- Paperback: 248 pages
- Publisher: Citadel Press; Reprint edition (1 April 1989)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0806509449
- ISBN-13: 978-0806509440
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.2 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,868,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
A Voyage to Arcturus (Fantasy Masterworks)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
Product Description
Product Description
This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare’s finesse to Oscar Wilde’s wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim’s Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpieces of the literary giants, it is must-have addition to any library.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
David Lindsay (1878-1945) was a British fantasy author.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
David Lindsay has created a remarkable journey in this book. From the seance at the beginning, it is clear that the work is not going to be standard fantasy, and, indeed, it seems more closely akin to the mystical allegories of Blake's paintings, in that it informs on an emotional level without necessarily explaining on an intellectual one. The voyage Maskull takes, not only to but also through Arcturus, is painted with incredibly evocative language. I particularly loved Lindsay's way of describing colours never seen on earth by linking them into emotional states: ulfire, for example, is 'wild and mysterious'. The book is heavy with allegory - the climax takes place in the land of light, or Muspel, (Norse mythology describes a land of fire also known as Muspel), but this is way beyond normal allegorical writing. People grow and discard organs, strange creatures and plants inhabit the world, and through it all runs the complex influences of Krag and Crystalman, who roughly correspond to Pain and the Illusion that Pain is not real. This is a fantastic book of chaotic characters and flowing descriptions. Don't expect to get all its layers on the first read (unless you're a lot smarter than me!) but enjoy it for the breathless journey it takes you on and a use of language that I thought was unique and unparalleled. Highly recommended.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Lindsay has created a multi-layered critique of our understanding of creation in a unique literary work. When first published it bombed as the public of 1920 found it appalling. It needs rereading to get a fuller picture of what Lindsay is trying to say: and that is very challenging! Three people--Krag, Nightspore and Maskull--travel to Tormance, a planet round the star Arcturus. However this is no "science" fiction. Maskull awakes alone and encounters a series of people on his journey to Muspel, the place of revelation. This must lead to his death as is stated all through the book. In his encounters with aliens, Maskull undergoes various physical, emotional and spiritual transformations. These lead him to question the work of Shaping or creation by Crystalman. At the end of his journey Krag reappears, having been called the devil by the aliens Maskull encounters at various times, and shows Maskull that he must allow Pain to release him from the deceit of Pleasure (Shaping). And so he becomes Nightspore, Krag's creature. This whole journey is written with fantastic literary skill and imagery, and the whole experience is personally challenging. For the truth of Tormance is the truth of our world, according to Lindsay. "Arcturus" influenced CS Lewis' "Out of the Silent Planet" and "Perelandra".
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Voyage To Arcturus fits perfectly in with Savoy's present publishing programme which is set to climax with W. H. Hodgson's The House On The Borderland. Lindsay's classic is an unconventional fantasy that uses 'psychedlic' visions to convey his philosophies of life and the world around us. It begins with a fairly conventional seance and reads in a somewhat stlited style but then becomes almost ecstatic like Hodgson's end of world viosion in House on the Borderland. Characters constantly change physically in the seemingly plotless trip that is Voyage to Arcturus. Buy this book, not only is it a beautifully presented hardback with fantastic artwork, an intro by Alan Moore, an afterword by Colin Wilson and other 'extras', but you'll really never read another book like it!!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Remarkable
A Voyage to Arcturus is a book that, once read, will not be easily forgotten.
It is an early sci-fi novel, that can be taken as an allegory on various schools of... Read more
It is an early sci-fi novel, that can be taken as an allegory on various schools of... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Lone Wolf77
Seriously bad writing
This book is almost unreadable. It tries to be some portentious gothic tract imbued with some - who knows what - great message. But it is an incomprehensible mess. Ghastly. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Captain Kirk
Renaissance of mystical thought
An introspective journey that relays themes of personal reality through unique alien encounters requiring action and reaction. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Dennis Michael Donohue
A complex and unique weirdscape
I read this book as a long term hard core C S Lewis fan, since he mentioned it several times in his letters which I have recently read and because of the link with his sci-fi... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Stephen F. Hayes
Another C20th Ulysses
"I must make up my mind that this is a strange journey, and that the strangest things will happen in it. Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2009 by Alan Tucker
Gnosticism in a novel
This is one of my long-time favorite books. The writing is at times rough and ready, unpolished. But it suits. Read more
Published on 24 April 2009 by shrink
Intoxicating...
The alien world Lindsay created is reminiscent of Barbarella - as if in a trance or drug-induced state, the hero wanders through a succession of astounding landscapes, encountering... Read more
Published on 10 Feb 2009 by lsur
Taken Far
Profoundly stimulated by this book on first reading, and on several subsequent readings. My experience so different from last reviewer's that it's tempting to respond to the last... Read more
Published on 20 April 2006 by Bark
A Let-Down
I had high hopes for this “lost classic”, but I was severely disappointed. Lindsay’s fantastic novel starts promisingly and intriguingly enough at a séance... Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2006 by M. A. Alcroft
An exploration of good and evil
This book describes an alien world, and through this vague science fiction, gives the reader a interesting definition of what it means to be good. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2001
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
