The Double Shadow: A Clark Ashton Smith Podcast

Episode #44: “Empire of the Necromancers”

After 43 episodes, we arrive in Zothique with a necromantic splash. (Wait, would a necromantic splash involve a lot of…rotted flesh? Ok, maybe not.) That’s right, it’s time for “Empire of the Necromancers“!

French publication cover

Our reader this week is Alex Mills.

Next time, we’ll take a voyage to “The Isle of the Torturers.”

[edit: audio levels readjusted and uploaded.]

Music: Kevin MacLeod
Outro: Boney Washington

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  1. Andrew Stewart says:

    Great to hear you all after some months – a classic story.
    (FWIW Sound levels on this still wonky – the first 2 readings particularly low – the last outro VERY loud)

  2. RobP says:

    Good to hear you back and, sound problems aside,another great episode.

  3. I really like your show. Thanks for keeping it up. I can’t wait for the nastiness of the next story.

  4. Kieren says:

    Very excited about more Zothique!

  5. Geoffrey Tolle says:

    I’ll have to take slight issue with your claim of Zothique being the third “Dying Earth” setting in world fiction. I just checked and Olaf Stapledon’s “First and Last Men” came out in 1930. This pre-dates “Empire of the Necromancers” by 2 years.

    Also, S. Fowler Wright’s “the Amphibians” (1925) might have been a “Dying Earth” novel. I don’t remember off-hand. It was definitely set far in the Earth’s future.