Weird Legacies

by Mike Ashley (Editor)

Per tutto il periodo dal 1923 al 1954 il nome di Weird, Tales ha sollevato l’entusiasmo di tutti gli appassionati di fantascienza che prediligevano le tinte cupe alla Lovecraft. Ora Mike Ashley, uno dei massimi esperti di fantascienza inglese, ha raccolto in questa antologia alcune delle più belle storie apparse sulle famosa rivista americana ad opera di notissimi autori Robert Bloch, Henry Kuttner, H.P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, Ray Bradbury, Edmond Hamilton, Eric Frank Russel e altri. Il un’antologia mozzafiato che penetra nel misterioso reame della fantascienza insolita.

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Pulp, Anthologies

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Michael Raymond Donald Ashley is the author and editor of over sixty books that in total have sold over a million copies worldwide. He lives in Chatham, Kent.

Reviews

[Félix D'Jesús · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best:

"He That Hath Wings" by Edmond Hamilton
(5/5)

"The Distortion out of Space" by Francis Flagg. (5/5)

[Norm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thin volume is a worthy effort to offer stories from the pages of Weird Tales, in both its original and later incarnations. I'd like to add my two cents' worth regarding the stories, but I will start with the editor, Mike Ashley, who, along with fellow British author/anthologist Peter Haining (and others) writes so lovingly of the SF/Fantasy genres and their authors, I often enjoy his introductions more than the stories. There is also a Foreward by Robert Bloch, who shares a story entry with the great Henry Kuttner.

Skulls in the Stars (Robert E. Howard) - Solomon Kane is my favorite Robert E. Howard character, so I feel you can't go wrong with a Kane story.

The Three Marked Pennies (Mary Elizabeth Counselman) - MEC was a fine writer and deserves to be more widely published (and read), in my opinion.

He That Hath Wings (Edmond Hamilton) - by one of the pioneers of magazine SF/Fantasy Fiction.

The Distortion Out of Space (Francis Flagg) - A real gem and my favorite of the lot; one of those tales that reminded me why this type of story has always appealed to me...that "sense of wonder". It's a paean, I think, to the Master himself, H.P. Lovecraft. The descriptions of the Distortion (say that 3 times fast!) really had a dizzying, "where am I effect" on me. On a side note, this one has similarities to the great Richard Matheson's 1953 story "Little Girl Lost".

The Utmost Abomination (Clark Ashton Smith and Lin Carter). As Mike Ashley notes in his Introduction, just as HPL had his August Derleth and REH had his L. Sprague De Camp (I know...I know...) CAS had Lin Carter (again, I know...) but this is another one of those "sense of wonder" stories and a good example of why I've always enjoyed Smith's stories (although not too many at one time). His prose could benefit from a dictionary and maybe one or two reference volumes by the reader's side, but in my view, this is one of the reasons his stories seem so "other-worldly"; the far-flung prose just seems to match the far-flung locations and events in the stories.

Eternal Rediffusion (Eric Frank Russell and Leslie J. Johnson) I have read and enjoyed a few Russell stories, but this one was new to me. I also had no idea of EFR's collaborations with Leslie Johson.
This is yet another "sense of wonder" gem, although I would have preferred a different ending I appreciate any honest effort to carry the reader into the cosmos, especially in such a short story.

The Ducker (Ray Bradbury) - This was probably the most surpsising story for me, having read Mr. Bradbury for more than 50 years and yet I'd never heard of this story. The cruelest realities of War clash with the might of the human imagination.

The Black Kiss (Robert Bloch and Henry Kuttner) - Inspired by Lovecraft and deftly handled by this duo. Robert Bloch is a much read and loved author of the Fantastic and an excellent writer of short stories. Henry Kuttner, in my opinion, was also one of the finest short story writers of the time (along with his wife, C. L. Moore, whose collaborations were so finely meshed, it's sometimes tough to tell who wrote what). They were both excellent on their own, but they were probably equally formidable as a team. Sadly, "Hank" died much too young, in 1958 at the age of 42, so he tends to get overlooked, in my opinion, when genre writers of the time are discussed.

The Survivor (H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth) - What more can we say about H.P. Lovecraft? Sure, his prose has been called "wretched" and his attitudes (but not his actions, as far as I know) were terribly biased against pretty much everyone except White Anglo-Saxons. Yet, his incredible and galaxy-roaming imagination and his arcane writing style actually enhances the weirdness and "other-worldliness" of his stories (similar to Clark Ashton Smith, but to a lesser degree).
As for August Derleth, he was a tireless (but unfortunately, from what I've read) often a very contentious, even litigious, editor. I do enjoy his stories, though, including his Lovecraft and Sherlock (Solar Pons) Holmes "knock-offs" and I've always found them easy to read.

That about sums it up. There are many fine anthologies of WT stories, including the recent 3-volume extravaganza edited by Stephen Jones and issued by PS Publishing, in the U.K. But, if you are looking for a small, one-volume collection of WT stories, this is one I heartily recommend.

[Glen Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Weird Legacies” is a superb anthology of stories culled from “Weird Tales” magazine, a pioneer publication of strange and bizarre fantasy fiction that popularized such authors as H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Robert Bloch and others, many of whom are represented in this collection. Bloch’s forward “A word about the weird” provides some background to the magazine, as do Ashley’s detailed introductions to every story, providing the reader with a context in which to place them.
(Ratings are out of 5)

“Skull in the Stars” by Robert E. Howard
Famous for “Conan the Barbarian,” Howard also created “Solomon Kane,” a puritan swashbuckler who sought out evil men in the middle ages and vanquished them. In this tale, Kane ventures onto the moors to solve a mysterious murder. (5/5)

“The Three Marked Pennies” by Mary Elizabeth Counselman
Three pennies are circulated. One brings fortune, one brings travel and one brings death. But which is which? (5/5)

“He That Hath Wings” by Edmond Hamilton
A boy is born with wings but can he lead a normal life? (5/5)

“The Distortion out of Space” by Francis Flagg
When a meteor lands, it distorts time and space. (5/5)

“The Utmost Abomination” by Clark Ashton Smith and Lin Carter.
Dense other-worldly tale of serpents and sorcery (5/5)

“Eternal Rediffusion” by Eric Frank Russell and Leslie J. Johnson.
A racing driver dies and encounters life in another dimension (4/5)

“The Ducker” by Ray Bradbury
A simple minded man thinks that wartime combat is just a game. (5/5)

“The Black Kiss” by Robert Block and Henry Kuttner
A man inherits an old house by the sea, only to discover that an ancient creature has designs on him. (4/5)

“The Survivor” by H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth.
A man tries to solve the mystery of an old house and its previous occupant, who seems to have lived for centuries. (4/5)

Overall a worthy anthology, enhanced by Ashley’s introductions. For a newcomer to weird fiction, I found it engrossing and diverse and felt as if I were experiencing the magazine as it was in its heyday.

[Veraa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn, I liked this little book so much. Not every story was equally great but it's nice to read such weird and creepy stories :D

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superleuke verzameling van korte en vreemde en soms ook griezelige verhalen.

https://jenniemeid.blogspot.com/2025/...