Lost Worlds of Space and Time, Volume Two is the eagerly (well, by me) awaited second volume of fiction written based on, in tribute of or using themes and characters by the incomparable Clark Ashton Smith. I very much enjoyed Volume One. Just like its predecessor, Volume Two is a handsome trade paperback. Page count is 230, very generous, a little higher than Volume One. Like before the cover art is by Steve Lines, and is based on works by CAS. The aliens are different and facing a different direction. I like it better than I did Volume One a year ago; it's grown on me. The interior art was most welcome and also by Mr. Lines, who did the editing honors. On the whole, I am glad to have this book although I think Volume One is clearly stronger than Volume Two. Maybe the prose was more derivative across the board in Volume Two? Here is a bone I have to pick with these genre anthologies in general, not just with this book in particular. It is about publication history. Who is responsible for the copyright info and publication history? For example, Black Massif by Stanley Sargent is listed as a first publication, and © 2005. But I have a copy of Ancient Exhumations +2 by Sargent from Elder Signs Press, © 2004, and it contains Black Massif. Hmph.

Here are the contents. Again the atories are divided based on what work by CAS influenced them:

Introduction by Steve Lines
Xiccarph
The Lord of Xiccarph by Ron Shiflet (poem)
The Maze of Maal-Dweb by Steve Lines (poem)
The Reprisals of Maal-Dweb by Henry J. Vester III
The Death of Maal-Dweb by C. J. Henderson
The Legacy of Maal-Dweb by Ron Shiflet
Earth
The Gordian Knot by Robert M. Price
Orpheus at Sea by Mark Francis (poem)
The Cave Wizard by Richard L. Tierney (poem)
The Letter by Warlock G. Vance
The Night that Wins by Joel Lane
Aihai
Cavern of the Golden Fleece by Edward P. Berglund
Yihh
The Sarcophagus of Yiolh-Ngwehh by Simon Whitechapel
Xulthoom
The Xulthoom Dispatches by Scott Urban
Zothique
The Vainglorious Simulacrum of Mungha Sorcyllamia by Mark McLaughlin
The Fane of Mordiggian by Ann K. Schwader (poem)
At the Yielding of Twilight by Ann K. Schwader (poem)
Maraeva by Ran Cartwright
Plagues by Franklyn Searight (poem)
The Storming of Vrookhal by Laurence J. Cornford
Cincor During Necromantic Rule by Ron Shiflet (poem)
Deepness by Phillip Ellis (poem)
Gylas' Hymn to Mordiggian: A Fragment (poem)
The Villanelle of the Last Days by Phillip Ellis (poem)
The Black Massif by Stanley Sargent

I freely admit I was not won over by any of the poetry. Regarding the stories, they are each set in some corner of CAS' fantastical worlds. For example, note all the Xiccarph stories written loosely as sequels to The Web of Maal-Dweb.

The Reprisals of Maal-Dweb by Henry Vester was set in the future time when an earthly spaceship comes to Xiccarph and humans try to outwit/out fight the potent old sorcerer. This was OK, easy to read if not too inspired.

The Death of Maal-Dweb by C. J. Henderson is a direct sequel to The Web of Maal-Dweb. Again, reasonably engaging, not disagreeable. CJ Henderson has written many other fine stories.

The Legacy of Maal-Dweb by Ron Shiflet is also a sequel to The Web of Maal-Dweb, although in a very different way than the Henderson tale. For whatever reason, this was my favorite of all the Maal-Dweb stories. The mordant twist would likely have brought a smile to CAS' face.

The Gordian Knot by Robert M. Price - Not bad! Price gives a very readable story of the real history behind the Gordian Knot, with some OK CAS imagery.

The Letter by Warlock G. Vance - OK! Now we're getting somewhere! A detective on a murder scene finds a letter written to him, years ago by CAS. I found this story evocative and effective.

The Night that Wins by Joel Lane was a creepily effective story about a man who loses his family and seeks to understand what happened, and maybe get revenge.

Cavern of the Golden Fleece by Edward P. Berglund - Now here is a story that is a clear winner. I really enjoyed this from start to finish; Mr. Berglund really delivers the goods, with humor, grotesque touches and nifty prose.

The Sarcophagus of Yiolh-Ngwehh by Simon Whitechapel - an acolyte plans to steal a relic from a priest and doesn't realize that spells may be effective even if their caster moulders in his sarcophagus. Decent read, didn't knock my socks off.

The Xulthoom Dispatches by Scott Urban - Better than most of the other stories here, a young girl visits Xulthoom and does not enjoy the trip. I liked this story rather well but I found the mock photo at the end didn't really have much impact. Maybe a prose finish would have been better.

The Vainglorious Simulacrum of Mungha Sorcyllamia by Mark McLaughlin - Another nicely evocative tale about a man who longs for woman he cannot have, and then tries to cross to her dimension. This brief description does not do justice to the prose or world painting.

Maraeva by Ran Cartwright - I really wish I liked this story better. For me it was too derivative and the prose didn't hold up to the better stories here. On the other hand, the time travel paradox and denouement were handled nicely.

The Storming of Vrookhal by Laurence J. Cornford - Good story of a wizard and the advisors of a vain and foolish king who seeks to find an ancient magic that will give him eternal life. OK, the prose is no match for CAS but whose is? I liked it.

The Black Massif by Stanley Sargent - A decent effort by Sargent about wizards trying to circumvent the end of humanity in the last days of Zothique.

Am I being too harsh? I dunno, another person might be more favorably inclined. For the most part I just happened to like the stories in Volume One quite a bit better than most of the ones here. Certainly the Berglund story made me smile. There was nothing here I disliked; every story had some merits. I was engaged for the whole book and never set it aside until I was done, so there is some charm to it; I can safely recommend it to all CAS fans and fans of weird fiction. I just wish I liked it better. In any event, I sincerely hope Rainfall will give us a volume Three in the future. ( )