What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast
Brought to you by Altrusian Grace Media and human-narrated by Matthew Schmitz.
In “The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast,” the official Yalden discovers that the treasury of the strange city of Zeth has been emptied by corruption, and on the advice of the dubious oracle Oorn he is sent to recover the legendary treasure of the monstrous sorcerer Anathas, who dwells in the dreaded Cave of Three Winds. Armed with magical protections and driven by duty, greed, and youthful ambition, Yalden survives a hazardous journey across an alien wasteland and reaches the wizard-beast’s lair, where he finds an immense hoard of jewels and relics beyond a floor of blazing coals. When the flames miraculously part to let him pass, he believes fortune has favored him, only to realize too late that he has been deliberately lured onto the treasure dais. Trapped and confronted by the hideous, shape-shifting Anathas, Yalden learns that the hoard is not a prize but bait, and the story ends with the wizard-beast preparing to let its hungry salamanders devour him.
In “The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast,” the official Yalden discovers that the treasury of the strange city of Zeth has been emptied by corruption, and on the advice of the dubious oracle Oorn he is sent to recover the legendary treasure of the monstrous sorcerer Anathas, who dwells in the dreaded Cave of Three Winds. Armed with magical protections and driven by duty, greed, and youthful ambition, Yalden survives a hazardous journey across an alien wasteland and reaches the wizard-beast’s lair, where he finds an immense hoard of jewels and relics beyond a floor of blazing coals. When the flames miraculously part to let him pass, he believes fortune has favored him, only to realize too late that he has been deliberately lured onto the treasure dais. Trapped and confronted by the hideous, shape-shifting Anathas, Yalden learns that the hoard is not a prize but bait, and the story ends with the wizard-beast preparing to let its hungry salamanders devour him.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1994
About the author
H.P. Lovecraft
6,458 books19.5k followersHoward Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.
Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
— Wikipedia
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.
Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
— Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 18, 2017
by R. H. Barlow and H. P. Lovecraft
Lovecraft revised this story.
The main character Yalden is a treasurer of sorts. After he discovers the treasure in the vaults is stolen he seeks help from an oracle. The explanation of how the supposed oracle came to be where It is, is hilarious. Oorn, the oracle thing, 'had blundered into Zeth one night and suffered capture by the shamith priests. The coincidence of Its excessively bizarre aspect and Its innate gift of mimicry had impressed the sacred brothers as offering vast possibilities, hence in the end they had set It up as a god and an oracle, organising a new brotherhood to serve It—and incidentally to suggest the edicts it should utter and the replies It should give.'
Oorn's advice is even funnier.
'Oorn raised three small reddish eyes to Yalden and uttered certain words in a tone of vast decisiveness: “Gumay ere hfotuol leheht teg.” '
Then it simple vanishes. Fortunately for Yalden, the priests are there to interpret everything. So from what Oorn said, they got: “Since you have pleased the deity with your concise statement of a very deplorable state of affairs, we are honored by interpreting its directions. The aphorism you heard signifies no less than the equally mystic phrase ‘Go thou unto thy destination’ or more properly speaking, you are to slay the monster-wizard Anathas, and replenish the treasury with its fabled hoard.”
The only thing that's left for Yalden is to face the monster.
Lovecraft revised this story.
The main character Yalden is a treasurer of sorts. After he discovers the treasure in the vaults is stolen he seeks help from an oracle. The explanation of how the supposed oracle came to be where It is, is hilarious. Oorn, the oracle thing, 'had blundered into Zeth one night and suffered capture by the shamith priests. The coincidence of Its excessively bizarre aspect and Its innate gift of mimicry had impressed the sacred brothers as offering vast possibilities, hence in the end they had set It up as a god and an oracle, organising a new brotherhood to serve It—and incidentally to suggest the edicts it should utter and the replies It should give.'
Oorn's advice is even funnier.
'Oorn raised three small reddish eyes to Yalden and uttered certain words in a tone of vast decisiveness: “Gumay ere hfotuol leheht teg.” '
Then it simple vanishes. Fortunately for Yalden, the priests are there to interpret everything. So from what Oorn said, they got: “Since you have pleased the deity with your concise statement of a very deplorable state of affairs, we are honored by interpreting its directions. The aphorism you heard signifies no less than the equally mystic phrase ‘Go thou unto thy destination’ or more properly speaking, you are to slay the monster-wizard Anathas, and replenish the treasury with its fabled hoard.”
The only thing that's left for Yalden is to face the monster.
May 12, 2022
Lovecraft #91 out of 104: The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast (1933, with R. H. Barlow)
“Far off, in a purplish haze, rose the mountains amidst which dwelt Anathas. It lived not solitary, despite the lonely region around, for strange pets resided with it—some the fabled elder monsters, and others unique beings created by its own fearful craft.”
[Pastoral by Peter Ferguson]
R.H. Barlow (1918-1951) was only 14 or 15 years old when he wrote “The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast,” so we should give the story a little slack. It definitely reads like something written by a teenage boy. Barlow started a correspondence with HPL in 1931 and according to Joshi & Schultz (2001) hid the fact that he was only 13 years old at the time. Lovecraft acted as a mentor to the boy, as he did to many young writers including Frank Belknap Long and Robert Bloch (author of the novel Psycho). Lovecraft revised “The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast” sometime in 1933 and Barlow apparently never intended to publish it. The tale first saw the light of day in 1994 in the book The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast and One Other, edited by scholar S.T. Joshi.
“The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast” is arguably the 91st oldest extant story worked on by American weird fiction author Howard Philips Lovecraft (1890-1937). I am reading all of his fictional works in chronological order this year to see his development as a writer. I would guess that this particular tale is almost all belonging to Barlow, given how HPL almost never touched this kind of Conan the Barbarian-style fantasy adventure stories. Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath comes close, I suppose, but it is a major outlier. “The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast” is okay. It manages to be kind of fun.
Title: “The Hoard of the Wizard Beast”
Author: R.H. Barlow with H.P. Lovecraft
Dates: 1933 (written), 1994 (first published)
Genre: Fiction - Short story, fantasy
Word count: 2,194 words
Date(s) read: 5/11/22-5/12/22
Reading journal entry #151 in 2022
Sources:
Link to the story: https://hplovecraft.com/writings/fict...
First publication citation: The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast and One Otherr. West Warwick, RI: Necronomicon Press, October 1994. 9–13.
Joshi, S. T., & Schultz, D. E. (2001). An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia. Greenwood Press.
Link to the image:
Pastoral by Peter Ferguson: https://peterfergusonart.com/
Written on 5/12/22
“Far off, in a purplish haze, rose the mountains amidst which dwelt Anathas. It lived not solitary, despite the lonely region around, for strange pets resided with it—some the fabled elder monsters, and others unique beings created by its own fearful craft.”
[Pastoral by Peter Ferguson]
R.H. Barlow (1918-1951) was only 14 or 15 years old when he wrote “The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast,” so we should give the story a little slack. It definitely reads like something written by a teenage boy. Barlow started a correspondence with HPL in 1931 and according to Joshi & Schultz (2001) hid the fact that he was only 13 years old at the time. Lovecraft acted as a mentor to the boy, as he did to many young writers including Frank Belknap Long and Robert Bloch (author of the novel Psycho). Lovecraft revised “The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast” sometime in 1933 and Barlow apparently never intended to publish it. The tale first saw the light of day in 1994 in the book The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast and One Other, edited by scholar S.T. Joshi.
“The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast” is arguably the 91st oldest extant story worked on by American weird fiction author Howard Philips Lovecraft (1890-1937). I am reading all of his fictional works in chronological order this year to see his development as a writer. I would guess that this particular tale is almost all belonging to Barlow, given how HPL almost never touched this kind of Conan the Barbarian-style fantasy adventure stories. Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath comes close, I suppose, but it is a major outlier. “The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast” is okay. It manages to be kind of fun.
Title: “The Hoard of the Wizard Beast”
Author: R.H. Barlow with H.P. Lovecraft
Dates: 1933 (written), 1994 (first published)
Genre: Fiction - Short story, fantasy
Word count: 2,194 words
Date(s) read: 5/11/22-5/12/22
Reading journal entry #151 in 2022
Sources:
Link to the story: https://hplovecraft.com/writings/fict...
First publication citation: The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast and One Otherr. West Warwick, RI: Necronomicon Press, October 1994. 9–13.
Joshi, S. T., & Schultz, D. E. (2001). An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia. Greenwood Press.
Link to the image:
Pastoral by Peter Ferguson: https://peterfergusonart.com/
Written on 5/12/22
September 13, 2020
Years ago I decided to read the complete work of this author, a choice that I came to regret: while Lovecraft's contribution to the field is indisputable, and while a small number of his stories are good, the vast majority of his work is mediocre at best, and often marred by horrifying xenophobia. I thought I was done reading his work, but I keep I coming across short stories that I had previously missed. The latest couple of them (this included) were full of humor, something I had never noticed before. It makes me wonder if I missed the sarcasm on the ones I had read, or if these two are really unusual. Either way, the humor made them more enjoyable.
This story is a collaboration with a fan, R.H. Barlow. The two communicated only via (snail) mail and Lovecraft had no idea his collaborator was a 14 year old boy. It's rather amusing to think of it.
The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast is a (cynical) fantasy story sprinkled with sarcasm targeting organized religion and the fantasy genres tropes.
This story is a collaboration with a fan, R.H. Barlow. The two communicated only via (snail) mail and Lovecraft had no idea his collaborator was a 14 year old boy. It's rather amusing to think of it.
The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast is a (cynical) fantasy story sprinkled with sarcasm targeting organized religion and the fantasy genres tropes.
June 7, 2019
Ялден дізнається, що в міській скарбниці пусто. Можливий спосіб її наповнити - вбити монстра Анатаса і забрати його скарби. Ялден вирушає в храм Оорна, який був бранцем, але став божеством. Він питає у нього поради, але Оорн відповідає якоюсь нісенітнецею (її іронія проявляється, якщо прочитати слова задом наперед). Жерці - не дурні, а хитрі - тлумачать відповідь божества так: слід піти до монстра, здолати його і принести скарби. Тому Ялден вирушає до монстра. Він якось легко дістається до гори скарбів, але зрештою помічає тінь Атанаса, який вже на нього чекає.
July 4, 2023
I'm not well versed on the state of epic fantasy when this story was written, but it surely reads as a parody to quests of great fame and treasures.
Short, witty and funny, this story brings a not so well known side of Lovecraft, or at least, not well known to me, showing his immense literary ability. It seems than Lovecraft was able to write in any style!
How much a sixteen years old Barlow contributed to the written, I do not know, but it must have been enough to convince Lovecraft to put him in charge of his literary state!
Short, witty and funny, this story brings a not so well known side of Lovecraft, or at least, not well known to me, showing his immense literary ability. It seems than Lovecraft was able to write in any style!
How much a sixteen years old Barlow contributed to the written, I do not know, but it must have been enough to convince Lovecraft to put him in charge of his literary state!
November 26, 2023
Definitely not my favorite HP Lovecraft story, but it was ok.
I wanted more to this in my opinion. I’m use to epic fantasies with tons of world building and this didn’t have much at all. I wanted to give this the benefit of the doubt since I’m a fan of fantasy and enjoy Lovecraft’s work, I’ve even read a Greek Mythology poem by Lovecraft and another that, I prefer far more than this. I wanted to like this because of my fantasy love, but just found myself wishing for more information, and given very little pay off.
I wanted more to this in my opinion. I’m use to epic fantasies with tons of world building and this didn’t have much at all. I wanted to give this the benefit of the doubt since I’m a fan of fantasy and enjoy Lovecraft’s work, I’ve even read a Greek Mythology poem by Lovecraft and another that, I prefer far more than this. I wanted to like this because of my fantasy love, but just found myself wishing for more information, and given very little pay off.
May 18, 2021
The Hoard of the Wizard-Beast
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Ho...
The Slaying of the Monster
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Sl...
Two Lovecraft collaborations with Robert H. Barlow, when the latter was fifteen years old. It shows.
https://www.tor.com/2018/09/19/financ...
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Ho...
The Slaying of the Monster
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Sl...
Two Lovecraft collaborations with Robert H. Barlow, when the latter was fifteen years old. It shows.
https://www.tor.com/2018/09/19/financ...
February 11, 2025
Yalden, the main character, serves as a treasurer who learns that the treasure in the vaults is stolen. In his quest for answers, he consults an oracle, whose backstory is humorously explained, only for it to suddenly disappear. Luckily for Yalden, the priests are available to help interpret the situation.
It is definitely one of his more sarcastic stories and it seems like a parody of some kind especially him poking fun of the different tropes.
It is definitely one of his more sarcastic stories and it seems like a parody of some kind especially him poking fun of the different tropes.
December 8, 2020
I didn’t get it. After reading it I had discovered that it supposed to be a comic story. I guess I’m too stupid to appreciate all the humor (people say the characters are “funny”). The ending, however, shows some glimpses of classic Lovecraftian work.
September 20, 2018
Humorous eldritch horror, poking fun at several tropes along the way.
March 23, 2022
Really seems like it should be a D&D module from the early days.
August 30, 2024
A bit forgettable.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews