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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Dear Lord Dunsany,
Why did I wait so long to read your book? You are a genius and I loved every second of it. Remember kids, don't play with Elfland, and when marrying faery princesses, be sure not to piss of their fathers.
This book was beautifully written, beautifully conceived, and beautifully strange. I love reading books which clearly inspired some of my favourites, as this one obviously did. Lovers of fantasy and Faerie should read this, and those planning on questing after Elfland should consult the sections on Alveric. it's never a good idea to mess with Faerie, and Lord Dunsany will tell you exactly why.
Why did I wait so long to read your book? You are a genius and I loved every second of it. Remember kids, don't play with Elfland, and when marrying faery princesses, be sure not to piss of their fathers.
This book was beautifully written, beautifully conceived, and beautifully strange. I love reading books which clearly inspired some of my favourites, as this one obviously did. Lovers of fantasy and Faerie should read this, and those planning on questing after Elfland should consult the sections on Alveric. it's never a good idea to mess with Faerie, and Lord Dunsany will tell you exactly why.
Mesmerizing, otherworldly; but oh god the pacing.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you enjoyed The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, this might be for you, and vice versa.
adventurous
slow-paced
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF @ pg126
Here's the thing, it doesn't matter how beautiful or lyrical the writing is, if there's just simply nothing else to offer. My copy of the book is about 180 pages long, and my goodness, it could be cut down to literally 50 pages for all the plot and characterization. Life is too short to the point where I was dozing off while trying to read this.
Here's the thing, it doesn't matter how beautiful or lyrical the writing is, if there's just simply nothing else to offer. My copy of the book is about 180 pages long, and my goodness, it could be cut down to literally 50 pages for all the plot and characterization. Life is too short to the point where I was dozing off while trying to read this.
The twelve men making up the parliament of Erl go to their ruler one day and ask for a magic lord. The ruler agrees to grant their request and sends his son to steal and marry the King of Elfland's daughter. But of course finding her and keeping her can't be that easy.
In the introduction to this edition, Neil Gaiman compares Lord Dunsany's writing to the King James Bible. I honestly wouldn't have thought of that, but the description is perfect. The language is beautiful, but, for me, dense and a little hard to wade through. I kept thinking of those old fairy tale books by Andrew Lang, like The Orange Fairy Book. As I remember it, those books had very little dialog and just describe the story happening. That's how this was. I also mentally compared it to a beautiful, old silent movie. You're watching this beautiful story unfold, but there's no dialog. I guess I like a lot of dialog.
As I read the book, I kept thinking of a phrase my yoga teacher uses: "like you're moving through honey." That's the pace at which this book moves: like you're moving through honey. I normally tear through books so I never quite got my mind slowed down enough to fully enjoy and understand this book. When I did manage it, for a couple of paragraphs at a time, I could see what all the fuss is about. But the rest of the time, I just wished we could get on with the story. That is, if I didn't fall asleep first.
By the end, Lirazel had gotten on my nerves. She wanted to have her cake and eat it too. Who doesn't, really? But asking her father to use his last all-powerful rune to give it to her just seemed whiny and self-absorbed to me. She was a very passive character generally, so I never cared for her much to begin with. The witch was much more interesting. I would have liked more about her.
If you like beautiful, slow-moving language, you'll probably like this one. If you're like me and like your stories to move along at a pretty fast pace, you'll probably want to take a pass.
In the introduction to this edition, Neil Gaiman compares Lord Dunsany's writing to the King James Bible. I honestly wouldn't have thought of that, but the description is perfect. The language is beautiful, but, for me, dense and a little hard to wade through. I kept thinking of those old fairy tale books by Andrew Lang, like The Orange Fairy Book. As I remember it, those books had very little dialog and just describe the story happening. That's how this was. I also mentally compared it to a beautiful, old silent movie. You're watching this beautiful story unfold, but there's no dialog. I guess I like a lot of dialog.
As I read the book, I kept thinking of a phrase my yoga teacher uses: "like you're moving through honey." That's the pace at which this book moves: like you're moving through honey. I normally tear through books so I never quite got my mind slowed down enough to fully enjoy and understand this book. When I did manage it, for a couple of paragraphs at a time, I could see what all the fuss is about. But the rest of the time, I just wished we could get on with the story. That is, if I didn't fall asleep first.
By the end, Lirazel had gotten on my nerves. She wanted to have her cake and eat it too. Who doesn't, really? But asking her father to use his last all-powerful rune to give it to her just seemed whiny and self-absorbed to me. She was a very passive character generally, so I never cared for her much to begin with. The witch was much more interesting. I would have liked more about her.
If you like beautiful, slow-moving language, you'll probably like this one. If you're like me and like your stories to move along at a pretty fast pace, you'll probably want to take a pass.