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A review by woahno
The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany
4.0
A lot of the appeal of this book to me was seeing just what kind of elements were being used in published works in the 1920s. The King of Elfland’s Daughter had and continues to have such an impact on the works of authors I love. Perhaps most notably in my reading experience are Tolkien and Le Guin. Then, to take that further, to see some of that ripple down to those that Tolkien and Le Guin influenced. It is a fun thought experiment to track some of that throughout the publication years and the changes over time that can be seen.
With that lens, the one of impact and influence, seeing how Lord Dunsay has affected a genre, it became easy to see threads and elements that carry on to titles being published today. The first thing I noticed was the lovely language. The style of prose used, while certainly more classical than what I usually see today, brought to mind the previously mentioned authors; and a few more besides. Then we get some magical creatures, most notably trolls and unicorns. There was also a magic sword, a quest, weird time stuff, a different land to explore, and the merging of the real and the fantastic.
The problem I have in general with the more classical reads is that I am so accustomed to having a lot more dialogue and to being closer to the characters, usually spending more time with them and getting a sense of being right there with them through their journey. These classical tales tell things from such a distance that it can be difficult to connect on a similar level. I personally believe that this is something that a reader can get used to and feel just as immersed in as with a more modern approach to telling a story. But here, I struggled with it at times. The tale was short but felt dense. Like I should go back and start over to capture all the events and happenings in the book. Though I think I generally feel that way. The beauty of rereading something or discussing it with others is uncovering previously undiscovered layers to the story that you missed previously. I’m certain this book would be no exception, that spending more time with it would offer more gleanings into the connections and complexities at play.
Where this book really stands out was with how magic is thought of by the characters and exists in this world. It has rather loose rules, it feels intangible, mysterious. The King of Elfland’s Daughter does not spend time establishing a lot of those elements, there are shockingly few moments of exposition to describe how time works between the realms or how traveling between them works. But it still works, I think. It created a feeling of awe to the events and a looming atmosphere of whimsy and wonder on every page. The way characters seek to find more of this magic and pin it down, that quests and struggle likewise lends to this mystique.
Overall, I had a great time reading this. I am already drowning in my TBR, but this experience has me wanting to read older works. And so the cycle continues…
With that lens, the one of impact and influence, seeing how Lord Dunsay has affected a genre, it became easy to see threads and elements that carry on to titles being published today. The first thing I noticed was the lovely language. The style of prose used, while certainly more classical than what I usually see today, brought to mind the previously mentioned authors; and a few more besides. Then we get some magical creatures, most notably trolls and unicorns. There was also a magic sword, a quest, weird time stuff, a different land to explore, and the merging of the real and the fantastic.
The problem I have in general with the more classical reads is that I am so accustomed to having a lot more dialogue and to being closer to the characters, usually spending more time with them and getting a sense of being right there with them through their journey. These classical tales tell things from such a distance that it can be difficult to connect on a similar level. I personally believe that this is something that a reader can get used to and feel just as immersed in as with a more modern approach to telling a story. But here, I struggled with it at times. The tale was short but felt dense. Like I should go back and start over to capture all the events and happenings in the book. Though I think I generally feel that way. The beauty of rereading something or discussing it with others is uncovering previously undiscovered layers to the story that you missed previously. I’m certain this book would be no exception, that spending more time with it would offer more gleanings into the connections and complexities at play.
Where this book really stands out was with how magic is thought of by the characters and exists in this world. It has rather loose rules, it feels intangible, mysterious. The King of Elfland’s Daughter does not spend time establishing a lot of those elements, there are shockingly few moments of exposition to describe how time works between the realms or how traveling between them works. But it still works, I think. It created a feeling of awe to the events and a looming atmosphere of whimsy and wonder on every page. The way characters seek to find more of this magic and pin it down, that quests and struggle likewise lends to this mystique.
Overall, I had a great time reading this. I am already drowning in my TBR, but this experience has me wanting to read older works. And so the cycle continues…