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Another successful Halloweeny read!

The Double Shadow is my first foray into Smith’s wonderfully ghastly fiction. I’m reviewing a collection of short stories that fall under this title because I can’t find an entry for the specific book I read.

The titular story was fantastic! Smith busts out his arcane thesaurus, so it was a bit stiff and a challenging read. But it was also rewarding, especially if you’re into demons. And who doesn’t love a demon? While not action-packed, the detailed descriptions are top-notch. Creepiness abounds in the best ways!

Wizards appear through the various stories, but almost always they're nothing but damn dirty necromancers! Whatever they touch with their stinking paws goes awry, the dabbling m.f.ers. Always gotta dabble...

The collection includes the long short story The Voyage of King Euvoran. This gloriously gilded tale would have been more successful if the main character wasn’t a repugnant, self-righteous lover of torture. That kinda made me not care if he succeeded in his quest. Still, it's beautifully detailed and marvelous, fantastical creatures.