The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, which represent a gateway between the known universe and an ancient dimension of terror inhabited with unspeakable creatures, a pantheon of alien extra-dimensional deities and horrors which predate humanity, and which are hinted at in eons-old myths and legends.

The Children of the night is a story which starts with six people sitting in John Conrad's study: Conrad himself, Clemants, Professor Kirowan, Taverel, Ketrick and the narrator John O'Donnel. O'Donnel describes them all as Anglo-Saxon with the exception of Ketrick. Ketrick, although he possesses a documented pure Anglo-Saxon lineage, appears to have slightly Mongolian-looking eyes and an odd lisp that O'Donnel finds distasteful. The Black Stone is a classic story which introduces the mad poet Justin Geoffrey and the fictitious Unaussprechlichen Kulten by Friedrich von Junzt. Among Howard's stories that can be considered part of the Cthulhu Mythos — this one is no exception — it is written as a mythos story rather than as simply a tale compatible with the Lovecraftian universe. It follows the same pattern and has the same features as H. P. Lovecraft's classic work, and it is an obvious wink to Howard's friend and mentor, Lovecraft himself.

Contents:
The Children of the Night
The Black Stone
The Thing on the Roof
The Challenge From Beyond
The Fire of Asshurbanipal

Robert Ervin Howard (1906-1936) was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre.