What do you think?
Rate this book
The Book of Hyperborea #3
The Testament of Athammaus
Completed February 1931. First published in Weird Tales, October 1932.
Unknown Binding
19 people want to read
About the author
Clark Ashton Smith
724 books1,010 followersClark Ashton Smith was a poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. It is for these stories, and his literary friendship with H. P. Lovecraft from 1922 until Lovecraft's death in 1937, that he is mainly remembered today. With Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, also a friend and correspondent, Smith remains one of the most famous contributors to the pulp magazine Weird Tales.
His writings are posted at his official website.
His writings are posted at his official website.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 1, 2020
My word but that Athammaus was a pencil pushing jobs worth. He has managed to take a story about an evil snake monster creature continuously rising from the dead and turn it into a civil servants report.
I only stuck with this one as I literally have nowt else to do and thought the ending might be worth it. It wasn't. I also would have given this one star but that (in my world) is reserved for books I don't finish.
I can see that Ashton-Smith was writing this from a fine upstanding member of societies point of view, but good heaven he could have made that bloke slightly more interesting, even the scenes where snakey monster is eating people are laughable at best.
A good opportunity wasted. Bah.
I only stuck with this one as I literally have nowt else to do and thought the ending might be worth it. It wasn't. I also would have given this one star but that (in my world) is reserved for books I don't finish.
I can see that Ashton-Smith was writing this from a fine upstanding member of societies point of view, but good heaven he could have made that bloke slightly more interesting, even the scenes where snakey monster is eating people are laughable at best.
A good opportunity wasted. Bah.
October 22, 2024
Always burn your dead.
October 28, 2025
Mel Dels... Clark Ashton Smith em seu delírio genial.
Knygathin Zhaum — uma pessoa, ou ao menos um humanóide (com nome e sobrenome), de coloração aposemática preta e amarela — lidera um bando de criminosos peludos e abjetos, os Voormis, que espalham terror nos arredores da resplandecente Commoriom. As forças da lei acabam capturando o bandido, mas... a narrativa, que começa mundana, se transmuta lentamente em algo pavoroso, cósmico, absolutamente lovecraftiano.
Zhaum se recusa a permanecer enterrado; grotesca paródia do Cristo, ele ressuscita modificado a cada vez mais inumano, e volta a caminhar entre os homens espalhando terror. Nenhum caixão metálico, por mais fortificado, consegue contê-lo. No fim, é o próprio horror que expulsa todos os habitantes da cidade. E o carrasco-chefe, Athammaus, exilado agora em outra urbe, narra a terrível história
Knygathin Zhaum — uma pessoa, ou ao menos um humanóide (com nome e sobrenome), de coloração aposemática preta e amarela — lidera um bando de criminosos peludos e abjetos, os Voormis, que espalham terror nos arredores da resplandecente Commoriom. As forças da lei acabam capturando o bandido, mas... a narrativa, que começa mundana, se transmuta lentamente em algo pavoroso, cósmico, absolutamente lovecraftiano.
Zhaum se recusa a permanecer enterrado; grotesca paródia do Cristo, ele ressuscita modificado a cada vez mais inumano, e volta a caminhar entre os homens espalhando terror. Nenhum caixão metálico, por mais fortificado, consegue contê-lo. No fim, é o próprio horror que expulsa todos os habitantes da cidade. E o carrasco-chefe, Athammaus, exilado agora em outra urbe, narra a terrível história
May 13, 2025
bit of a lacking ending, but by God Clark Ashton Smith was an amazing wordsmith. This tale was superb, and gripping.
September 20, 2025
weird horror short story by a master
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews