From the Bookshelf of Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"…
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A magical realm with elves and trolls. A boundary of twilight separating it from the world. And a prince of men moving through the mists on a quest to wed the King of Elfland’s daughter. All the ingredients needed for a delightfully stereotypical fantasy tale.
The King of Elfland’s Daughter is arguably the apogee of pre-Tolkien fantasy. A legend of the genre from the early twentieth century. And in my eyes, it is definitely the best from the early modern fantasy era.
Most aspects of the book are a ...more
The King of Elfland’s Daughter is arguably the apogee of pre-Tolkien fantasy. A legend of the genre from the early twentieth century. And in my eyes, it is definitely the best from the early modern fantasy era.
Most aspects of the book are a ...more
What foolish folk, the men of Erl, who walk the fields we know! In Erl that had sighed for magic there was indeed magic now. The pigeon-loft and old lumber-lofts over stables were all full of trolls, the ways were full of their antics, and lights bobbed up and down the street at night long after traffic was home. For the will-o'-the-wisps would go dancing along the gutters, and had made their homes round the soft edges of duck-ponds and in green-black patches of moss that grew upon oldest thatch
...more
A classic of the fantasy genre.
The parliament of Erl comes to their Lord -- they want a magic lord. So the lord, obediently, sends his son off to find the title daughter. He succeeds. And this book goes on to chronicle what happens after.
It involves the ceremony of marriage for mermaids who forsake the sea, a dove cote, a hunt for the unicorn, the horns of elfland, a sword made of thunderbolt iron, and more, but the real reason for reading Dunsany is, of course, the crystalline singing prose:
The parliament of Erl comes to their Lord -- they want a magic lord. So the lord, obediently, sends his son off to find the title daughter. He succeeds. And this book goes on to chronicle what happens after.
It involves the ceremony of marriage for mermaids who forsake the sea, a dove cote, a hunt for the unicorn, the horns of elfland, a sword made of thunderbolt iron, and more, but the real reason for reading Dunsany is, of course, the crystalline singing prose:
To...more
Apr 18, 2023
Daniel Millard
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review of another edition
Shelves:
low-fantasy,
classic-science-fiction
Group read for I Might Believe in Fairies book club.
My interest in Dunsany has been piqued by his influence on Tolkien and Lovecraft. After digesting and discussing this book, it is "pretty good" in terms of overall enjoyment, but I appreciate its influence upon these authors and others. Dunsany's prose is thoughtful, poetic, and deliberately vague/ethereal. Worth a re-read as a classic that treats Earth and Elfland alike with wonder, without a clear bias, and in fact probably condemning the mag ...more
My interest in Dunsany has been piqued by his influence on Tolkien and Lovecraft. After digesting and discussing this book, it is "pretty good" in terms of overall enjoyment, but I appreciate its influence upon these authors and others. Dunsany's prose is thoughtful, poetic, and deliberately vague/ethereal. Worth a re-read as a classic that treats Earth and Elfland alike with wonder, without a clear bias, and in fact probably condemning the mag ...more
Dec 06, 2013
Brian Dawley
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May 26, 2014
Lockie
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George Alex
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Dec 22, 2020
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Mar 11, 2021
Colby
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Jul 20, 2021
Crabwise
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