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Forgotten Books
May 2008
On Sale: May 7, 2008
458 pages
ISBN: 1606201751
EAN: 9781606201756
Paperback (reprint)
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Science Fiction
"The Worm Ourorobos is second only to the Lord of the
Rings in the pantheon of 20th century English fantasy.
E.R. Eddison, who moved in the same literary circles as
Tolkien, was praised by Tolkien as "The greatest and most
convincing writer of 'invented worlds' that I have
read".The Worm Ourorbos was originally published in a very
limited and now very rare edition in 1922 (a used first
edition recently listed for $3,750). Eddison wrote three
sequels set in roughly the same universe, but none of them
have the sustained pacing and invention of
Ouroboros.Before diving in, there are a few things to be
aware of. The rich language Eddison uses is based on Tudor
and Jacobean English, with some modern anachronisms; it
may take some getting used to, and occasionally a trip to
the unabridged Oxford English Dictionary. The narrator,
one Lessingham, who appears in a very brief framing
sequence, disappears a few dozen pages in. The book is set
on Mercury; however, keep in mind this is not science
fiction, so this is not literally the planet Mercury.
Eddison on several occasions in the body of the book calls
the world 'Middle Earth', and the setting is recognizably
the Midgard of the Norse myths and sagas, although for
some unexplained reason the denizens worship the Greek
pantheon. The cast of characters, like Tolkien, are
principally masculine, albeit with a couple of standout
female leads. And lastly the various nationalities
(Demons, Witches, Pixies, Imps, etc.) are not really
separate species as in Tolkien; they are all essentially
humans." (Quote from sacred-texts.com)
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