Wonder Tales: The Book of Wonder and Tales of Wonder
by Lord Dunsany
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THE BOOK OF WONDER AND THE LAST BOOK OF WONDER - A BOOK THAT INSPIRED TOLKIEN. With Original Illustrations. Lord Dunsany (1878 - 1957) wrote more than eighty books during his career in the early 20th Century. Professor J.R.R. Tolkien enjoyed reading Dunsany's works, a fact which he acknowledged numerous times in his letters. Tolkien was aged twenty when The Book of Wonder, illustrated by Sidney Sime, first appeared in bookshops and libraries. Numerous accoutrements of fantasy are found show more within the realms of The Book of Wonder and The Last Book of Wonder, as they are in Middle Earth; talismans, precious metals, jewels, signalling horns, dark, dangerous woods infested with evil spiders and more. A red, glowing, all-seeing eye opens above Dunsany's frightening fantasyland, just as the Eye of Sauron glares across Middle Earth. The short stories in this book are Gothic in style, poetic, mysterious and dream-like - often nightmarish, horrific and almost hallucinatory. Dale J Nelson, in Possible Echoes of Blackwood and Dunsany in "Tolkien's Fantasy", concludes, "... given his lifelong interest in literary fantasy and the parallels adduced above, one seems to be justified in suspecting that Tolkien was indebted to ... Dunsany." show lessTags
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Wonder Tales: The Book of Wonder and Tales of Wonder, is a collection of short stories written by the highly influential Lord Dunsany, between 1912 and 1916. Thirty-three diverse tales lay within these pages; all set in a magical and unique world; a world poetically crafted by a true master of modern fantasy. From comedy, to action, to the macabre; Dunsany lyrically tells the tales of several different characters, all of whom’ reside beyond the fields we know.
After numerous times of passing by this novel at our local bookstore, only to skim through a few pages on each visit, I finally had come to the conclusion that I might as well purchase it. Besides, after reading his beautiful and inspiring “King of Elfland’s Daughter,” I show more had always wanted to read more of his work, I just hadn’t the time. With a “to be read” list as large as mine, it’s hard to keep track of things. Nevertheless..Dunsany had made a huge impression on me after reading his novel, and his lyrical tone and lush descriptions had me in awe for days. So naturally I couldn’t wait to delve into his other writings; to explore more of his vast and creative worlds.
“Wonder Tales,” a book which contains both “The Book of Wonder” and “Tales of Wonder” was a unique collection to say the least. From humorous stories, to slightly disturbing ones, to down right weird ones; I was bit surprised at how versatile Dunsany was as an artist. In truth, when I began reading this, I was expecting a lot of the same – magic, elves, princes – much of what was in “The King of Elfland’s Daughter.” However after reading just a few of the stories, I was quite pleased to discover otherwise. While the lyrical beauty of Dunsany’s writing was always there, gracing each unique page – every story had it’s own vibe. It’s own life.
As there are so many stories within this collection, I can’t exactly go over each one without creating a novel-sized review; so I will go over just a few of the stand outs. My personal favorites were:
The Quest of the Queen’s Tears – A tale of an unconventional queen who could feel no love; who failed to meet the fairytale standards of fable or myth. Rather than sending brave knights and princes out on epic quests to slay dragons or battle sea-serpents, she would sing to them; tell them legends, entertain them. Needless to say, her people were not happy – as this was no way for a queen to behave. So, to fulfill their desires she gave them a quest – a quest called (for histories and song), the “Quest of the Queen’s Tears.” To complete this quest, one must simply move her to tears. He that achieved this, she would wed – no matter who it be. Quite a fun tale; excellently written.
How Nuth Would Have Practiced His Art Upon the Gnoles – The tale of Mr. Nuth, a professional burglar of great skill who takes on an apprentice named Tonker. After a bit of training and preparation, he then decides to plan a daring mission – one that he unfolds to his new apprentice over a cup of tea. The mission you ask? Why, to burgle the house of the Gnoles of course! Gnoles, an incredibly dangerous creature that reside in the dark woods are said possess large emeralds; emeralds of great value. This then leads to quite a unique story; one that was actually a bit creepy.
Lastly, as far as my favorites go..I will also say that I quite enjoyed “Chubu and Sheemish,” a tail of two jealous gods who just can’t get along; “The Wonderful Window,” A story of a magic window that reveals a brilliant and living medieval city; “The Watchtower,” a beautifully written ghost story, “The Three Sailor’s Gambit,” A chess story (yes, chess), and it actually wasn’t boring!; “City of Mallington Moor,” A city that appears from the mist, only to disappear the next morning; and finally, “The Three Infernal Jokes,” A rather odd tale of a list of jokes that when read, can literally make one die of laughter.
With that said, this was a really fun collection. While I enjoyed most of the stories – and all of them we’re interesting in their own right, I will admit that a few went over my head, leaving me asking.. “what did I just read? ” I’m not sure if that was due to the fact that I often read in the middle of the night, or something entirely different, but I plan to review those again when I get a chance. Overall though, this was a great book full of rather diverse stories; each enchanted with the magic of Lord Dunsany. I was truly amazed at how much he could do in just 3 or 4 pages — at how he created such unique and engaging tales with so few words. Many authors fail to do that in 400 pages, much less 4!
While I can’t guarantee that this collection would be right for the everyday, casual fantasy reader (think swords..dragons..lots of action..), I can say that if you’re a fan of Tolkien and/or William Morris, there’s a good chance that you will enjoy these. “Wonder Tales” is truly an excellent piece of literature; one that was not only beautifully written, but entertaining. If gone into with an idea of what to expect; these wonder tales can be enjoyed by anyone. show less
After numerous times of passing by this novel at our local bookstore, only to skim through a few pages on each visit, I finally had come to the conclusion that I might as well purchase it. Besides, after reading his beautiful and inspiring “King of Elfland’s Daughter,” I show more had always wanted to read more of his work, I just hadn’t the time. With a “to be read” list as large as mine, it’s hard to keep track of things. Nevertheless..Dunsany had made a huge impression on me after reading his novel, and his lyrical tone and lush descriptions had me in awe for days. So naturally I couldn’t wait to delve into his other writings; to explore more of his vast and creative worlds.
“Wonder Tales,” a book which contains both “The Book of Wonder” and “Tales of Wonder” was a unique collection to say the least. From humorous stories, to slightly disturbing ones, to down right weird ones; I was bit surprised at how versatile Dunsany was as an artist. In truth, when I began reading this, I was expecting a lot of the same – magic, elves, princes – much of what was in “The King of Elfland’s Daughter.” However after reading just a few of the stories, I was quite pleased to discover otherwise. While the lyrical beauty of Dunsany’s writing was always there, gracing each unique page – every story had it’s own vibe. It’s own life.
As there are so many stories within this collection, I can’t exactly go over each one without creating a novel-sized review; so I will go over just a few of the stand outs. My personal favorites were:
The Quest of the Queen’s Tears – A tale of an unconventional queen who could feel no love; who failed to meet the fairytale standards of fable or myth. Rather than sending brave knights and princes out on epic quests to slay dragons or battle sea-serpents, she would sing to them; tell them legends, entertain them. Needless to say, her people were not happy – as this was no way for a queen to behave. So, to fulfill their desires she gave them a quest – a quest called (for histories and song), the “Quest of the Queen’s Tears.” To complete this quest, one must simply move her to tears. He that achieved this, she would wed – no matter who it be. Quite a fun tale; excellently written.
How Nuth Would Have Practiced His Art Upon the Gnoles – The tale of Mr. Nuth, a professional burglar of great skill who takes on an apprentice named Tonker. After a bit of training and preparation, he then decides to plan a daring mission – one that he unfolds to his new apprentice over a cup of tea. The mission you ask? Why, to burgle the house of the Gnoles of course! Gnoles, an incredibly dangerous creature that reside in the dark woods are said possess large emeralds; emeralds of great value. This then leads to quite a unique story; one that was actually a bit creepy.
Lastly, as far as my favorites go..I will also say that I quite enjoyed “Chubu and Sheemish,” a tail of two jealous gods who just can’t get along; “The Wonderful Window,” A story of a magic window that reveals a brilliant and living medieval city; “The Watchtower,” a beautifully written ghost story, “The Three Sailor’s Gambit,” A chess story (yes, chess), and it actually wasn’t boring!; “City of Mallington Moor,” A city that appears from the mist, only to disappear the next morning; and finally, “The Three Infernal Jokes,” A rather odd tale of a list of jokes that when read, can literally make one die of laughter.
With that said, this was a really fun collection. While I enjoyed most of the stories – and all of them we’re interesting in their own right, I will admit that a few went over my head, leaving me asking.. “what did I just read? ” I’m not sure if that was due to the fact that I often read in the middle of the night, or something entirely different, but I plan to review those again when I get a chance. Overall though, this was a great book full of rather diverse stories; each enchanted with the magic of Lord Dunsany. I was truly amazed at how much he could do in just 3 or 4 pages — at how he created such unique and engaging tales with so few words. Many authors fail to do that in 400 pages, much less 4!
While I can’t guarantee that this collection would be right for the everyday, casual fantasy reader (think swords..dragons..lots of action..), I can say that if you’re a fan of Tolkien and/or William Morris, there’s a good chance that you will enjoy these. “Wonder Tales” is truly an excellent piece of literature; one that was not only beautifully written, but entertaining. If gone into with an idea of what to expect; these wonder tales can be enjoyed by anyone. show less
I think the Lord dipped into the opium a few too many times writing this one.
Let me say at the outset that I absolutely do not write reviews purely for the purpose of irritating Oakes. These stories did not engage me much -- they just seemed like weird little gestures.
A combination of two earlier books: The Book of Wonder and Tales of Wonder. The first very short sketches, the stores from the second are more sustained, though still short.
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266 works; 34 members
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Though during his lifetime the Irish nobleman Lord Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, the 18th Baron Dunsany, was perhaps regarded as a minor talent, his somber short fantasies and novels had a significant impact on the development of fantasy and horror fiction. In real life, Dunsany was as interesting and versatile as anyone about whom he wrote. show more He was an African big-game hunter, a soldier in both the Boer War and World War I, and was wounded in the 1916 Irish Easter Rebellion. He was also the national chess champion of Ireland. Dunsany's first short story collection, The Gods of Pegana, was published in 1905 and was soon followed by other fantasy anthologies, including Time and the Gods (1906) and The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories (1908), among others. These stories are distinguished by their elegant, fairy tale settings and Dunsany's unique, macabre sense of humor. Dunsany's novels, such as The King of Elfland's Daughter (1924) and The Charwoman's Shadow (1926), are considered fantasy classics. Although Dunsany wrote prodigiously and with great versatility throughout his life, many regard his early, highly stylized short fiction to be his best work, and his most important. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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The Distressing Tale of Thangobrind the Jeweller, and of the Doom That Befell Him [short story] by Lord Dunsany (indirect)
Miss Cubbidge and the Dragon of Romance [short story] by Edward J. M. D. Plunkett 18th baron Dunsany (indirect)
How One Came, as Was Foretold, to the City of Never [short story] by Edward J. M. D. Plunkett 18th baron Dunsany (indirect)
Common Knowledge
- First words
- Come with me, ladies and gentlemen who are in any wise weary of London: come with me: and those that tire at all of the world we know: for we have new worlds here. (Preface)
In the morning of his two hundred and fiftieth year Shepperalk the centaur went to the golden coffer, wherein the treasure of the centaurs was, and taking from it the hoarded amulet that his father, Jyshak, in the years of hi... (show all)s prime, had hammered from mountain gold and set with opals bartered from the gnomes, he put it upon his wrist, and said no word, but walked from his mother's cavern. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I therefore hurried on, and only heard him mumbling sadly behind me, standing bowed and broken, all alone in the twilight, perhaps telling over and over even then the last infernal joke.
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