Strange Shadows - (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction & Fantasy) Annotated by Steve Behrends (Hardcover)

About the Book

Strange Shadows opens a window into the dark, visionary worlds of Clark Ashton Smith, whose verbal black magic was a significant force in the American science fiction and fantasy movement of the 1930s. This annotated collection of his previously unpublished works provides a unique opportunity to savor the full range of Smith's literary contribution. Featuring fantasies and ironic short stories, prose-poems, plays, unfinished stories, and more than 100 story synopses, it offers valuable documentation and commentary on the work of one of the most distinctive and consistently interesting modern masters of the fantasy genre.

An introduction by Robert Bloch (the author of Psycho) examines Smith's work and places it in historical perspective. Among the highlights of the collection are the satirical title story; variant drafts of two of Smith's most famous stories--The Coming of the White Worm and The Beast of Averoigne--and a play entitled The Dead Will Cuckold You, which has been hailed as a masterpiece. The editor's annotations include extensive quotations from Smith's correspondence to H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, and other important fantasy authors, together with textual commentary and discussion of connections between published and unpublished works. Information on lost writings and lists of published story titles, characters, and place names are supplied. An important resource for fantasy readers and scholars, this book will appeal to those with an interest in dark fantasy, science fiction, and the history of American science fiction.

Book Synopsis

Strange Shadows opens a window into the dark, visionary worlds of Clark Ashton Smith, whose verbal black magic was a significant force in the American science fiction and fantasy movement of the 1930s. This annotated collection of his previously unpublished works provides a unique opportunity to savor the full range of Smith's literary contribution. Featuring fantasies and ironic short stories, prose-poems, plays, unfinished stories, and more than 100 story synopses, it offers valuable documentation and commentary on the work of one of the most distinctive and consistently interesting modern masters of the fantasy genre.

An introduction by Robert Bloch (the author of Psycho) examines Smith's work and places it in historical perspective. Among the highlights of the collection are the satirical title story; variant drafts of two of Smith's most famous stories--The Coming of the White Worm and The Beast of Averoigne--and a play entitled The Dead Will Cuckold You, which has been hailed as a masterpiece. The editor's annotations include extensive quotations from Smith's correspondence to H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, and other important fantasy authors, together with textual commentary and discussion of connections between published and unpublished works. Information on lost writings and lists of published story titles, characters, and place names are supplied. An important resource for fantasy readers and scholars, this book will appeal to those with an interest in dark fantasy, science fiction, and the history of American science fiction.

Review Quotes

?Perhaps the hardest review to write is the one, where the reader is confronted with a near-perfect book. I suppose if I wanted to quibble with type-styles and binding I might be able to find something to criticise in Strange Shadows, but otherwise I find nothing wrong with this book; it's everything I would expect Clark Ashton Smith's last prose collection to be, and more. I say last because this volume collects the remainder of Smith's fiction, story synopses, unfinished tales, essays, and plays known to exist. And for this task, the editors--in particular Steve Behrends--deserve our thanks. Behrends has done more for the revival of Smith's reputation than any one individual, and all in a very short period of time. . . . Strange Shadow is one of the first true scholarly editions of an author's work of weird fiction, something which hasn't even been done with Lovecraft's work yet. Considering this, Strange Shadows becomes more and more important on each level we look at it. Of course, though, for those who aren't interested in variants, these additions can be passed over easily, making the volume enjoyable at all levels. . . . Extensive notes are offered, as well as three interesting appendices: "The Lost Worlds of Clark Ashton Smith" by Steve Behrends looks at the non-extent works by Smith that we know were completed; "Nemesis of the Unfinished" is the outline by Don Carter which was the basis of the story co-authored by the two; and "The Black Book: Addenda" includes material not used in the Arkham House edition of Smith's The Black Book (1979). If the sheer bulk of material featured in Strange Shadows doesn't intrigue you, then the diversity and quality should. For most readers, Iam sure the high point will be the lengthy story fragment The Infernal Star, ' which some will readily classify as a Lovecraft Mythos' tale and is replete with mentions of The Necronomicon. Whether you are a Smith fan or a scholar of weird fiction, this volume has something for everyone. And while the high price of the volume is the only aspect of it I can quarrel with, the $39.95 will be well spent; how many of us have spent more than that on some out-of-print volume that we really didn't need?. . . Strange Shadows is a necessity, and worth the price many times over. Strange Shadows is a recessity, and worth the price many times over.?-Studies in Weird Fiction

"Perhaps the hardest review to write is the one, where the reader is confronted with a near-perfect book. I suppose if I wanted to quibble with type-styles and binding I might be able to find something to criticise in Strange Shadows, but otherwise I find nothing wrong with this book; it's everything I would expect Clark Ashton Smith's last prose collection to be, and more. I say last because this volume collects the remainder of Smith's fiction, story synopses, unfinished tales, essays, and plays known to exist. And for this task, the editors--in particular Steve Behrends--deserve our thanks. Behrends has done more for the revival of Smith's reputation than any one individual, and all in a very short period of time. . . . Strange Shadow is one of the first true scholarly editions of an author's work of weird fiction, something which hasn't even been done with Lovecraft's work yet. Considering this, Strange Shadows becomes more and more important on each level we look at it. Of course, though, for those who aren't interested in variants, these additions can be passed over easily, making the volume enjoyable at all levels. . . . Extensive notes are offered, as well as three interesting appendices: "The Lost Worlds of Clark Ashton Smith" by Steve Behrends looks at the non-extent works by Smith that we know were completed; "Nemesis of the Unfinished" is the outline by Don Carter which was the basis of the story co-authored by the two; and "The Black Book: Addenda" includes material not used in the Arkham House edition of Smith's The Black Book (1979). If the sheer bulk of material featured in Strange Shadows doesn't intrigue you, then the diversity and quality should. For most readers, Iam sure the high point will be the lengthy story fragment The Infernal Star, ' which some will readily classify as a Lovecraft Mythos' tale and is replete with mentions of The Necronomicon. Whether you are a Smith fan or a scholar of weird fiction, this volume has something for everyone. And while the high price of the volume is the only aspect of it I can quarrel with, the $39.95 will be well spent; how many of us have spent more than that on some out-of-print volume that we really didn't need?. . . Strange Shadows is a necessity, and worth the price many times over. Strange Shadows is a recessity, and worth the price many times over."-Studies in Weird Fiction

About the Author

STEVE BEHRENDS is a Research Associate in High Energy Physics at Purdue University. He edited Clark Ashton Smith: Letters to H. P. Lovecraft and has published essays on the work of Smith and Donald Wandrei.