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Tales of Zothique #2
The Isle Of The Torturers
Fabuloso relato que pasa rápidamente de la fantasía al terror.
Originalmente, Valdemar la publicó en las páginas 259 a 276 de la colección "Zothique, el último continente"
( La editorial lo ofreció gratuitamente en la red como ayuda para el confinamiento por la pandemia del COVID-19 el 21 de marzo de 2020.
Originalmente, Valdemar la publicó en las páginas 259 a 276 de la colección "Zothique, el último continente"
( La editorial lo ofreció gratuitamente en la red como ayuda para el confinamiento por la pandemia del COVID-19 el 21 de marzo de 2020.
10 pages, ebook
Published March 1, 1933
21 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 5, 2021
El relato se basa en una enfermedad llamada: la muerte plateada, asolo la ciudad de Yoros; algo visto en otra novela más conocida: "la peste" de Albert Camus, "la peste escarlata" de Jack London o la mascara de la muerte roja.
Al rey Fulbra hijo de Altath, asumió un pueblo casi muerto y entonces un hechicero de nombre Vemdeez, le confecciona un anillo, para protegerlo de la muerte. (Decir más es arruinarles el relato)
Es lo segundo que leo de Ashton Smith, el primer relato no me gusto, me decepciono. Este relato me gusto mucho, algo que valoro es la originalidad. Obviamente, como decía el rey Salomón: "No hay nada nuevo, bajo el sol", pero como cada persona, es única e irrepetible, tenemos nuestra propia visión de las cosas, nuestras propias experiencias, decepciones, sueños, etc y por eso lo de ser originales, es una falsa premisa, porque lo importante es darle un toque diferente.
Es un relato con una narración un tanto rebuscada, pero simple, los actos están bien encajados, es fácil predecir el final y además: te da un poco de bronca y tristeza.
"Así el corazón de Fulbra enfermo, con una desesperación más profunda, que ninguna que hubiera conocido nunca. El breve y tierno amor que había nacido entre la pena y la agonía, pereció dejando solo cenizas mojadas en hiel".
Al rey Fulbra hijo de Altath, asumió un pueblo casi muerto y entonces un hechicero de nombre Vemdeez, le confecciona un anillo, para protegerlo de la muerte. (Decir más es arruinarles el relato)
Es lo segundo que leo de Ashton Smith, el primer relato no me gusto, me decepciono. Este relato me gusto mucho, algo que valoro es la originalidad. Obviamente, como decía el rey Salomón: "No hay nada nuevo, bajo el sol", pero como cada persona, es única e irrepetible, tenemos nuestra propia visión de las cosas, nuestras propias experiencias, decepciones, sueños, etc y por eso lo de ser originales, es una falsa premisa, porque lo importante es darle un toque diferente.
Es un relato con una narración un tanto rebuscada, pero simple, los actos están bien encajados, es fácil predecir el final y además: te da un poco de bronca y tristeza.
"Así el corazón de Fulbra enfermo, con una desesperación más profunda, que ninguna que hubiera conocido nunca. El breve y tierno amor que había nacido entre la pena y la agonía, pereció dejando solo cenizas mojadas en hiel".
December 29, 2025
1933 Weird Tales story, available free in many places. I found it here: https://www.libraryofshortstories.com...
As I was reading this story, I was reminded of the embellished verbosity of Jim Theis' The Eye of Argon, but without the invented vocabulary and exuberant grammatical errors. A well-written, if grim, adventure tale on the high seas, Smith pens a story of shipwreck, torture, and ultimate vengeance. The story is, however, full of veiled racism towards Asian persons, and seems to treat slavery as a commonplace institution. I'll have to look up Clark Ashton Smith and see if he was from the American South, or if these nativist, racist ideas just came naturally to him.
As I was reading this story, I was reminded of the embellished verbosity of Jim Theis' The Eye of Argon, but without the invented vocabulary and exuberant grammatical errors. A well-written, if grim, adventure tale on the high seas, Smith pens a story of shipwreck, torture, and ultimate vengeance. The story is, however, full of veiled racism towards Asian persons, and seems to treat slavery as a commonplace institution. I'll have to look up Clark Ashton Smith and see if he was from the American South, or if these nativist, racist ideas just came naturally to him.
February 23, 2025
A dark-fantasy short story, I don't want to spoil it.
Diggers died in the half completed graves they had dug for others; but no one came to dispute their possession.
This sentence had me. It's fantastic.
4/5
A good illustration of what I enjoy about Clark Ashton Smith. There's so many creepy, weird, and unsettling elements to this story from the torturers to the Silver Death plague. It's jam packed with dark and twisted places and things.
Rich and descriptive phrases were, only irritation is he compared things to blood or the color of blood a bit much, it started to feel redundant. I realize the effect he's going for, but a thesaurus or bit of alternate phrasing could have gone a long way and still had the desired effect.
Diggers died in the half completed graves they had dug for others; but no one came to dispute their possession.
This sentence had me. It's fantastic.
4/5
A good illustration of what I enjoy about Clark Ashton Smith. There's so many creepy, weird, and unsettling elements to this story from the torturers to the Silver Death plague. It's jam packed with dark and twisted places and things.
Rich and descriptive phrases were, only irritation is he compared things to blood or the color of blood a bit much, it started to feel redundant. I realize the effect he's going for, but a thesaurus or bit of alternate phrasing could have gone a long way and still had the desired effect.
February 17, 2024
There is a stench of feeble nay-saying to life in the Isle of the Torturers.
The king of Yoros, Fulbra, is the sole survivor of the Silver Death epidemic stalking the streets of his kingdom. He has been spared by the magickal, wizardous spellcraft charm of his erstwhile, resident astrologer mage, who presented him a ring that can ward off "this mysterious malady, heretofore unknown on earth", in spite of the fact that "none knew the secret of its contagion or the cure". Fulbra's despair is so deep that he can't be bothered to off himself, so he decides to travel to a remote isle of his dominion instead, for a little rest cure.
In his voyage, he is met with a veritable oceanic spectacle: the colours glimmer before his eyes, an ominous calm descends upon the vessel and then the waters begin to surge to heavens and to hells. The onset of the disaster is proclaimed quite impressively, albeit with some strangely puny accentuation:
Then, suddenly and at high noon, there fell an airless calm, and the waters became as purple glass about the barge. The sky changed to a dome of beaten copper, arching close and low; and as if by some evil wizardry, the dome darkened with untimely night, and a tempest rose like the gathered breath of mighty devils and shaped the sea into vast ridges, and abysmal valleys. The mast of ebony snapped like a reed in the wind, and the sail was torn asunder, and the helpless vessel pitched headlong in the dark troughs and was hurled upward through veils of blinding foam to the giddy summits of the billows.
In the midst of the stormy narration, we get this odd descriptive piece:
"Then, in that lurid dusk, he beheld at intervals another vessel that rode the storm-driven sea, not far from the barge. He thought that the vessel was a galley such as might be used by merchants that voyaged among the southern isles, trading for incense and plumes and vermilion; but its oars were mostly broken, and the toppled mast and sail hung forward on the prow."
One could write this informative background check off as simply a misplaced item, but at the same time I think it also sheds light on the detached mindset of our protagonist Fulbra. During the entire voyage, Clark Ashton Smith is at pains to remind us that the young king is still quite gloomy over the ravages of the Silver Death, and even when the sudden storm reaches its most ferocious pitch, it still appears that the events are not fully registered by the despairing monarch.
Well, then we reach the shore in one magical swoop, and of course it happens to be the shore of the island of Torturers. Naturally, Fulbra has heard of this place and can give us a little run-down of it through the third-person narration, and naturally we require a tacked-on expounding on why the seas were so stormy: "Also, it was believed that the Torturers were great magicians who could raise mighty storms with their enchantments, and could cause vessels to be carried far from the maritime routes, and then fling them ashore upon Uccastrog.". Topping.
So, the island is a nest of sadism and grim cruelty. As an example of this, Fulbra's cell has a glass wall, through which he can see, in the flickering light of flaming cressets, the underground waters filled with fish mutants and the lidless corpses of old torture victims, some of which include the slaves from his voyage. But in spite of all the tortures that the young monarch has to withstand, the only thing that keeps him going is the idea of this one young girl who happened to pass him by while he was escorted to his cell. One should have known that the precipitate introduction of such a lovely figure was just a ruse on Smith's part: the girl played the role of the most damnable force in the vase of Pandora, Hope.
So, to recap. We have a despairing prince, not quite despairing enough to commit suicide, but still one of a pretty clouded brow. He wishes to flee not only his own death, but the death of his social standing withal and the people over whom he was supposed to reign. In his strangely detached modus of hope, he comes across a hell-on-earth scenario of falling captive to torturers, who truly enjoy inflicting all modes of pain. They even have the gall of playing the "a pretty girl will help you out" trick on Fulbra. What is there to do?
To die, and to kill everyone while doing so. Let the Silver Death, whose germs Fulbra had been carrying in abeyance, be unleashed upon the island, so that the power struggles can finally be laid to rest.
So Ildrac, in his turn, when all the others had fallen, was smitten by the Silver Death; and its peace descended upon him where he lay in his robes of blood-brightened purple, with features shining palely to the unclouded sun. And oblivion claimed the Isle of Uccastrog; and the Torturers were one with the tortured.
In this final depiction of the king of the torturers, it is implied that the desire for torture was actually something that wracked them. Death cures them of such perverted ambitions. This was even stated before the excerpt above: "... and the other captives of King Ildrac were released thereby from their various torments; and the Torturers found surcease from the dire longing that they could assuage only through the pain of their fellowmen."
As I said at the beginning, there is a veritable stench of nay-saying to life in this story. And it is feeble. Other authors can describe death quite beautifully, even if they go for a shocking perverted angle (Poe and Baudelaire are the ones springing to mind). Here, we don't have much depictions of death but rather merely a pageant of grotesque bombast of how little life is worth in Smith's universe. The ones living have somehow to come to terms with the terror of life-in-the-shadow-of-death, and none of them really find it an enjoyable course of action.
The sole remedy is to be found in the transfixion of the Silver Death—and the tragedy seems to be, that they did not realise it sooner.
The king of Yoros, Fulbra, is the sole survivor of the Silver Death epidemic stalking the streets of his kingdom. He has been spared by the magickal, wizardous spellcraft charm of his erstwhile, resident astrologer mage, who presented him a ring that can ward off "this mysterious malady, heretofore unknown on earth", in spite of the fact that "none knew the secret of its contagion or the cure". Fulbra's despair is so deep that he can't be bothered to off himself, so he decides to travel to a remote isle of his dominion instead, for a little rest cure.
In his voyage, he is met with a veritable oceanic spectacle: the colours glimmer before his eyes, an ominous calm descends upon the vessel and then the waters begin to surge to heavens and to hells. The onset of the disaster is proclaimed quite impressively, albeit with some strangely puny accentuation:
Then, suddenly and at high noon, there fell an airless calm, and the waters became as purple glass about the barge. The sky changed to a dome of beaten copper, arching close and low; and as if by some evil wizardry, the dome darkened with untimely night, and a tempest rose like the gathered breath of mighty devils and shaped the sea into vast ridges, and abysmal valleys. The mast of ebony snapped like a reed in the wind, and the sail was torn asunder, and the helpless vessel pitched headlong in the dark troughs and was hurled upward through veils of blinding foam to the giddy summits of the billows.
In the midst of the stormy narration, we get this odd descriptive piece:
"Then, in that lurid dusk, he beheld at intervals another vessel that rode the storm-driven sea, not far from the barge. He thought that the vessel was a galley such as might be used by merchants that voyaged among the southern isles, trading for incense and plumes and vermilion; but its oars were mostly broken, and the toppled mast and sail hung forward on the prow."
One could write this informative background check off as simply a misplaced item, but at the same time I think it also sheds light on the detached mindset of our protagonist Fulbra. During the entire voyage, Clark Ashton Smith is at pains to remind us that the young king is still quite gloomy over the ravages of the Silver Death, and even when the sudden storm reaches its most ferocious pitch, it still appears that the events are not fully registered by the despairing monarch.
Well, then we reach the shore in one magical swoop, and of course it happens to be the shore of the island of Torturers. Naturally, Fulbra has heard of this place and can give us a little run-down of it through the third-person narration, and naturally we require a tacked-on expounding on why the seas were so stormy: "Also, it was believed that the Torturers were great magicians who could raise mighty storms with their enchantments, and could cause vessels to be carried far from the maritime routes, and then fling them ashore upon Uccastrog.". Topping.
So, the island is a nest of sadism and grim cruelty. As an example of this, Fulbra's cell has a glass wall, through which he can see, in the flickering light of flaming cressets, the underground waters filled with fish mutants and the lidless corpses of old torture victims, some of which include the slaves from his voyage. But in spite of all the tortures that the young monarch has to withstand, the only thing that keeps him going is the idea of this one young girl who happened to pass him by while he was escorted to his cell. One should have known that the precipitate introduction of such a lovely figure was just a ruse on Smith's part: the girl played the role of the most damnable force in the vase of Pandora, Hope.
So, to recap. We have a despairing prince, not quite despairing enough to commit suicide, but still one of a pretty clouded brow. He wishes to flee not only his own death, but the death of his social standing withal and the people over whom he was supposed to reign. In his strangely detached modus of hope, he comes across a hell-on-earth scenario of falling captive to torturers, who truly enjoy inflicting all modes of pain. They even have the gall of playing the "a pretty girl will help you out" trick on Fulbra. What is there to do?
To die, and to kill everyone while doing so. Let the Silver Death, whose germs Fulbra had been carrying in abeyance, be unleashed upon the island, so that the power struggles can finally be laid to rest.
So Ildrac, in his turn, when all the others had fallen, was smitten by the Silver Death; and its peace descended upon him where he lay in his robes of blood-brightened purple, with features shining palely to the unclouded sun. And oblivion claimed the Isle of Uccastrog; and the Torturers were one with the tortured.
In this final depiction of the king of the torturers, it is implied that the desire for torture was actually something that wracked them. Death cures them of such perverted ambitions. This was even stated before the excerpt above: "... and the other captives of King Ildrac were released thereby from their various torments; and the Torturers found surcease from the dire longing that they could assuage only through the pain of their fellowmen."
As I said at the beginning, there is a veritable stench of nay-saying to life in this story. And it is feeble. Other authors can describe death quite beautifully, even if they go for a shocking perverted angle (Poe and Baudelaire are the ones springing to mind). Here, we don't have much depictions of death but rather merely a pageant of grotesque bombast of how little life is worth in Smith's universe. The ones living have somehow to come to terms with the terror of life-in-the-shadow-of-death, and none of them really find it an enjoyable course of action.
The sole remedy is to be found in the transfixion of the Silver Death—and the tragedy seems to be, that they did not realise it sooner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2024
Das ist meine zweite C.A.S. Geschichte und ich finde an diesem Autor immer mehr gefallen. Ein Teil von mir wünscht sich, es gäbe ganze Romane dieser Ideen, aber dem anderen ist klar, dass die Genialität dieser Geschichten eben darin besteht, wie kurzbündig sie sind. Diese Geschichte besteht sogar aus mehreren „Abschnitten“, die jeweils sowohl Haupt-, als auch Vorgeschichte lilefern.
(+)
- Wir bekommen mit dem Antagonisten das pure Böse, was schon auf übertriebene Weise cool war
- Ich mochte Ilvaas Rolle
- Schönes Ende
(-)
- Die Foltermethoden sind etwas seltsam, was aber auch gewollt sein könnte
Mein Booktube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWsL...
Mein Bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nico_fantas...
(+)
- Wir bekommen mit dem Antagonisten das pure Böse, was schon auf übertriebene Weise cool war
- Ich mochte Ilvaas Rolle
- Schönes Ende
(-)
- Die Foltermethoden sind etwas seltsam, was aber auch gewollt sein könnte
Mein Booktube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWsL...
Mein Bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nico_fantas...
October 3, 2018
Yikes, the story is decent save the blatant Asian caricatures as villains. A product of its time, no masterpiece feel free to skip.
December 2, 2020
Sounds like Manhattan to me. King Ildrac = Mayor Wilhelm (de Blasio), Ilvaa = Chirlane (Mrs. Wilhelm), and the Silver Death = the Coronavirus.
May 1, 2024
Dark words lead the reader through a dire situation and a tormented outcome. Clark did a good job of showing the psychological weariness of Fulbra's situation.
The last continent, Zothique. Yoros, in the southern region, has heard the prophecies of
The Abominations of Yondo
The Charnel God
The Dark Eidolon
The Death of Malygris
The Double Shadow
The Empire of the Necromancers
The Isle of Torturers
Necromancy in Naat
The Tale of Satampra Zeiros
The Tomb-Spawn
The Voyage of King Eurovan
The Weaver in the Vault
The last continent, Zothique. Yoros, in the southern region, has heard the prophecies of
The Abominations of Yondo
The Charnel God
The Dark Eidolon
The Death of Malygris
The Double Shadow
The Empire of the Necromancers
The Isle of Torturers
Necromancy in Naat
The Tale of Satampra Zeiros
The Tomb-Spawn
The Voyage of King Eurovan
The Weaver in the Vault
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews