The Maze of the Enchanter: The Collected Fantasies, Vol. 4

“None strikes the note of cosmic horror as well as Clark Ashton Smith. In sheer daemonic strangeness and fertility of conception, Smith is perhaps unexcelled by any other writer.” —H. P. Lovecraft Clark Ashton Smith is considered one of the best contributors to seminal pulp magazines such as . Along with his contemporaries H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, he helped shape and define “weird fiction” in the early 20th century. Smith drew upon his background in poetry to portray an unparalleled richness of expression and imagination in his tales of the fantastical and bizarre. series presents all of Clark Ashton Smith’s work chronologically. The tales in this series are paired with detailed background notes from editors Ron Hilger and Scott Connors. To prepare for these collected fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith, these two editors meticulously compared various typescripts, published editions, original manuscripts, and Smith’s own letters and notes. Their efforts have made the most definitive and complete collection of Smith’s work to date. The Maze of the Enchanter is the fourth of five volumes that collect all of Clark Ashton Smith’s stories of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. It contains all of his stories from “The Mandrakes” (1932) to “The Flower-Women” (1933). Gahan Wilson wrote the introduction. Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.