
The King of Elfland’s Daughter
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Narrated by:
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Stefan Rudnicki
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By:
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Lord Dunsany
About this listen
A masterpiece of fantasy literature that shaped the high fantasy genre and influenced such authors as J. R. R. Tolkien and H. P. Lovecraft
After 700 years of being ruled by man, the Parliament of Erl is ready to be ruled by a magical lord. Obeying the immemorial custom, the lord of Erl sends his son Alveric to fetch the King of Elfland’s daughter, Lirazel, to be his bride. Alveric makes his way to Elfland, where time passes at a rate far slower than the real world, wins her hand, and they return to Erl together.
Alveric and Lirazel marry and have a son, but marriage between a mortal and a fairy princess is never simple. Lirazel struggles to adapt to the customs of humans. Torn between two worlds, Lirazel must decide whether to return to her home and live forever, or remain in Erl with her husband and son, doomed to die a mortal death. Meanwhile, the King of Elfland, missing his daughter greatly and fearing her demise, must utilize his limited sources of magic in order to get her back.
The King of Elfland’s Daughter is a love story for the ages and a fairy tale in the truest sense of the word. First published in 1924, it remains one of the most beloved novels of the genre.
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Story
E.R. Edison’s The Worm Ouroboros inspired the epic-fantasy that followed him. This production is of the first edition (1922). The Lords of Demonland are celebrating Lord Juss’s birthday when an envoy arrives from Witchland. He brings demands from King Gorice XI of Witchland that the Lords of Demonland “kiss his toe, and acknowledge him to be their King and they, his ill-conditioned, disobedient children”. The Lords of Demonland reject this utterly and, to settle the matter, they challenge King Gorice to a wrestling match against their champion, Lord Goldry Bluszco.
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Heavy in language but light in heart
- By LITRPG Audiobook Reviews on 05-05-18
By: E. R. Eddison
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Phantastes
- A Faerie Romance for Men and Women
- By: George MacDonald
- Narrated by: Rebecca K. Reynolds
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The classic fantasy that influenced C. S. Lewis and Tolkien, considered one of George MacDonald's most important works, is the story of the young man, Anodos, and his adventures in fairyland which ultimately reveal the human condition. "I write, not for children," wrote George MacDonald, "but for the child-like, whether they be of five, or 50, or 75." All-at-once written with an innocent whimsy and soulful yearning, the heart of Anodos' journey through fairyland reveals a spiritual quest that requires a surrender of the self.
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Finally
- By Aaron Elrod on 04-12-21
By: George MacDonald
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The King of Elfland's Daughter
- By: Lord Dunsany
- Narrated by: Malk Williams
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Sent forth on a quest to bring magic to the Vale of Erl, the young lord Alveric obtains a sword of thunderbolt iron, and crosses the twilight border into Elfland, returning with the beautiful Princess Lirazel as his bride. But, for two people from different worlds, however much in love, happiness is not guaranteed, and in the fields, we know, where all things are subject to the remorseless march of time, nothing truly lives happily ever after.
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When Worlds and Magic Collide
- By AudioBookReviewer on 11-23-21
By: Lord Dunsany
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The Broken Sword
- By: Poul Anderson
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Thor has broken the sword Tyrfing so that it cannot strike at the roots of Yggdrasil, the tree that binds together earth, heaven, and hell. But now the mighty sword is needed again to save the elves in their war against the trolls, and only Skafloc, a human child kidnapped and raised by the elves, can hope to persuade Bölverk the ice-giant to make Tyrfing whole again. But Skafloc must also confront his shadow self, Valgard the changeling, who has taken his place in the world of men.
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A spirited homage to old myths
- By Ryan on 01-25-14
By: Poul Anderson
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Elric of Melniboné
- Volume 1: Elric of Melnibone, The Fortress of the Pearl, The Sailor on the Seas of Fate, and The Weird of the White Wolf
- By: Michael Moorcock, Neil Gaiman - Foreword
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 24 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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It is one of the most well-known and well-loved fantasy epics of the twentieth century: the story of Elric, emperor of the dying kingdom of Melniboné. For a hundred centuries the Melnibonéans have ruled from the Dragon Isle of Imrryr. Now, after years of corruption and decadence, Elric’s amoral cousin Prince Yyrkoon, the brother of his beloved Cymoril, sets his eyes on the Ruby Throne. Elric must face his treacherous cousin not as a warrior but as a sorcerer king once again in league with the ancient gods of Melniboné, the Chaos Lords, and thus sealing his inexorable fate.
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Skip the first chapter, it's not Moorcock.
- By Ted C. on 02-17-22
By: Michael Moorcock, and others
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The Shadow of the Torturer
- The Book of the New Sun, Book 1
- By: Gene Wolfe
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The Shadow of the Torturer is the first volume in the four-volume epic, the tale of a young Severian, an apprentice to the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth, exiled for committing the ultimate sin of his profession - showing mercy towards his victim.
Gene Wolfe's "The Book of the New Sun" is one of speculative fiction's most-honored series. In a 1998 poll, Locus Magazine rated the series behind only "The Lord of the Rings" and The Hobbit as the greatest fantasy work of all time.
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great writing, won't appeal to everyone
- By Ryan on 03-20-10
By: Gene Wolfe
THE GOOD
The prose used by the author is at times quite lovely, although some phrases are repeated often enough to be irksome, such as “the fields we know” when referencing the human world. However, overall I'd say the prose is often brilliant and beautiful, and the strongest feature of the book by far.
The story, while simplistic in nature, is heavily steeped in "soft" magic. This was something I’d not realized I’d been missing prior to reading this book. Most works in the Fantasy genre these days have scant magic, or magic so well defined they are treated more as science, with well defined abilities and limitations aka "hard magic". This book uses magic liberally and without explanation, lending it a tone somewhere between Epic Fantasy and a Fairytale.
This book shares common DNA with Lord of the Rings, despite being published some 30 years before Fellowship of the Ring. Here you’ll find elven maidens of unearthly beauty who worship the stars (or the reflections of stars in pools of water) and whose immortality and connection to the earth render them alien to normal humans.
That being said, this is no Lord of the Rings...
THE BAD
The overall plot is meandering, and at many points... just plain boring. There are long and pointless descriptions of pigeons, unicorns, and hunting dogs. And how hunting dogs hunt unicorns. And trolls. And how trolls hunt unicorns. Then dogs and trolls team up to hunt unicorns.
So.
Much.
Hunting.
Also, something about Will-o-the-Wisps that went on way too long.
When the book is focused on the story of the actual King of Elflands daughter it was interesting, but from there the plot is a mess, jumping from character to character, with no clear focus or direction.
THE VERDICT
This was a trailblazing early work in a genre that didn’t exist at the time of its publication, and as such deserving of immense respect. Many of the tropes used here go on to become cornerstones of the genre.
That being said, this has not aged well, and lacks the narrative structure to to be a truly satisfying Fantasy novel. I am glad I read it, but would only recommend it to others that want to read it for its historical value - not for an entertaining Fantasy story.
NOTE: I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, whose deep bass tones lent a fine level of dignity to the book, which I enjoyed quite a bit.
Brilliant at times, but disjointed. Great narrator
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fabulous fairy tale
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As strange as the book's title
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it was Ok
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Beautiful prose and rich fantasy
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Classic story, beautiful narration.
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Beloved Old Book
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It left me melancholy
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Beckford offers a simple tale told beautifully in elegant prose. All the classical fairy tale elements are present including magic swords and trees, unicorns, trolls, along with assorted practitioners of magic. Beckford is regarded as an influence on subsequent fantasy authors.
The narration is excellent with good character distinction and smooth pacing.
Fairytale fantasy
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Classical fantasy at its finest
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