‘The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune’ (Robert E. Howard) and ‘A Voyage to Sfanomoe’ (Clark Ashton Smith)
Both tales are taken from the collection ‘The Lure of Atlantis’, edited by Michael Wheatley. But you knew that already, the cover art was probably a bit of a giveaway ;o) Anyway… Before I get onto the short stories, have a little blurb about the collection as a whole,
All about us on the stairs was some of the most exquisite statuary I have ever seen... save for a few pieces carved in the form of some hideous beast, the like of which I have never seen on earth...'
The sunken continent of Atlantis has dwelt in the collective imagination of writers and artists for centuries; a bejewelled paradox bubbling with themes of irrecoverable loss and quixotic faith in its rediscovery. This new anthology collects stories from the vast, yet seldom recognised, vault of Atlantean fiction from the Golden Age of Weird Tales magazine, presented in four core sections, perfect for diving into:
- Atlantis Rediscovered – in which the ruins of ancient Atlantis are found again.
- Atlantis Revisited – tales of Deep Time, in which the descendants of Atlanteans re-live the experiences of ancestors.
- Atlantis Resurrected – in which Atlantis never sunk at all but remains at large in the world.
- Atlantis Reimagined – in which the continent is fertile ground for experiments in Weird Fantasy and beyond.
I guess my question is, Atlantis may well have held an appeal for writers of the past but is it still a thing today? I know Tolkien borrowed from it for his tale of Numenor but that was years ago now, I’m talking more recently than that. Nothing springs to mind but I’m not that widely read these days, anyone care to fill in the gap?
Yep, sorry, the stories… While I’m sure I’ll get round to the rest of the collection in due course, I picked the book up for the contributions from Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith so that’s where I started off. Both tales are only about 12-14 pages long so not an awful lot to talk about but it’s me, I always have something to say so…
‘The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune’ – Robert E. Howard
In which a depressed King Kull seeks answers, to the mysteries of life, in the House of a Thousand Mirrors, and unwittingly places himself in great danger, or does he…?
A tenuous link to Atlantis here, Kull is of Atlantean stock but has been exiled and after a series of adventures, finds himself the ruler of the neighbouring country of Valusia. We don’t really see Atlantis at all but I guess that in Kull himself, we get to see what Atlantis could be like; a martial nation but given to introspection at the same time. That’s what we have in Kull and that’s what leads him to the House of a Thousand Mirrors, a need to find what is missing in his life. Does Kull find it? The tale is deliberately vague on this but invites us to journey with Kull, to the threshold of other planes, and seek our own conclusions. From where I’m sat, Kull only finds more questions and was very lucky that Brule arrived when he did.
‘The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune’ gives us a lot to think about then and a nice little vein of humour (that wizard will not take Kull seriously…) is the icing on the cake of a very engaging tale. I really need to read more of Kull.
‘A Voyage to Sfanomoe’ – Clark Ashton Smith
In which two Atlanteans seek to escape the foretold Doom of Atlantis by seeking a new home among the stars, only to find that…
Some people are far too clever for their own good, aren’t they? If I learned that the UK was going to sink at a particular date, I’d look to make a new home somewhere in Europe maybe, I wouldn’t go off into space. But that is exactly what brothers Hotar and Evidon do and their subsequent adventure becomes another cautionary tale from Smith. Fate is inevitable and maybe you should remember that while you still have a chance to check out on your own terms (although maybe they did, I’m still not sure). Having said that, there are worse ways to die than the deaths of Hotar and Evidon, it is a beautiful death (quite literally) for both of them.
What is also interesting here is how Smith tackles the fall of Atlantis itself, something that happens over decades rather than in one fell swoop. It’s all about the science and this approach goes on to lend more weight to the feeling of inevitability that hangs over the story.
‘A Voyage to Sfanomoe’ isn’t my favourite of Smith’s tales, it takes its own sweet time to really click into gear, but as with any of his tales, I’m really glad I got to read it
That’s it for now. Next time you see ‘The Lure of Atlantis’ feature here, you’ll see tales from H.P. Lovecraft and Henry Kuttner.
In which a depressed King Kull seeks answers, to the mysteries of life, in the House of a Thousand Mirrors, and unwittingly places himself in great danger, or does he…?
A tenuous link to Atlantis here, Kull is of Atlantean stock but has been exiled and after a series of adventures, finds himself the ruler of the neighbouring country of Valusia. We don’t really see Atlantis at all but I guess that in Kull himself, we get to see what Atlantis could be like; a martial nation but given to introspection at the same time. That’s what we have in Kull and that’s what leads him to the House of a Thousand Mirrors, a need to find what is missing in his life. Does Kull find it? The tale is deliberately vague on this but invites us to journey with Kull, to the threshold of other planes, and seek our own conclusions. From where I’m sat, Kull only finds more questions and was very lucky that Brule arrived when he did.
‘The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune’ gives us a lot to think about then and a nice little vein of humour (that wizard will not take Kull seriously…) is the icing on the cake of a very engaging tale. I really need to read more of Kull.
‘A Voyage to Sfanomoe’ – Clark Ashton Smith
In which two Atlanteans seek to escape the foretold Doom of Atlantis by seeking a new home among the stars, only to find that…
Some people are far too clever for their own good, aren’t they? If I learned that the UK was going to sink at a particular date, I’d look to make a new home somewhere in Europe maybe, I wouldn’t go off into space. But that is exactly what brothers Hotar and Evidon do and their subsequent adventure becomes another cautionary tale from Smith. Fate is inevitable and maybe you should remember that while you still have a chance to check out on your own terms (although maybe they did, I’m still not sure). Having said that, there are worse ways to die than the deaths of Hotar and Evidon, it is a beautiful death (quite literally) for both of them.
What is also interesting here is how Smith tackles the fall of Atlantis itself, something that happens over decades rather than in one fell swoop. It’s all about the science and this approach goes on to lend more weight to the feeling of inevitability that hangs over the story.
‘A Voyage to Sfanomoe’ isn’t my favourite of Smith’s tales, it takes its own sweet time to really click into gear, but as with any of his tales, I’m really glad I got to read it
That’s it for now. Next time you see ‘The Lure of Atlantis’ feature here, you’ll see tales from H.P. Lovecraft and Henry Kuttner.
While I'm not up on a lot of recent SFF (there's just too much garbage to wade through), most of the synopsis by people I follow don't seem to include an Atlantis myth at all. I wonder if interest in it is cyclical?
ReplyDeleteIt just struck me, reading back over the blurb, that I can't remember the last time I read about an Island sinking, beneath the waves, that wasn't Numenor. It used to be a thing but now I'm not so sure that it is. I think you're right, there is a cyclical thing happening here.
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