The Howard, Robert E. (Robert Ervin) 1906-1936 creator Rankin, Hugh 1878-1956 Senf, C. C. (Curtis Charles) 1873-1949 text utu 2026 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "The Moon of Skulls" by Robert E. Howard is a fantasy adventure novella written in the early 20th century. It follows the grim Puritan swordsman Solomon Kane as he penetrates the lost African city of Negari to rescue the kidnapped heiress Marylin Taferal, clashing with the cruel queen Nakari and the echoing horrors of an ancient Atlantean past. The opening of the tale shows Kane climbing a jungle crag at night, dodging a hurled boulder, ignoring a corpse “signpost,” and being escorted—then betrayed—by hidden warriors at a chasm-spanning bridge. He falls with a foe, survives on a ledge, fights through a bat-haunted cavern and a giant serpent, and discovers man-built secret corridors within a vast, ancient palace. Spying on the throne room, he witnesses Nakari’s ruthless rule before slipping into a private chamber where he finds Marylin; she recounts her abduction and his long pursuit across seas and continents. Caught by Nakari, Kane is trapped and chained, rejects her offer to rule the world at her side, then escapes via a hidden door and meets a dying Atlantean priest who reveals Negari’s origin, its worship of the skull of Nakura, and the coming “Moon of Skulls” sacrifice. Racing to stop it, Kane reaches the wrong stair but improvises: he kills a guard, regains his pistol, shatters Nakura’s skull with a shot, and plunges the city into homicidal madness; Nakari dies in the chaos, Kane smashes the masked sacrificer, frees Marylin, and faces a final onrushing attacker as the scene cuts off. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2026-01-01 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan & the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net Originally published: Indianapolis, IN: Popular Fiction Publishing Company, 1930 Horror tales Vampires -- Fiction British -- Africa -- Fiction Puritans -- Fiction Rescues -- Fiction Kane, Solomon (Fictitious character) -- Fiction PS Indianapolis, IN: Popular Fiction Publishing Company, 1930 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77605 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77605 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134810.0 77605