From the vampire-haunted alleyways of mediaeval Averoigne to the shining spires of dying Zothique, Clark Ashton Smith weaves his literary sorcery, transporting us to forgotten realms of necromancies and nightmares, lost worlds and other dimensions. In the enchanted regions of Hyperborea, Atlantis and Xiccarph, encounter malefic magic and demonic deeds beneath the last rays of a fading sun ...For the first time ever, this volume encompasses Clark Ashton Smith's entire career as a writer. Smith virtually stopped writing stories in 1937, for reasons that have never been satisfactorily explained, but he left behind a unique legacy of fantasy fiction which is as imaginative and decadent today as when it was first published in the pulp magazines more than half a century ago.
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Clark Ashton Smith was a poet, illustrator and sculptor, and one of the 'big three' authors - Smith, Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft - to appear regularly in the legendary pulp magazine WEIRD TALES. For most of his life Smith lived in a small cabin in the woods near Auburn, California. He died at the age of 68.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bow down, I am the Emperor of Dreams,
This review is from: Emperor of Dreams (Fantasy Masterworks S.) (Paperback)
Wow! I'm so glad that one publisher has seen fit to collect such a stunning collection of the great but shockingly under-published weird fictionist Clark Ashton Smith in this excellent and affordable paperback. This really is one of the best anthologies of CAS's work currently on the market, including most of the best shorts from his fertile period at Weird Tales. Notable exceptions include "Maze of the Enchanter", "Devotee of Evil", and "Monster of the Prophecy" which are three of my personal favorites, and it would have been nice to have had the full version of his epic poem "The Hashish Eater" (of which only a fragment is printed), but on the whole I am thrilled with what is in these pages.
If you're new to Clark Ashton Smith's work then this is surely one of the very best places to start. A famous friend and peer of HP Lovecraft, and respected poet in his own right, Smith's prose is rich with sensuous imagery of alien worlds and decadent cultures, of monstrous sorcerers and insane gods, of loathly creatures and heavenly maidens. Yet there is an undeniably blackly humorous vein running throughout his work, and our heroes (if such they can be named) are often bumbling, greedy, cruel, or overly inquisitive persons who invariably come to a sticky end of their own making. Admirers of Lord Dunsany and The Arabian Nights will find much to enjoy here. "The Werid of Avoosl Wuthoqquan" and "The Tale of Satampra Zeiros" are quirky little tales where greed and curiosity lead the heroes eventually to a place 'they do not want to be.' "The Double Shadow" and "Ubbo Sathla" tell of the dangers of delving too deeply into forbidden knowledge, and the things that may be made manifest as a result. "The Dark Eidolon", one of the best pieces here, is a fantastically epic tale of revenge that spirals into an ever more insane cycle of vengeance and malice. There are also some very fine contemporary (1930s) horror pieces here. "The Return of the Sorcerer", "The Nameless Offspring", "The Seed from the Sepulcher" and several others are all frmly in the Lovecraft manner, and help to break up what would otherwise be a nauseously rich diet of weirdness. Finally, there is an excellent afterword by Stephen Jones that chronicles Smith's life and work, his inspirations and those he inspired. Full contents: On Fantasy (essay) Song of the Necromancer (poem) Abominations of Yondo Ninth Skeleton Last Incantation A Rendezvous in Averoign Return of the Sorcerer Tale of Satampra Zeiros Door to Saturn The Gorgon Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan Nameless Offspring Empire of the Necromancers Hunters from Beyond Isle of the Torturers Beast of Averoign Genius-Loci Ubbo-Sathla Kiss of Zoraida Seed from the Sepulcher Weaver in the Vault The Ghoul The Charnel God Death of Malygris Tomb-Spawn Seven Geases Xeethra The Dark Eidolon Flower-Women Treader of the Dust Black Abbot of Puthuum Necromancy in Naat Death of Illalotha Garden of Adompha Mother of Toads Double Shadow Coming of the White Worm Root of Ampoi Morthylla An Offering to the Moon Theft of the Thirty-Nine Girdles Symposium of the Gorgon Told in the Desert Prince Alcouz and the magician A Good Embalmer The Mortuary Afterword: The Lost Worlds of Klarkash-Ton by Stephen Jones (essay)
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
THE LESSER OF THE THREE,
This review is from: Emperor of Dreams (Fantasy Masterworks S.) (Paperback)
Before Tolkien, there were "The Big Three"--Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith. Of these, Smith was the lesser, but still made worthy contributions to the early beginnings of popular fantasy.
While Howard had Conan and Lovecraft his Chthulu cycle, the only thing that makes Smith stand out is that while Lovecraft hinted at terrors from beyond, from other planets and worlds, Smith actually wrote about those other worlds. But as far as antagonists and protagonists go, Smith doesn't have any that are particularly memorable. The other problem that I have with Smith (and admittedly Howard and Lovecraft are guilty of this at times as well) is that he uses big, flowery adjectives way too much. Fancy words are like salt--when used in appropriate amounts, they can add great flavor. But adding too much can bring ruin. Unfortunately, Smith's use of big words often ruin otherwise great stories. There are 46 stories in this collection. Of those, there were 11 that I thought were exceptional: The Abominations of Yondo The Last Incantation The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan The Nameless Offspring Genius Loci The Seed from the Sepulcher The Death of Malygris Xeethra The Garden of Adompha Morthylla An Offering to the Moon There were about 10 others that I felt weren't worth reading at all and the rest were average. One thing that I do like about the works of Smith is the sheer variety in locations, timeframes and themes. His stories can take place in deserts, dream-worlds, ancient ruins, pacific islands and other worlds. There are your typical wizards, but also your plant-monsters, giants and monsters of the human variety. Overall, this is a good introduction to Smith's works, spanning his entire career. As this is my first exposure to this author I can not honestly say if it is the best collection of his work, hence my conservative rating of 3.5 stars out of 5. If you love to read or write fantasy, you should familiarize yourself with the works of Clark Ashton Smith.
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Free SF Reader,
By Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Emperor of Dreams (Fantasy Masterworks S.) (Paperback)
A large number of stories to be found here, and this is a really excellent collection. For me, an introduction, and was well worth the time. Stephen Jones has again produced an excellent and informative afterword.
The Abominations of Yondo 3.5 out of 5 The Ninth Skeleton 3 out of 5 The Last Incantation [Malygris] 4 out of 5 A Rendezvous in Averoigne 3.5 out of 5 The Return of the Sorcerer 3.5 out of 5 The Tale of Satampra Zeiros [Satampra Zeiros] 3.5 out of 5 The Door to Saturn 3.5 out of 5 The Gorgon 3.5 out of 5 The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan 3 out of 5 The Nameless Offspring 2.5 out of 5 The Empire of the Necromancers [Zothique] 3 out of 5 The Hunters from Beyond 3.5 out of 5 The Isle of the Torturers [Zothique] 2.5 out of 5 The Beast of Averoigne 3 out of 5 Genius Loci 2.5 out of 5 Ubbo-Sathla 4 out of 5 The Kiss of Zoraida 3 out of 5 The Seed from the Sepulcher 4 out of 5 The Weaver in the Vault [Zothique] 4 out of 5 The Ghoul 2.5 out of 5 The Charnel God [Zothique] 3 out of 5 The Death of Malygris [Malygris] 4 out of 5 The Tomb-Spawn [Zothique] 4 out of 5 The Seven Geases 4 out of 5 Xeethra [Zothique] 2.5 out of 5 The Dark Eidolon [Zothique] 4 out of 5 The Flower-Women [Maal Dweb] 3 out of 5 The Treader of the Dust 4 out of 5 The Black Abbot of Puthuum [Zothique] 3.5 out of 5 Necromancy in Naat [Zothique] 2.5 out of 5 The Death of Ilalotha [Zothique] 3 out of 5 The Garden of Adompha [Zothique] 3.5 out of 5 Mother of Toads 4 out of 5 The Double Shadow 2.5 out of 5 The Coming of the White Worm 3 out of 5 The Root of Ampoi 3.5 out of 5 Morthylla [Zothique] 3.5 out of 5 An Offering to the Moon 3 out of 5 The Theft of Thirty-Nine Girdles ["The Powder of Hyperborea"; Satampra Zeiros] 4 out of 5 Symposium of the Gorgon 4 out of 5 Told in the Desert 2.5 out of 5 Prince Alcouz and the Magician 3 out of 5 A Good Embalmer 3.5 out of 5
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