Clark Ashton Smith Books

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

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)

I looked for CAS many years ago, even asking the publishers, but couldn't find anything. I'm just greatful someone took an interest in this great fantasy artist & brought him back! Thanks.

In this book you will find the following short stories:
The white sybil
The raja and the tiger
The justice of the elephant
The kiss of Zoraida
The ghoul
Something New
The malay krise
The ghost of Mohammed Din
The mirror in the hall of ebony
The mahout
The primal city
The hunters from beyond
The passing of Aphrodite
The tale of Sir John Maundeville
The light from beyond

Those shorts blends horror , arabian night ,action stories( à la Kipling ) and a lot of poetry. worth reading.But it is not his best stories.

This Book is an excellant Rendition of short stories from other books of CAS!Averoigne,Posiedonis,Xiccarph,Polaris and Zothique. It gives a Good Showing of Magic,Mystery,Adventure and pure Excitement from other Realms other Than that as we know it!Well worth laying your hands on if you can find a copy!The Earlier Paperbacks which came out in the Early Seventies are Extra hard to find and very Expensive!Smith is An Anomoly of Required Taste,And once you have tasted his forbidden Fruit You are his Forever!!!! Brian D Zaharia!!!!!!

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.

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.

If you like Howard and Lovecraft and Dunsany, you will like Clark Ashton Smith. His stories are little constructions for the most part with words as archaic and arcane as his subject matter. These stories should be read separately and from time to time. Too much could be an overdose.

This collection consists of 15 stories:

A Star Change
Genius Loci
The Black Abbot of Puthuum
The Charnal God
The Colossus of Ylourgne
The Disinterment of Venus
The Eternal World
The Garden of Adompha
The Ninth Skeleton
The Phantoms of the Fire
The Primal City
The Saytr
The Weaver in the Vault
The Willow Landscape
Vulthoom

All of them are written in Smith's poetic/dramatic prose style which is at times beautiful and less often boring or even ridiculous. Some, like _The Colossus of Ylourgne_ or _The Garden of Adompha_ stay rooted in some fantasy realm of monsters and magic; while others, like _Vulthoom_ or _The Eternal World_ wander into space, dealing with timeless aliens and strange silent races.

Overall I would NOT suggest this as a starting point for aspiring C.A. Smith fans. Although it does give the feel for Smith's writing style, it doesn't seem to be the strongest collection 'plotwise'. Some of the ideas are good but are just not given enough detail to make them shine and others seemed less 'dark' than they could have been with a little extra effort.

This is a good overview of Smith's fiction, treating the various story cycles and recurrent themes in his work. Nothing very deep here, but it's the only such treatment around.

This volume gives all of CAS's epigrams and apothegms in one handy little book. They are frequently quite humorous and illuminating, but nonetheless this item is essential only for CAS completists.

Smith is an author I recently discovered, so I make no claims to being an expert on the different editions of his work. This is only the seond collection of his I've read. The first was _A Rendezvous in Averoigne_, and I would recommend that as introduction rather than this volume. It has a sampling of Smith's many series, his fantasy and his science fiction, and much stronger examples of the feverish, poetic prose which made him a special fantasy writer. The stories in this collection are not as memorable. Smith reconciled himself to hackwork on occasion in order to support himself and his aged parents. And part of that was science fiction, a genre he had no special knowledge of before writing it. Smith wasn't particularly interested in science and no lover of technology since he thought the world overmechanized. For Smith, the point of fiction was to create an alien world, so he had little patience for the expository passages of pulp science fiction or depicting individual characters. He regarded a truly alien world as one inherently inimical to the mental health of a human. His strongest science fiction is often of the horrific sort.

His trilogy of stories set on a common Mars, "The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis", "The Dweller in the Gulf" (in a restored text noticeably different than earlier published versions), and "Vulthoom" all have lingering alien horrors lurking underneath the cities of the more modern Martians. The human explorers who encounter them all have their bodies or integrity maimed to one degree to another. The first two are particularly effective horror stories.

"The Monster of the Prophecy" features the old standby of a human caught up in alien intrigues. But, after being used as a pawn in a palace coup offworld and forced in to exile, the poet hero (Smith was an accomplished poet) finds the contentment and respect denied him on Earth -- even if he is exiled in an alien body. "The Letter from Mohaun Los" has Smith again in satirical mode. Here the target is the technophilia of the science fiction published by Hugo Gernsback as well as the modern age's meddling and obsessive legalities. "The Plutonian Drug" is, as you would expect, a drug trip story. Here the drug enables visions five hours in the past and future simultaneously. "The Immortals of Mercury" is another tale of underground alien superscience horror.

Smith called "The Eternal World" the hardest story of his to write. Here the attraction isn't so much the human time traveler's journey to a dimension with no time as the poetic language of apocalypse at the end. Of all the stories in the book, "The Demon of the Flower", a re-working of the prose poem "The Flower-Devil", is the closest to the fantasies which Smith's reputation primarily rests. Its prose is lush, its world decadent, its flora sinister, and its heroics futile. "A Star-Change" is a working out of Smith's contention that journeying to an alien world would work profound and unwelcome changes on a human's mind. "The Secret of the Cairn" has deliberate evocations of the Garden of Evil story, and is another Smith story of an artist finding no succor or inspiration in encountering the bizarre and alien.

Most of these stories are from 1932-1935. The one exception is 1954's "Phoenix". As the editors note, its science was dated even when it was published, and its ending is predictable. But it offers the joys of poet Smith in top form from the opening image of a black sun occulting the stars of Earth's sky to its ending of doomed love. Only Smith could wring poetry out of a list of elements as a dying mankind, imprisoned under the surface of a frigid Earth, attempts to jumpstart the dead sun with ancient nukes.

Fans of Smith will very much appreciate the long and informative introduction by editors Scott Connors and Ron Hilger. They talk about each story's genesis and the reaction Smith's work got when first published. Many future science fiction luminaries were inspired by it. Others hated what they saw as irrational and pretensious.

Smith was a special author and worth reading though his best qualities are not often on display here.

A good overview of the Sword & Sorcery genre. I didn't think the HP Lovecraft or Lord Dunsany stories really fit the book. But the Clark Ashton Smith story was excellent as well as the stories by Robert Howard and Fritz Leiber. Also includes material by CL Moore, Henry Kuttner and Poul Anderson.

A good compilation of swords and sorcery, most of it is easily available. The Elak story should be coming back into print in early 2008. Features: 'Turutal' by Ray Capella (a brilliant piece of fan fiction set in the Hyborian Age), 'The Gods of Niom Parma' by Lin Carter, 'The Hills of the Dead' by Robert E Howard (a Solomon Kane story), 'Thunder in the Dawn' by Henry Kuttner (Elak of Atlantis), 'Thieves' House' by Fritz Leiber (Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser), 'Black God's Kiss' by CL Moore (Jirel of Joiry), 'Chu-Bu and Sheemish' by Lord Dunsany, 'The Master of the Crabs' by Clark Ashton Smith, 'The Valley of Spiders' by HG Wells, and 'The Bells of Shoredan' by Roger Zelazny (Dilvish the Damned).

hopefully, this isn't the best of clark ashton smith's work. this collection of 8 tales is disappointing overall. technically speaking, smith's effortless command of the language and attention to detail is impressive, but plot is often a weak point. what works in his favor is that smith does seem capable of being equally at ease with three categories of imaginative fiction horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. these tales might appeal to fans of h.p. lovecraft, but in truth, while interesting in an eerie, gothic way, smith's work is less intriguing and lacks the depth of that of his famous friend. it seems likely that this isn't really a sample of his best work, but more of a random overview of his output. i haven't given up on smith, yet i'm hoping that smith has other, better tales to justify his reputation as a talented creator of weird fiction..

Smith offers a splendid bouquet of tales here in this very fine edition by Wildside Press. Their new releases of Smith's strange and alluring prose are nicely bound, and all feature fantastic cover art that beg the viewer to buy and open these treasure troves of pure fantasy. Highly recommended, as is the previous release of "The Double Shadow", so I really look forward to "The White Sybil" this Summer.

Clark Ashton Smith was man with an unlimited imagination. His flowery tales of the fantastic and weird stand out as shining star for his time.

This book only scratches the surface of his vast collection of works, but it does offer a very diverse selection of his style.

For those who are familiar with Smith and his written works, this book will feel somewhat short and lacking.
On the other hand, If you are new to the work of CAS and would like to get a taste of his style without cleaning out your wallet in the process, then this book is for you.

It is the perfect CAS starter.