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The Averoigne Archives
ENTER THE HAUNTED LAND OF AVEROIGNE Collected into one volume are all of "Weird Tales" author Clark Ashton Smith's short stories of Averoigne, the sinister, monster-haunted province of medieval France. Werewolves and satyrs stalk the dark forests, witches and necromancers lurk in the swamps, and gargoyles and giants terrorize the cathedral city of Vy�nes in the heart of Averoigne. Even the holy Abbey of P�rigon is defiled by cursed statues and demons from the stars. Come, explore the mysteries of Averoigne... if you dare.Includes these stories by Clark Ashton Smith: Mother of ToadsThe Maker of GargoylesThe Holiness of Az�daracA Night in Maln�antThe Colossus of YlourgneThe Enchantress of SylaireThe Beast of AveroigneThe MandrakesA Rendezvous in AveroigneThe Disinterment of VenusThe SatyrThe End of the StoryAveroigne (poem)...and a map of Averoigne by Tim Kirk!
204 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2019
30 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Clark Ashton Smith
720 books996 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.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 2, 2020
Modern Lovecraft-inspired compilations often have a theme such as "What if Sherlock Holmes faced Mythosian creatures" or "What would the Cthulhu Mythos look like in Renaissance Italy or in the Beverly Hills 90210 tv show" or whatever gimmick that ranges from the truly inspired to the absolutely absurd, though sometimes the really good ones aren't the truly inspired nor the bad ones the absolutely absurd, since it's all in the actual execution.
Though I was aware of the existence of this short story cycle and kept meaning to read it for years, I was totally unaware that Clark Ashton Smith had already done something like this back in the day with his Averoigne series of short stories, which basically (at least partly) deal with Mythosian themes in a fictional province of medieval France called Averoigne, which is far removed from the early 20th century anglophone setting of classic Mythosian stories.
The stories are pulpy as all hell, as well they should be since they were originally printed in issues of Weird Tales if I'm not mistaken, but they're unsurprisingly fun and rather interesting. They don't shy away from the classic "ignorant dumbass dabbles with something better left alone and dies as a result" template old HP loved to use, but there are a few that don't go that route and could even be considered to have somewhat of a happy ending. Also, Clark Ashton Smith isn't repulsed by sexuality unlike Lovecraft himself, so you get both sides of it in the series, the bad kind where it ties in to the evil stuff (like in the first story of the cycle, "Mother of Toads") and the good kind where it's tied to simple physical pleasure and even maybe love (like in "The Holiness of Azédarac.")
Like Lumley, Clark Ashton Smith strays from the classic Lovecraftian idea that man lives in an uncaring universe and is a speck of meaningless matter that is irrelevant to the incomprehensible beings that exist out there, and the Mythosian entities are cast in a more simplistic Good vs Evil role against mankind and maybe other entities, but the author's heroes, as much as they can be considered that, are more closely related to HP's sad powerless saps than to Lumley's more capable sort, who often actively fight and win against Satanic and Mythosian forces.
When I was a kid I read a lot of Lovecraft and then a fair amount of Derleth, Bloch, Lumley, Howard and Ashton Smith, but I missed a lot of their stuff because it wasn't as easy to find in those days before the internet and ebooks were really a thing, so I'm glad that I'm finally going back and filling in the gaps. I do enjoy a good Lovecraftian pastiche or homage, and these guys are the original disciples.
Though I was aware of the existence of this short story cycle and kept meaning to read it for years, I was totally unaware that Clark Ashton Smith had already done something like this back in the day with his Averoigne series of short stories, which basically (at least partly) deal with Mythosian themes in a fictional province of medieval France called Averoigne, which is far removed from the early 20th century anglophone setting of classic Mythosian stories.
The stories are pulpy as all hell, as well they should be since they were originally printed in issues of Weird Tales if I'm not mistaken, but they're unsurprisingly fun and rather interesting. They don't shy away from the classic "ignorant dumbass dabbles with something better left alone and dies as a result" template old HP loved to use, but there are a few that don't go that route and could even be considered to have somewhat of a happy ending. Also, Clark Ashton Smith isn't repulsed by sexuality unlike Lovecraft himself, so you get both sides of it in the series, the bad kind where it ties in to the evil stuff (like in the first story of the cycle, "Mother of Toads") and the good kind where it's tied to simple physical pleasure and even maybe love (like in "The Holiness of Azédarac.")
Like Lumley, Clark Ashton Smith strays from the classic Lovecraftian idea that man lives in an uncaring universe and is a speck of meaningless matter that is irrelevant to the incomprehensible beings that exist out there, and the Mythosian entities are cast in a more simplistic Good vs Evil role against mankind and maybe other entities, but the author's heroes, as much as they can be considered that, are more closely related to HP's sad powerless saps than to Lumley's more capable sort, who often actively fight and win against Satanic and Mythosian forces.
When I was a kid I read a lot of Lovecraft and then a fair amount of Derleth, Bloch, Lumley, Howard and Ashton Smith, but I missed a lot of their stuff because it wasn't as easy to find in those days before the internet and ebooks were really a thing, so I'm glad that I'm finally going back and filling in the gaps. I do enjoy a good Lovecraftian pastiche or homage, and these guys are the original disciples.
June 3, 2021
I always liked the idea of reading CAS more than the actual experience of it, going by the few Hyborea and Zothique stories I’d read. I came to Averoigne expecting a similar amount of effort being required. But I was pleasantly surprised to find these clicked with me immediately. This is probably because they are grounded in a pseudo-historical medieval France setting. It gives the reader something to hold on to while savoring the weirder bits. CAS did have a wicked sense of humor. Many of these stories end badly, one way or the other. But in stead of being crushingly grim (like HPL) these are grimly amusing. Recommended.
February 4, 2023
It’s been almost a year, but I’ve finally finished all of the stories within Clark Ashton Smith’s Averoigne Cycle.
Now that might sound bad, but it’s really just coming to learn my tastes where I’ve realized that I enjoy short story collections and anthologies if I space out the stories in them. I remember them better too. So I took my time and started up the next story whenever I felt like returning to the haunted and eerie forests of Averoigne. And to be fair, the first couple of stories were only middling to me, and my enjoyment afterwards varied, so it was a little bit before I finally clicked with the setting and retroactively appreciated the prior stories more.
I did read the stories in chronological order rather than the one that’s in this collection, as I wanted to follow Averoigne’s development as Smith wrote them. And it seems, similar to Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith will reference events and characters from prior stories.
My spoilery thoughts below about the stories:
As I was passing the halfway point, something clicked and I finally started to get the appeal of Smith. While Lovecraft stories focus on his cosmic mythology and creating wonderfully horrific atmospheres, and Robert E Howard’s stories focus on chronicling larger than life characters, Smith seems best at creating settings. Averoigne, Hyperborea, and Zothique, though there are the Martian tales, Poseidonis, and Xiccarph.
Of his three major cycles, Averoigne seems to be of lesser popularity. I don’t see it mentioned all that much even from Smith fans. And looking back at the stories individually, I can see why: most aren’t much to write home about on their own. The sum of the stories and the setting they create is greater than any of them merit on their own (minus “The Beast of Averoigne”). I feel the little fondness I see for it stems from its seeming inspiration from DnD modules.
So while some/most of these stories might not approach my favorite weird tales, I was still sad when I finished the last of them. I have come to enjoy Averoigne, and look forward to revisiting it in this anthology. But onward to Hyperborea and Zothique!
Now that might sound bad, but it’s really just coming to learn my tastes where I’ve realized that I enjoy short story collections and anthologies if I space out the stories in them. I remember them better too. So I took my time and started up the next story whenever I felt like returning to the haunted and eerie forests of Averoigne. And to be fair, the first couple of stories were only middling to me, and my enjoyment afterwards varied, so it was a little bit before I finally clicked with the setting and retroactively appreciated the prior stories more.
I did read the stories in chronological order rather than the one that’s in this collection, as I wanted to follow Averoigne’s development as Smith wrote them. And it seems, similar to Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith will reference events and characters from prior stories.
My spoilery thoughts below about the stories:
As I was passing the halfway point, something clicked and I finally started to get the appeal of Smith. While Lovecraft stories focus on his cosmic mythology and creating wonderfully horrific atmospheres, and Robert E Howard’s stories focus on chronicling larger than life characters, Smith seems best at creating settings. Averoigne, Hyperborea, and Zothique, though there are the Martian tales, Poseidonis, and Xiccarph.
Of his three major cycles, Averoigne seems to be of lesser popularity. I don’t see it mentioned all that much even from Smith fans. And looking back at the stories individually, I can see why: most aren’t much to write home about on their own. The sum of the stories and the setting they create is greater than any of them merit on their own (minus “The Beast of Averoigne”). I feel the little fondness I see for it stems from its seeming inspiration from DnD modules.
So while some/most of these stories might not approach my favorite weird tales, I was still sad when I finished the last of them. I have come to enjoy Averoigne, and look forward to revisiting it in this anthology. But onward to Hyperborea and Zothique!
December 28, 2025
Incredible work. I knew going in two things about Clark Ashton Smith two things - that he was verbose, and that HP Lovecraft effusively revered him. Having read Lovecraft's work and been largely put off by it for various reasons, that made me kind of cagey going in - but I also knew that basically every fantasy creator I know who mentions Smith has the same effusive praise Lovecraft did.
So I wasn't *too* surprised when I wound up loving this book and the stories within. Excellent fairy tale-esque, supernatural horror stories, atmospheric setting, fully realized and humanized characters, a good mix of basic concepts and groundbreaking Lovecraftian ideas. I fully get how this man influenced so many creators going forward, I was captivated by basically every story in this collection. Definitely recommend - I'll be checking out some of his other work going forward.
So I wasn't *too* surprised when I wound up loving this book and the stories within. Excellent fairy tale-esque, supernatural horror stories, atmospheric setting, fully realized and humanized characters, a good mix of basic concepts and groundbreaking Lovecraftian ideas. I fully get how this man influenced so many creators going forward, I was captivated by basically every story in this collection. Definitely recommend - I'll be checking out some of his other work going forward.
March 9, 2020
Smith wrote story cycles around various fantastic realms. Hyperborea dealt with a northern continent of the past, and Zothique contains stories in the far future with a dying sun.
After reading a collection of Smith stories (The Return of the Sorcerer), I got a dose of tales from these, as well as more minor cycles.
I found myself mostly enchanted with the stories of Averoigne, a mythical medieval French town.
So I thought I’d get a book with the complete cycle of tales.
Here you’ll find the fun stuff you’d expect from horror stories from medieval Europe: wizards, sexy enchantresses, werewolves, animated gargoyles, and toad loving witches.
These are wonderfully weird tales filled with horror, magic, mystery and the supernatural.
After reading a collection of Smith stories (The Return of the Sorcerer), I got a dose of tales from these, as well as more minor cycles.
I found myself mostly enchanted with the stories of Averoigne, a mythical medieval French town.
So I thought I’d get a book with the complete cycle of tales.
Here you’ll find the fun stuff you’d expect from horror stories from medieval Europe: wizards, sexy enchantresses, werewolves, animated gargoyles, and toad loving witches.
These are wonderfully weird tales filled with horror, magic, mystery and the supernatural.
July 7, 2020
No me gustó tanto como otras antologías de Clark Ashton Smith. Quizás tenía que ver con la traducción que encontré yo, o la compilación. Igual, si te gusta el autor, vale la pena leerlo, porque algunos cuentos están muy bien y van mucho con ese tono poético que tiene Smith.
April 19, 2022
“The Averoigne Archives” is a collection by Clark Aston Smith that includes all of his stories set in a fictional province of medieval France. This place is known as Averoigne, and it includes the cathedral city of Vyônes and the Abbey of Périgon. It has dark deep forests where werewolves and satyrs can be encountered, and in hidden places there remain ancient monuments to pagan gods. Sometimes, the unlucky find themselves passing through portals to parallel worlds, different times, or places of illusion.
Clark Ashton Smith was one of the Weird Tales authors, and a contemporary and correspondent of H. P. Lovecraft. I personally consider his work more dark fantasy than horror. He was also a poet, and his prose is lyrical and unique. His works can be found online, but e-book collections can be hit or miss. I think this particular publication is worthwhile as it collects all of the Averoigne stories in one volume.
Clark Ashton Smith was one of the Weird Tales authors, and a contemporary and correspondent of H. P. Lovecraft. I personally consider his work more dark fantasy than horror. He was also a poet, and his prose is lyrical and unique. His works can be found online, but e-book collections can be hit or miss. I think this particular publication is worthwhile as it collects all of the Averoigne stories in one volume.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews