Realms of wizardry

by Lin Carter (Editor/Contributor)

Contents:

Introduction: The Horns of Elfland, essay by Lin Carter
The Hoard of the Gibbelins, short story by Lord Dunsany
The Doom That Came to Sarnath, short story by H. P. Lovecraft
Black Lotus, short story by Robert Bloch
The Gods of Earth, short story by Gary Myers
The City of Philosophers, short story by Richard Garnett
Some Ladies and Jurgen, short story by James Branch Cabell
The Book of Lullûme, short story by Donald Corley
The Descent Beneath Kôr (Excerpt from She), short fiction by H. Rider Haggard
The Whelming of Cherkis (Excerpt from The Metal Monster), short fiction by A. Merritt
How Orcher Broke the Koph (Excerpt from The Sorcerer's Ship), short fiction by Hannes Bok
Swords of the Purple Kingdom, novelette by Robert E. Howard
The Goddess Awakes, novelette by Clifford Ball
Quest of the Starstone, novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore
Liane the Wayfarer, short story by Jack Vance
Master of Chaos, short story by Michael Moorcock
Thelinde's Song, short story by Roger Zelazny
Other Realms of Wizardry: Suggestions for Further Reading, essay by Lin Carter

Genres: Anthologies, Fantasy

269 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1976

About the author

Lin Carter was an American author, editor, and critic best known for his influential role in fantasy literature during the mid-20th century. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, he developed an early passion for myth, adventure stories, and imaginative fiction, drawing inspiration from authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and J. R. R. Tolkien. After serving in the U.S. Army, Carter attended Columbia University, where he honed his literary skills and deepened his knowledge of classical and medieval literature, myth, and folklore — elements that would become central to his work.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.

Reviews

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carter operates in the void space around his own (cancelled) Ballantine Adult Fantasy series. That he 'just so happens' to have uncollected works in that space shows either cynical foresight or material slated for that series that never saw the light of day. Either way, this contains interesting selections, even excerpting from larger works, and this is more curation of material than is usually evident.

Unfortunately the strong themes of Ballantine are not evident. Works are clustered into various buckets ("Fantasy as Legend / Satire / Romance / Adventure Story", and "New Directions in Fantasy") without the connective tissue that would make those buckets insightful.

The works quite new to me reinforce, first, that I need to hunt down more of Zelazny's Dilvish series. "Thelinde's Story" was Dilvish's backstory in a nutshell and shows exactly what sort of weird storybook nightmare world that Zelazny imagines here.

Second, the same for Hannes Bok. Carter laser-targets the Sorcerer's Ship excerpt "How Orcher Broke the Koph" into a battle entered in medias res. Despite being heavily, heavily influenced by A. Merritt, it's constructed in a modern vernacular-but-not-too-much with nice touches of language:

"Hours reluctantly filed along, as though unwilling to leave so interesting a scene."

Its restraint busts apart as it goes from adventure/war story to something outré and horrifyingly cataclysmic.

Of the other two excerpts, Haggard's "The Descent Beneath Kor", from She, goes on a bit too long, with too much monologuing and too elaborate a language. Merritt's "The Whelming of Cherkis", from The Metal Monster is also hard reading, but on the up side is about a city obliterated by weird geometrical metal monsters controlled by a vengeful and likely demented woman. It's exactly as monster movie as you think, if it were also grand opera.

Of all of them, the only clunkers were "The Goddess Awakes", where the heroes are kept in a cell until the one battle, and which probably has a Master's thesis in gender relations in potential--a land where men are subjected to brain-damaging drugs and women rule as warriors except for the male king and his monster-goddess "daughter".

And, oddly, "The Quest of the Starstone" starring both Jirel of Joiry and Northwest Smith in a weird crossover event. A wizard did it, of course. The entire story is an excuse to put the two together and see the bad kind of fireworks.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second of Carter's two 1976 fantasy anthologies for Doubleday (the other being Kingdoms of Sorcery).

As with the first volume, this is a reprint collection of fantasy ranging from the 19th Century (H. Rider Haggard) to the relatively contemporary (Michael Moorcock and Roger Zelazny) with stops along the way for such additional authors as Robert E. Howard, Lord Dunsany and A. Merritt, with Carter's usual enthusiastic introduction and notes about the authors & stories.

For my money, while they're both very good anthologies of their type, this is the stronger of the two volumes in terms of the assortment of authors and stories; and it will always have a special place in my heart for being my first introduction to Rider Haggard (with a terrific excerpt from She: A History of Adventure).

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A broad spectrum of fantasy stories is featured in this book and I’ve read the stories ( easily among my favorites ) by HPL, REH, Moorcock, Moore & Kuttner all prior. Of the authors I wasn’t as well read in that I enjoyed were the stories by Clifford Ball with “The Goddess Awakes”, Jack Vance’s “Liane the Wayfarer” ( reading more like a fable ) and Roger Zelazny with “Thelinde’s Song” ( reading more like a horror story) though I am currently halfway through Zelazny’s Amber series.
I found some earlier stories in this collection to be a bit dry if not verbose and I’m looking at you Haggard but the book picks up halfway through in my opinion as I veer more towards those authors in my enjoyment of reading.

[Bart Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of early fantasy stories. Most of them are complete, but at least two are long "scenes" from published novels.
This collection is for fans of H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E Howard, H. Rider Haggard, Henry Kuttner, etc...
Oddly, I had a note in this book that said I read sections one and two back in 2001. I'm not sure why I stopped reading the book way back when, but that's the great thing about short stories. One can just begin again where they left off. Thus, I finished reading the book within a few days.

[Rosemary Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dunsany *****
Lovecraft *****
Bloch ****
Myers ***
Garnett ***
Cabell ***
Corley ***
Haggard *****
Merritt ****
Bok ****
Howard *****
Ball *****
Moore & Kuttner *****
Vance ****
Moorcock *****
Zelazny *****

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Front half of book stories range from one star up, back half stories are five stars.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great anthology by Lin Carter.