"The Nameless Offspring" / A Cthulhu Mythos Story by Clark Ashton Smith

"The Nameless Offspring" is a short story by Clark Ashton Smith. The tale, which first appeared in Strange Tales of Mystery in Terror back in June 1932, tells of a man's troubling stay at a remote property in the English countryside.
00:00 - Introduction
01:10 - Part 1
30:19 - Part 2
50:23 - Further Listening
Bandcamp link: horrorbabble.bandcamp.com/alb...
This recording is dedicated to our Cthulhu and Yellow Level HorrorBabblers:
'General' Dipper, [redacted], Amir Lampkins, Andrew, Ashley Lindsay, Bernard Mulligan, Brandon, Camerin Seigars, Chris Epplett, DCB, Galen Hoffman, Greyson, Jacob Louwerse, Jessica Mari, Kickweed, L. Harris, Madison Scythe, Owen Abe, Richard WB Feigen, Wes Sale, Zontar Zee
AND
Adam Beckner, Adriana Alexander, Alicia, Andrew, Andrew Moffat, Ann Bassano, Aromatic Sponge, Art Wagner, Austen Jones, Bobby Bolton, Brian Hendricks, Christian N. Collier, Corey Chimko, Discriminating Patron, Drew Koller, Esmonde, Flying Shoes, Gordon Cooper, James Dunne, James E. Thomas, John Michael, Kathleen Adamson, Larna Dennis, Laura, Laura Scarlett, Mark R Patterson, Matt Finan, Mike Chaney, Philip R Aden, Philippe Lavoie, Robert Daniel Pickard, Ryan, Sandy Hale, Shanna Syn, SolaceInChains, Tanya Enright, Thomas Scott, Travis Garcia, Uriah Light, William Butterfield
Narrated by Ian Gordon for HorrorBabble
Music and production by Ian Gordon & Jennifer Gill
Image by enriquelopezgarre:
pixabay.com/users/enriquelope...
Become a HorrorBabbler here on KZbin:
kzbin.info...
Support us on Bandcamp or Patreon:
horrorbabble.bandcamp.com
/ horrorbabble
HorrorBabble MERCH:
teespring.com/stores/horrorba...
The HorrorBabble Podcasts:
www.horrorbabble.com/podcast
www.horrorbabble.com/original...
Search HORRORBABBLE to find us on:
AUDIBLE / ITUNES / SPOTIFY
Home: www.horrorbabble.com
Rue Morgue: www.rue-morgue.com
Social Media:
/ horrorbabble
/ horrorbabble
/ horrorbabble
This is an ORIGINAL HorrorBabble Production.

[@bluesow]

If I had a cat named Warren,I could come back with;"You fool! Warren has 8 lives left!"

[@bitters879]

Ah yes, there is that voice we all know and love so much!

[@AAron-gr3jk]

I am on an increasing Clark Ashton Smith appreciation curve.

[@yaboi5414]

These classic horror stories are the only thing I was left by my mother, before she fled on her own, into the shadows of the unknown. So hearing these stories read aloud, feels as if I have been given a glimpse of the woman I never knew. So thank you, Ser Gordon, for narrating these glimpses into the fantastic worlds beyond.

[@davidfollowerofjesuschrist5510]

Id go mad without these tales, may him who is not to be named keep this channel safe!!!

[@garyhughes1664]

HorrorBabble is simply the best for the ghostly tale and horror genre. I have a number of tales by Clark Ashton Smith in an anthology, but this is one I'd never come across before. Really enjoyed. Thx.

[@erginbozun1755]

Warren just can't catch a break! 😂

[@AcornElectron]

He who had so calmly left me a little while previously, now called from below in a shaky whisper more portentous than the loudest shriek: “God! If you could see what I am seeing!” Keep up the good work fella and stay safe.

[@littlebaron5573]

That will be something i would never want to hear if i’m in a questionable situation. The gravity of it all.

[@phpeon9282]

This channel made me a huge fan of the Chtulhu mythos!

[@jeffashley5512]

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn".👾

[@callumleask6274]

Likewise.

[@emanuelandersson8510]

Same,started 3 years Ago

[@AcornElectron]

Not enough of a fan to get his name right though 😉

[@Eris123451]

@@jeffashley5512 Well you can certainly say that again.

[@itzybitzyspyder]

The piano at the beginning makes me believe that everything is gonna work out...but this is Horror Babble!

[@alexgreychuck7605]

I keep waiting for Ian to say "YOU FOOL! Warren is undead."

[@SAINTJUDAS28]

ah,... that would be "YOU GHOUL! Warren is undead."

[@implodingsoftly]

...or, "YOU SILLY PANTS! Warren went to the shops."

[@nathankloske9313]

I have been summoned by the Emperor of Dreams and must bow. Thanks Ian for the continued attention to CAS! Looking forward to many more, including, but not limited to the delightful "The Holiness of Azédarac", the mind-bending "The City of the Singing Flame", and the exquisitely sardonic "Schizoid Creator". Introduced to CAS through the wonderful collection 'A Rendezvous in Averoigne' published by Arkham House. Still in print! Commenting on CAS, L. Sprague de Camp wrote "nobody since Poe has so loved a well-rotted corpse." Hail Klarkash-Ton!!

[@rileymoore2967]

One of my favorite parts of these stories is the foreshadowing "oh shit" moment that freaks me out. 32:25 is a pretty good one

[@RobertEWaters]

Somehow, I get the vague impression that Warren is a bit under the weather.

[@johannageisel5390]

Warren had contracted the novel plague that ravages the land. He is in reconvalescence, but it will take several months until he is fully recovered.

[@evelanpatton]

“You FOOL, Warren is DEAD!”💯👻🖤 👹☠️💀🤡💀☠️👹☠️💀👹💀☠️👹

[@frederickwallace6552]

Warren has Covid you fool!

[@peggyroemer1138]

I like your humor lol

[@jonathanmanley8739]

You fool…..😂😂😂

[@joz6683]

Once again thanks to all involved and greatly appreciated.

[@andreasfilis9001]

Amazing story. First class narration.

[@troymclure8330]

I'm so excited if I had a tail, it would be wagging!!! 🐙❤️

[@sonnetlikely]

What a lovely gift on the Summer Solstice! Many thanks- expertly done, as always! 🎁 You best know I’ll be wearing my HorrorBabble hoodie tonight at the bonfire 🔥.

[@HorrorBabble]

Awesome!

[@Eris123451]

The Bat June 21, 2011 A poem for the summer solstice, by Frank Jacobs. The Bat Bats are creepy; bats are scary; Bats do not seem sanitary; Bats in gloomy caves keep cozy; Bats remind us of Lugosi; Bats have webby wings that fold up; Bats from ceilings hang down rolled up; Bats when flying undismayed are; Bats are careful; bats use radar; Bats at nighttime at their best are; Bats by Batman unimpressed are.

[@awarningtothecuriouswerewolves]

The Nameless Offspring! Why, that's me! Cheers...the boy named Warren!

[@billsummy2412]

AWESOME .. Just ....AWESOME :)

[@SavageBites]

'The nameless offspring' - that's what i call my kids when they misbehave :) A great reading as always Ian !! CAS deserves more attention imho, he was a great wordsmith.

[@HorrorBabble]

Ha! Cheers, sir!

[@lacyhart2043]

Love CAS he's one of my favorites I have been a fan forever.

[@thelastsausage635]

I absolutely loved this dark tale, had to listen to it twice and will return to it many times again, wonderful reading! Thankyou😊👍

[@puca7908]

Very entertaining! I love the classic story teller's vibe! Thank you!

[@rneustel388]

Now this is the type of story I could listen to endlessly!

[@0therun1t21]

I've been waiting all day for this, thank you!

[@laurahenriksen19]

To any of us who have born children... this holds a totally different kind of horror I must say! STUNNING work Sir. Hope you are well x

[@HorrorBabble]

Same to you, Laura!

[@stephenwatson2806]

Ians voice reminds of kids programme narrators i watched in the 70s. Cant put my finger on which tv shows they were.

[@lacyhart2043]

Loved this story

[@soulreaver1983]

Another classic! Thanks Ian!!!!!☺👍

[@brograb898]

Thanks for another great Clark Ashton Smith selection! He’s such a consistently good storyteller and technical writer; it’s a shame that his prose and poetry aren’t more widely available.

[@Eidridin]

We're getting into WW2 era of Cthulhu Mythos, and we're out of the roaring 20s. I'm wondering how long it'll take for Ian to get to the 60s era of Cthulhu Mythos, because that is when the Space Race was prevalent. I'm excited to listen to the evolution of the Mythos, considering the progress of technology, and progressively deeper understanding of outer space.

[@HorrorBabble]

Not much of that stuff is in the public domain... we'll see what we can do in the future though!

[@transamfirebird1]

Loved it thanks guy’s 🇬🇧🤘🤠💀❤️

[@Eris123451]

Read this years ago and still rembered it, but an excellent reading.

[@rosiemcnaughton9933]

Excellent, as always. Thank you for another great story!

[@colejames9715]

My experience with Horror Babble has been Superb! Several stories that I never knew existed are well told and greatly mesmerizing by Ian! Thank you very much for sharing your talents with us!

[@HorrorBabble]

Thank you for listening!

[@ianauck318]

This story has some great suspense! Also there's this great B-movie from the 80s, "H.P. Lovecraft's: The Unnameable." It has a lot of Lovecraft elements and one can see how Smith's story inspired it. I highly recommend it to you all.

[@eileenflynn2166]

You have a fantastic narrator's voice... love it

[@feralbluee]

so well read. so good! thanks so much 🌷👹

[@raylauderback5126]

Always such a pleasurable listen! Thank you!

[@williamfawkes8379]

I listened again and this time, I wonder if CAS knew about his heart condition long before his death, and perhaps suffered from pain? From previous reading, I was under the impression that his death was unexpected.

[@lacyhart2043]

I hope he never hurt but your probably right

[@hardtek517]

Excellent as always!

[@kristinacable]

I love you, Horrorbabble ♡♡《○♡○》

[@grahamturner1290]

Parenting is often stressful... 👻

[@terrybeal2252]

Wow! What a creepy tale. Excellent reading as usual. 😬💀

[@21anusha]

Never disappoints . Cheers ✌🏽

[@quentinfertiliusiiijackelp48]

Always get a chill down my spine when I see you guys have posted. Awesome way to spend a quiet evening. Such a good yet underrated channel

[@HorrorBabble]

Our pleasure!

[@BeastlyEwok]

Keep them coming my friend. Always listening!

[@danbreeden1801]

Wonderful story and narration

[@dondawson2174]

Once again I find a short respite from reality with Ian......

[@jacktough]

Though I understand its aesthetic purpose, the fact that we never hear our narrator take a breath is at once unnatural and unsettling--but also wholly appropriate in context ☠️

[@JessiD618]

I never noticed until now…

[@HorrorBabble]

Rest assured, I breathe ... often. Ian

[@erginbozun1755]

He breathes through his gills 🐸 😉

[@StarsManny]

I much prefer it like that. With some narrators, you hear too much sharp intake of breath, as well as stuffy nose inhaling etc. This narrator is great.

[@SuperNoLifeKing]

Thank you so much for your uploads. Listing to the story's is so entertaining. 🖤

[@AB-ne4io]

Funny, I just read this story 2 days ago. Thanks for retelling it!

[@HorrorBabble]

Hope you enjoyed it just as much the second time!

[@RolandWieffering1]

Another great story by one of the Lovecraft Circle members. It's a shame the stories of August Derleth are so hard to get permission to, to read them out loud. Though I know one channel (Nightshade Diary) who got both "The Mask of Cthulhu" (5 stories) and the "Trail of Cthulhu" (5 more stories). It would be a treat to hear them read by you Ian...! All the best and keep them coming.

[@williamfawkes8379]

I've enjoyed your channel as well, thanks for putting it out there for us.

[@richardwilliams5387]

This seems such a risqué story for the time, the implication of the creature's...shall we say conception? is pretty gruesome.

[@elevers]

I have to admit, Smith is the least of my favorite Pulp-era authors - too gory and over-the-top - but a great reading always makes a fun story worth listening to.

[@accelerationquanta5816]

Gore is fun

[@janetcw9808]

Blummin heck, is this where Warren was exploring? 🤔 🤣 😱😱

[@ddkeegs]

I see Stephen King's inspiration for writing "Jerusalem's Lot" through Clark Ashton Smith and H.P. Lovecraft. Great narration.

[@kylewolff1728]

As wonderful as ever! Thank you for your work!

[@cheesewiz9087]

This is my favorite alternate opening theme music. Just something about it

[@HorrorBabble]

I enjoyed composing the Smith theme.

[@cheesewiz9087]

@@HorrorBabble love it. Always a delightful surprise

[@RelativelyBest]

Gotta say, the protagonist was kind of a huge chad: He was totally aware of what kind of horrific, demoniac mess he'd ended up in but still stuck around to help the old caretaker. None of this was really his problem, he was just a good guy.

[@private_ventures2592]

Nah if youre present when a reality breaking event occurs, fate has chosen you to apprehend it. Its unfortunate, but you cant ignore a call to action from God or Gods

[@AAron-gr3jk]

Right. That's it. I'm backing this

[@avenovum148]

thank you patrons for supporting the horror bard!

[@laurahenriksen19]

My like made it number 334... I feel slightly sad at this haha 333 is an awesome number!

[@popevimtoripkeefhappysackXXX]

Shizzle be tha’ bizzle. Nice one Flash.

[@sindarpeacheyeisacommie8688]

Warren status check complete. Moving on…

[@AmericanAmy]

A new video nice....

[@williamfawkes8379]

About to hit play, I find that until a CAS story starts, I can't remember which one is what. Its a peculiar mental quirk that only affects me with his writing.

[@rickmaurer8726]

More I listen to these old tales, the more I notice how the horror comics adapted or ripped off these same stories. Tales from the Crypt had a similar one except the creature kills Hartford and nearly kills the protagonist before accidentally lighting the house on fire. The narrator barely manages to escape and watches the creature and his dad's body consumed by the flames. Of course at the end, they leave it open to the creature escaping into thw family vaults.

[@GodOfPlague]

I found a collection of Clark Ashton Smiths stories as an ebook it's now on my buy list since im trying to get into writing in this and lovecrafts style. Only I have applied it to two different superheroes which is an interesting task.

[@alswann2702]

Poor Warren.

[@ThePseegmiller]

I'm anxiously waiting for the day we hear, " We hope you don't enjoy this one, folks."

[@HorrorBabble]

One day…!

[@michaelrobinson996]

Just watched this this movie

[@thomascampbell127]

Could you do an Olaf Stapleton reading?

[@thelastsausage635]

Absolutely ADORE this channel, like a delicious rack of wines, which to choose tonight? YOU FOOL, WARREN IS DEAD!!!!!!! I play these words to my husband each night, before I leave him behind, to enter a dark world 💕😃🎄

[@paladin56]

So, an incubus? Did it revive the woman from death or did it know that she was, in fact, not dead?

[@jmh8697]

Sounds like a Chance Wilkins origin story.

[@vivanecrosis]

"I ate Warren"... too soon?

[@thefisherking78]

Mmm, necrolicious 😋

[@MadJack_is_Back]

Oops - You forgot the ‘Closed Captioning’. I love your channel and just wanted to remind you that for some of your fans the CC is a godsend! 🦻🙏🥰

[@HorrorBabble]

We very rarely add CCs to videos as the texts we work from are typically scanned pages, and as such can't be copied and pasted. The automatic CCs should still be enabled... they aren't too reliable, though.

[@MadJack_is_Back]

Sorry - my roku tv lied to me. With your smooth, silky voice auto cc works great! Thanks for . . . everything! Now it’s time for you to read me off to slumber . . . ☺️😴

[@Bbergster]

Perfectly repugnant! Yeah. This one is a trip. It bugged me I knew where it was going. But at least I also remembered it was all messed up.

[@lylacor8401]

huh early to a new video this time...

[@TheGruntski]

In the 1981 movie 'Heavy Metal' the Den segment involves a demon referred to as Ulutek. Backwards, this would be Ketulu, which is similar to Kutulu or Cthulu found in the Lovecraft stories. Coincidence you say? I THINK NOT. :-)

[@1701EarlGrey]

NO, not Warren - how many times he have to die?

[@willam1992]

As many as needed! cackle cackle cackle cackle

[@awarningtothecuriouswerewolves]

Like the old movie with Lon Chaney Jr..."I Died a Thousand Times!" Warren, the 1001st!

[@skinnybub5237]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@Shineon83]

Idk, the presence of a loud, belching motorcycle somehow didn’t do it for me :)

[@LucicPower]

I'm I speed reader so I play these 2x speed

[@stephenwatson2806]

Might have been bagpuss

[@eddiemunster2196]

Quite enjoyabl,,,, but now I will move on to see if you have another story,, That is a bit more horrifying ? You will be hearing from me in the future ! good night ?

[@mayukh3556]

14:41

[@richardstrachmesserschmiti4979]

Lady Agatha n Smeagle ❤️ lil bit of miscegenation

[@richardstrachmesserschmiti4979]

Gollum had a stiffy

[@warmserendipity]

666th like ha

[@dcruz125]

To much talking

[@MuhammadZeeshan-rb5pj]

Will you please get rid of that intro..... Sometimes I just don't click on your video just because of that intro.....

[@HorrorBabble]

Seems like an odd request... It's all part of the HB experience!

[@MuhammadZeeshan-rb5pj]

@@HorrorBabble well I try my best to skip through that part of the experience... It certainly is not an improvement.... and You are one of 3 my go-to narrators on KZbin I'd really appreciate if you change your intro....

[@Shineon83]

Are you joking?!?….I can’t WAIT to hear the intro each time ( and I’ll wager that I speak for most ) 🤗