If you were to compile a CAS "best of" anthology, which five or ten stories would you include in it?

I've yet to read everything by CAS, so I can't quite make a list of my own yet.

I want to get people I know into CAS and will point them over to the most frequently mentioned stories that are to appear in this thread. I understand that it might be tough to pick just five or ten stories, but try your hardest!

Thanks.

I'm not sure what a recommendation from a complete stranger is worth, but as I love lists, here are my ten favourites, in chronological order:

* The Abominations of Yondo
* The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan
* The Seed from the Sepulcher
* The Double Shadow
* The Isle of the Torturers
* The Death of Malygris
* The Coming of the White Worm
* The Seven Geases
* The Chain of Aforgomon
* The Treader of the Dust

A older but closely related thread that you may find of interest appears here.

I'd find it difficult to narrow it down to five or ten, but Avoosl's list is a good start. Instead, I'll list a handful of what I consider CAS's total duds, as what to avoid recommending to new readers of his work. Keep in mind that I adore the vast majority of his stories, so take my criticisms with that in mind :-):

"The Return of the Sorcerer" - This is uninspired stock Weird Tales boilerplate of the lowest order. Some people seem to like this one; such people are what I like to call "crazy".

"The Supernumerary Corpse" - Should have been entitled, "The Supernumerary Tale".

All of the Captain Volmar/Polaris stories - If one doesn't even drive a car, attempting to describe spaceships and space travel is probably a bad idea.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 21 May 12 | 01:48PM by Radovarl.

My list (in no particular order):

The City of the Singing Flame
The Immeasurable Horror
The Immortals of Mercury
The Demon of the Flower
The Monster of the Prophecy
Xeethra
The Chain of Aforgomon
The Holiness of Azedarac
Vulthoom
Master of the Asteroid

The first 8 are easy for me. In no particular order -

* The Maze of the Enchanter
* Xeethra
* The Dark Eidolon
* The Last Hieroglyph
* The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan
* The Double Shadow
* The Death of Malygris
* The Coming of the White Worm

After that, the next two out of the ten are much more difficult - "The Plutonian Drug" or "Master of the Asteroid", "The Tale of Satampra Zeiros" or "The Testament of Athammaus", "Sadastor" or "A Night in Malneant", "The Last Incantation" or "The Chain of Aforgomon", and what of the original versions of "The Beast of Averoigne" and "Necromancy of Naat" (both with the manuscript text but the NEW endings, one of those peculiarities which makes a choice of definitive text so difficult in some cases).

And I see that I have left out "The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis" along with many other favorites.

I would have to add Genius Loci, Schizoid Creator, and Mother of Toads -
unforgettable from first reading to the thousandth.
And, the Black Abbott of Puthuum,as originally published, not the expanded re-published edition -

The City of the Singing Flame
The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis
The Dark Eidolon
Xeethra
The Last Heiroglyph
The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan
The Double SHadow
The Beast of Averoigne
The Maze of the Enchanter
Genius Loci

Managed to get most (but not all :( ) of these into the Penguin book.

This leaves off so much that is also first rate: The Death of Malygris, The God of the Asteroid, etc.

Very tough, I could have an entirely different story selection based on my mood, and I'm sure there are some I haven't read in a while that I'm not considering:

The Abominations of Yondo
Xeethra
The Death of Malygris
A Voyage to Sfanomoë
The Demon of the Flower
City of the Singing Flame
The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis
The Double Shadow
The Maze of the Enchanter
The End of the Story

Not quite the same thing: my favorite CAS tales (not the "best"; I'm not qualified to say that without serious study):

1) The City of Singing Flame; pure Fortean genius

2) The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis; I love the Martian atmosphere

3) The Charnel God; Poe raised to the 100th power

4) The Second Interment; Poe raised to the millionth power

5) The Devotee of Evil; I like CAS's everyday settings just as much (or more) than his otherworldly settings...

The 'Return of the Sorcerer', with an introduction by Gene Wolfe did something like this. Those tales are:

1) The Return of the Sorcerer (more Lovecraft than Smith, I thought)
2) The City of Singing Flame (dang good)
3) Beyond the Singing Flame (I was hoping for this to turn into a series)
4) The Vaults of Voh-Yombis
5) The Double Shadow
6) The Monster of the Prophecy (interesting twist)
7) The Hunters from Beyond
8) The Isle of the Torturers (made me wonder about the 'King as sole survivor' theme of Zothique)
9) A Night in Malneant
10) The Chain of Aforgomon
11) The Dark Eidolon
13) The Seven Geases (I really liked this, thought the protagonist should have survived)
14) The Holiness of Azedarac
15) The Beast of Averoigne
16) The Empire of the Necromancers
17) The Disinterment of Venus
18) THe Devotee of Evil
19) The Enchantress of Sylaire

Yes, it be more than ten tales...but most of CAS's tales are on the short side. Even with 19 stories, 'Return of the Sorcerer' checks in at a mere 350 pages.

For a list of my own...I'd suggest several books, each containing fifteen or eighteen stories grouped by catagory: a 'Zothique' set, a 'prehistory' set, and a contemporary/historical set.

Here's my list, in no particular order :
* The Abominations of Yondo
* City of the Singing Flame
* The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis
* The Colossus of Ylourgne
* The Coming of the White Worm
* The Empire of the Necromancers
* The Isle of the Torturers
* The Charnel God

I'm with the majority that CAS hit on something amazing in Zothique.

Per Radovarl, here is my LEAST favourite. If ThinkerX will allow me :

3) Beyond the Singing Flame (I was hoping for this to turn into a series)

Smith had indeed planned a trilogy; he just didn't finish the third story, "The Rebirth of the Flame". This might have redeemed "Beyond the Singing Flame". For my part I hated "Beyond" to such an extent, that I wrote "Cult of the Singing Flame" to supplant it.

calonlan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ... the Black Abbott of Puthuum,as originally
> published, not the expanded re-published edition -


What expanded edition was Calonlan referring to here? The Necronomicon Press version? If so, then I must have missed it being largely different from earlier prints.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> calonlan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ... the Black Abbott of Puthuum,as originally
> > published, not the expanded re-published edition
> -
>
>
> What expanded edition was Calonlan referring to
> here? The Necronomicon Press version? If so, then
> I must have missed it being largely different from
> earlier prints.

He may have been referring to this very limited publication: [jito.home.xs4all.nl]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 15 Nov 19 | 06:08AM by Martinus.