The Joy of Erudition’s Reviews > The Averoigne Chronicles: The Complete Averoigne Stories of Clark Ashton Smith > Status Update
The Joy of Erudition
is 50% done
"The Colossus of Ylourgne" has good ideas in it, but the execution is lacking. The focal character is *eventually* Gaspard du Nord, but half the story is told in summary, with a very distant voice, relating what happens with other characters. When we finally get to Gaspard's POV, things improve, and it may have inspired the Elder Scrolls' Numidium. A dwarfish sorcerer builds a giant flesh golem to attack his enemies.
— Aug 20, 2025 08:06PM
Like flag
The Joy of Erudition’s Previous Updates
The Joy of Erudition
is finished
The final piece in this collection is the short poem "Averoigne", which describes the gothic horror allure of the setting.
— Aug 24, 2025 10:36PM
The Joy of Erudition
is 99% done
"The End of the Story"—Fitting for the last story in this collection, though it's not the last in order of publication. "The Enchantress of Sylaire" was the last one he wrote, which may be why it's so much better than the others. This one shares a lot of the same ideas, but feels more sinister than the upbeat Sylaire. A man learns of a door to secret underground pleasures, and he finds it. Good ending or bad?
— Aug 24, 2025 10:35PM
The Joy of Erudition
is 87% done
"The Satyr"—Another re-read. A very short story about marital infidelity, which may or may not have been influenced by a satyr in the nearby woods. Nothing supernatural was hinted at until very late. A woman cheats on her husband with a famous troubadour, and when he finds out, he sets out to murder them both during their tryst, but then a satyr shows up. There are two variant endings, but both are abrupt.
— Aug 23, 2025 08:30PM
The Joy of Erudition
is 84% done
"The Disinterment of Venus" is a disappointing story, once again told entirely in distant narration with no particular character as the point of view. Working in their garden, some monks unearth an ancient statue of Venus, which turns out to be somewhat alive and has the power to turn men's minds away from their holy pursuits. This will not do.
— Aug 23, 2025 08:24PM
The Joy of Erudition
is 79% done
"A Rendezvous in Averoigne" is one that I read before and couldn't remember the name of. This is a very straightforward vampire story, but it has a lot of atmosphere. Two young lovers arrange to meet in the woods for some loving, but they're both ensnared by the lure of the aforementioned vampires and brought to their castle to be fed upon, and it's up to the main character to do something about it.
— Aug 23, 2025 02:21AM
The Joy of Erudition
is 70% done
"The Mandrakes" is entirely summary narration, very distant and impersonal, but the idea is good. Like a ghost story I've heard before, this is about the vengeful spirit of a secretly murdered woman getting her posthumous revenge. The difference is that she does it through mandrake roots that have grown in the garden plot where she was buried.
— Aug 21, 2025 10:46PM
The Joy of Erudition
is 66% done
"The Beast of Averoigne" is a good story with a good structure, just too little character. Most of it is told in summary narration, but he gets away with it because it's 1st person perspective. On the rare occasions there's dialogue, it's good dialogue. This is a supernatural mystery about the secret of a monster brought by a comet to ravage a town, a shunned sorcerer turned hero, and a big coverup.
— Aug 21, 2025 10:42PM
The Joy of Erudition
is 60% done
"The Enchantress of Sylaire" remains my favourite Averoigne story above all others, with a strong structure, lively characters, a dark romance, and a playful irony that neatly resolves the story. This story might actually be a *second* take on "The Demoiselle d'Ys", as it shares some specific elements, just not the time travel. Werewolves, vampires, lamiae, potions, a magic mirror, a portal, and a love triangle!
— Aug 20, 2025 08:14PM
The Joy of Erudition
is 33% done
"A Night in Malnéant"—A dreamlike story about a man travelling endlessly to try to escape the guilt and regret of having driven the love of his life to suicide some years ago. He stops in a grim city and finds no lodging there, because all rooms are occupied by mourners, and all attention is focused on funerary arrangements for a beloved lady who bears the same unusual name as his late love.
— Aug 18, 2025 09:57PM
The Joy of Erudition
is 25% done
"The Holiness Of Azédarac"—A wicked sorcerer who has attained a high position in the church seeks to get rid of a young monk who found evidence of his diabolism. He sends a man to slip something into the monk's wine—but not poison! Instead it's a potion that sends him 700 years into the past, where he falls in love with a woman. This feels like Smith's take on "The Demoiselle d'Ys" by Chambers, which I like better.
— Aug 17, 2025 08:10PM
