The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories

Twelve tales by a master of the English language take readers on flights of fancy and make-believe. Enhanced by the author's power of expression, the collection includes such inventive tales as "The Highwayman," "In the Twilight," "The Ghosts," "The Lord of Cities," and the title piece.

From the Back Cover

High in the Cyresian mountains, the city of Merimna overlooks the vast and desolate plain of Tarphet. Known for such legendary heroes as Welleran and Rollory, for their countless victories in battle and domination of the kingdom, Merimna has long been safe from attack―until now. The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories is a short story collection by Lord Dunsany.

About the Author

Lord Dunsany (1878-1957) was a British writer. Born in London, Dunsany―whose name was Edward Plunkett―was raised in a prominent Anglo-Irish family alongside a younger brother. When his father died in 1899, he received the title of Lord Dunsany and moved to Dunsany Castle in 1901. He met Lady Beatrice Child Villiers two years later, and they married in 1904. They were central figures in the social spheres of Dublin and London, donating generously to the Abbey Theatre while forging friendships with W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, and George William Russell. In 1905, he published The Gods of Pegāna, a collection of fantasy stories, launching his career as a leading figure in the Irish Literary Revival. Subsequent collections, such as A Dreamer’s Tales (1910) and The Book of Wonder (1912), would influence generations of writers, including J. R. R. Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H. P. Lovecraft. In addition to his pioneering work in the fantasy and science fiction genres, Dunsany was a successful dramatist and poet. His works have been staged and adapted for theatre, radio, television, and cinema, and he was unsuccessfully nominated for the 1950 Nobel Prize in Literature.

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