New Worlds for Old

by Lin Carter (Editor/Contributor), William Beckford (contributor), Edgar Allan Poe (Contributor)

"Introduction: Makers of Worlds" (Lin Carter)
"Zulkaïs and Kalilah (The Third Episode of Vathek)" (William Beckford; translated by Clark Ashton Smith)
"Silence: a Fable" (Edgar Allan Poe)
"The Romance of Photgen and Nycteris" (George MacDonald)
"The Sphinx" (Oscar Wilde)
"The Fall of Babbulkund" (Lord Dunsany)
"The Green Meadow" (H. P. Lovecraft)
"The Feast in the House of the Worm" (Gary Myers)
"Zingazar" (Lin Carter) (Simrana series)
"A Wine of Wizardry" (poem) (George Sterling)
"The Garden of Fear" (Robert E. Howard)
"Jirel Meets Magic" (C. L. Moore)
"Duar the Accursed" (Clifford Ball)
"The Hashish Eater, or, the Apocalypse of Evil" (poem) (Clark Ashton Smith)
"The Party at Lady Cusp-Canine's" (Mervyn Peake)
"The Sword of Power (from Khymyrium)" (Lin Carter) (Khymyrium fragment)

Genres: Fantasy, Anthologies, Short Stories, Speculative Fiction

326 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1971

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

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories, from authors both luminary and forgotten. George MacDonald's The Romance of Photogen and Nycteris was one of my favorites, feeling like a Studio Ghibli movie before that was a thing. Not every entry was a winner - Clark Ashton Smith's poem overstays its welcome, and the Mervin Peake story just seems bewildering without context. But the highs far outweigh the lows.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carter's framework is the progression towards what he calls "imaginitive world fantasy": fantasy fiction set in an invented world, as opposed to lost, legendary, or ancient places on Earth. He hangs his introductory material on this thesis and carries it through the supposed predecessors of and successors to William Morris (The Well at World's End), who is declared the start of the genre, but then he goes into discussions of evolutionary lines through William Beckford, Lord Dunsany, and Robert E. Howard.

None of this actually carries through to the most modern examples he presents, but then the collection is not diminished by its faulty presentation, especially since even now much of it is difficult to obtain. The only fault in the collection itself is that it represents a broad range--William Beckford up through Gary Myers and Lin Carter himself, and three lengthy examples of rather ornate poetry--requiring an equally broad range of appreciation. My interest was a first exposure to Beckford, Myers, and Ball, and I felt well rewarded by the experience.

Carter's own contributions are, of course, the weakest of the bunch. "Zingazar" is a lesser and bloodier retelling of Dunsany's "The Sword of Welleran".

Carter apparently had high hopes for his Khymyrium series, of which "The Sword of Power" is some miniscule fragment (three chapters of the first book in a planned seven volume, 750,000-word epic covering a thousand years of fictional history). It was interesting to see what he had in mind: an incredibly ambitious epic in an ornate Homeric style with the total invention of a cosmology, ecology, history, magic, and religion, as though to replicate Tolkien's legendarium on an even more complete scale (even going for fictional metals and gemstones).

This particular excerpt is about a man refusing to sell his weapon. I'm not surprised Carter didn't have enough traction to finish the thing. You could argue that the task was too large, or that the task was too large for him. In either case I was not particularly impressed.

[Gaze Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting collection as a majority of the stories collected in this anthology are hard to find otherwise. Although, I would not call it an especially successful anthology. Part of the problem is that it attempts to present a very wide cross-section of what the editor, Lin Carter, believes to be great examples of fantasy for adults. There is no doubt that Lin Carter was a well-read man, and he even considers himself to be part of this literary canon as he "humbly" includes two of his own stories in the collection... They are the weakest stories of the bunch. That is not to say they are bad, but they do pale in comparison to some of the more choicer morsels of fiction included within. It is evident that Lin Carter has a wide and researched appreciation for adult Fantasy, but I find his appreciation to be too wide, and this is evident in the collection of stories itself which seem to be arranged fairly chronologically to when they were first published. The earlier stories show much more craft and subtlety in their written style and ideas, whereas the later half of stories feel more like pulp fiction publications trying to recreate the older style, and not always successfully.

There are some gems in the anthology that I feel are worth a special mention. Right off the bat, the collection started out strong with "Zulkaïs and Kalilah" by William Beckford. This is a "lost" episode that was originally supposed to be part of his famous novel "Vathek." This particular episode was never finished, although Beckford left notes on how he planned to conclude the story. The version included in this anthology IS finished and by another eminent Fantasy luminary Clark Ashton-Smith no less, who also translated the version here from French to English. This story alone was for me worth the price of admission. However, there is more...
"The Fall of Babbulkund" by Lord Dunsany was another standout story for me. He manages to conjure up a fantastical ancient city, the likes of Babylon or even Irem, the mythical city of pillars from Arabic folklore. The writing style Lord Dunsany employs also evokes the same feeling as a Biblical Old Testament story, or the Epic of Gilgamesh. Although a short story, we are led to picture the grandeur and beauty of this ancient city and we feel a great loss for when the city ends up being destroyed. And Lord Dunsany is able to bring this feeling out in us in the span of only a couple of pages.
"Jiril Meets Magic" by C.L. Moore was another favourite of mine, although rather pulply in feel, much more in line with Robert E. Howard's style of Sword and Sandal type of fantasy fiction. (One of his stories also makes an appearance in this collection too.) C.L. Moore's style rivals that of Howard. Making the protagonist, Jiril, a female Barbarian was also a nice touch, especially because her depiction was not overly sexualised as they often tend to be in this genre. She is presented as a strong and capable leader, rivalling Conan the Barbarian in bravery and wits. My first introduction to this Jiril and C.L. Moore and I am interested in reading more of her adventures.

So in conclusion, while not a spectacular anthology it is undoubtedly an interesting one containing rare curiosities that perhaps fell by the wayside of popularity for a reason. (See for example the poem by Edgar Allen Poe, and the unpublished Chapter from "Titus Groan" by Mervyn Peake.) Still for fans of adult fantasy there is much to enjoy here.

[Blakerton Barwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Worlds for Old is an anthology collection by Ballantine Books in 1971, meant to serve as a sampler for fantasy authors/works and includes in the introduction by Lin Carter, a list of authors fantasy fans should check out.
The following is a simple, thumbs-up/thumbs-down, review for each story therein, recommend checking out anything with more than one thumbs-up:

The Third Episode of Vathek by William Beckford (translated by Clark Ashton Smith) - 👍👍👍
Silence: A Fable by Edgar Allen Poe 👎
The Romance of Photogen and Nycteris (The Day Boy and The Night Girl) by George MacDonald 👍👍
The Sphinx by Oscar Wilde 👍
The Fall of Babbulkund by Lord Dunsany 👎
The Green Meadow by H.P. Lovecraft 👎
The Feast in the House of the Worm by Gary Myers 👎
Zingazar by Lin Carter 👍
A Wine of Wizardry by George Sterling 👍
The Garden of Fear by Robert E. Howard 👍👍
Jirel Meets Magic by C.L. Moore 👍👍👍
Duar the Accursed by Clifford Ball 👍
The Hashish-Eater by Clark Ashton Smith 👍
The Party at Lady Cusp-Canine's by Mervyn Peake 👎👎 (this is a cut chapter from Titus Alone, not a short story)
The Sword of Power by Lin Carter 👎 (this is an excerpt from Lin Carters Khymyrium, not a short story)

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm familiar with most of the material here but this is still an excellent collection, featuring work by Dunsany, William Beckford, Mevyn Peake, Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft, plus writers I know less well, such as Clifford Ball and Gary Myers. There's no particular theme beyond "imaginary world fantasy" to tie them together but that's okay. Lin Carter's contributions to his own anthology are weakest (I admire his cheek in describing a blatant knockoff of one Dunsany story as "Dunsany inspired"), and I couldn't finish the two fantasy poems. Overall though, well worth reading if you like this sort of thing.