What is beautiful is how CAS alchemically bonds the extraterrestrial-beyond-comprehension theology with humorous intent… that is, how Eibon perceives the Gods word, as reverent and purposeful, is really, well…trivial. Arguably trivial…🤔 I appreciate you doing CAS stories Ian, because you bring a clarifying interpretation to the pronunciations of this great dreamer’s nearly impossible names. I think back to ‘The Seven Geases’. And everyone, think of the National Mother.
"Eibon's a sorcerer devoted to an outlawed underground god. Morghi is an inquisitor sent to arrest him. But now, they're stuck together on a zany roadtrip across Cykranosh. Coming this summer, writer Clark Ashton Smith brings you love, laughter, drama, and excitement. All of that and more through... The Door to Saturn."
Smith's Hyperbaroque style obscures the fact that of all the members of the inner Lovecraft circle (so not counting Frederic Brown or Henry Kuttner) who tries to be funny-and succeeds. He may not be Jonathan Swift, but he's doing Gulliver's Travels here-something Lovecraft, despite all his 18th-century affectations, never did (AFAIK). Another example is "The Seven Geases." Spoiler: the demonic entities are just yanking the hero's chain. Laughing at him behind his back.
Seven Geases is one of my favorite CAS stories for that exact reason, and obviously Ian reads it so perfectly lol I’ve listened to that story probably a dozen times. TEAM RAPHTONTIS 🙌🏼😂
I listened to this several days ago... and it's still marinating in my brain. This is really an astounding tale. Clark Ashton Smith is now on my "must binge everything he ever wrote" list, as R.E. Howard was.
CAS is one of two writers - the other being Blackwood - who can genuinely frighten me, but I find this type of narrative fiction just as enjoyable. Thank you for introducing me to his work.
Spores are the original life, and it's everywhere, on everything, in everything, and destroys everything eventually. All the while helping life happen with nutrients in the soil, water, everywhere, and it gets eaten by many things. Truly the most fascinating lifeforms on the whole planet. IMHO🍄🍄
Great story and narration! I got a kick out of this one. A tale of a good ole' quest filled with adventures. I laughed when the meaning of the message was conveyed to them. CAS never ceases to amaze. Thanks!
An outstanding production! Thank you as always for your dedication to the craft and in finding these tales to share. This was a comedy and that was a lovely surprise! XD
The descriptions of litigious, petty wizards and descriptions of exotic and wholly alien cultures brought Jack Vance to mind. What a fabulous tale and beautifully narrated as always.
“The picture seared into my soul is of one scene only, and the hour must have been long after midnight; for a waning crescent moon was high in the vaporous heavens….” Keep up the good work and, as always, stay safe!
Nice one Ian. If I may be so bold, could you add 'The Kingdom of the Worm' and 'The Last Hieroglyph' to your next C.A.S 'to-do' list ? Great stories, I'm sure you remember. Cheers mate.
"Thinking of the mountainous female they had seen, Morgi was prone to remember his sacerdotal vows of celibacy. And Ibon was eager to take similar vows upon himself without delay." ~ Bwahahahaaa!
What a fantastic imagination Ashton Smith had. This has got to be they first story of his i have heard and only then out of curiosity as i mentioned him in my recent review of Hodgson's 'The Night Land'. Great story, thanks Ian for the education.
No reason not to mention that I look forward to your narrations more than any other channel on YT. Started with an interest in Lovecraft + noticing that your tone can sometimes be conducive to falling asleep. Just FYI as I am in no position atm to be a patron
Excellent! I absolutely loved it. My favorite genre is horror humor, or humorous humor, or serious horror with a bit of humor mixed in at some point. This was perfect.
This sounds really good, settling in with my cat and some hot chocolate for this, thanks! I'm so glad science hadn't ruined stories like this yet. Blimfroim? It's fun to say. Yop, Yeep, Yoop and flibbertygibbet pygmies, so many fun words in a row, I love it! Galump
The meaning of the message was exactly as expected, but the ending is still pretty funny. More fairytale than Lovecraftian. "There was mushroom stew and weird alien pussy, and the wizards lived happily ever after."
Funny, I just read this one last week. Clark Ashton Smith's entire works were on sale on Kindle. I enjoyed it so much, I ended up picking up Conan the barbarian for the first time and am really getting into those
Such a versatile writer, most of his stories are really captivating. But I like his Weird and Mythos horror the best. A really great writer of the Lovecraft Circle. I wish someone would publish "The Complete CAS stories".
Ohh thank you so much Ian. I simply love this story. Eibon seems like a slightly funny character after all. Or at least he has more of a sense of humor than one would think the author of the dreaded "Book of Eibon" would. I always thought of him as an evilish character but as it sounds, he was doing what other magicians were. Maybe just a little bit better than they liked!
Ok i am halfway through, and so I am wondering to myself - Is Ibon now just a homeless guy on Saturn BSing this priest to use him or prank him? Thats the feeling im getting.
After years of reading Lovecraft's, and some of the Lovecraft Circle's, work it would never have occurred to me to pronounce Tsathoggua's name that way but I quite like this pronunciation!
Who is still worshipped in the stygian blackness of N'kai by the black jelly formless beings under the red litten Yoth below blue litten K'n-yan below us.
Does anyone know the title of a similar tale, involving two rival lodges of sorcerers waging war on each other with spells and summoning? I think I read it year's ago but can't remember who wrote it or what it was called. Hoping this might ring a bell for someone out there.
As far as elder gods go, Tsathoggua doesn't seem so bad. Unlike many of the others he doesn't appear to harbor ambitions to enslave humanity or 'wipe the Earth clean' etc.. Sure he's doesnt conform to traditional notions of beauty.. and perhaps he prefers the company of beasts over man. But for the most part he's a standard transactional deity of the kind that all humanity worshiped before the coming of the modern universalist religions.
@@HorrorBabble idk that you could read it for a video because idk what the copyright status of it allows, but it's definitely a cool book. Plus Brom illustrated it too, and he was a fantasy painter first and longest so the artwork is awesome too.