Zothique: The Charnel God, The Black Abbot of Puthuum, and The Dark Eidolon
As promised, here is the first batch of reviews of Clark Ashton Smith's tales set in the fantastical and spooky continent of Zothique: The Charnel God, The Black Abbot of Puthuum, and The Dark Eidolon. Warning: SPOILERS.
THE CHARNEL GOD
When Phariom's wife Elaith's condition is mistaken for death, he must save her from the temple of Mordiggian, where all the dead of Zul-Bha-Sair are taken to be consumed by the god and his strange priests. Meanwhile, Abnon-Tha, a powerful necromancer, and his minions, who had been working with the priests, are planning a serious betrayal for that very same night.
Mordiggian is old and omnipotent as death. He was worshipped in former continents, before the lifting of Zothique from out the sea. Through him, we are saved from corruption and the worm. Even as the people of other places devote their dead to the consuming flame, so we of Zul-Bha-Sair deliver ours to the god.
A good story that lets you see a bit more of this bizarre world. As usual, Smith's descriptions are great. Mordiggian was impressive, his temple was appropriately spooky as were his priests, and the necromancers paid dearly for their stupidity. Really, that's not a god you should be stealing from.
THE BLACK ABBOT OF PUTHUUM
On their way to deliver the most recent addition to the king's harem, warrior duo Zobal and Cushara come across a strange monastery and its even stranger abbot, Ujuk, who clearly has some very dark plans for them...
A dark opening was exposed, and from it surged a charnel stench so overpowering that Zobal turned his face away and was like to have vomited. But the whisper came with a sharp, woeful beseeching, out of the darkness below; and it said to him: "Descend."
We admit we almost stopped reading this when Ujuk showed up due to some very awkward experiences with a couple of Robert E Howard stories, but are glad we didn't. There was more worldbuilding with Uldor's story of how the monastery was founded, and Zobal's trip to the catacombs had a good creepy atmosphere. The ending was abrupt, even if it's nice that Rubalsa had a say.
THE DARK EIDOLON
Namirrha is the most powerful necromancer, but that's not enough to make him forget the indignity he suffered at the hands of the then Prince Zotulla. Now, he returns to his hometown so he can finally get his revenge. Everything is going fine until the demon god who's been assisting him tells him to stop and Namirrha not only refuses, but also calls on even scarier powers to help him...
In Ummaos, people said that he had come on the desert wind from Tasuun with his underlings, even as the pestilence comes, and had reared his house in an hour with the aid of devils beside Zotulla's palace. And they said that the foundations of the house were laid on the adamantine cope of Hell; and in its floors were pits at whose bottom burned the nether fires, or stars could be seen as they passed under in lowermost night.
For a moment there, we thought that a necromancer was finally going to prevail, but then Namirrha pissed off 'dark Thasaidon, prince of all turpitudes' and we knew he was as doomed as any other necromancer in a Clark Ashton Smith tale. The story is just so good. Smith's writing was pitch perfect, and things got pleasantly dark, especially at the dinner party from hell. This easily became our favourite of Smith's stories.