Interplanetaries

Clark Ashton Smith (1893-1961) is best known for creating exotic worlds of fantasy, such as the lost continent Zothique, set in the far future, the arctic realm of Hyperborea, and the medieval domain of Averoigne. It is less widely known that Smith was a pioneer in science fiction, as his tales appeared extensively in such pulp magazines as Wonder Stories and Amazing Stories and had a marked influence on the science fiction of his day. Mars was a favored locale for several significant tales, including the cosmic horror masterpiece "The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis." "Seedling of Mars" is one of several tales in this volume that broaches the distinctive subgenre of "green horror" that results from deadly animated plants. This motif first found expression in Smith's early prose poem "The Flower-Devil," and he utilized it in such tales as "Vulthoom," "The Demon of the Flower," and others. The remote planet Xiccarph is the setting for two