The Double Shadow: A Clark Ashton Smith Podcast

Archive for October, 2012

Episode #15: “The Last Incantation”

October 25, 2012 by Ruth · Episode · Comments are closed

A transcription of this episode is available.

Welcome to Poseidonis! The About page has been updated with our new list of stories. Today we start off with “The Last Incantation.”


Unicorn head by Robert A Neri Jr. or Ranger Games

We’ve jumped back in time to June of 1930, when this story was published in Weird Tales and to an era after the glory of Atlantis, but before Averoigne. The series is bookended with stories about Malygris, possibly the greatest sorcerer/necromancer we’ve run across so far.

Next time, join us on “A Voyage to Sfanomoët;.”

Music by: Erdenstern

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Episode #14: Au Revoir, Averoigne

October 17, 2012 by Ruth · Episode · Comments are closed

This week is our last in Averoigne. We talk about the three major synopses from the Eldritch Dark and a little biographical and critical information. Synopses: “Queen of the Sabbat,” “The Werewolf of Averoigne,” and “The Sorceress of Averoigne | The Tower of Istarelle.”

The essay Phil referenced is “Into the Woods: The Human Geography of Averoigne” by Stefan Dziemianowicz, in The Freedom of Fantastic Things: Selected Criticism on Clark Ashton Smith ed. by Scott Connors. Tim quoted from “Eblis in Bakelite” by James Blish, “James Blish versus Ashton Smith; to Wit, the Young Turk Syndrome” by Donald Sidney-Fryer, and “Who Discovered Clark Ashton Smith?” by Scott Connors, all published in the Lost Worlds journal.

So–what did we have in Averoigne?

  • 1 cathedral
  • 1 convent
  • 2 monasteries
  • 14 Necromancers
  • 1 demon
  • 1 alien
  • 1 evil statue
  • 11 mentions of werewolves
  • 1 actual werewolf
  • 2 sorceresses, unaligned
  • 1 witch, batrachian
  • 2 vampires, lazy
  • 1 staff of household vampire servants
  • 2 lamias, unconfirmed
  • 1 art-loving archbishop
  • 7 gargoyles
  • 1 corpse giant
  • 2 epidemics of murder
  • 16 dead monks

Next week, we’ll be doing our first Poseidonis story: “The Last Incantation.”

Music thanks to: Kevin MacLeod.

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