Review: The Charwoman's Shadow by Lord Dunsany

The Charwoman's Shadow by Lord Dunsany
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am willing to give Lord Dunsany the benefit of four stars, despite the rude connotation that Lord Vishnu is someone a follower of Dark Arts would pray to. Dunsany was a learned man and another book by him makes light of religion as such, so I was somewhat taken aback at this bigotry. Anyway, like I said, I'll not let that stand in my review of a book that I really enjoyed.
The story follows the travails of a young man, Ramon Alonzo who has to learn the art of making gold from a sorcerer so he can accumulate enough dowry for his only sister, Mirandola. The poor man soon finds out the terrible price of learning anything from this evil man, but must keep going because of his love for his sister and out of chivalry towards an old charwoman who is desperate for her shadow that was taken by the sorcerer.
Lord Dunsany writes about a simpler time, when the marriage of a daughter, with a big fat dowry for her future husband was top-most priority, a scenario, that sadly still unfolds in many a place. However, Lord Dunsany gives Mirandola a strong character and lets her take her destiny in her own hands, something perhaps not very common in those times. As usual, the story is made entertaining by the many intelligent quotes and the importance of losing something one takes for granted (like one's shadow) is exemplified by the terrified and hostile attitude of society towards an anomaly like that. The overall tone of the book remains hopeful and at times even funny, especially with Dunsany's trademark humor which in this book concerns the psychology of a dog!
I still am not sure why the knowledge of boar hunting (taught by Alonzo's ancestor to the sorcerer) was such a big deal that the sorcerer felt so obliged to teach Ramon Alonzo something in return. I guess hunting is an integral part of Dunsany's works no matter what they are about, so I won't dwell on it longer, but Dunsany's style is surely growing on me.


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Review: The Gods of Pegana by Lord Dunsany

The Gods of Pegana by Lord Dunsany
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Clearly, this was sort of an inspiration for 'The Silmarillion'. Do not look for a story because there is none ( except if the slumber and awakening of Mana-Yood-Sushai is considered one). Instead look at the brilliant word-play, the ease with which worldly concepts are described and the scope of the world created and it will amaze you. The Gods of Pegana have a voice, unlike the gods in 'The Silmarillion' and they can be unforgiving, unwavering and at times cruel.
They are the heroes of the book, not the innumerable earthlings they create, for not much is spoken about them. I really enjoyed this book and luckily my fondness for Dunsany's language has only increased. Onto his other works now! ( In case you are wondering,'The Worm Ouroboros' is not gripping enough for me yet)



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Review: The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany

The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is my first introduction to a work of fantasy beyond Tolkien's or Rowling's and I am glad to report that I absolutely loved it!

First published in 1924, the book is written in remarkably beautiful prose, something sadly lacking in the current crop of fantasy fiction with unabashed and unnecessary violence and vulgarity. Lord Dunsany's writing is just a little short of poetry and I frequently came across passages that were so beautifully described that it was as if a motion picture were playing in my brain.

Interspersed through the sad love story of Alveric and Lirazel, is the tale of an ambitious parliament of the Vale of Erl who fear their village might be lost in the annals of history. And so their solution is to ask the King to bring magic to their town. To fulfill this quest, the King's son, Alveric, must win in marriage, the daughter of the King of Elfland. This is duly done but the story has only begun. What follows is the unfortunate interference of the Freer and his religious biases which crack the relationship between Alveric and the free-spirited Lirazel. As she returns to her father's home, Alveric realizes his folly and seeks her in a long-drawn and seemingly vain quest.

My personal favorite chapters were, the one in which a unicorn hunt is led by Lirazel's son, Orion and another in which Lirazel finally realizes she wants to be with Alveric and her son despite all. The descriptions of the King of Elfland, the witch Ziroonderel, the Freer , the men of the parliament,the trolls and the will-o-the-wisps move with such rapidity from serious (in the case of the former three) to whimsical (for the latter) that it is surprising that they fit so well within the same story. I was completely caught off-guard by the characters of the trolls. A far cry from the meandering, sluggish and cruel trolls from other works of fantasy, the trolls described in this book are fun and smart. Alveric, on the other hand, not so much. Once wedded to Lirazel, he is frequently unimpressed with her, forces his religion upon her and fails to understand her vanity that stems from her immortality.

The book also mentions religion, but it does not seem to condone it, and there are several references to how religion has mostly served to severe bonds of love, despite claiming to persevere towards building them. Cases in point: ["And Alveric did not know that the time must come when some simple trivial thing would divide them utterly"; "And the Elfland poured over Erl. Only the holy place of the Freer and the garden that was about it remained still of our Earth, a little island all surrounded by wonder, like a mountain peak all rocky, alone in air when a mist wells up in the gloaming from highland valleys and leaves only one pinnacle darkly to gaze at the stars"]
However, Lord Dunsany does not preach. He simply reminds us as to how careless wishes can eventually come true as something completely undesired, and how age often makes one discard the childhood curiosity and enthusiasm for a lot of things, especially magic, if not with some contempt, then definitely a new-born fear.

The 'magic' mentioned in the book is that which might enchant children and that which adults have nearly lost a sense of. However, this is by no means a children's book, despite the playfulness similar to "The Hobbit". Every chapter, however mundane (For e.g. Lurulu Watches the Restlessness of the Earth) is imbued with deep allegories of time, space and religion.

Lord Dunsany's frequent repetitions of "that which may be told of only in song" was somewhat less of an irritation to me than Martin's frequent "Winter is coming" chants, only because I noticed that the former phrase weaved into the metre of the sentences in which it was used, while the latter....oh well!

I think I am going to try another of his books, but for now, I am drawn towards a mammoth of a book called The Worm Ouroboros by E.R Eddison, which according to my Nook seems to have 2303 pages!

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