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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
In 1922, Eddison published his first novel The Worm Ourobouros, a novel of daring adventures and dastardly treachery set in a never-never-land on Mercury; his four novels channelled the evolution of genre fantasy, not least by being much admired by both Lewis and Tolkien. The gallant and noble lords of Demonland are threatened by an assortment of villains--the various kings Gorice of Witchland and the thuggish generals of their court, aided and abetted by the compulsively treacherous Lord Gro; Gro is one of the more fascinating villains in fantasy: charismatic, intelligent, sensitive and flawed. Eddison was obsessed with the poetry and prose of the Elizabethan era--not trusting his own poetic skills, he simply has his characters quote sonnets and epigrams and ballads, some of them famous; when his characters deliver heroic defiance or counsel betrayal, it is always in a rhetoric that for once sounds like what the characters of a heroic age might say. What makes The Worm Ourobouros a classic fantasy is, quite simply, that it has some of the best battle scenes, some of the more terrifying scenes of magic and some of the most tender love scenes that the genre has ever achieved--it is nice to have it back again. --Roz Kaveney
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
"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)
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion and Mythology. http://www.forgottenbooks.org
Forgotten Books is about sharing knowledge, not about making money. Our books are priced at wh
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
On far off Mercury, there lie many nations. Paramount among these is the kingdom of Witchland, which is ruled by the terrible King Gorice. Standing proud against Witchland is Demonland, wherein lives a race of heroes. Among their leaders are the lords Juss, Spitfire, Goldry Bluszco, and Brandoch Daha. With great valor, these Demons wage a war of heroic proportions against Gorice, a war equal to that which the Greeks fought at Troy. This is a story of dark magic and great valor.
This was a rather flowery summation for me, but this book rather brought it out in me. The book is written using archaic words and phrases, which means that it is not for the faint of heart, but the gist of the meaning is always easy to determine. The use of the man Lessingham in the first few chapters is poorly done, but is quickly forgotten in the reading of the book.
Overall, let me say that this book does not read like any other fantasy book I have ever read, not even Lord of the Rings. The author's use of the language, combined with style of telling, gives the story the feel of an epic, such as the Iliad. This book is quite rightly considered one of the classics of fantasy literature, and it is something that every fantasy-lover should read.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I primarily wish to provide some balance to the gushing prose that is heaped upon this work. It *is* a good book, but it is certainly not what you expect it to be. It is a dream sequence, non-linear, and fragmented. Yet for all that, it was well worth the effort it took to read it.
But it does take effort. Eddison (like Tolkein) was writing to the audience of a different age. Unlike Tolkein, he was less successful. Where Tolkein's prose served the descriptive purposes of a grand historical epic, Eddison revels in word-play for it's own sake. Yet it does have many bright moments, not the leat of which is the tail-eating finale (one has to suspect it is also the source of the title).
It's hard to paint a picture of a middle-ground opinion. I liked the book, but it's definitely not of universal appeal.
But it does take effort. Eddison (like Tolkein) was writing to the audience of a different age. Unlike Tolkein, he was less successful. Where Tolkein's prose served the descriptive purposes of a grand historical epic, Eddison revels in word-play for it's own sake. Yet it does have many bright moments, not the leat of which is the tail-eating finale (one has to suspect it is also the source of the title).
It's hard to paint a picture of a middle-ground opinion. I liked the book, but it's definitely not of universal appeal.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
On far off Mercury, there lie many nations. Paramount among these is the kingdom of Witchland, which is ruled by the terrible King Gorice. Standing proud against Witchland is Demonland, wherein lives a race of heroes. Among their leaders are the lords Juss, Spitfire, Goldry Bluszco, and Brandoch Daha. With great valor, these Demons wage a war of heroic proportions against Gorice, a war equal to that the Greeks fought at Troy. This is a story of dark magic and great valor.
This was a rather flowery summation for me, but this book rather brought it out in me. The book is written using archaic words and phrases, which means that it is not for the faint of heart, but the gist of the meaning is always easy to determine. The use of the man Lessingham in the first few chapters is poorly done, but is quickly forgotten in the reading of the book.
Overall, let me say that this book does not read like any other fantasy book I have ever read, not even Lord of the Rings. The author's use of the language, combined with style of telling, gives the story the feel of an epic, such as the Iliad. This book is quite rightly considered one of the classics of fantasy literature, and it is something that every fantasy-lover should read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Worm Oroborus
This is a book I bought because I had a second hand paperback copy of it, that was falling apart. I had not yet read all of it and though I found it interesting, this kindle... Read more
Published 1 month ago by L. M. Ingle
Beautiful and in some ways terrible.
I first read this book this book when I was sixteen and loved it as intensely as only sixteen year olds love. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ian Hodge
Avoid the Kindle edition
The transcription for this Kindle edition is extremely careless, with misprints on practically every page. Worse than amateurish. Read more
Published 5 months ago by D. J. Eddyshaw
A great book. A terrible book. A challenging book
"The Worm Ouroboros" is one of the main, if generally unread, underpinnings of the modern fantasy genre. Read more
Published 21 months ago by L. E. Cantrell
Flaunting its flaws
In an age when fantasy writers seem to ration their invention and squeeze every last drop out of any idea to produce thick multi-volume "epics" (Brook, Fiest and Jordan to name... Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2010 by Good Book Fan
Now this book is a MASTERPIECE!!!!
The single most original most brilliant work of art that fantasy has produced.The language is richly evocative,the descriptions without paralell,the characters superbly drawn. Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2009 by Ivor Winters
Worthy of serious study
Eddison's classic tends to produce highly polarized opinions. People either love it (warts and all) or are turned off by it. Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2009 by K. Metcalfe
Yeah, its pretty amazing
I was lucky enough to have Clive Barker himself recommend this to me many moons ago, and i found a cracked, musty copy of the 70's edition in a second hand bookshop. Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2006 by mingo
The Worm Ouroboros is a wonder; a charm; rich with delight
Mr. E.R.Eddison's master-work, the Worm Ouroboros, is without peer; but the heady and voluptuous beauty of his rich prose, alas, shall find few readers able to admire it. Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2005 by John C. Wright
Tolkein or Eddison
On the back of almost every modern edition of the Worm ouroborous you'll see that the book is compared to Lord of the Rings. Read more
Published on 3 Dec 2003
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