A Rendezvous in Averoigne by Clark Ashton Smith
"A Rendezvous in Averoigne" is a collection of short stories by Clark Ashton Smith that explores a variety of fantastical worlds, weaving together themes of magic, power, and human folly. The collection is divided into five distinct sections, each set in unique realms such as medieval Averoigne, the lost continent of Atlantis, the ancient polar land of Hyperborea, diverse lost worlds, and the final continent of Zothique.
In the "Averoigne" section, readers encounter a medieval landscape where Christians coexist with wizards and monsters, highlighted by narratives such as "The Holiness of Azédarac," which follows a monk's struggle against a sorcerous bishop, and "A Rendezvous in Averoigne," detailing the dark encounter of a minstrel and his lover with vampires. The Atlantis section presents tales of sorcerers like Malygris, revealing the tragic decline of a once-great civilization.
The stories set in Hyperborea illustrate the dire consequences of ambition and greed, while the "Lost Worlds" section invites readers to experience a myriad of settings, including magical cities and time-traveling islands. Finally, Zothique reflects a dystopian future where necromancy reigns, showcasing the destructive quests of powerful wizards. Together, these tales encapsulate Smith's imaginative storytelling and richly crafted landscapes, inviting exploration into his elaborate mythos.
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A Rendezvous in Averoigne
First published: 1988
Type of work: Stories
Type of plot: Fantasy—magical world
Time of work: Various times between antiquity and the far future
Locale: Earth and other planets
The Plot
Clark Ashton Smith’s short stories in A Rendezvous in Averoigne display a remarkable vista of worlds that are filled with powerful wizards and hideous monsters. The collection is divided into five sections. The first, “Averoigne,” contains four stories set in a French province in the Middle Ages. The second, “Atlantis,” contains three tales of the final days of a legendary lost continent. The lost polar continent of “Hyperborea” serves as the setting for the next four tales. “Lost Worlds” contains nine stories set in a variety of fantastic locations. Ten stories set on the last continent on Earth, “Zothique,” complete the collection.
The “Averoigne” section presents a medieval world where Christians live alongside powerful wizards and strange monsters. “The Holiness of Azédarac” describes the attempts of Brother Ambrose, a monk, to reveal the forbidden sorcery of Azédarac, a wizard posing as a bishop. Ambrose eventually fails in his mission but chooses to abandon his vows and live in the past with Moriamis, a Druid priestess. “A Rendezvous in Ave-roigne” details the encounter of Gérard de l’Automne, a minstrel, and his lover, Fleurette, with two vampires.
The lost isle of Atlantis, Poseidonis, is a dying world of mighty sorcerers and the reminders of the lost glories of a vanished civilization. Two stories deal with the strongest wizard on Poseidonis, Malygris. In “The Last Incantation,” an ancient Malygris learns that even his powerful magic cannot recapture his youth. “The Death of Malygris” tells of the wizard’s deadly vengeance on his fellow sorcerers and a king who try to claim his power for their own.
Smith’s ancient polar continent of Hyperborea contains proud inhabitants who are brought low by their encounters with hideous monsters that lurk in the hidden corners of the world. For example, a moneylender’s greed leads him to destruction at the hands of a monster in “The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan.” Similarly, in “The Seven Geases,” an arrogant noble, Lord Ralibar Vooz, destroys himself when he insults a wizard who sends him on a quest that leads him through the dark underworld of Hyperborea and its monstrous and inhuman inhabitants.
“Lost Worlds” presents a vast array of realms ranging from the distant past to the far future. In “The City of the Singing Flame,” perhaps Smith’s best-known story, a writer, Giles Angarth, discovers the gate to a magical realm in the California desert. Giles finds a city whose magic flame eventually tempts him to leave Earth in an attempt to discover what lies on the other side of the fire. “The Maze of Maal Dweb” is set on the planet of Xiccarph and details the doomed attempt of a young man, Tiglari, to rescue his love from the wizard Maal Dweb. “The Uncharted Isle” describes the encounter of a shipwrecked sailor with a time-traveling island whose inhabitants desperately search for a vanished continent.
In the future, magic has returned to the world and wizards dominate Earth’s last continent, Zothique. “The Empire of the Necromancers” tells the story of two wizards, Mmatmuor and Sodosma, who, in their attempts to create and rule over a kingdom of the dead, sow the seeds of their own destruction: Their subjects rebel and slay them. Another story, “The Dark Eidolon,” reveals how a young beggar, Narthos, transforms himself into the powerful necromancer Namirrha. In his attempt to avenge himself on the empire of Xylac and its ruler, Zotulla, Namirrha seals his own doom by disobeying the will of his god, Thasaidon.