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Salocin · 04-20-2003, 03:56 PM

Most of the stuff I like has already been given a lot of time here, so I won't mention it right now.

There are 3 things that I am surprised at how little they are mentioned.

First: E.R. Eddison hasn't been mentioned at all. Has no one read The Worm Ouroboros? I guess I am going to have to give you guys a full rundown.

E.R. Eddison started his fantasy in the tweenties (way before Tolkien). He wrote a few things and published a few translations of Old English stuff before creating his own fantasy world(sound familiar?). The Worm Ouroboros was published in 1926. It is an epic novel covering the last war between two rival, man-like races: the witches and the demons; battling it out on Mercury. (The demons are the good guys [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]. The races don't really have anything to do with demons and witches besides the present king of the witches being a scorceror and demons having small, goat-like horns above their ears and under their hair.) The detail is amazing, the depth astounding. You'll have to disregard the Tolkien refferences on the back of the book and in any reviews because it really has nothing to do with the Proffesor at all. It is a completely different style.

After The Worm Ouroboros, Eddison wrote the Zimiamvian Trilogy. I know, most of us hard core Tolkienist cringe at other fantasy "Trilogies", but you have to keep in mind that Eddison's was written before the Tolkien's, though I am not suggesting Tolkien got the idea from Eddison. Their versions of fantasy are very different and I am very opposed to them being compared in any way exept to say they both wrote good fantasy.

The Zimiamvian Trilogy consists of Mistess of Mistresses (1935), A Fish Dinner in Memison (1941), and The Mezentian Gate (I don't have it on hand so I don't know when it was published). To put things in perspective, LoTR was published 1954-1955. The Mezentian Gate was never finnished (Eddison, like all great authors, died before he wrote enough for us [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] ) but he wrote with outlines in such away that it is much more readable than most fragments and one can accually get the story out of it and even the ending.

The Zimiamvian Trilogy also takes place on Mercury, but in a different part of the planet and is completely unrelated to The worm Ouroboros. It takes place in a region known as Zimiamvia (go figuer). The books are highly philosophical and are very tough reading (at least for me, but I found LoTR tough the first time through)

I need to go so I better finnish this quickly.

In short, C.S.Lewis loved Eddisons work, he raved about it and was probably his biggest fan. Tolkien read them and admitted they wear well written but said he didn't like the complete absence of christian morality. (I know this sounds weird, since Tolkien claimed LoTR was not a chritian allegory, but its true.) The Eddison books are bassed on a savage, pre-christian, almost pagan, morality.

Well got to go for now.

04-20-2003, 03:56 PM	#173
Salocin Wight Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Zion Posts: 106	Most of the stuff I like has already been given a lot of time here, so I won't mention it right now. There are 3 things that I am surprised at how little they are mentioned. First: E.R. Eddison hasn't been mentioned at all. Has no one read The Worm Ouroboros? I guess I am going to have to give you guys a full rundown. E.R. Eddison started his fantasy in the tweenties (way before Tolkien). He wrote a few things and published a few translations of Old English stuff before creating his own fantasy world(sound familiar?). The Worm Ouroboros was published in 1926. It is an epic novel covering the last war between two rival, man-like races: the witches and the demons; battling it out on Mercury. (The demons are the good guys [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]. The races don't really have anything to do with demons and witches besides the present king of the witches being a scorceror and demons having small, goat-like horns above their ears and under their hair.) The detail is amazing, the depth astounding. You'll have to disregard the Tolkien refferences on the back of the book and in any reviews because it really has nothing to do with the Proffesor at all. It is a completely different style. After The Worm Ouroboros, Eddison wrote the Zimiamvian Trilogy. I know, most of us hard core Tolkienist cringe at other fantasy "Trilogies", but you have to keep in mind that Eddison's was written before the Tolkien's, though I am not suggesting Tolkien got the idea from Eddison. Their versions of fantasy are very different and I am very opposed to them being compared in any way exept to say they both wrote good fantasy. The Zimiamvian Trilogy consists of Mistess of Mistresses (1935), A Fish Dinner in Memison (1941), and The Mezentian Gate (I don't have it on hand so I don't know when it was published). To put things in perspective, LoTR was published 1954-1955. The Mezentian Gate was never finnished (Eddison, like all great authors, died before he wrote enough for us [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] ) but he wrote with outlines in such away that it is much more readable than most fragments and one can accually get the story out of it and even the ending. The Zimiamvian Trilogy also takes place on Mercury, but in a different part of the planet and is completely unrelated to The worm Ouroboros. It takes place in a region known as Zimiamvia (go figuer). The books are highly philosophical and are very tough reading (at least for me, but I found LoTR tough the first time through) I need to go so I better finnish this quickly. In short, C.S.Lewis loved Eddisons work, he raved about it and was probably his biggest fan. Tolkien read them and admitted they wear well written but said he didn't like the complete absence of christian morality. (I know this sounds weird, since Tolkien claimed LoTR was not a chritian allegory, but its true.) The Eddison books are bassed on a savage, pre-christian, almost pagan, morality. Well got to go for now. __________________ Christ is Risen!