While rooting through a box of books I found “Pigeons from Hell and other weird and fantastic adventures”. The author is Robert E. Howard who created Conan.
This has to be the worst book title I have ever come across. The stories, so far at least, aren’t all that great either. I mean, what exactly are Pigeons From Hell going to do? Divebomb bird dropping runs? Peck peoples ankles until they bleed to death? Also, would the Devil really stoop to using Pigeons to do his dirty work?
Slee
Not one of his best, I’ll agree – but they’re reasonably effective in the story, for all that.
Someone once put out a book of Bad Book Titles, about 15 years ago. But they blasphemously included Fredric Brown’s We All Killed Grandma, which is actually a pretty decent book.
Is “Pigeons From Hell” about a couple of college kids whose car breaks down in the Louisiana bayou, and are forced to spend the night in a creepy old house? If so, it was made into one of the most terrifying segments of the old “Thriller” TV show, hosted by Boris Karloff.
Basicly yes, LabDad.
And, while the title sucks, I suspect it wasn’t REH’s fault.
Remember, he was writing for pulp magazines, & the editors could be a little dense. And a lot sensationalistic. The title might have gooten changed out from under him.
When I first heard the title, I must admit that I agreed. And it is a dumb-sounding title.
However, my first exposure to the story itself was the Scott Hampton graphic novel adaptation, which was illustrated with some of the creepiest images ever. Hampton has a real talent for that sort of thing.
So, now, whenever I hear (or read) the title, I think of some of Hampton’s paintings… and it makes me shiver, just a little.
Having read the story, I thought it was remarkably creepy, in a southern kind of way.
As to the title… well… given the fact that publishers often changed the titles of pulp work before publication, was this even the title REH intended to put on the thing?
And yeah, I’ve been wanting to see the “Thriller” episode for years…
Firstly, I’ve now heard of the story, would I have otherwise? A ‘bad’ title could grab attention.
Second, as others have pointed out, sometimes you just get a sucky title.
Thirdly, occasionally, a bad title can be reclaimed. Cf. attack of the clones - while it wasn’t a good movie (though i liked it anyway) it was a big enough deal that people’s association with the name is no longer “60’s B movie rip-off” but “cool Yoda fight scene.”
“Pigeons From Hell” was a Solomon Kane story, wasn’t it? Man, somebody should make a Solomon Kane movie. Actually, I wish Hammer Films had done that back around 1966, with Christopher Lee in the lead.
No, Baldwin, “Pigeons from Hell” tells of a dude down South who has an unpleasant encounter with … well, just read the story for yourself. 
Sleestak: I liked the story, but then I usually enjoy Howard’s stuff.
I wonder if the title has any relation to this:
“A circumstance beyond our control, oh
The phone, TV and the news of the world
Got in the house like a pigeon from Hell, oh
Threw sand in your eyes and descended like flies
Put us back on the train yeah (ooh, ah)
Oh, back on the chain gang”
-The Pretenders, Back On the Chain Gang
I always had wondered if I was hearing the song right.
Pigeons from Hell. Damn, I read that when I was around 16 or 17 years old. A perfect time to read Howard. Scared the CRAP out of me. I’m fifty now and haven’t read it since but it STILL scares the crap out of me. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Rande…
I’ve started re-reading the very first Conan book.
It’s better than I remembered! 
Thank you for starting this thread!
I know someone who will love this book for the title alone.
I am buying it for them. Now.