Tales of Zothique Series by Clark Ashton Smith

Phariom claimed Elaith was not dead, but the priests of Mordiggian claimed her for their god…

On Zothique, the last continent on Earth, the sun no longer shone with the whiteness of its prime, but was dim and tarnished as if with a vapor of blood. New stars without number had declared themselves in the heavens, and the shadows of the infinite had fallen closer. And out of the shadows, the older gods had returned to man: the gods forgotten since Hyperborea, since Mu and Poseidonis, bearing other names but the same attributes... moreOn Zothique, the last continent on Earth, the sun no longer shone with the whiteness of its prime, but was dim and tarnished as if with a vapor of blood. New stars without number had declared themselves in the heavens, and the shadows of the infinite had fallen closer. And out of the shadows, the older gods had returned to man: the gods forgotten since Hyperborea, since Mu and Poseidonis, bearing other names but the same attributes. And the elder demons had also returned, battening on the fumes of evil sacrifice, and fostering again the primordial sorceries... less

The Gazolba had absconded with the rarest of crowns! A dangerous quest to find it and return it begins! Note: includes "Quest of the Gazolba", a revised version of the story.

"Xeethra" is the tale of the orphaned goatherd Xeethra, who tolerates his abusive uncle and lives in dire poverty. One day, he spots a cave in a hidden valley, and descends to a beautiful but sinister garden, where he eats a weird fruit hanging from a tree. He starts having memories of being Amero, the ruler of a far-off country, and when he returns to the surface he sets off to seek his kingdom... more"Xeethra" is the tale of the orphaned goatherd Xeethra, who tolerates his abusive uncle and lives in dire poverty. One day, he spots a cave in a hidden valley, and descends to a beautiful but sinister garden, where he eats a weird fruit hanging from a tree. He starts having memories of being Amero, the ruler of a far-off country, and when he returns to the surface he sets off to seek his kingdom....This short story is the first in the collection ZOTHIQUE, which was part of Ballantine's Adult Fantasy line, coming out in 1970. The story itself was first published in "Weird Tales", December 1934. less

The Last Hieroglyph is the fifth of the five volume Collected Fantasies series. Editors Scott Connors and Ron Hilger have compared original manuscripts, various typescripts, published editions, and Smith's notes and letters, in order to prepare a definitive set of texts. The Last Hieroglyph includes, in chronological order, all of Clark Ashton Smith's stories from "The Dark Age" to "The Dart of Rasasfa."

Yadar, a princely nomad, searches for his love Dalili, only to discover her on the Island of Naat... and the horrors of the island...

Zobal the archer and Cushara the pikebearer had poured many a libation to their friendship in the sanguine liquors of Yoros and the blood of the kingdom's enemies. In that long and lusty amity, broken only by such passing quarrels as concerned the division of a wine-skin or the apportioning of a wench, they had served amid the soldiery of King Hoaraph for a strenuous decade. Savage warfare and wild, fantastic hazard had been their lot... moreZobal the archer and Cushara the pikebearer had poured many a libation to their friendship in the sanguine liquors of Yoros and the blood of the kingdom's enemies. In that long and lusty amity, broken only by such passing quarrels as concerned the division of a wine-skin or the apportioning of a wench, they had served amid the soldiery of King Hoaraph for a strenuous decade. Savage warfare and wild, fantastic hazard had been their lot. The renown of their valor had drawn upon them, ultimately, the honor of Hoaraph's attention, and he had assigned them for duty among the picked warriors that guarded his palace in Faraad. And sometimes the twain were sent together on such missions as required no common hardihood and no disputable fealty to the king... less

Clark Ashton Smith (1893-1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter, and author of fantasy, horror, and science fiction short stories. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Swinburne... moreClark Ashton Smith (1893-1961) was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter, and author of fantasy, horror, and science fiction short stories. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Swinburne. As a poet, Smith is grouped with the West Coast Romantics (alongside Ambrose Bierce, Joaquin Miller, Sterling, Nora May French, and others) and remembered as 'The Last of the Great Romantics' and 'The Bard of Auburn.' As a member of the Lovecraft circle, (Smiths literary friendship with H. P. Lovecraft lasted from 1922 until Lovecraft's death in 1937), Smith remains second only to Lovecraft in general esteem and importance amongst contributors to the pulp magazine Weird Tales, where some readers objected to his morbidness and violation of pulp traditions. (It has been said of him that Nobody since Poe has so loved a well-rotted corpse.) His work is marked chiefly by an extraordinarily wide and ornate vocabulary, a cosmic perspective and a vein of sardonic and sometimes ribald humour. The Death of Ilalotha is one of Smith's classic weird fantasies, originally published in Weird Tales magazine (September, 1937). less

Valzain bored with his life of decadence and debauchery seeks out the mysterious Morthylla. Note: short story