The City of the Singing Flame [Hardcover]

Clark Ashton SMITH (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Pocket Book (1981)
• ASIN: B001ULEZ18
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Horror Fantasy that's not fantastically horrible, July 10, 2001

By 

ronfactor "ronfactor" (Centreville, va USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The City of the Singing Flame (Paperback)

There's no getting around it, the man could write. This book is a collection of short stories classified by which, of the many world settings Smith wrote about, the story falls into. Expect irony, disgust, outrage, grim turns and twists, even the come uppance of chauvinists! The fantasy aspect almost seems like a ripoff of all those fantasy games like D&D, except that Smith's stories were written long before role playing games. These stories are not quake in your boots scary, but they do prompt an emotional reaction. The title story should be required reading, that is, if I believed in such a thing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and unforgettable story, May 14, 2011

By 

desertrider (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The City of the Singing Flame (Paperback)

Not sure what those old reviews are doing here, but this book is not a collection of Clark Ashton Smith's stories, rather it has one story only, but one that is a masterpiece - "City of the Singing Flame". I think this is one of the most remarkable short stories ever written, and since its so inexpensive, its a perfect item to add if needing a little more for the shipping deal! This story deserves to be better known and appreciated by a wide audience. An outstanding introduction to the singular writer Clark Ashton Smith.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good? Sure, I guess., July 5, 2004

By 

Silas Traitor (The South, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The City of the Singing Flame (Paperback)

A collection of thirteen fantasy/horror short stories taking place on various different worlds, or stages of Earth during the sun's long decay. All were written between 1931 and 1960.

City of the Singing Flame : Writer discovers portal to another world.

The White Sybil : A wandering poet enamored with a ghost.

The Tale of Satampra Zeiros : A pair of thieves burglaring an ancient temple get more than expected from the resident god.

The Theft of the Thirty-nine Girdles : Thieves and magicians use teamwork to steal famous girdles.

The Door to Saturn : A wizard and a priest, once enemies, visit Saturn and are forced into cooperation while dealing with the locals.

The Dark Eidolon : A dark wizard has a score to settle with an evil king.

The Black Abbot of Puthuum : While escorting the newest addition to the king's harem across a desert, two fighter-types are waylaid by the Black Abbot and his disciples.

The Garden of Adompha : A demented king and his pet wizard tend a grisly garden of alien plants and grafted body parts.

The Maze of Maal Dweb : A simple hunter braves the terrible maze to win back his stolen love from Maal Dweb, the mack-daddy of all evil wizards.

The Flower Women : Bored with life and power, Evil Wizard Supreme Maal Dweb visits another world to solve a mystery.

The Enchantress of Sylaire : A dreamer is seduced into another world by the sexy Enchantress, who may or may not be what she seems.

The Beast of Averoigne : A comet brings a visiting alien to wreak death and havoc on an abbey and the nearby cities.

The Hunters from Beyond : A sculptor of the grotesque, seeking living subjects from which to work, summons slavering, soul-eating beasts from hell.

Smith was a poet, and it shows in his writing; vivid description is laid on thick, while what dialog there is takes a formal tone. As for the stories themselves, magic features prominently; there is nearly always a sorceress, or magician, or someone dabbling in the arcane: raising demons, conversing with gods, or casting spells - usually for some grotesque purpose.

For the most part, the stories seemed to be written purely as an outlet for Smith to describe these strange locales and occult magics.