Today, November 24, marks the birth of Eric Rucker Eddison (1882-1945). E. R. Eddison was one of the giants of the fantasy field in the early 20th Century and enjoyed a brief resurgence in the 1960’s and 70’s when Ballantine reprinted four of his novels, The Worm Ouroboros and the Zimiamvia Trilogy, consisting of Mistress of Mistresses, A Fish Dinner in Memison, and The Mezentian Gate. These books are not light reading.Eddison’s style is suited to contemporary tastes. I’ve only read Worm, and that was in my undergraduate days (or high school. I forget.) I liked it and would read it again, as well as the others, if I can get a large block of time.
Adventures Fantastic
Reviews, Views, & Occasional News
I didn’t think much of “Ouroboros” when I read it back in college. I read it a few years ago and loved it. Leiber, Lovecraft and Wagner are just some of the heavyweights who admired Eddison’s masterwork. I’ve been reading several HPL letters collections lately and he literally could NOT shut up about it for about 2yrs. He sang its praises far and wide.
I definitely want to give it a reread. Those are some pretty strong endorsements.
I did not know about Lovecraft and Wagner liking it. I knew Tolkien and Lewis were big fans. When I read it I found it incredibly boring, but I may feel different if I read it now. I think at the time I was getting burnt out on fantasy, though.