The Lancer Kull Series: The Skull of Silence by Robert E. Howard

by Gary Romeo

“The Skull of Silence” was written sometime in 1928 and originally titled “The Screaming Skull of Silence.” It was submitted to Weird Tales and rejected. In 1966, Glenn Lord submitted the tale to Fantastic Stories. They rejected it as well. The story appeared with the new title in King Kull, Lancer Books, 1967 for the first time.

Excerpt from a letter of Glenn Lord to L. Sprague de Camp, December 16, 1966

Illustration by Justin Sweet from Kull: Exile of Atlantis, Del Rey, 2006

There are some textual changes besides the normal punctuation, capitalization, and spelling differences:

Lancer: No poem

Del Rey:

Lancer: understood that natural forces

Del Rey: understood natural forces

Lancer: produced

Del Rey: producing

Lancer: green in color

Del Rey: green in shade

Lancer: for before his amazed stare

Del Rey: for to his amazed stare

Lancer: like all earthly noise

Del Rey: like all earth noises

Lancer: dimly aware

Del Rey: being aware

Lancer: Silence was the absence of sound.

Del Rey: Silence the absence of sound.

Lancer: And Silence screamed!

Del Rey: And Silence screamed!

The Del Rey version quits after “And Silence screamed!” The Lancer version has an additional four paragraphs (presumably by Glenn Lord since Lin Carter is not credited) that close out the story. As a standalone story the concluding paragraphs would be superfluous but since the story is part of a character’s ongoing series those closing paragraphs are arguably needed to tie up and conclude the story.

Marvel Comics adapted the story in Creatures on the Loose #10. This was an excellent adaptation by Roy Thomas and Bernie Wrightson and marked the first (other than cameo) appearance of King Kull at Marvel.

L. Sprague de Camp’s unpublished first thoughts upon reading the story.

I have disagreed with Sprague before and will do so again. This story is one of REH’s best King Kull stories and it blew my mind as a teenager. The only part that was slightly unconvincing to me was Kull ignoring the advice of Kuthulos whom he doted on when Kuthulos pretended to be a cat in the previous story.

The story starts in an interesting way. Detailing the difference between repugnance and fear. And boldly saying, “…real fear in [Kull] was so rare a thing that men mark the day.” The story starts with Kuthulos expounding his particular brand of metaphysical thought and the greatness of the ancient philosopher, Raama. Ka-nu mentions Raama sealing a spectre of silence into a great castle. Brule mentions having seen the castle. Kull’s interest is piqued and organizes a sight-seeing trip.

Once there Kull impetuously has to go inside the castle. Kuthulos warns Kull a second time. But “Kull, impatient of restraint, waved him aside. He was in the grip of a wayward perverseness, a common fault of kings, and though usually reasonable he had now made up his mind and was not to be swerved from his course.”

Kuthulos warns Kull a third time but Kull breaks the seal and opens the door and Silence is unleashed. REH’s description of the horror of “Silence” is amazing.

Kull remembers Raama’s safeguard. A gong of jade that personifies Sound. By repeatedly striking the gong until a last blow that encompasses all “the sound in the Universe rushed together in one roaring, yelling, shattering , engulfing burst of sound! The gong blew into a million vibrating fragments! And Silence screamed!“

A really great and mind-blowing story if you accept the fantasy that sound and silence are material things. And that to me is the strength of the Kull stories. REH’s prose has a dream-like quality and the reader is lulled into accepting these concepts by a tone that is missing from the typical sword & sorcery tale.