Xiccarph [Mass Market Paperback]

Clark Ashton Smith (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine; First Ballantine Edition edition (1972)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000E46GCI
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,372,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A glittering, faintly sinister universe of gorgeously baroque tales, February 19, 2012

By 

William Timothy Lukeman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Xiccarph (Paperback)

Clark Ashton Smith is probably best known for his story-cycles of Earth's far past (Hyperborea, Averoigne) & especially Earth's far future (Zothique) -- all superb fare for the true fantasy connoisseur. But in this third Smith volume from the legendary Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series, we find him exploring other worlds entirely, in stories that technically might be called science-fiction, but are essentially dark fantasy -- a distinct sub-genre, as editor Lin Carter points out in his introduction.

And what stories they are! While I feel that Smith's finest work was the Zothique cycle, these aren't far behind in quality. Indeed, it's a pity that he didn't write more, enough to collect as story-cycles for each newly-created world. As it is, we're tantalized by the 2 stories of Xiccarph, the 3 stories of Aihai (a very monstrous Mars), and individual stories of other worlds. His inventiveness was astonishing, and of course his lush, wonderfully overripe prose only adds to the voluptuously decadent beauty of his work. And to make it even better, there's a marvelous streak of ironic, very dark humor to many of these stories. It's not for everyone, to be sure! But for those who love quality fantasy, this is the place to find it.

All of his short stories have recently been republished in collectible hardcovers, of course. Still, if you can find a copy of this long out-of-print paperback, don't hesitate to snap it up. It features a stunning wraparound cover by Gervasio Gallardo, and one of editor Lin Carter's always enthusiastic introductions. Highly recommended!