The King of Elfland's Daughter & The Gods of Pagana

By: Lord Dunsany

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

The King of Elfland's Daughter is one of the most beloved fantasy novels of our time. Lord Dunsany, in his inventive, poetic style, tells the heartbreaking story of a marriage between a mortal man and an elf princess. This masterpiece has influenced some of our greatest contemporary fantasists, including Neil Gaiman, J.R. Tolkien, H.P. Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber, Ursula K. Le Guin, and C.L. Moore, who stated: "No one can imitate Dunsany, and probably everyone who's ever read him has tried." Dunsany's "The Gods of Pegana" follows "The King of Elfland's Daughter." "Pegana" is collection of vignettes and prose poems written in the style of a religious text; taken together, they create a mythology. Dunsany's inventive use of archaic language and repetition add a dream-like quality to "Pegana." Golden Voice narrator Gerard Doyle, whose voice embodies these books in a mystical, dreamy way, is the perfect narrator for this book.

Public Domain (P)2022 Post Hypnotic Press Inc.

Love this recording!

I love Gerard Doyle. Written in a lyrical, poetic style, not every narrator can capture the magic of Lord Dunsany's writing - but Doyle does so easily. I can't imagine anyone else doing as much justice for these lyrical stories as Doyle.

This recording includes both Dunsany's more famous "The King of Elfland's Daughter" and "The Gods of Pagana." The former has been described as a masterpiece that influenced some of the greatest contemporary fantasists. It's a heartbreaking story of the marriage between a mortal and a magical being. Some well-known quotes about "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

“No amount of mere description can convey more than a fraction of Lord Dunsany’s pervasive charm.”—H.P. Lovecraft

Neil Gaiman has said that Lord Dunsany had a huge influence on his work, calling "The King of Elfland's Daughter" a "a nearly perfect story," and noting that it was one of his inspirations for his story, "Stardust."

"The Gods of Pagana" is Lord Dunsany's first book. It is an invented pantheon of Gods. In 1919 Dunsany told an American interviewer, "In The Gods of Pegāna I tried to account for the ocean and the moon. I don't know whether anyone else has ever tried that before." I would probably never have encountered this odd collection of stories without this particular audiobook. I had read "The King of Elfland's Daughter" years ago, and because I love Gerard Doyle, I was delighted to find that he'd recorded it. I'm glad to have encountered "The Gods of Pagana" this way. Gerard Doyle has a way of making this unusual language - described as "speaking in a highly original mix of King James Bible English, Yeatsian syntax, and Scheherazadian imagery" on Wikipedia - accessible. I don't think I, personally, would have enjoyed it as much if I'd just read it, rather than had it read to me by the incomparable Gerard Doyle!

Wonderful 2 for 1 get for an Audible Credit.

Allowing a well rounded listen of both Elfland's Daughter with the additional lore and context given by Gods of Pagana is a wonderful thing. And this book is a must listen for modern fans of western fantasy who are interested in the core seeds of its inception. A story and world that has inspired ALL of your favorite authors and been useful study to them will always be useful to you as well.