The throne of bones
Imagine earthy Tolkienesque characters in a setting full of cemeteries, graverobbers, necromancers, corpse-eaters--even a huge labyrinthine necropolis. Imagine mephitic gardens where the sarcophage, selenotrope, and necrophilium bloom. Then throw in star-crossed lovers, crazed zealots, stalwart heroes, bloodthirsty renegade armies, hideous monsters, and likeable misfits. You've got just a hint of the wondrous and original visions in the dark fantasy world of Brian McNaughton.Horror scholar S. T. Joshi, in the afterword to this collection of  stories, notes the strong influence of Clark Ashton Smith,   Lord Dunsany, H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Greco-Roman  decadent works such as Petronius'sSatyricon. "McNaughton  seems to have mastered one of the most difficult of literary arts: to  draw upon the classics of the field without losing his own voice....  The world that McNaughton has created in this book is the world of  the ghoul; and who knows but thatThe Throne of Boneswill  become the standard textbook for the care and feeding of ghouls just  asDraculahas become that for vampires?"