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Study 033 - The Black Abbot of Puthuum (Patreon)

Published:
2023-03-02 23:31:50
Imported:
2026-06
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We're joined by Andrew Leman and Sean Branney of the podcast Voluminous as we discuss The Black Abbot of Puthuum by Clark Ashton Smith! 

Whew! Say THAT five times real fast!

Next up: Revelations in Black by Carl Jacobi

Comments

Victoria Goodwin

Andrew and Sean are the best, two of my most favorite narrators ever

HalogenIceCream96

Having recently read Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique stories, I felt they were hit and miss compared to his Averoigne cycle.

Richard Horsman

I remember ages ago on one of your earliest live shows someone asked what you were going to do when you ran out of Lovecraft stories. Andrew was there and strongly suggested “Do the letters. DO THE LETTERS.” Voluminous was still a few years away, but I like to think that’s where the idea was born. So it’s a nice resolution for you all to have this crossover now. Looking forward to their next ep!

Nomnom De Gair

The way you guys described this story reminded me of a run of Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim RPG because: a) There are Dracs in the world. b) I roleplayed class who didn't use anything magical and main weapon was bow & arrow. Tempted to look up these stories now. P.S. i'm just a little disappointed there wasn't any podcast rivalry during this episode lol

Ben A

I love that you all are doing cross-over shows with Sean and Andrew, and look forward to the Voluminous episode when it drops over the weekend. And I'm excited to see you all visit the Zothique store at the Weird Fiction Mall again! Chad, I'm going to have to push back on the theme of the podcast being that staying home is the safest option. ;-P While I agree the majority of the tales you have covered feature the perils of being away from home (recent examples include The Landlady, The Bus, The Horror at Chilton Castle, and Thurnley Abbey), I'd counter that some of the most disturbing tales are those that take place at home. Think of the children in Child's Play, the wave of violence that comes crashing from abroad in The Screwfly Solution, or the mysterious terror witnessed from afar in The Night Wire. Even The Chestnut Beads, uneven as I think that tale is, confronts nuclear apocalypse at home. My take-home from the show is simply that the weird and terrible will find you anywhere. Sure, those examples aren't typical for most of the weird and strange fiction you all have discussed, but I'd say they're stand-outs for some of the darkest visions; some of the greatest horror occurs at home. I'd also argue--despite the supernatural shade in this week's tale--that a dark vision is not the case for The Black Abbot. I agree with your thought at the end that this was more of Smith looking for a pulpy payday than a high-quality vision. It reminds me of his The Witchcraft of Ulua, which can also be found in the same aisle in the Zothique Boutique. I'm also pretty sure The Black Abbot was one of the last of Smith's Zothique stories; only the Necomancy in Naat and The Death of Ilalotha were published later. If you want to cover any more from Zothique that are truly good tales, I'd recommend The Dark Eidolon. The Last Hieroglyph is entertaining as well.

Karsa Torvald

This was a great, but surprising, episode- to hear that CAS isn't as often read, or as well beloved?! Of the big three, he's my personal favourite. In everything he writes, I feel the fun in writing,, and genuine love for the genre. Do you two have any gaps in your "I know I should read and love this author, but I've just never been bothered"? For me, it's the novels of King- never read a one.

Jason Thompson

I love Smith and IMHO almost all of his work is good. It’s true it doesn’t have the “I worked to exhaustion over every line” feel of Lovecraft’s perfectionism. Nor the “I’m making a grand tapestry connecting all my stories, and/or I’m just not good at coming up with new names for stuff” of Lovecraft. But still: Smith is so good and has his own unique morbid style.

Jeff

Aaaggh, this is my favorite CAS story (and I've read them all). Bummed to hear you guys didn't like it. Maybe I just have a soft spot for gurgling eunuchs! But seriously, as with so much of CAS' fiction, it's really all about the atmosphere: as an author, CAS was much less interested in plot and characterization than he was in setting and mood. You know how those poets are...

Citizen Cain, PhD

I got to enjoy listening to this episode on my birthday! Even better, the kick-off episode for this year's March is for Draculas coincided with me reaching the "Punch Dracula" issue of my re-read of The Adventures of Dr. McNinja (it's a good webcomic: check it out for Dracula's moon laser and stick around for the the most ominous unicorn in fiction). Even better still, getting to hear the dulcet tones of Mr. Andrew Leman.

Jim Cannon

What a treat! I am a few eps behind on Voluminous, may have to jump the queue for the crossover.

Jim Cannon

Speaking of bugbears, that black mist made me think these poor bastards wandered into Ravenloft. Of the big three, I think CAS would have been the better DM. He was so good at setting and mood and had such a dark sense of humor. Howard would have annoying GMPCs and Lovecraft would fiddle so much with the setting he would never actually run a game...

Cole Caron

Really? You’re going to assert that Lovecraft was rarely unintentionally silly? Howard Phillips “giant blind penguins” Lovecraft? “Self-immolate because my grandfather had sex with a gorilla” Lovecraft? In my reading I’d say that a lot of H.P. “Come to Vermont, bring all of the evidence, I am not a Mi-Go” Lovecraft’s work comes across as unintentionally silly. Smith’s stories do too, but I think it’s just more apparent because, unlike Lovecraft, CAS didn’t take himself way too seriously. Writing was just one thing he did among many others. If I had to pick one of the big three to actually hang out with, I’d pick the sculptor who brews his own wine over the Texan with anger issues or the neurotic New England bigot. I think you all should do a few of his shorter stories in a single episode. The exposition to plot ratio tends to be a little bit better. “The Symposium of the Gorgon” is about a man so drunk he stumbles through space and time to a party in mythic Greece. “The Disinterment of Venus” is about an order of monks who dig up a sexy Roman statue and have a hard time remaining celebate. “Ubbo-Sathla” is a classic story of a cursed item bought from an antique store.

Jeremy Impson

I hope this experience motivates Leman and Branney to find some way to host a discussion forum for voluminous.

Eric - Speaker in Digressions

I bet when Dracula was cooking that chicken he wished for fantasms he could send forth and withdraw into himself at will, so that they could at least do the cleaning up.

KateSherrod

Still waiting for you cowards to take on "Mother of Toads." What are you afraid of. Horror Daddies, Mother of Toads, the episode is croaking for batrachian existence!

Carver

I have been a huge CAS fan for years, and have been consistently bummed by how much this guy's legacy has been defined by critical disdain. Even in my copy of Supernatural Horror in Literature, which contains some high CAS praise from Lovecraft, the editor makes a point in the intro to call Lovecraft's love of CAS "puzzling". It's not puzzling to me! A bit like extreme metal music, CAS is a vibe that once you absorb it, you'll find that nothing else quite matches.

Innsmouth Gold

So we just wrapped up Season One of Strange Shadows, our Clark Ashton Smith podcast. We're working through the Night Shade Press volumes of his weird stories. Smith did primarily start writing stories to alleviate his state of "pecuniary depletion" as he put it, at the behest of his close friend Genevieve Sully and HPL. In that sense, I don't think he was as "precious" with his work as HPL was, and was much more prone to try different settings and genres. Even in the first volume of stories, we have adventures on Venus, sword and sorcery tales, ghosts, modern murder mysteries, etc. Like HPL he was certainly more interested in atmosphere and setting than character, and enjoyed the use of obscure and baroque language to the full, too much so for Farnsworth Wright who once actually said that a CAS story was "too weird" for Weird Tales. I always get the impression that Smith, above all else, was having fun with his writing, and when on top form had an amazing ability to build a scene, a setting, even a world, with just a few strokes of the pen. It's a great shame that his writing fell off to virtually nothing. I guess the passing of both HPL, REH and his parents in close succession really knocked him, he just seemed to lose interest in writing, moving into sculpture instead. In short, I think Smith knew exactly what he was doing with any "over the topness" in his stories, all part of his general approach to fiction. Loving the show as always.

Michael Chidester

I keep hoping you guys will cover some of the really good CAS stories, but somehow you keep finding the duds. :P

witchhousemedia

Just wanted to point out that while lukewarm on this story, we produced a feature-length adaptation of The Colossus of Ylourgne a little over a year ago! We LOVE C.A.S.!

Bret Kramer

I wonder if the abbey section from the classic D&D module “Master of the Desert Nomads” (aka X4) was at least partially inspired by this goofy romp. At least those monsters had the decency to cloak themselves by day in an illusion. No self respecting D&D party would have followed the abbot to a second location. :)

Ntrovert

I do like CAS. The Maze of Maal Dweb was my introduction, and is still a favorite. The Averoigne stories are, on balance, superior to much of his other work. This story fits the month’s theme, but unfortunately that is the best that can be said for it. It’s always a treat to hear Andrew reading and to have both Andrew and Sean on to discuss the story.