From the Bookshelf of Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"…
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A collection of Lumley's sword & sorcery short stories that originally appeared primarily in Weirdbook Magazine, primarily in the 1970s and 1980s. As you'd expect from the author and the publication source, the stories are very much in the 1930s Weird Tales vein -- specifically, I was getting a bit of a Clark Ashton Smith vibe from these.
The stories are mostly standalone, with a few characters in the background providing linkages. They take place on the extremely primal continent of Theem'hdra, ...more
The stories are mostly standalone, with a few characters in the background providing linkages. They take place on the extremely primal continent of Theem'hdra, ...more
The stories written prior to 1980 or so tried to be both Robert E Howard muscular and Clark Ashton Smith extravagant. The result is not lean enough to be the first and not purely stylistic or ironic as the second. And he sure loves his twist endings and framing devices, even when these are really unnecessary or obvious.
The best are the Mylakhrion or Tet Atht stories, in particular "The Sorcerer's Book" and "To Kill A Wizard!", adding to that "The Wine of the Wizard".
(On the other end was "Lords ...more
The best are the Mylakhrion or Tet Atht stories, in particular "The Sorcerer's Book" and "To Kill A Wizard!", adding to that "The Wine of the Wizard".
(On the other end was "Lords ...more
Had high hopes for this one, but all it brought out in me was a strong desire to read Clark Ashton Smith. I know these stories are a nod to CAS (the book is even dedicated to Malygris, one of CAS’ necromancers) but they were so bland, predictable, and boring. Lumley is sorely lacking imagination in this one and his colorless writing made me sleepy. I guess compared to CAS’ poetic prose and flowery descriptions these stories seem like simple dollar store offerings.
The two stories that stood out f ...more
The two stories that stood out f ...more
A collection of short stories centered on the primal land of Theem'hdra. As usual very good stuff, with the final story being the best of them all in my opinion.
...more
Aug 09, 2020
Kendall Moore
marked it as to-read
Aug 30, 2025
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marked it as to-read
