Clark Ashton Smith

[MagnusTC]

What do you consider to be the best work or cycle of stories by Clark Ashton Smith? I'm looking for a place to start, I think preferably with some of his prose stuff. Any suggestions?

[Gray House]

Some of my favorites are "The Abominations of Yondo", "The Maze of the Enchanter", "The City of the Singing Flame", "Genius Loci".

[Michael]

Gotta agree with Gray House. If I had to pick one story (and that's TOUGH for me) I'd say "The City of the Singing Flame." Maybe it's because that was the first CAS story I read, but I've recommended it to others new to CAS and their feedback has been that although they may not become acolytes, they felt it was a very approachable story.
I think the current anthologies out (e.g., the Bison series reprints of "Lost Worlds" and "Out of Space and Time") give a great sampling of his work without demanding that you commit to his entire cosmology.
It's a shame that the early volumes of Night Shade's comprehensive collection of CAS are out of print now because it really is the Rolls Royce of CAS short fiction.

[MagnusTC]

Thanks Gray House and Michael, I'll look out for the stories you mention. I think I read somewhere (possibly on the german Amazon site?) that the first 2 Night Shade volumes would be reprinted within the near future. Wondering if someone could confirm that, or if it's just wishful thinking?

[Michael]

HOLY HELL!!!!! Hippocampus press has the softcover CAS Complete Poetry and Translations up as of today!!!!! SWEEEEEEEET!!!!!

[hopfrog]

S. T. Joshi has just announced, in his blog, that he is editing a Penguin Classics CLARK ASHTON SMITH volume! He is being assisted by Scott Connors, and the collection will include weird fiction, poetry and poems-in-prose. S. T. is hopeful that the book will be published next year!

The link doesn't seem to be working, but I'll try again below:
S. T. Joshi's Main Page

[hopfrog]

The Penguin Modern Classics edition of Clark Ashton Smith is now available for pre-order, as trade pb or Kindle, at Amazon! The book has a wonderful cover featuring an illustration by CAS!! I think I'll use that cover as my profile image for a wee while. I'm very excited about this book. Publication date is, I think, March of next year.

[Draugen]

It makes me happy to see Clark Ashton Smith in Penguin Classics, and that they used his own artwork for the cover. I hope this may lead a wider readership to his weird and fantastic visions.. he is definitely a favourite writer of mine.

It looks like the Centipede Press edition of the prose poetry and artwork is also up for pre order. This I really can't wait for - CAS was a master of cosmic, intoxicating, empurpled prose. The cover is up on amazon - just look at that boss of a sculpture:

The Eldritch Dark: The Selected Prose Poems and Artwork of Clark Ashton Smith: Amazon.co.uk: Clark Ashton Smith, Scott Connors: Books

 

The Eldritch Dark: The Selected Prose Poems and Artwork of Clark Ashton Smith: Amazon.co.uk: Clark Ashton Smith, Scott Connors: Books

[Joel]

The Penguin Modern Classics volume is great news. No doubt argument over what has and hasn't been included will rage across taverns and forums on more planets than this one. A few stories I'm hoping to see included are:

The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis
The Death of Ilalotha
The Weaver in the Vault
The Planet of the Dead
A Night in Malneant
The Epiphany of Death

I think Smith is at his best when delivering undiluted Gothic horror, whether it's set in our world or some other landscape. His bleak sensibility, his distaste for religion and his passion for strange imagery all point to his having been an influence on Ligotti.

I'm less enthusiastic about Smith's poetry, which strikes me as hollow, imitative and often quite banal. Stories gave him an opportunity to take a run at the macabre, striking it with force and intensity. Poems dropped him into a swamp of passive and faux-Romantic posturing, with little of the grim urgency that informs his best stories. I may be missing the point of course.

[Masonwire]

That's the table of contents:
THE DARK EIDOLON AND OTHER FANTASIES
Clark Ashton Smith

Sadastor
The Tale of Satampra Zeiros
The City of the Singing Flame
The Holiness of Azedarac
The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis
The Demon of the Flower
The Weird of AvoolsWuthoqquan
Ubbo-Sathla
The Double Shadow
The Disinterment of Venus
The Beast of Averoigne
The Maze of the Enchanter
Genius Loci
The Dark Eidolon
The Weaver in the Vault
The Death of Malygris
The Seven Geases
Xeethra
The Last Hieroglyoh
The Treader of the Dust
Phoenix