Re: Best stories By mr. Smith
Posted by:
Ken K. (IP Logged)
Date: 26 December, 2013 07:28PM
I haven't read every story by CAS (indeed there are a lot I haven't read yet!) but just off the top of my head, without referring to the Nightshade Press collections:
The Holiness of Azederac--If any story by Smith could have been published in Unknown Magazine, this one would be it. It's both witty and risqué in an amusing way. I can imagine him smiling as he was typing it up. It just misses the modern-day, ironic flavor of fantasy John W. Campbell was looking for. It is a pity...
Ubbo-Sathla--Yes, this is a variation of the H. G. Wells story The Crystal Egg, but I still like it.
The City of The Singing Flame--A story which gains much of its power from what it doesn't tell the reader. To continue the story, the reader must collaborate in his imagination. I haven't read the sequel--I'm a bit afraid of being let down by any revelation behind the mystery.
The Vault of Yoh-Vombis--I can't understand why this (relatively) straightforward, jaw-dropping little horror story hasn't been adapted to film. It's a natural!
Sorry for any misspellings. Again, I don't consider these stories the best Smith wrote, only the ones that immediately spring to mind. Thanks, Minicthulhu--this was a fun exercise.