In what is the first of a planned five volumes, Night Shade Books is bringing the works of a classic fantasist to a new generation with THE END OF THE STORY: THE COLLECTED FANTASIES OF CLARK ASHTON SMITH, VOLUME 1. Putting the stories in chronological order is the right idea to do, but having read any of Smith’s works before, it left me a little bewildered.

A frequent contributor to WEIRD TALES, Smith has been compared to Edgar Allan Poe and as a contemporary of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. But as I read these stories, it became quite clear that Poe was the heaviest influence. That’s not to say all these stories take place in days of yore, though there is a healthy serving of that type.

Such as the title story, about a man who comes across a monastery in the fictional land of Averoigne, where our narrator is treated like an honored guest, but who encounters another visitor who is not so welcome, thus driving our narrator away. Then there is “The Resurrection of the Rattlesnake,” very Poe-like in its storyline with a slight surprise at the end.

A dream-like fantasy called “The Monster of the Prophecy” involves a man taken to a wondrous world populated with bizarre, alien-like creatures. The story ends with a moral that is still used to this very day.

From this point, on a good amount of the stories had a greater appeal for me, based more in the sci-fi world of things. The best of these was “The Metamorphosis of the World,” which bears a close resemblance to the first WAR OF THE WORLDS movie.

Since these stories were written back in the 1920s, we need to cut Smith some slack with his science facts, because “Marooned in Andromeda” would make most sci-fi fans groan with how every planet is safe for breathing, even without space suits.

Though I wasn’t necessarily won over, fans of Smith’s work are going to gobble these volumes up and just be delighted with Night Shade’s nice presentation, including a wonderful intro by Ramsey Campbell and extensive notes at the end of each story, going into greater detail about their background for each. They’re all the more special given that Smith’s work – prior to this collection, at least – is so hard to find. –Bruce Grossman

Buy it at Amazon.