The Double Shadow: A Clark Ashton Smith Podcast

Episode #17: “The Double Shadow”

This week, The Double Shadow does…”The Double Shadow“!

This story was first accepted by Strange Tales, which then folded before publishing. Smith published it himself in 1933 in a volume titled The Double Shadow with “The Maze of the Enchanter,” “The Voyage of King Euvoran,” “A Night in Malnéant,” “The Devotee of Evil,” and “The Willow Landscape.”

Definitions from the first paragraph, as collected by Phil:

  • orichalchum – a type of Roman brass made of 80% copper and 20% zinc.
  • triremes – a ship with three rows of oars on each side.
  • seine – a fishing net.
  • byssus – a type of filament secreted from mollusks, sometimes used to make fabrics.
  • Lephara is a port city on Poseidonis mentioned in Sfanamoë.

(Ruth: Yes, I sent Phil his copy of The Double Shadow.)

For Phil, a history of Duncan Idaho. And, speaking of that, 42:00-44:00 contains some specific Dune spoilers re: Duncan Idaho.

Join us next time for “A Vintage from Atlantis.”

Music by: Erdenstern

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  1. Odilius Vlak says:

    From the point of view of sheer darkness and demonic energy, this story is the fucking diadem in the literature of Klarkash-Ton.