Original Fantasy ~~"Lud-in-the-mist (Fantasy Masterworks)"

Lud-in-the-mist (Fantasy Masterworks)

Hope Mirrlees
Gollancz
Sales Rank: 393546

See details at Amazon.de

 

 Original Fantasy, 2001-08-14

Lud-in-the-Mist was first published in 1929 by the scholar and translator Hope Mirrlees. Maybe it is symptomatic for the modern Fantasy-Genre that it was nearly entirely forgotten till its rediscovery in the early 70's and has not become a bestseller among the mass of lowbrow and trivial Fantasy-Books. Maybe this situation is the reason why Lud-in-the-Mist, one of the rare works of Fantasy which truly deserve the title "Literature", has never gained much popularity; and Lud-in-the-Mist reads indeed more like a fairy-tale or a fantastic allegory than one of those today's endless series (e.g. Dragonlance or Wheel of Time).

It tells the story of Nathaniel Chanticleer, mayor of Lud-in-the-Mist, a prosperous town in the middle of the country of Dorimare, situated at the confluence of two rivers, the Dapple and the Dawl. But to the west, behind the Debatable Hills and the Elvin Marches is the Land of Faeriew where the Dapple has its origin. Nothing is known of the land (which may be the Land of the Dead), but two things: That it is both feared and not taken seriously; and that fairy fruit is smuggled over its border. Eating it gives strange visions and can drive people into madness, wherefore it is illegal. Furthermore it is even forbidden to name it: To use the word "fairy" is an obscenity and an insult; and smugglers are not punished for smuggling fairy fruit, but woven silk.

So it is a great shock for Nathaniel as he discovers that his son has been fed fairy fruit. Yet this is only the beginning of a real plague of fairy influences which hit the town, and in the end it is Master Chanticleer himself, who has to oppose them and discover their secret.

Lud-in-the-Mist, as can be seen from the description above, has not much in common with the typical Fantasy novel: The Hero is not a prince nor an unknown youth, no princess has to be rescued and no world to be saved, the antagonist is not a Dark Lord and, most surprisingly of all, the story is written in a beautiful and elegant language, adult in tone.

Lud-in-the-Mist succesfully combines elements of a detective story with a fairy tale, mixed with many comical scenes and queer characters. Its topic is not really challenging but interesting, the style is a bit too sluggish but elegant, the story lacks now and then suspense but rewards on the other hand with many fresh details. Therefore it is not one of the genuine great works of Fantasy as "The Lord of the Rings", "Gormenghast" or "The Once and Future King", but it is nonetheless a fine and original book, which deserves greater attention.

Reviewed By A18I41HU0ASQ8A

This review was cited from Amazon.de.

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