Lin Carter's Simrana Cycle

I possess a love of wonder stories - stories that evoke that silent tremble of awe.Lord Dunsany is the master maker of such tales set in lands "over the hills and far away...beyond the fields we know," in lands that are dream. Like the British romance poets of the 19th century (Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley), Dunsany's tales evoke a hollowing nostalgia for nature, magic, romance, youth, and innocence -- and does so poignantly for those of us who read Dunsany when we were young and, now again, when we are old.I have found few of the works I read when I was young retain their power if wonder upon rereading today. For me, much of Dunsany still does.Dunsany's tales, at times, also possess a medicinal teaspoon of cautionary wisdom in depicting what befalls the greedy, the arrogant, the prideful, the selfish and the unthinking.Many authors have been inspired by Dunsany to write tales set in the lands of Dream, some seeking to also emulate Dunsany's rhapsodic prose while others seek to transpose hus instillment of wonder via a prosady of their own. H.P. Lovecraft, Gary Myers, and Lin Carter are of those who wrought the former, while Clark Ashton Smith, Tolkien, Jack Vance, Joy Chant, and many fantasy authors of the sixties and seventies styled the latter.In this book, all of Carter's Simrana dreamland stories are collected. Two unfinished tales have been completed by friends, new tales in homage to Carter by other authors extend the dream, and a selection from Dunsany's own work completes the volume (along with one story by Henry Kuttner) that the editor has identified as likely being the most influential upon Carter's dreamworld.Lin Carter's opening tale, "The Gods of Niam Parma" is his best. It is a polished revision of his "The Gods of Neol-Shendis." The latter, also present, contains marvelous illustrations by Roy Krenkel that are, delightfully, also included in this volume.Darrell Schweitzer's "The Philosopher Thief" best conjures up the spirit of Dunsanian wonder, while Gary Myer's "The Sorceror's Satchel" carries a shtickle of Dunsanian whimsy. The delightful stories by Charles Garofolo and those by Adrian Cole, some of his best work, while set in Carter's Simrana, channel in their touches of humor and farce more of Jack Vance's "The Dying Earth" (which I also love) than Dunsany -- at least in my humble opinion.The stories by Lord Dunsany demonstrate, in their power, why they were so influential on so many. Of these, "The Sword of Welleran" and "Carcassonne" are exceptional and should be read by every student -- and lover -- of the classic fantasy genre.

I was pleased to see this published because I consider Lin Carter's Simrana tales to comprise some of his finest writing. The Simrana cycle is an homage to the fantasy short stories of Lord Dunsany. It is exotic in its phrasing and the dreamlike mood it evokes. This volume collects the known Simrana tales, including two fragments completed ably by other contributors. Also included are fantasy tales by other authors. These tales are nominally set in Simrana, but do not incorporate much from Carter's stories--not even his style, or Dunsany's for that matter. The other authors' contributions are generally solid, amusing stories of magical fantasy. One low point for me was Robert M. Price's "How Thongor Conquered Zaremm," which mixes together Simrana and the heroic fantasy of Carter's hero Thongor. It reads like a grotesque parody of Carter's worst sword & sorcery writing, and I must assume such was Price's intent. This volume contains Lord Dunsany's greatest fantasy short stories, including "The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth," "The Sword of Welleran," and "Carcasonne," among others. These are the stories on which Dunsany's legend as a fantasy writer are founded, and are the first (and perhaps only) works by him that the fantasy enthusiast needs to read. In short, this volume is worth having for its fine stories by Carter, the mostly good contributions by other writers, and as a "Lord Dunsany's greatest hits."

I have been waiting for this collection for a long time, and Robert Price has finally assembled them into an absolutely charming book. These are fun to read (although, sad to say, Lin Carter was no Lord Dunsany), but the stories by Price and other writers more than make up for any shortcomings the Carter stories might possess. This would have made a splendid volume in Carter's late, lamented Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series. Highly recommended. Now if only someone would put out Carter's unpublished novel PARTHOLON.

Not really my cup of tea.

Great to see the Simrana stories again and all in one place. The modern authors, especially Charles Garafalo and Robert Price captured lin Carter's legacy well with just enough zaniness and humor.