violently it seemed unlikely he could keep his hands up. He had an odd expression on his face, but Howard couldn't tell if it was terror or some weird and maniacal amusement. His lips moved hesitantly for a split second, and then, in an entirely unconvincing attempt at a Southern drawl, he said, "Howdy there, Two-Gun Bob." Howard and his father looked at each other. The Doctor's expression suggested he thought they had an escapee from some asylum, but Howard's eyes suddenly went wide, and his jaw swung open. "Lovecraft!" he said. "How did-What in the Sam Hill are you doin' out here?" He does tell him, about the artifact of power with him, and the fact that they could also use the advice of Clark Ashton Smith. So, with the aid of Lovecraft's father's insistence, it is a Weird Tales roadtrip. "Howard grinned, breaking the tension. "Oh, come on, HP. You don't really think Smith found the Necronomicon. No, not precisely. The original is long lost, as you know. But this is surely a translation of the mad Arab's text. I am absolutely convinced of it after the events I've experienced over the past several days." Gaining the help of a woman along the way, they arrive to discover: "Smith noticed their puzzled expressions...he unwrapped the bundle and there it was, the mythic book come to life. The binding was a lightly tanned vellum like material, but clearly not vellum. It was stamped in a weathered crimson color, the letters embossed so long ago their depth was nearly gone NECRONOMICON and Abdul Alhazred. ... Lovecraft ran his fingers over the book, tentatively stroking the cracked cover. "I still find its authenticity rather dubious. What did the dealer say?" "It's bound in human skin. Slivers of bone in the spine, and the bookmark is made of bleached human hair." Lovecraft quickly drew his hand away. "And how would an antiquarian bookseller establish all this?" "He happens to be the son of a promi

Fun Concept Overall

There's plenty of negative press on this book already, so whatever minor gripes I've got have been thoroughly covered (inconsistencies, Red Sonja, typos, et cetera). Chiefly speaking, the point of this book seems to be an exploration of a "what if" scenario that tugs at the brains of most Howard and Lovecraft fans. It's imaginative fiction, and shouldn't be taken as a historical or biographical work. As a result, if you're out to enjoy this book as fiction, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. If you're looking for a nitpicker's Nirvana, go dig in the biography stacks. This one's labeled fantasy for a reason. Detractors will think what they like; there's no sense in my wasting time trying to convert them. What I will say is that I had great fun with the book and don't regret the purchase. Give it a shot and be your own judge.

Creepy and terrific!

I'm an old fan of pulp fiction, and the works of Lovecraft, Howard, Smith, et al. I found out about this book through an excellent review in Realms of Fantasy mag. by Gahan Wilson. Now, Wilson is no slouch, so when he likes a book, I know it's worth reading. Once again, he led me straight to a great read. The readers below seemed to have read a different book than me, or Mr. Wilson. It's a terrific, literate, haunting read, and does fascinating things with the main characters. I'll read this one again, and recommend it to friends. Bravo to the authors.

Good, character driven fiction.

This book and the previous review of it reminded me of something Stephen King taught in his On Writing memoir. King, as I've come to understand from reading On Writing, considers plot to be less of a focus when he writes fiction than his characters. He'll put a character in some "situation" and let them react to it, to see the outcome. Barbour and Raleigh seem to have done as much in Shadows Bend. In the novel, Howard and Lovecraft seem almost powerless to control their destiny, driving across the New Mexico desert until they are attacked, and the car is damaged, and an old Indian shaman laughs merrily on finding them. HE'S certainly expected this, if they haven't. I did find Robert E. Howard pretty stiff as a character, what with his "gettin' some grub" and whatnot. Especially early on. To understand, you ought to read One Who Walked Alone, the first-hand memoir of Howard's life. But Shadows Bend shapes up nicely as REH and HPL attempt to overcome their situation. Their goal of finding Clark Ashton Smith gives the necessary thrust to the story.

Surprising!

I came to this book expecting to be entertained, since I'm a great fan of HPL, REH, and Clark Ashton Smith. I expected to have some mild fun being nostalgic about my favorite Pulp writers. So imagine my great surprise and my pleasure when this novel turned out to be far more than a buddy story road trip with Cthulhu in the background. Barbour and Raleigh (who, I think, must not really exist, since that's one of HPL's pseudonyms) have done an amazing job (really amazing!) of bringing these characters to life so that you really and truly care about what happens to them. The portrait isn't all sympathetic, either -- it's the complex reality of what these men must have been like in their time. I won't spoil the book by mentioning the ending, but suffice it to say that it brought tears to my eyes -- twice. I cannot give this book a greater recommendation except to say that I'm getting it for X-mas for all of my friends. Bravo, Barbour and Raleigh (if you exist)!