Book Review: The Hounds of Tindalos/Long (1975)

The Hounds of Tindalos: The Early Long, Frank Belknap Long, 1975,  Jove, 284pp.

 The late Frank Belknap Long (1901-1994) was a major figure in science fiction, horror, fantasy, gothic fiction, poetry, and even comic books.  A life-long writer, he produced 25 novels, more than 150 short stories, contributed to Superman, Green Lantern, and Captain marvel.  He also wrote an autobiography of his friend H.P. Lovecraft, arguably the most influential horror writer of the 20th century.  

Herein you will find, among other stories, Long's best-known creation, "The Hounds of Tindalos."  The term "hounds" is used in its broadest sense.  These are not cuddly puppies.  They are bloodthirsty other-dimensional creatures from before time capable of entering our world through right angles.  

A member of the Lovecraft Circle, Long was the first writer to join Lovecraft in his literary playground.  Long reveals that when Lovecraft spoke of the Hounds "his tone seemed hushed and discreetly low-keyed."  You gotta be happy when you freak out H.P. Lovecraft.   

Although Robert ("Psycho") Bloch famously got written permission from Lovecraft to kill him off in a story, a compliment Lovecraft cheerfully returned, Long did it earlier, in 1928 in "The Space Eaters."  He writes Lovecraft found it quite amusing.   The story immediately precedes "The Hounds of Tindalos" in this book.  

Other stories are contained in this book offering the flavor of 30's pulp horror: an elemental spirit takes up residence inside a human, alien critters attack people and eat their brains, a microscopic alien explorer who has to be stopped from reporting back to his home world, and more.