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    The Worm Ouroboros
    The Worm Ouroboros
    The Worm Ouroboros
    Ebook268 pages21 hours

    The Worm Ouroboros

    By E. R. Eddison

    3.5/5

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    "The Worm Ouroboros" is a heroic high fantasy novel by Eric Rucker Eddison, first published in 1922. The book describes the protracted war between the domineering King Gorice of Witchland and the Lords of Demonland in an imaginary world that appears mainly medieval and partly reminiscent of Norse sagas. The work is slightly related to Eddison's later Zimiamvian Trilogy, and collectively they are sometimes referred to as the Zimiamvian series.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWildside Press
    Release dateMar 3, 2013
    ISBN9781434447005
    Author

    E. R. Eddison

    Eric Rucker Eddison was born in Adel, England, in 1882. His writings include the first complete translation of the Icelandic epic, Egil’s Saga; the novels The Worm Oroboros and Stybiorn the Strong; and the trilogy Zimiamvia, including the final book, The Mezentian Gate, which was left unfinished when he died suddenly of a stroke in 1945.

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    Reviews for The Worm Ouroboros

    3.5/5

    305 ratings26 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Increddible victorian prose
    • 4/5
      Read a long, long time ago. As I remember it, often wooden. Not enough to kill the thing, but wooden. In the end, though, it seemed to say some things about heroism and hero stories I've always thought rather wise . . . now if I could only remember what those wise things were.
    • 5/5
      Thundering heroic fantasy written in a unique style emulating 17th century epic prose. This story can be read as a straight adventure, but it also gives the first hints of the philosophy Eddison would develop further in the Zimiamvian trilogy. One of the great fantasy masterworks of the 20th century.
    • 5/5
      This is a book you either hate or love. It is definitely a difficult read. Once I read who the good guys were (mostly good) and who the "bad guys" were (though not all bad) it became much easier.

      For those who like some Old/Middle English and do not mind a little phonetic reading this is great.

      I am interested in reading some of E.R. Eddison's other works.
    • 4/5
      Pre-dating Tolkien, this heroic fantasy established a new voice using an old language to tell a tale that ends where it begins. When the publishers of Tolkien decided to reissue it with his endorsement, it finally became popular with a new generation of readers. It asks the question: How can enemies live without each other?
    • 2/5
      A heroic quest, and high adventure set perchance on Mercury, and dealing with the actions of demons. The high style is strongly reminiscent of William Morris and of the Cabell of the same period. There seems little depth to this story but it passes the time.
    • 4/5
      The Worm Ouroboros might be called world-building fantasy in the tradition of The Lord of the Rings but for two details: it was published 22 years before Tolkien's trilog, and it is much darker. In fact, though Tolkien himself called Eddison "the greatest and most convincing writer of 'invented worlds' that I have read," he also said Eddison "was certainly not an 'influence.'" The Worm Ouroboros definitely deserves its place in Moorcock's Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, and there were moments in the book that really captivated me, but overall it took quite an effort to finish the book.Part of the problem for me was the Elizabethan prose Eddison employed, and part of it was the fact that I could not get used to the names of the characters and the lands. It's not that I couldn't pronounce the names, but rather that they seemed so arbitrary and disconnected, invented with little thought: Juss, Spitfire, Goldry Bluszco, Gro, and Gorice, for example. And none of them interested me as people. Most of them seemed small-minded and petty.The names of the lands, too, seemed to be arbitrary. They certainly had little to do with the inhabitants. Demons do not dwell in Eddison's Demonland, nor do witches dwell in Witchland, imps in Impland, or pixies in Pixyland.Still, all criticism aside, I'm glad I read The Worm Ouroboros, and not just for historical or academic reasons. It was adventurous, imaginative, and well-told. It is a flawed fantasy classic, but still a classic. Here is what Tolkien himself had to say about it, in a letter to Caroline Everette, dated June 24, 1957:I read the works of Eddison, long after they appeared; and I once met him. I heard him in Mr. Lewis's room in Magdalen College read aloud some of his works--from the Mistress of Mistresses, as far as I remember. He did it extremely well. I read his works with great enjoyment for their sheer literary merit. My opinion of them is almost the same as that expressed by Mr. Lewis on p. 104 of the Essays presented to Charles Williams. Except that I disliked his characters (always excepting the Lord Gro) and despised what he appeared to admire more intensely than Mr. Lewis at any rate saw fit to say of himself. Eddison thought what I admire 'soft' (his word: one of complete condemnation, I gathered); I thought that, corrupted by an evil and indeed silly 'philosophy', he was coming to admire, more and more, arrogance and cruelty. Incidentally, I thought his nomenclature slipshod and often inept. In spite of all of which, I still think of him as the greatest and most convincing writer of 'invented worlds' that I have read. But he was certainly not an 'influence'.Eddison may not have influenced Tolkien, but I think you can certainly see his mark on dark fantasy characters like Conan the Barbarian, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, and Elric of Melniboné, not to mention more modern works of dark fantasy like Martin's Game of Thrones or King's Dark Tower series. If you're a fan of any of those characters or works, then The Worm Ouroboros is a must read.
    • 2/5
      A high-epic-like fantasy written in the 1920's in fake Tudor English and which chronicles the story of a war between different peoples living on Mercury but it's not really Mercury but instead is Middle Earth and, oh, I give up. Honestly, it reads like a toddler telling a story a la Tolkien. Just...reread Tolkien and call it a day.Seriously, though, if you like this kind of ye olde fantasy stuff, go for it - this very well may be your jam. It is not, however, mine.
    • 2/5
      Not my cup of tea. My mind can stretch to embrace a lot of fantastical creatures and concepts, but demons just seem so absurd to me. I just couldn't care about their struggles with the witches.
    • 3/5
      The book itself is a collection of 5 star aspects and 1 star aspects and the 3 should reflect this is an average of my reactions, and not that this is your standard, "it's alright" kind of a 3-star book--because it's not.

      It features a weird, hard-to-get-past framing device, intentionally dense and archaic prose, and a bewildering array of odd names. And yet it's rather glorious, at the same time--imagine your favourite story (let's say Jane Eyre, to pick something people have heard of, then change the names to the worst names imaginable (Babatina McLurkinfish becomes governess to Mr. Pesky's children), then rewrite the novel so a 12 year old wouldn't understand it ("I am a free human being with an independent will" could become "I persist a sovereign soul possessing autarchical volition")) ... it can become absurdly tedious, but, if you can stay awake, there's a power and a sweep to it.

      It's definitely worth investigating--you may love it. It's that kind of a book. Give it a whirl, and if it's not going to work for you you will know very very quickly, at least there's that!
    • 2/5
      This is just as bad as I remembered. Fantastic and endless descriptions of scenery, clothing, buildings but little feeling of actual emotions. Then after fighting the evil Witch lords for the entire book, enduring hardship and betrayal and loss of friends--do these characters, the Demons, look forward to peace and prosperity? Nope, they want to fight again, and their wish is granted. Feeeehhh.
    • 4/5
      It took me a while to read this book, partly because of the flowery Elizabethan language. I understood it, and it was written well, but like rich chocolate it could only be digested in small portions. 'The Worm Ouroboros' is an epic of war, treachery, vengeance and justice set on a fantastic version of Mercury. The main protagonists are the heroes of Witchland and Demonland. These heroes cross the world to do battle with each other. They love fighting and honour and dangerous quests; they resemble the heroes of the Iliad. Unlike that work, this book glorifies war and heroism. The characters are well-written and larger than life. They are heroes and they know it. A good fantasy book which might have been the fantasy prototype which 'The Lord of the Rings' became. It didn't though, probably because the language style would make it inaccessible to many readers.
    • 4/5
      Let's be perfectly clear, I am not giving this book four stars because it's a great novel. It's not even a good novel. It's a terrible goddamn novel. But sometimes being unique, interesting, weird and precious is more important than actually being any good.Before I read this, I had thought Lord of the Rings was a unique and unprecedented literary event, and the primal fountainhead from which the modern high fantasy genre flowed. Reading Dunsany did not sway me of this opinion, but reading Eddison has. Most of what is special about the Lord of the Rings, in particular the faux-archaic prose style evoking the rhythms of the pagan epics that inspired it, is right here, published over a decade before Tolkien's famous novel was begun.Unlike the Lord of the Rings though, this book is not an exercise in carefully constructed world-building. In fact, it's a goddamn mess - there's some kind of weird frame story about a modern Englishman astrally projecting to the planet Mercury that's summarily discarded and then never mentioned again in the second chapter, all of the people and place names are weird apparently random nonsense strings that the author came up with when he was 10 and refused to change when the story was later committed to novel form, the author can't make up his mind whether the peoples of his world are human or not, everyone worships the Greek pantheon for some reason, and the supposed protagonists are sketched so poorly that Tolkien, of all people, was able to lambast the novel's characterization with no fear of being accused of hypocrisy.What is so lovable about the book is its sheer force of idiosyncrasy. The descriptive prose so rococo you'd swear the author was having you on. The verbatim-reproduced letters of the characters who, in medieval style, lack standardized spelling. Two whole chapters of mountain climbing - not of things happening while ascending a mountain, but about nothing but the mechanics of getting up there. The way the characters will recite 16th century poems and songs that the author meticulously attributes in his end-notes. The way the characters will recite ancient Greek poems that the author meticulously attributes in his end-notes making sure to let you know the translation is his. YOU WILL NEVER FIND ANOTHER HIGH FANTASY NOVEL ANYTHING LIKE THIS ONE.
    • 4/5
      Another love-it-or-hate-it book. Mannered in its language, weird in so many ways, and chock-full of larger than life characters acting in ways that most people just don't get. If you have a problem with something written in an archaic style, then you probably won't get much out of it, but if you like that kind of thing I think the book repays reading and is definitely worth it. First off a caveat: it took me two reads of the book to appreciate it and a third to decide that I thought it was genius. The Worm is definitely unlike almost anything else out there and is a throw-back to much older works. The first sign, as mentioned above, is the prose itself. Eddison uses a faux-Jacobean that is certainly foreign to most people's preference for Hemingway-esque 'transparent prose'. Don't worry overmuch about this though, for Eddison knew what he was doing and he is one of, if not the, only writers post-Renaissance who actually can get away with this style. He knows what he's doing, as opposed to the myriad other fantasy authors who try to add 'realism' to their stories by sprinkling it with 'thee's' and 'thous' without knowing how to properly use the language. This was a man who intimately understood the archaic form of the english language and used it to perfection...he was a stylist and thus anyone who hates stylistic prose will not likely be drawn to him, but anyone who appreciates the crafstmanship of language (think Morris & Dunsany) has to at least appreciate if not love Eddison. Reading this book is analagous to partaking of a sumptuous feast, so long as you enjoy devouring words.The characters are not perhaps as 'psychologically realistic' as what is generally expected these days, but I'd definitely say they are more than just names. Think of them as archetypal 'supermen' striding across the pages performing great deeds for their own sake. They don't really want to save the world, just experience it to the full, so they may not be particularly sympathetic according to your world view. I always found that they generally had very distinctive characters, but they did each generally represent one dominant trait or way of looking at the world. If you want a larger than life adventure in exquisite prose then I think _The Worm_ is great. If you want something else you should perhaps skip it.
    • 4/5
      I was first introduced to this book in the late 80's and never finished it. So I decided I needed to and what a difference some time makes. I've read somewhere that this book is probably the best representation of Elizabethan English prose in existence, or maybe the largest prose in that language. In any event, it is a dense book and takes time to read.It starts as many books of the era (1920's) do with a journey to another planet via the means of the mind; this premise is quickly dropped and instead the narrator disappears into the elements of story. There are the Demons, most notably Brandoch Daha, Goldry Bluszco, Juss, and Spitfire, who are the heroes of this tale. They are matched, good for evil, by the Witches and their King, Gorice XII. Places are sailed and marched to, forces are pulled together to invade or protect, and precipices are climbed despite snow, ice, and manticores.The origins of Gorice's kingdom are revealed mid-way through the tale, as are the few women characters who become a bit more involved and intriguing in their own right. Of course the numbers and the achievements on the Quests are above and beyond, but this book is about high fantasy and attaining one's desires. And in the end, it stands as a masterpiece of high, Questing fantasy that should be savored for its own sake.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this book, but it was definitely not a page turner and I'm not sure whether its a story I will want to read over and over again. The language took some getting used to and while the author's style forced me to read more slowly, it also helped me appreciate the cinematic imagery.
    • 4/5
      These things hath Fate brought to pass, and we be but Fate's whipping-tops bandied what way she will."The Worm Ouroboros" is an epic fantasy written in 1922 (before "Lord of the Rings"). It is set on the planet Mercury, whose main races are Demons, Witches, Goblins, Imps and Pixies. The story features magic, a heroic quest, and many battles between the noble lords of Demonland and King Gorice of Witchland. The Demon lords Lord Juss, Lord Goldry Bluszco and Lord Spitfire and their cousin Lord Brandoch Daha are noble and heroic but never really come to life as characters, and you get to know some of the Witches much better. However my favourite character was the Goblin Lord Gro, a compulsive traitor who now serves King Gorice.It took me ages to read, and there were possibly a few too many battles and too much mountaineering for my tastes, but overall it was very enjoyable and the final chapter is wonderful.
    • 4/5
      Sort of the Ur-novel for 'high' fantasy. The language takes getting used to. But the story has a great hook.
    • 2/5
      This is a 'classic'. A lot of high-powered writers liked it. I tried several times to make it through it before I managed it. The language is almost constructed - it doesn't flow for me as much as writhe around before I finally pin it down. It's in an odd style (Elizabethan?) with a story that reminds me of the Iliad or the Odyssey. Great story, sucky style. Why he writes such long, convoluted sentences with archaic words in such a stilted style is beyond me. All the critics like it, but I doubt it will ever be popular with the masses.Once I got past the style, the story was a lot of fun. It's an imaginative world where the inhabitants are demons, witches & the politics are as bad as those of the Iliad. Heroes abound & they journey about committing deeds of bravery.
    • 3/5
      To enjoy The Worm Ouroboros, one must accept the glorification of war, just as one must accept magic spells and E.R. Eddison's invented, pseudo-archaic language. Once you get used to the style, it is mostly unobtrusive and occasionally delightful.Eddison's heroes are not very clearly drawn. The one exception is the dandy and berserker Brandoch Daha -- and now I've told you everything about him. Eddison often does a better job with the villains, such as King Gorice the nth (take your pick) and the aptly-named Corsus. The most nuanced and interesting character is the principled traitor Lord Gro.As you might expect from a tale weak on characterization, events are plot-driven. The plot concerns the invasion of Demonland by the forces of Witchland under King Gorice, which includes the supernatural kidnapping and rescue of Goldry Bluszco, one of the lords of demonland. Despite the carefully constructed, symmetrical plot -- or maybe because of it -- the tale seems episodic. Actions are driven by a scheme external to the story, rather than growing from character.At the end of the novel, the glorification of war becomes explicit. This -- and the nature of the ending itself -- rather broke the spell for me. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book, and plan to read Eddison's Zimiamvia trilogy.
    • 4/5
      I read all four books, one after the other, in the late 1960s. Each establishes characters and plots that will be furthered in subsequent books. In truth, there are no sympathetic characters in the books. But it is an astonishing feat of baroque writing, as the castle is revealed in great detail, along with creepy illustrations by the author. I thought it was amazing, a writhing mass of strange characters, some mad, some evil, some soft-headed. It isn't for people who want crisp action, a clean plot, and a hero to identify with.
    • 4/5
      Odd. Quite good in places but let down by some continuity errors, and some truly confusing writing.The prologue "Introduction" bears no relevance to anything at all of the rest of the book, and it seems to serve merely as a device to introduce the foreign world in which we find ourselves. A world inhabited by demons, goblins, pixies, witchland (humans?) and diverse others, that is not hell - despite the demons. It seems that the king of Witchland deems himself King of all this world, but the King of Demonland acknowledges no overlord, and so the two tribes go to war. Our human/dream observer vanishing without further comment we get to follow the Demon chiefs and various confusingly similarly named Witch-generals over a couple of campaigns. It isn't really clear (at least until more than halfway through) which side if any are supposed to be the 'good' guys, indeed it isn't really clear what the point of the whole thing is - the Worm Ouroboros doesn't make any apperance in the story at any time.The writing is oft-times flowery and full of description - pillared rooms are lavishly described, not only the walls and hangings, but the pillars and carvings and the jewels and gems and the way the light reflects from them. Ad nauseum. I skipped several sentences each time this occurred. Generally though the prose is very readable, the pacing quite well controlled and generally non-intrusive. There are a few jumps in voice, which I always find disconcerting - especially between two uncles and three nephews, all of whose names were similar! - until that is we get to the letters. For some reason three times in the story there appears to be a necessity to quote a letter that various characters have written, verbatim. And those characters, can't spell, or write. And hence, we the reader, can't understand what happened in whatever battle it was that they were reporting on. Almost totally unintelligible, and completely breaks the flow.The good bits? Well there must be some, it's a nicely imagined world, with varied terrain and interesting inhabitants. The battles are well choreographed. The mountain climbing section was superb, unusually sounding like the author actually had experience of being out in the ice and snow. Overall though it's difficult to get into and ultimately un-rewarding when you do so, probably of more account for it's cultural significance than any particular literary merit...........................................................................................................
    • 5/5
      I purchased this book for my husband after reading the author was one of J.K. Tolkein's favorite descriptive writers. I thought who in he world would J.K. Tolkein look up to? But I can see why! My gosh this is the most rich, enormous, decadent tapestry of descriptive prose and mythical plot I have ever drooled over in bed. Whenever someone is sick in this house and wants to be distracted from the flu or some other misery, out comes this book, which must be read slowly as the sentences are complex and beg to be savored. I would be so bold as to say that I had only thought I had read amazing fantasy and science fiction books, until I read this one. This is what they all really aspired to write, but fell short. This is no Harry Potter or Goldenn Compass series, while those are nothing to sneeze at, I'll give you all that. But it surpasses the Lord of the Rings somehow not in plot, but in world building. Have your notecards or notbooks out to keep track of the lineage of deamons you'll start to obsess about, and plan on staying up late. But whatever you do, don't sleep in Lotus Room! ;)
    • 3/5
      The language is a bit difficult but the story keeps you interested. When all was said and done and I reached the well-done ending, I realized that I had never warmed to any character in the book. I doubt I'll reread it, but fantasy fans should certainly give it a try.
    • 4/5
      An absolutely amazing book. It's kind of a cross between fantasy and a story of the days of old when knights were bold. To be honest, there were times that I thought I'd move on to something else because of the archaic language (which can be somewhat distracting), but I'm really happy that I stayed with it. I must say, I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it. To try to provide you with a brief synopsis is somewhat impossible, but I'll try. Eddison begins his story in more or less the present time, in which a man goes into a special place wherein he is visited by a martlet, a kind of bird. This martlet allows him to gaze off into time and space, and he is caught up in the saga of the lords of Witchland and Demonland. It seems that Gorice XI, Witchland's king, has decreed that Demonland's lords must pay him tribute, thus recognizing him as their king. The Demonland contingent will not do this, so it is decided that the king will wrestle with Demonland's Lord Goldry Bluszco, and the outcome will decide whether or not the king will have his way. Gorice dies, but unsatisfied, the Witchlanders decide that this is an affront to their honor & make a plot to kill their enemies. The new King, Gorice XII, does a "sending" or magical spell that takes Lord Goldry away to a far-off prison. The rest of the book focuses on the battle between Witchland and Demonland, and the search for Lord Goldry by the two bravest warriors of Demonland. I won't say more because this book is definitely worth reading for yourself. As I noted above, the author's use of very archaic language is a bit off-putting at times, but stick with it -- you will become so engrossed in the story that you will not want to put it down. Also, please note that it seems that although the author tells us that the book takes place on Mercury at the outset, you can tell that this is not to be an interplanetary adventure but a very Earth-based story, set in days of old. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy story. A tough read, but well worth it!
    • 4/5
      this book is said to have inspired Tolkein to write Lord of the Rings. Lord of the Rings has inspired the structure of most synthetic worlds to date.

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    The Worm Ouroboros - E. R. Eddison

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