The Last Continent: New Tales of Zothique [Hardcover]

This is a tribute anthology inspired by the works of Clark Ashton Smith. Having not read one piece of fiction by Smith, I anticipated missing some of the underlying themes. This was not the case. John Pelan has selected stories that while being in the tradition of Smith's stylings is easily accessible to those of us not entrenched in the ways of Clark Ashton Smith's fiction. As in all anthologies there are gems, good stories and a few dogs. This collection has a higher incidence of the first two.

David B. Silva's "Where The Past Lay Buried" is an effective meditation on guilt and the price it extolls. Geoff Cooper's "The Jolerarymi's Rose", a sculptor is betrayed by his wife and he enacts revenge. Edward Lee & John Pelan's "The Scarlet Succubus" waxes poetic on politics, betrayal and some evil aquatic monsters. This one takes you one way then twists the ending so you don't know which way is up. "Ashes of Longing, Ashes of Lust" is a fast moving, beautifully written selection that made me feel I was beside the characters. Here you find a man on a mission and the toll an old girlfriend's last wish takes on him. Mark McLaughlin spins a tale of obsession in "The Vainglorious Simulacrum of Mungha Sorcyllamia". Brian Stableford turns in a stellar novella of passion, love and betrayal in "The Light of Achernar".

Other standout tales are written by Charlee Jacob, David Niall Wilson, Gerard Houarner, Dan Clore, and Gene Wolfe. The book contains some outstanding cover art by Rob Alexander and some nice interior illustrations by Fredrik King and Allen Koszowski. Highly Recommended.

The Last Continent is a collection of new tales in the theme of Clark Ashton Smith's classic "Tales Of Zothique". Gathering up such talented writers as Gerard Houarner, John Pelan, Edward Lee, Charlee Jacob, and Mark McLaughlin, The Last Continent takes us on a journey through the last continent of Zothique that was originally created by Smith.

You will feel the weak red sun as it dies, taste the dust of deserts on your lips, and tremble in the wake of strange magics. The Last Continent crosses the fantasy/SciFi/horror genres like a savage bee pollinating blood-tinged flowers, and the memory of these tales will sting you in pleasing and painful ways, perhaps even hang around awhile like a lump of swollen, poisoned flesh.

Here are the stories you will discover in The Last Continent.

1 - To Wake The Dead In Nypholos by Gerard Houarner.
A strange woman with mystic abilities visits the city of Nypholos, charming her way past the city's guardian. But when her charms are diverted from him to the Xipe Uthala, the guardian proves he is true to his city over all others.

2 - The Decibel Circus by Rhys Hughes.
The last acolyte to the demon god Drigg journeys to a cold desert where stylites pose on pillars and speak in tongues that can arouse changes in men and earth. Ximbus must use these stylites to bring his god back to life before his own body fades from disease.

3 - The Benevolent Emperor by Brian McNaughton.
An arrogant emperor discovers the consequences of arousing the wrath of the Gods, and must watch his kingdom die.

4 - Where The Past Lay Buried by David B. Silva.
When a man sets out on a journey to discover his beginnings, aroused by a prophetic vision, he discovers more than he bargained for and unleashes an unholy force on an innocent village.

5 - The Temple Of Captured Gods by David Niall Wilson.
Even a Priestess can be mistaken, and when coveting a contained God, even a King must listen first to his heart.

6 - The Connoisseur Of Corpses by Dan Clore.
A fantastic tale of a necrophiliac who gives his all to his God in order to become more involved with the dead, a deal that causes him to prosper in more ways than one.

7 - The Vainglorious Simulacrum Of Mungha Sorcyllamia by Mark McLaughlin.
Mark McLaughlin is one of my absolute favorite short story writers. He always manages to bring in a glimpse of humor to both his titles and his tales. In this tale, a gifted man becomes enamored by a painting made in his class, painted by a traveling girl with secrets to hide from him. Nevertheless, they fall in love, and Mungha eventually winds out using all of his gifts in order to see this sensual beauty once more.

8 - The Scarlet Succubus by Edward Lee and John Pelan.
Two of the most talented horror writers come together for this oddly surreal tale. One of the best in the collection. A vile King with dissatisfied vassals pushes them over the edge with his decedent indulgences. While Taquin Narr, the king's wizard, has the answer to uproot the vile king, he remains unaware of the King's secrets, passed on from generation to generation, secrets that keep the kingdom safe.
Spectacular achievement in scifi/fantasy/horror cross-genre.

9 - Hode Of The High Place by Jessica Amanda Salmonson.
A simple boy manages to infiltrate the strange, spiraled palace raised up on an impossible plateau in the midst of an ignorant, rural town. But in ignorance he rules his high place like a barbarian, and forgets from whence he came.

10 - Serenade At The End Of Time by Don Webb.
A thief or an acolyte, what will Fulbra be? Where will his desires lead him, and at what price will he be distracted?

11 - Blue Roses, Red Red Wine by t. Winter Damon.
One of my favorites. Cirdaith, strangely bound by magic to his harp called Shadowdreamer, sails off with his companions to find the City Of Blue Roses. Though they arrive in caution, they stay in decadence, indulging their physical and spiritual fantasies with the mysterious and irresistible nymphs they find there. Blood will flow and hearts will be broken, but the city will live forever with its hunger.

12 - A Traveler In Desert Lands by Gene Wolf.
Another favorite. The price of a jug of water in a desert wasteland turns into a lifelong prison of madness.

13 - Jolerarymi's Rose by Geoff Cooper.
Love knows no bounds, but can love also see through all treacheries? Stonecarver Jolerarymi wants only enough business to eek out a living and please his girl Sheleen. But Sheleen, greedy for the things Jolerarymi cannot buy her, prostitutes herself for goods and coin, making Jolerarymi very jealous. When Jolerarymi is given the contract of a lifetime, his visions of he and Sheleen together forever in a comfortable life are shattered by his murder. Sheleen takes Jolerarymi's corpse to a Necromancer to reanimate. But did she do it for Jolerarymi? Or for herself? Now that he's dead, will Jolerarymi know of her deceit?

14 - The Judgement Of Tsaran by Polagaya Fine.
A man finds his punishment to be incomprehensible, isolation on a deserted island with a strange altar that calls to him.

15 - Ashes Of Longing, Ashes Of Lust by Lucy Taylor.
Another favorite. Xi-Lan abandons his lover Gamede on their journey to the fearsome city of Cienta, leaving her in the middle of the night after a horrible nightmare. When Xi-Lan hears of Gamede's death, he vows to make the journey to collect her remains. Gamede's last wish was to have her ashes scattered from the Mountains of Arden, and for Xi-Lan the road from Cienta to Arden is fraught with horrible danger and unspeakable mutilation. In the end, will he travel with Gamede again?

16 - Love & Death At The End Of The World by Mark Chadbourn.
A band of cutthroats kidnap a beautiful girl to be used as a sacrifice to a demon isolated inside a tower of bones. But when Rathsamman decides that redemption is better than power or riches, he may discover that he is alone.

17 - The Leper King by Charlee Jacob.
Another favorite. Lyrkatra is a young witch intent on building her powers. She is a homely girl, who lives with her goatherd lover Komtai in the mountains that rise up above a fetid leper colony. Where most witches seek knowledge to destroy, Lyrkatra is a gentle soul who seeks the knowledge to create. Komtai discovers a fortune in jewels hidden within the crags of the mountains, and leaves poor Lyrkatra to become a great and wealthy king. Years later, when Lyrkatra is brought before the king to entertain him, she is able to show Komtai that creation is the most powerful magic of all.

18 - The Light Of Achernar by Brian Stableford.
Wow. This is the first story I have read by Brian Stableford, and he has earned a healthy round of applause from me. One of the longer and more stylistic stories in this collection, The Light Of Achernar is a real treat.
`Light' is a complex story surrounding the astrologer/sorcerer Giraiazal, who was exiled to the Isle of Cyntrom. Here, he performs his predictions and declarations of fate for two merchant princes, who are in reality brutal pirates. At the prince's request, Giraiazal tracks down the heirs to the palace throne, two young men whom the prince's are confident they can control.
Lysariel, as the oldest, becomes king, and his brother Manazzoryn comes to live in the palace with him. The brothers each marry a daughter of the pirates.
But Giraiazal sees only misfortune in his readings of the stars, the fell star of Achernar holding its foul sway over the futures of the new royals. Giraiazal does what he can to prevent his predictions from taking place as this complex tale of magic, love, and fate unfolds. But Fate is a tempestuous mistress.

19 - The Triumph Of The Worm by Karl Henrik Johnsson.
This last story left me feeling as though the collection had suddenly flattened out, dropping away from its consistent splendor. One of the most irritating things about this last story is that it, outside of the others, was very poorly edited. Life was constantly misspelled as Fife, many times. And the author took Smith's flowing style and turned it into a chaotic and discordant mess. Each and every sentence was so long and drawn out that the prose lost its music.
In `Worm', Zothique finally dies, leaving only a long-dead and decomposing madman to witness the sun's last throes.

The Last Continent is an original reading experience, utilizing not only Smith's vision of Zothique but his stylistic, flowing prose. These authors, like Smith, were able to breathe life into this dying world.

The book has a nice introduction, "Grim News From The Far Future", by Donald Sidney-Fryer, beautiful cover art by Rob Alexander, and intriguing sketches within the pages by Fredrik King. It is a limited edition of 500 copies, numbered and signed by each author. The layout is very nice, a friendly format, with an easy to read font and tight binding.

While the price is a bit formidable, I have hopes that this book will be picked up by another publisher and made available to the general public at an affordable price. In the meantime, if you are into rare collectibles that have actual, enjoyable content, do not miss out on The Last Continent. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Enjoy!

For lovers of fantastic literature, the name Zothique no doubt revives pleasant memories of hours spent reading the stories of one of the genre's masters, Clark Ashton Smith. Smith was truly sui generis--although his work contained echoes of Howard and Lovecraft, he was in a class by himself. His short stories are more accurately described as highly compressed novels--he conveyed in short, densely detailed narratives what it would take others hundreds of pages to accomplish.

Thus, I approached THE LAST CONTINENT: NEW TALES OF ZOTHIQUE with more than a little trepidation. My worries were unfounded, however--editor Pelan has done an admirable job in assembling stories from a diverse group of authors including Gerard Houarner, Brian McNaughton, Jessica Almond Salmonson, Don Webb, Gene Wolfe, Brian Stableford, Lucy Taylor and Karl Henrik Johnsson. Most contributors wisely avoided the temptation to mimic Smith's style; to do so most likely would have proved disastrous. Instead, they chose to seize on the energy of his ideas, using them as springboards for their own tales. The result: a truly entertaining batch of stories featuring necromancers, magicians, strange diseases (remember the Silver Death?) and even stranger beasts.

I won't belabor this any more, except to say that this is an excellent collection, a fine, eminently readable tribute that can be enjoyed by Clark aficionados and neophytes alike.

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