Clark Ashton Smith Review: Genius Loci

Some writers crank out stories of haunted houses; Smith, far more original, gave us a vampiric lawn.

In “Genius Loci,” a patch of land drains the life from any living being unfortunate enough to visit it. [Unavoidable joke–“Sounds like where I work!”]

The land takes multiple victims, and, although the first-person narrator is still alive at the end, he feels an irresistible compulsion to return one last time, knowing it will be his doom.

This reads like a more grounded version of “The City of the Singing Flame.” The fantasy is toned down but the effects are the same–an unnerving siren song lures victims to their doom (although the “Singing Flame” sequel changes that perception of the flame).

Smith worried that “Genius Loci” wouldn’t sell but apparently he had an easier time with it than most of his other work. Lovecraft was especially entralled with the story. (If only someone loved me the way Lovecraft loved Smith’s writing!)

I was surprised that the editors of The Maze of the Enchanter compared “Genius Loci” to Algernon Blackwood’s “The Transfer.”

When I wrote about “The Transfer” last April, I swore I’d read another story about a vampiric patch of ground before. Through coincidence, I’ve had a number of stories match up like that but I don’t think it’s the case here. Smith wrote “Genius Loci” in a much more personal style than “The Transfer.” In fact, I didn’t even think of “The Transfer” until I saw the editors’ comments.

Smith’s vampiric landscape trapped ghosts like insects in amber. With Blackwood, it was all about a transfer of energy. Smith’s story was personal; Blackwood’s was more clinical. Smith’s was also more deadly.

Whether Smith was influenced by Blackwood, I can’t say. “The Transfer” was published in 1911, over 20 years before “Genius Loci.” Even if Smith did read it, he took an entirely different approach to his story.

“Genius Loci” is an odd story in the Smith canon. It touches on many of Smith’s tropes but has a different tone than most of his other work. Not a bad story but for a fan wanting to learn more about Smith, due to being different from his typical style, it wouldn’t be the best place to start.