Lud-in-the-Mist
Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees is a notable early fantasy novel, originally published in 1926 and now presented in a new edition by Curiouser House Publishing, released on January 2, 2022. This 368-page book explores the story of Lud-in-the-Mist, a small town in Dorimare that has distanced itself from the neighboring land of Fairy for centuries. As fairy fruit begins to be smuggled into the town, the narrative follows Master Nathaniel Chanticleer as he uncovers the mysteries surrounding this forbidden fruit and its effects on the townspeople.
Readers will find a blend of fantasy and historical elements, as the plot delves into themes of imagination and the consequences of re-engaging with a long-ignored magical realm. The book’s influence is evident in later works of fantasy, and it is complemented in this edition by Mirrlees’s other significant work, Paris, a Poem, originally published in 1920. This edition invites readers to experience a unique narrative that intertwines fairy tales and folklore within a richly crafted world.
Official synopsis Publisher
Fairy fruit is being smuggled into Dorimare.
Lud-in-the-Mist, the highly influential early fantasy novel you’ve never heard of, but praised by numerous authors throughout the years. Originally published in 1926. In its main character, Master Nathaniel Chanticleer, Mirrlees prefigures Bilbo by a decade, in a setting not unlike Hobbiton. More recently the book’s influence has been felt most strongly in works such as Stardust and Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. It is the story of Lud-in-the-Mist in Dorimare, a small, sleepy and unimaginative town that borders the land of Fairy, but has cut itself off from completely for hundreds of years. Fairy fruit which sends men mad is now being smuggled in and given to children, old mysteries are dug up, and it is up to Master Nathaniel to get to the bottom of it all.
Jo Walton says it “is beautifully written, charming, funny, and always just a little creepy”, and Lin Carter paints it “as sturdy as a painting by Breughel, as delicate as the breath of a hummingbird’s wing.” Michael Swanwick says it’s “diffuse influence runs like a scarlet thread through the body of serious fantasy today.”
This new edition also includes Hope Mirrlees’s other influential, very modernist, piece of writing: Paris, a Poem, originally published in 1920 by Leonard and Virginia Woolf through their own Hogarth Press.
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