About this title: When J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings was published, reviewers saw that there was only one book with which it could legitimately be compared: E.R. Eddison's classic fantasy adventure The Worm Ouroboros. Set on a distant planet of spectacular beauty and peopled by Lords and Kings, mighty warriors and raven-haired temptresses, Eddison's extravagant story, of a great war for total domination, is an unforgettable work of splendour.
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Description: Acceptable. Ships from the UK. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Pan/Ballantine, London England
Date Published: 1972
ISBN-13:9780330238410ISBN:0330238418
Description: Keith Henderson. Fair+ 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall 0330238418 Paperback We who live in a far more prosaic but no less dangerous world should rejoice at the opportunity to venture into many-mountained Demonland and to penetrate the sinister fortress of Gorice XII. Illustrations. Foxing to inside cover. Slight wear and creases to cover. (We carry a wide selection of titles in The Arts, Theology, History, Politics, Social and Physical Sciences. academic and scholarly books and Modern First Editions ... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Gollancz
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9781857989939ISBN:1857989937
Description: Good. Our aim is to create value for our customers through the provision of low cost, affordable products and an overall satisfying buying experience. read more
Description: Good. Pan/ Ballantine paperback 4th printing 1975. A tight copy. Pages tanned but clean, text bright. Cover edge wear with crease to cover corners. Minor indentation marks to cover. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 1981
ISBN-13:9780345271228ISBN:034527122X
Description: Good. Just amazing really this book is over 20 years old its condition is excellent, it is clean, firm hardly a fault or mark to describe, it has been looked after, the only thing is page tanning to the edges we list everything ourselves as acurately as we can and ship within 24-48 hours of order please contact us if further information required. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Macmillan
Date Published: 1973
ISBN-13:9780330238410ISBN:0330238418
Description: Acceptable. EX-LIBRARY WITH USUAL LIBRARY MARKINGS. MAJOR SIGNS OF WEAR AND TEAR-VERY WELL READ-READING COPY ONLY SECURE DAILY POSTING FROM UK. 30 DAY GUARANTEE. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Pan, London, United Kingdom
Date Published: 1972
ISBN-13:9780345097408ISBN:0345097408
Description: Henderson, Keith. Very Good + 4 1/2 " By 7 1/2" Very minor cover edge wear, minor creasing to spine, shelf wear to page edges otherwise No marks or inscriptions to pages. read more
Description: Mass Market Paperback. Good/Pages Aged/N/A. First Reprint Thus. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. ISBN: 345 09740 8. 520pp. A good reading copy. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperbac
Publisher: Ballantine, New York
Date Published: 1967
Description: Fair. The covers show a little wear; there is black staining on the botom of the first 30 pages (does not rub off); the binding is tight. read more
"I started reading the book because of the claim that it was the grandfather of fantasy books, even preceding Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, Eddison's prose and word usage reflects that, making the book a touch difficult to understand. I was about to give up on the book until Juss and Brandoch reached Moruna and encountered the manticore. From here, there was a change in the writing; dialogue became more meaningful, and a lot more interesting things started happening. Now I think I'll stick with it."
"To enjoy The Worm Ouroboros, one must accept the glorification of war, just as one must accept magic spells and E.R. Eddison's invented, pseudo-archaic language. Once you get used to the style, it is mostly unobtrusive and occasionally delightful.
Eddison's heroes are not very clearly drawn. The one exception is the dandy and berserker Brandoch Daha -- and now I've told you everything about him. Eddison often does a better job with the villains, such as King Gorice the nth (take your pick) and the aptly-named Corsus. The most nuanced and interesting character is the principled traitor Lord Gro.
As you might expect from a tale weak on characterization, events are plot-driven. The plot concerns the invasion of Demonland by the forces of Witchland under King Gorice, which includes the supernatural kidnapping and rescue of Goldry Bluszco, one of the lords of demonland. Despite the carefully constructed, symmetrical plot -- or maybe because of it -- the tale seems episodic. Actions are driven by a scheme external to the story, rather than growing from character.
At the end of the novel, the glorification of war becomes explicit. This -- and the nature of the ending itself -- rather broke the spell for me. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book, and plan to read Eddison's Zimiamvia trilogy."
"Visionary, if demanding, fantasy classic. Most importantly, the reader must be prepared for the novel's Elizabethan language. If you've read a lot of Shakespeare, you'll probably be sufficiently prepared, but it's a good idea to have a dictionary handy just in case.
It would also help for the reader to be quite familiar with gemstones, since every surface in this novel seems to be either carved from one or inlaid with one or more, and if you can't readily match pictures to names for a lot of these, as I can't, it's a bit annoying. It would also help to have some familiarity with the terms used to describe mountains, because there's a good deal of mountaineering in the book.
In general, the novel makes unusual demands upon the reader's powers of visualization. I almost felt as though I needed to refuel my imagination periodically in order to be able to supply the book the raw materials it needed to evoke its exotic settings. I know this will make one wonder why anyone should bother reading it, but the point is that I felt this effort to be worth it."
"An amazing and glorious work of fiction. Never before has a story been better told, though unfortunately the story itself was rather poor. Had Eddison a better plot, I think this book would rival most I've read. Unfortunately I was left wondering why characters acted in certain ways, annoyed when the main action was held off-stage, and wondering where main characters were for stretches of one hundred pages. Luckily, Eddison's prose makes up for any of the holes in the plot, and it's just simply a joy to read him. His mind seems to be of glorious battles, high-minded warriors, and epic landscapes, and his descriptions are like gazing through the eyes of one who has first seen such beauty. To read him is to be in awe. I just wish his story was up to par with his ability to write..."
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