Red shadows

In Short

Robert E. Howard's 1928 story introduces Solomon Kane, a somber, tall Englishman who lives to punish oppression and protect the helpless. After finding a dying girl murdered by the French outlaw Le Loup (the Wolf), Kane swears to track down the bandit chief. His relentless chase drives Le Loup from a hidden cave in France across the Atlantic into the unmapped jungles of West Africa. Enduring dark sorcery, native captivity, and savage beasts, Kane proves that his drive for vengeance is an unstoppable force of nature.

The Story

The narrative opens in a moonlit French valley where Solomon Kane, an unyielding English adventurer clad in black, stumbles upon a dying girl. Before succumbing to a dagger wound, she reveals that a brutal bandit leader known as Le Loup raided her village and attacked her. Kane vows cold retribution. He proceeds to systematically decimate Le Loup's band. In one calculated strike, Kane spreads a rumor of hidden gold in a hermit’s hut, rigs the structure with gunpowder, and blows thirteen outlaws to pieces.

Cornering the arrogant Le Loup in his cavern hideout, Kane confronts the bandit as he is murdering one of his own men to hoard their plunder. Le Loup taunts the stern Englishman, douses the room’s single candle, and escapes into the night through a hidden passage. Unwavering, Kane follows the murderer’s trail across the ocean to the West African coast.

Kane tracks the fugitive into a dense, drumming jungle. Ambushed on a woodland trail by Gulka, a giant black hunter known as the gorilla-slayer, Kane is knocked unconscious and brought into a palisaded native village. There he finds Le Loup living in comfort, having formed an alliance with the bloated, cruel King Songa. Together they have displaced N'Longa, the village's native ju-ju man. Bound to a post beside the fallen wizard before a blood-stained idol known as the Black God, Kane is condemned to burn at the stake alongside N'Longa for the amusement of Le Loup and the king.

As wood is piled around them, N'Longa executes a terrifying, ancient magic. The wizard's physical body appears to die, but his spirit possesses a dead warrior lying on an altar. The animated corpse shambles forward, withstands a thrown spear, and strangles King Songa. In the ensuing panic, the villagers free Kane and kneel before the resurrected N'Longa. Recognizing that his enemy has fled once again into the night, Kane retrieves his rapier and pursues Le Loup into a moonlit glade.

The two men engage in a fierce rapier duel. Though Le Loup is faster and inflicts several wounds, Kane’s steady, mechanical discipline wins out. Disarming the Frenchman in a final desperate exchange, Kane runs him through, leaving him dead in the glade. While Kane washes his wounds at a nearby stream, Gulka appears to finish off the weakened Englishman. Before the hunter can strike, an enormous she-gorilla’s mate emerges from the shadows to avenge its slain partner. The ape slays Gulka and hurls his body into the trees. His mission complete, Kane takes a final look at his fallen enemy and begins his journey back to his waiting ship.

How It Unfolds

A vow in the dark Kane finds a dying peasant girl in a sunless valley and learns she was mortally wounded by the outlaw Le Loup. He promises no dramatic oaths, but quietly resolves to execute the killer.

The trap in the cave After blowing up thirteen bandits with a gunpowder trap, Kane corners Le Loup in his secret hideout. The bandit chief douses the candle and vanishes into a hidden passageway before Kane can strike.

Into the jungle Following the trail across the ocean to Africa, Kane is ambushed on a forest path by the native hunter Gulka. He awakens bound to a stake in a native village, where Le Loup has allied with a brutal local king.

The wizard's magic Condemned to burn, the native ju-ju man N'Longa sends his spirit into a dead body on a nearby altar. The corpse rises, walks through the terrified crowd, and strangles the king, allowing Kane to break free.

Duel in the glade Kane corners Le Loup in a moonlit clearing for a final duel. Despite sustaining several bloody cuts from the swifter Frenchman, Kane's unrelenting precision disarms and kills the bandit.

The jungle's retribution As a weakened Kane is cornered by the vengeful hunter Gulka, a giant ape emerges from the jungle to kill the hunter. Kane gathers his sword and departs the wilderness to return home.

The People

• Solomon Kane: A tall, somber Englishman dressed in black who wanders the earth fighting oppression and protecting the weak. Driven by an intense fanatical purpose, he views himself as an instrument of divine judgment. His obsession with punishing Le Loup carries him halfway across the world, refusing rest until his duty is satisfied.
• Le Loup (The Wolf): A ruthless French bandit leader defined by mocking laughter, cruel charm, and an total lack of conscience. He views human life and plunder with reckless indifference, betraying his own comrades without hesitation. Though a formidable swordsman, his bravery wavers when confronted by forces he cannot control or understand.
• N'Longa: An ancient African ju-ju man displaced by King Songa and Le Loup. He possesses dark magic that allows his spirit to abandon his physical body, animate the dead, and return to life. He aligns with Kane to eliminate their mutual enemies.
• Gulka: A giant, savage warrior known as the gorilla-slayer who serves as King Songa's primary enforcer. Utterly fearless in physical combat, he ambushes Kane on the trail and seeks to hunt him down for sport.

In Its Own Voice

"Naught but a wanderer, a landless man, but a friend to all in need."

Kane introduces himself in a soft, gentle tone to the dying girl he finds in the moonlit forest before embarking on his vengeful crusade.

"Your last question is easily answered, sir. I myself had the tale spread that the hermit possessed a store of gold, knowing that would draw your scum as carrion draws vultures."

Kane grimly explains to Le Loup how he lured thirteen bandits into a cabin rigged with gunpowder to blow them to pieces.

"A long trail, Monsieur. It began in the mountains of France; it ends in an African jungle."

Le Loup greets Kane in the moonlit glade for their final duel, acknowledging the vast distance their deadly game of cat and mouse has spanned.

What It's Really About

Underneath its pulp action exterior, Red Shadows explores the nature of obsession, justice, and the primitive forces lurking within human civilization. Kane considers himself a righteous Puritan carrying out God's vengeance, yet his intense hatred drives him to match the savagery of the men he hunts. His relentless quest pulls him away from civilized Europe into the primordial African wilderness, where ancient, unyielding horrors reign supreme. The story questions whether Kane's rigid moral crusade is truly a divine calling or merely a refined manifestation of the same primal, bloodthirsty impulses that drive the beasts and outlaws he slays.

Why Read It Today

Red Shadows is a seminal work of early sword-and-sorcery fiction that introduced one of fantasy literature's most distinct anti-heroes. Readers who appreciate dark, atmospheric adventure will enjoy Howard's fast-paced narrative, striking imagery, and intense combat sequences. The story captures a vivid pulp sensibility, combining historical swashbuckling with supernatural dread and wilderness horror.

It is worth noting that modern readers will encounter period attitudes and racial caricatures typical of 1920s adventure fiction, particularly in its depiction of the African jungle and its indigenous inhabitants. However, for those interested in the origins of heroic fantasy, the tale offers a fascinating look at the creation of Solomon Kane—a character whose grim, uncompromising pursuit of evil remains memorable nearly a century after his debut.