A couple of weeks ago, we took a look at a Robert E. Howard story that was unpublished in his lifetime, despite being quite good. Today, we'll look at another one--"The Isle of Pirate's Doom," a novella REH wrote in 1928. It eventually popped up in various paperbacks. Nowadays, we're living in an REH Renaissance, where most if not all of his stuff can be found online or in various reprints.
The narrator of the story is a shipwrecked sailor named Stephen Harmer. He's been alone on a remote island for a time when a boat full of pirates lands nearby.
One of those pirates is the beautiful Helen Tavrel, who is only 20-years-old, but has already built up quite a reputation as a freebooter.
As Harmer hides nearby, he sees that Helen is having a rather violent disagreement with the other pirates. Shenanigans ensue. Several of the pirates end up dead, while Harmer and Helen team up. At first, they don't get along as Harmer seriously disapproves of pirates. Eventually, they begin to warm towards each other.
The story, in the meantime, moves from the island jungle through a swamp into an ancient temple in which legend says a fortune in jewels is hidden. Sword fights, poison snakes and booby traps quickly follow.
It's a fun story that seems to be leading up to a lovey-dovey ending between Harmer and Helen, but REH throws in a bit of a twist, implying he might have instead tossed the two into more pirate adventures rather than a wedding chapel had this first story sold.
Helen isn't quite as epic as Belit, Valeria, or Red Sonya, but she's still pretty cool. "The Isle of Pirate's Doom" is a fun tale. You can find it online HERE.
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