# Bristol McGrath — Short Fiction character guide

> Bristol McGrath in Short Fiction by Robert E. Howard.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** McGrath

**First appearance:** 0066-i-voodoo

## Snapshot

A hard-bitten adventurer who kills silently with an Afghan dagger and comes to a fetid African hut to answer an old hatred and an older love.

## Who they are

McGrath enters through a window with a curved Khyber blade and cuts down a guard before a shot can be fired, then finds his old rival Richard Ballville tortured and raving. Ballville's confession drags up Constance Brand, the woman both men loved and who vanished three years ago, and the news that she is alive and in danger. McGrath's cold competence and buried grief make him the story's forward motion: a man who came to settle a score and stays to save a life.

## Relationships

### [Richard Ballville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_47_se/characters/richard_ballville)

_rivalry_

Bristol McGrath and Richard Ballville are bitter rivals, often clashing over power or treasure.

### [John de Albor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_47_se/characters/john_de_albor)

_friendship_

Bristol McGrath and John de Albor are comrades in adventure, often working together.

### [Richard Ballville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_47_se/characters/richard_ballville)

_rivalry_

Bristol McGrath and Richard Ballville are bitter rivals, often clashing over power or treasure.

### [John de Albor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_47_se/characters/john_de_albor)

_friendship_

Bristol McGrath and John de Albor are comrades in adventure, often working together.

### [Richard Ballville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_47_se/characters/richard_ballville)

_rivalry_

Bristol McGrath and Richard Ballville are bitter rivals, often clashing over power or treasure.

### [John de Albor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_47_se/characters/john_de_albor)

_friendship_

Bristol McGrath and John de Albor are comrades in adventure, often working together.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_47_se/characters/bristol_mcgrath
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_47_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_47_se/characters