The classic that inspired future fantasy and sci-fi stories.
The Classic - “Time and the Gods” by Lord Dunsany
Lord Dunsany was a pioneer of the science fiction and fantasy genre. What’s more, he was a major influence on writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H.P. Lovecraft. While his collection “Time and the Gods” was one of his early writings, it contains some of his more famous stories.
The stories in this fantasy and science fiction book all focus on the Gods of Dunsany’s world, the city where they live, and the character of Time itself. From the sweeping forests and mountains to the pillars of Sardathrion, readers will find themselves fully immersed in this new world.
Time and the Gods
by Dunsany, Lord
Time and the Gods (1906) is a short story collection by Lord Dunsany. Published at the beginning of his career, Time and the Gods, a sequel to The Gods of Pegāna (1905), would influence such writers as J. R. R. Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H. P. Lovecraft.
Recognized as a pioneering author of fantasy and science fiction, Dunsany is a man whose work, in the words of Lovecraft, remains "unexcelled in the sorcery of crystalline singing prose, and supreme in the creation of a gorgeous and languorous world of incandescently exotic vision."
"Once when the gods were young and only Their swarthy servant Time was without age, the gods lay sleeping by a broad river upon earth. There in a valley that from all the earth the gods had set apart for Their repose the gods dreamed marble dreams."
Time and the Gods, Dunsany's second collection of stories, contains some of his finest tales of fantasy and adventure. From their "marble dreams" arose a city fit for the gods, a sweeping expanse of towers, terraces, lawns, and fountains known as Sardathrion. Protected by mountains and a vast desert, safe in the heart of a fertile valley, the city of the gods is a place to which few humans go, and from which none can return.
Dunsany's tales of high fantasy continue to delight over a century after they first appeared in print. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Lord Dunsany's Time and the Gods is a classic of Irish fantasy fiction reimagined for modern readers.
More About the Author, Lord Dunsany
Lord Dunsany (Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany) wrote over 90 stories, essays, poems, and plays during his life. He wrote some of the earliest works of fantasy literature, and his work was highly influential in the fields of fantasy and science fiction. His best-known works include the fantasy novels The Gods of Pegana and The King of Elfland's Daughter.
Lord Dunsany was an active member of the Irish literary community and had a great influence on the development of the Irish literary tradition. He was also an enthusiastic supporter of the Dublin theatrical scene, regularly attending productions and offering advice to actors. He was an enthusiastic sportsman and an expert chess player. He even created his own chess variant, called Dunsany's chess. He was honored with an honorary doctorate from Trinity College Dublin in 1954 and was made a freeman of the city of Dublin in 1956 before his death in 1957.
Our Modern Companion - "Friday Black" by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
While Dunsany is incredible at immersing readers in his worlds, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah shines a light into the dark corners of this world. In his collection, “Friday Black,” Adjei-Brenyah provides commentary on the violence, injustice, and absurdities that black men and women face daily in America all through the lens of science fiction fantasy tropes.
Some of the stories include “The Finkelstein Five” which shows a reckoning of the prejudice of the justice system. “Zimmer Land” Adjei-Brenyah shows readers what the sport of racism looks like. The titular story, “Friday Black,” dives deep into the horrors of consumerism.
Friday Black
by Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"An unbelievable debut, one that announces a new and necessary American voice."--New York Times Book Review
The acclaimed debut collection from the author of Chain Gang All Stars; a piercingly raw and, at times, heartbreakingly satirical look at what it's like to be young and Black in America.
From the start of this extraordinary debut, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's writing will grab you, haunt you, enrage and invigorate you. By placing ordinary characters in extraordinary situations, Adjei-Brenyah reveals the violence, injustice, and painful absurdities that Black men and women contend with every day in this country.
These stories tackle urgent instances of racism and cultural unrest, and explore the many ways we fight for humanity in an unforgiving world.
Entirely fresh in its style and perspective, and sure to appeal to fans of Colson Whitehead, Marlon James, and George Saunders, Friday Black confronts readers with a complicated, insistent, wrenching chorus of emotions, the final note of which, remarkably, is hope.
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The Gods of Pegāna
by Dunsany, Lord
The Gods of Pegāna (1905) is a short story collection by Lord Dunsany. Published at the beginning of his career, The Gods of Pegāna would influence such writers as J. R. R. Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H. P. Lovecraft.
The Gods of Pegāna, Dunsany's debut collection of stories, contains some of his finest tales of fantasy and adventure. The Mana-Yood-Sushai created the gods of Pegāna before falling asleep in the middle of Time. The only thing keeping him from creating new gods and worlds is the drummer Skarl, who can never cease his playing.
In their creator's absence, dozens of small gods and a thousand local deities have free reign to create the worlds and realities they want. As they compete to outdo one another, the order and peace of Pegāna hangs in the balance. Humorous and inventive,
Dunsany's tales of high fantasy continue to delight over a century after they first appeared in print. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Lord Dunsany's The Gods of Pegāna is a classic of Irish fantasy fiction reimagined for modern readers.
The King of Elfland's Daughter
by Lord Dunsany
"No amount of mere description can convey more than a fraction of Lord Dunsany's pervasive charm."--H.P. Lovecraft
With an introduction by Neil Gaiman
The poetic style and sweeping grandeur of The King of Elfland's Daughter has made it one of the most beloved fantasy novels of our time, a masterpiece that influenced some of the greatest contemporary fantasists. The heartbreaking story of a marriage between a mortal man and an elf princess is a masterful tapestry of the fairy tale following the "happily ever after."
Praise for The King of Elfland's Daughter
"We find that he has but tranfigured with beauty the common sights of the world."--William Butler Yeats
"I shall indeed be happy if this volume contributes to the rediscovery of one of the greatest writers of this century."--Arthur C. Clarke
"Del Rey is to be thanked for bringing these works back into print. No one can understand modern fantasy without understanding its roots, and Lord Dunsany's work is immediately significant as well as enjoyable even today."--Katharine Kerr
"A fantasy novel in a class with the Tolkien books."--L. Sprague de Camp
Discover more classics and their modern companion each week.