Beyond the Fields We Know

by Lord Dunsany

mass-market paperback

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Collections

299 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, eighteenth baron of Dunsany, was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist, notable for his work in fantasy published under the name Lord Dunsany. More than eighty books of his work were published, and his oeuvre includes hundreds of short stories, as well as successful plays, novels and essays. Born to one of the oldest titles in the Irish peerage, he lived much of his life at perhaps Ireland's longest-inhabited home, Dunsany Castle near Tara, received an honourary doctorate from Trinity College, and died in Dublin.

Reviews

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This early seventies collection reprints all of Dunsany's first short story collection, "The Gods of Pegana," and two or three stories from each of his subsequent short story books. Beautifully written, oddly whimsical, and when he writes about the outdoors it has the feel of someone who's spent a lot of time outdoors. That said, the stories may not be to everyone's taste; some of the Gods stuff is just descriptions of the Gods and their ways, without a real plot or a protagonist. They work for me even so, but YMMV.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond the Fields We Know was published in 1972, with wraparound cover art by Gervasio Gallardo, the 47th volume in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series edited by Lin Carter. It was the second book of short stories by Lord Dunsany in the series. The companion volume, At the Edge of the World, was published in 1970.

As I mentioned in my review of At the Edge of the World, I approach both books with nostalgia, as they were my first introduction to Lord Dunsany. Between the two, they cover a large portion of Dunsany's best fantasy short stories.

The whole of Dunsany's first book, The Gods of Pegāna, is included in Beyond the Fields We Know. It contains another ten stories from Time and the Gods, meaning that every story from that book is reproduced in one or other of the two Ballantine volumes, except for "A Legend of the Dawn" and "The Journey of the King."

Again, unaccountably, Carter changes the names of two of the tales from Time and the Gods: "The Coming of the Sea" becomes "How Slid Made War Against the Gods" and "The South Wind" becomes "The Wisdom of Ord." I wish Carter hadn't  changed the names of these stories.

In addition, Beyond the Fields We Know contains two more stories from The Sword of Welleran, another two from A Dreamer's Tales, three from The Book of Wonder, eight from Fifty-one Tales, and one more from The Last Book of Wonder.

Carter also includes what he considers to be Dunsany's best play, "King Argimenes and the Unknown Warrior," which was originally published in Five Plays, the author's first volume of drama. Lastly, he incoporates eight poems from Fifty Poems, the author's first book of poetry.

It is difficult to fault Carter's selection of short stories for Beyond the Fields We Know. He certainly makes the right decision to include The Gods of Pegāna as a whole, as the individual stories therein would make far less sense without their context. Nevertheless, I disagree with Carter that "King Argimenes and the Unknown Warrior" is Dunsany's best play. There are a number of other fantasy plays by Dunsany that I would put ahead of it.

Maybe also there are better fantasy poems by Lord Dunsany than those selected by Carter from Fifty Poems. For example, the eight poems constituting "Songs to the Sphinx" from Wandering Songs or "The Banker and the Broker" from Mirage Water are lovely fantasies that deserve to be republished. Was Carter restricted in his choice to just the first book of plays and just the first book of poetry?

Perhaps this is nitpicking.  Beyond the Fields We Know and At the Edge of the World are still a great introduction to Dunsany. Admittedly from the perspective of the early 1970's, Carter writes,

"I do not think 'genius' too strong a word to use in discussing the Dunsanian oeuvre. No one in this world ever excelled Dunsany in the short fantasy, nor is anyone likely to go beyond him in the telling of lyric, exquisite fantasies" (p. viii).

It would be nice if Carter's prediction were still being fulfilled, but I don't know enough of modern fantasy to judge one way or the other. Carter quotes The King of Elfland's Daughter on the title page of Beyond the Fields We Know:

"Go from here eastwards and pass the fields we know, till you see the lands that pertain clearly to faery; and cross their boundary, which is made of twilight, and come to that palace that is only told of in song."

[Bernard Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The language in this book is rich and evocative and, for me, an enjoyable read. Reminding me of Kubla Khan by Coleridge. But also of the Narnia series and Lord of the Rings. Quite the fantasy, I'm glad I stumbled on it.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice stuff.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's a bit mixed. the gods of pegana is really cool but a lot of the other stories aren't so good, you can tell he was still getting his style down. some of them are kinda funny though. the poetry isn't very good, and the play was sort of cool i guess although idk anything about plays.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Dunsany's style, though some might say he stole it directly from scripture. None of the individual stories or vignettes blew me away, but as a whole they create a world that must really exist in some other dimension.