Black Gate

What a TRIP…

In the world of epic fantasy, poetry often gets a bad rap. In the world of legendary fantasists, one name that continues to be revered is Clark Ashton Smith. As one of the “big three” WEIRD TALES writers from the 1920s and 30s, Smith gained a reputation that rivaled that of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard for fantastic fiction. His superbly dark fantasies set in realms such as Zothique, Hyperborea, Atlantis, and Averoigne set a new bar for weird fantasy. With his lush language, poetic sensibilities, and lyrical style, he was a word-wizard of the highest caliber. Any scholar of classic fantasy is sure to sing Smith’s praises. He is certainly one of this author’s favorite writers (especially his Tales of Zothique, my favorite of all his story cycles).

However, Smith thought of himself first and foremost as a poet. He wrote weird fiction because it paid well (yes, there was a time when short stories paid well). The key to his dark genius is probably to be found in his thousands of stanzas of verse…his poetry seeped into his weird fiction and made his tales baroque and lyrical. Smith denied the archetype of the conquering hero…his main characters were more likely to meet hideous doom than to defeat the eldritch monsters they encountered. His wizards were diabolical megalomaniacs or hermetic iconoclasts who explored forbidden mysteries and unlocked terrible powers.

Smith’s greatest piece of verse is (arguably) the epic poem entitled THE HASHISH-EATER or THE APOCALYPSE OF EVIL. It is a phantasmagoric tour de force through jeweled realms of fantasy laced with cosmic horror. It is a masterwork of fantasy, but is usually overlooked in favor of his short stories. It is also probably my very favorite poem. Ever.

Rather than attempt to explain why the poem is so magnificent, I thought I’d simply present it here at BLACK GATE, one stanza at a time, with a paragraph of analysis/commentary between each stanza. For those who prefer to read the poem without annotations first, I recommend a visit to my favorite CAS tribute site The Eldritch Dark, where the entire poem is posted without comments or analysis: http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/poetry/572/the-hashish-eater–or–the-apocalypse-of-evil

You may want to light some candles and put on a stick of incense…I suggest the heady aroma of jasmine…maybe some old Black Sabbath in the background. Now…let us begin our celestial excursion into the depths of darkest fantasy…let us delve without fear into the eerie depths of a gorgeous nightmare…let us travel stanza by stanza through Clark Ashton Smith’s greatest poem….

…

Read More Read More

Great news for fans of epic fantasy today: The great George R. R. Martin has announced on his web page that the long, long-awaited 5th book in his SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series is almost done. No kidding this time.

A DANCE WITH DRAGONS will be hitting stories on July 12, 2011. Although previous dates have been set and then cancelled, Martin says this one is “for real.”

In the author’s own words: “Barring tsunamis, general strikes, world wars, or asteroid strikes, you will have the novel in your hands on July 12.  I hope you like it.”

He goes on to add:  “The dragons are coming.  Prepare to dance.”

Quite possibly THE “big adult fantasy series” of our time, Martin’s SONG series has been a slow build with plenty of thrilling lesser climaxes along the way. We’ve seen the rebirth of three infant dragons into a world where they were thought extinct. We’ve seen the displaced queen whose power is rising and whose sympathetic magic hatched the eggs. We’ve seen them on her shoulder, belching tiny fires. Now it seems we will at last see the great war that has been building so steadily across the four books.

Martin’s characters are so pleasurable to read—even the villains—that returning to his world of Westeros is always an extreme pleasure. This summer just got a whole lot more interesting…

For more info visit Martin’s official site: www.georgerrmartin.com

You’ve probably heard about Marvel Comics’ latest big movie sensation, THOR, coming soon to a theatre near you. You may know that Anthony Hopkins is playing Odin the All-Father, Natalie Portman is involved,  and the great Kenneth Branagh is directing in a feat of Shapespearean brilliance.  You may be convinced (as I am) that this will be the best “comic book movie” since SPIDER-MAN.

Well, forget all that and pick up the latest issue of Marvel’s THOR comic.

Writer Matt Fraction and artist extraordinaire Pascal Ferry took over the title a few months back and Asgard may never be the same. It has quickly become one of Marvel’s best books. For fantasy lovers of all stripes, this is THE monthly book to buy into. Ferry’s art is truly amazing, a blend of fantasy and science fiction that creates its own unique style while hearkening back to the original Jack Kirby THOR designs with an amazing energy. The panels fairly leap off the page.

A little context: I am a huge fan of the old-school Stan Lee/Jack Kirby THOR run from the 1960s. Not the entire run, mind you, just the really good second half when Kirby was really off the hook. The Origin of Galactus, Ego the Living Planet, the ManGog, Tales of Asgard, just amazing and timeless Kirby goodness. There’s a reason this guy was called the King of Comics, and this series shows it like no other.

I also love the run that followed Kirby’s departure, the early 1970s run by the legendary John Buscema, who brought a whole new lithe and streamlined style to the Thunder God and his cast of friends and foes. Anybody into THOR will also tell you about the landmark Walt Simonson run of the early 1980s; this was the run that brought Thor back to the top of Marvel’s list.

…

Read More Read More