The Lovecraft Geek 20-002
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is also one of my favorite tales, but I am confused about its ending. While exploring Curwen’s underground laboratory, Dr. Willet inadvertently calls up a being that was in jar 118. Who or what was that? Also, he makes a discovery in Charles’ room, and then calls for wood for a fire. My guess is that he found Charles’ body, and then cremated it to obtain its ‘essential saltes.’ He then raised it to find out how to defeat Curwen. Is this correct? Also, Willet mentions to Curwen that his European partners in crime, Orne and Hutchinson, were destroyed or dealt with somehow. Did he call something up to do this? In Robert E. Howard’s writings and worlds how much of the Mythos creeps in? Are there elder gods and unknown horrors at the edges of the worlds of Conan, Red Sonja, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, etc? Do any of these sword and sorcery types ever run up against them? How well do you think REH's horror compares? Did he get cosmic horror? Isn’t it sort of silly that Wilbur Whately, a nine-foot-tall prodigy who stalks about in public with a pistol at the ready, is done in by a dog?