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The Story of the Glittering Plain
The first of William Morris's great fantasies. Newly designed and typeset in a modern 6-by-9-inch format by Waking Lion Press.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1890
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607 people want to read
About the author
William Morris
1,677 books494 followersWilliam Morris was an English architect, furniture and textile designer, artist, writer, socialist and Marxist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris wrote and published poetry, fiction, and translations of ancient and medieval texts throughout his life. His best-known works include The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems (1858), The Earthly Paradise (1868–1870), A Dream of John Ball and the utopian News from Nowhere. He was an important figure in the emergence of socialism in Britain, founding the Socialist League in 1884, but breaking with the movement over goals and methods by the end of that decade. He devoted much of the rest of his life to the Kelmscott Press, which he founded in 1891. The 1896 Kelmscott edition of the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer is considered a masterpiece of book design.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 10, 2013
2.5* Not as great as "The Well at the World's End", but interesting nonetheless. This was one of the first of Morris's "romances", if not *the* first, and in light of that, I forgive much. This was completely new territory at the time. Fantasy was only fairytales before this. I enjoy the old language immensely, the plot is a little strange - but even this I enjoy for it's painterly feel (each situation comes across like a scene from a tapestry or old painting), and I do think this is the way Morris worked, being an artist/poet. Certainly not for everyone, but I'd recommend it to those interested in the roots of fantasy, or in language itself.
December 19, 2012
While not quite as good as The wood beyond the World this was still fantastic. It was such a lovely tale of sinister people, fantasy, and the search for love. I am really enjoying the way he writes and the story is unlike anything you'd find in a modern book. I also liked the fact that there was no good or evil, and that the land of eternal bliss and happiness wasn't, and that he didn't try and tie up all his loose ends, or explain the Princess and her love. All told it was a wonderful story I think the thing it reminded me the most of was Gilgamesh. Definitely recommended.
August 30, 2022
William Morris was among the first writers of modern high fantasy, in addition to the many other ways in which he influenced art, culture, and politics in his day. The Story of the Glittering Plain is a medieval-esque high fantasy quest tale about a knight searching for his lost love. There’s nothing really surprising or novel in the tale itself, when compared to medieval or Arthurian legends. Though I’d never read it before, it felt familiar.
The Fraktur-inspired typeset (a Kelmscott trademark) makes the text hard to read, yet I wouldn’t trade it for an easier serif font because each page design is so intentional and lovely. I just had to read pages over again to get the meaning of the story because I’m not used to typefaces based on German calligraphy. Some editions update the typeface, which I think is wrong. To lose the aesthetics of the page is to destroy Morris’s original intent, and (you may commence throwing tomatoes) I don’t think it’s worth changing this novel because the story isn’t outstanding enough to be more readable. The extra effort might only be worth it to Morris/Crane fans, or those researching the origins of modern high fantasy, which is fine. I mean, would you shift the colors in the Strawberry Thief pattern? Would you make the Kelmscott logo more readable? Of course not. So don’t mess with Morris’s book design. That would be like diluting his intentionally archaic language, which would be anathema.
Were it not for my fourfold interest in this novel (William Morris, Walter Crane, and the novel’s influence on Lewis and Tolkien), I’m not sure I’d have like this book as much as I did. The plot isn’t riveting, and the characters are named things like Hallblithe and the Hostage (his betrothed, who never gets a real name, even after rescue). There are some scenes that may have inspired other fantasy writers. However, I believe it was Morris’s intellectual liberty in creating The Story of the Glittering Plain that inspired more than any content. Certainly, later fantasy writers took what they could get when it came to physical publishing, and didn’t create their own artisanal publishing houses like Morris did. Honestly, even a Dover facsimile edition of this novel makes me regret all those mass market paperback fantasy novels even more. In a perfect world, books would be released in editions that were as beautiful on the outside as the contents on the inside.
This edition is quite beautiful, and for Crane’s illustrations alone it’s worth having in my library. I have heard that Morris’s other novels are better (this was the first), and I am eager to see how he grows and (hopefully) becomes better at fantasy. It’s not like he had big shoes to fill. He was stepping out on his own. At the end of the day, he created a beautiful book if not a perfect story, and I love one just as much as the other.
The Fraktur-inspired typeset (a Kelmscott trademark) makes the text hard to read, yet I wouldn’t trade it for an easier serif font because each page design is so intentional and lovely. I just had to read pages over again to get the meaning of the story because I’m not used to typefaces based on German calligraphy. Some editions update the typeface, which I think is wrong. To lose the aesthetics of the page is to destroy Morris’s original intent, and (you may commence throwing tomatoes) I don’t think it’s worth changing this novel because the story isn’t outstanding enough to be more readable. The extra effort might only be worth it to Morris/Crane fans, or those researching the origins of modern high fantasy, which is fine. I mean, would you shift the colors in the Strawberry Thief pattern? Would you make the Kelmscott logo more readable? Of course not. So don’t mess with Morris’s book design. That would be like diluting his intentionally archaic language, which would be anathema.
Were it not for my fourfold interest in this novel (William Morris, Walter Crane, and the novel’s influence on Lewis and Tolkien), I’m not sure I’d have like this book as much as I did. The plot isn’t riveting, and the characters are named things like Hallblithe and the Hostage (his betrothed, who never gets a real name, even after rescue). There are some scenes that may have inspired other fantasy writers. However, I believe it was Morris’s intellectual liberty in creating The Story of the Glittering Plain that inspired more than any content. Certainly, later fantasy writers took what they could get when it came to physical publishing, and didn’t create their own artisanal publishing houses like Morris did. Honestly, even a Dover facsimile edition of this novel makes me regret all those mass market paperback fantasy novels even more. In a perfect world, books would be released in editions that were as beautiful on the outside as the contents on the inside.
This edition is quite beautiful, and for Crane’s illustrations alone it’s worth having in my library. I have heard that Morris’s other novels are better (this was the first), and I am eager to see how he grows and (hopefully) becomes better at fantasy. It’s not like he had big shoes to fill. He was stepping out on his own. At the end of the day, he created a beautiful book if not a perfect story, and I love one just as much as the other.
January 14, 2026
4,5*
Na knihe ma zaujala najmä tá časť o „základnom kameni fantastiky“, to som si nemohla nechať ujsť. A veru, som tomu rada.
Iste, do modernej fantastiky to má ďaleko, ale má to v sebe krásu a poetickosť rozprávok. Chrabrosť rytierskych románov. Snovosť čarovných bájí. A hlavne noblesu, snáď až istú patinu, ktorá sa z iných rozsiahlejších epík vytráca a je nahrádzaná, nuž, mnohokrát zbytočnou uponáhľanosťou.
Pritom srdcom tohto rozprávania je práve tá trpezlivosť a vytrvalosť. Práve tie sú odmenené. Hodiť sa do neznáma hlavou napred je skôr na škodu. Nuž a to je niečo, čo stojí za pripomenutie.
Na knihe ma zaujala najmä tá časť o „základnom kameni fantastiky“, to som si nemohla nechať ujsť. A veru, som tomu rada.
Iste, do modernej fantastiky to má ďaleko, ale má to v sebe krásu a poetickosť rozprávok. Chrabrosť rytierskych románov. Snovosť čarovných bájí. A hlavne noblesu, snáď až istú patinu, ktorá sa z iných rozsiahlejších epík vytráca a je nahrádzaná, nuž, mnohokrát zbytočnou uponáhľanosťou.
Pritom srdcom tohto rozprávania je práve tá trpezlivosť a vytrvalosť. Práve tie sú odmenené. Hodiť sa do neznáma hlavou napred je skôr na škodu. Nuž a to je niečo, čo stojí za pripomenutie.
February 15, 2019
Remembered from 40 odd years back:
Unlike the previous House of the Wolfings and The Roots of the Mountains, which based their fantasy on historically plausible settings and characters, this novel actually described a totally imagined world: that of the title, or The Acre of the Undying, or The Land of the Living Men. The hero, Hallblithe, of the House of the Raven, must go there to rescue his fiance, the Hostage, who has been kidnapped by pirates. Not at all remembered and due for rereading.
Current analysis:
Upon rereading, I was impressed with how worthy an effort Morris exerted to provide a totally new world, but at the same time cast it within the elegant language and mannerisms of his beloved courtly medieval romances and sagas. At the same time, I felt that he somewhat slipped in presenting a coherent story, involved as it was with deceptions, dreams and factors largely unexplainable. (In other words, he merely ran into the predictable pitfalls of all writers of pure fantasy).
The language is truly beautiful. While consciously archaic, it is never unintelligible. 'Gone up onto the Horse of the Brine' means to board a ship, 'sundered their fellowship' means separated, 'strong-thieves of the sea' means pirates and 'troth-plight maiden' means one's betrothed. In one sentence he uses the terms forsooth, liefer, meseemeth and strifeful. Also, his sentences are often overly-long, seemingly run-on constructions, with multiple uses of 'and'. Yet, this somehow adds to rather than subtracts from the flow of the story and the richness of its description of character, event and feeling.
The characters are as two-dimensional as one would expect in a heroic romance. Hallblithe is 'fair, strong, not untried in battle'; his love, the Hostage is 'bright haired and ruddy cheeked and white-skinned, kind of hand and soft of voice.' Despite all their frustrations at her kidnapping and his inability to rescue her, their love for one another is never is questioned, despite many offers of other comely maids and men.
The deception of the Puny Fox from the Ravagers of the Isle of Ransom, the quest of the three old carles for the Glittering Plain, the encounters of Hallblithe with the King of the Undying Land and then with the Erne (King) of the Ravagers work to fill out the narrative, but in a somewhat confusing manner as Hallblithe's sensitivities are so simple as to allow him no means by which to realize what is truly going on. At the same time, this very simplicity allows him to resist the temptation of the fountain of youth the Plain represents as he steadfastly remains true to his Quest for his troth maiden.
It is in his description of the world of the Glittering Plain that Morris could have done better. The travails of Odysseus and his crew among the lotus eaters, the people in the bubbles in Zardoz and the Eloi of the future world in Wells' The Time Machine all came to mind in his description of the eternally young, healthful but somewhat motive-less inhabitants of this seeming elysium.
One senses that the earnest socialist in Morris resented their dismissal of all labor, but all of the three other works referred to certainly carried more of a thematic edge of resentment than Morris allowed to interrupt his idyllic prose poem.
Still, pretty good, if not great.
Unlike the previous House of the Wolfings and The Roots of the Mountains, which based their fantasy on historically plausible settings and characters, this novel actually described a totally imagined world: that of the title, or The Acre of the Undying, or The Land of the Living Men. The hero, Hallblithe, of the House of the Raven, must go there to rescue his fiance, the Hostage, who has been kidnapped by pirates. Not at all remembered and due for rereading.
Current analysis:
Upon rereading, I was impressed with how worthy an effort Morris exerted to provide a totally new world, but at the same time cast it within the elegant language and mannerisms of his beloved courtly medieval romances and sagas. At the same time, I felt that he somewhat slipped in presenting a coherent story, involved as it was with deceptions, dreams and factors largely unexplainable. (In other words, he merely ran into the predictable pitfalls of all writers of pure fantasy).
The language is truly beautiful. While consciously archaic, it is never unintelligible. 'Gone up onto the Horse of the Brine' means to board a ship, 'sundered their fellowship' means separated, 'strong-thieves of the sea' means pirates and 'troth-plight maiden' means one's betrothed. In one sentence he uses the terms forsooth, liefer, meseemeth and strifeful. Also, his sentences are often overly-long, seemingly run-on constructions, with multiple uses of 'and'. Yet, this somehow adds to rather than subtracts from the flow of the story and the richness of its description of character, event and feeling.
The characters are as two-dimensional as one would expect in a heroic romance. Hallblithe is 'fair, strong, not untried in battle'; his love, the Hostage is 'bright haired and ruddy cheeked and white-skinned, kind of hand and soft of voice.' Despite all their frustrations at her kidnapping and his inability to rescue her, their love for one another is never is questioned, despite many offers of other comely maids and men.
The deception of the Puny Fox from the Ravagers of the Isle of Ransom, the quest of the three old carles for the Glittering Plain, the encounters of Hallblithe with the King of the Undying Land and then with the Erne (King) of the Ravagers work to fill out the narrative, but in a somewhat confusing manner as Hallblithe's sensitivities are so simple as to allow him no means by which to realize what is truly going on. At the same time, this very simplicity allows him to resist the temptation of the fountain of youth the Plain represents as he steadfastly remains true to his Quest for his troth maiden.
It is in his description of the world of the Glittering Plain that Morris could have done better. The travails of Odysseus and his crew among the lotus eaters, the people in the bubbles in Zardoz and the Eloi of the future world in Wells' The Time Machine all came to mind in his description of the eternally young, healthful but somewhat motive-less inhabitants of this seeming elysium.
One senses that the earnest socialist in Morris resented their dismissal of all labor, but all of the three other works referred to certainly carried more of a thematic edge of resentment than Morris allowed to interrupt his idyllic prose poem.
Still, pretty good, if not great.
September 11, 2025
Po Morrisovi bych nebýt Tolkiena asi nikdy nesáhla. Příběh o Třpytivé rovině by v dnešní společnosti a nárocích jisto jistě neobstál, ale rochnit se v něčem, co inspirovalo otce Středozemě, bylo moc fajn. Morris byl člověk téměř renesanční. Stavěl na středověkých principech a svoje postavy vsazoval do fiktivních světů. Nechával se unášet staroislandskými ságami a nechal svoje slova vpíjet se do papíru archaickým jazykem.
Co mě na Třpytivé rovině bavilo nejvíce? To poselství mezi řádky. Že si falešná utopie, dokonalá společnost a nesmrtelnost vybírají těžkou daň na svobodě a potřebě někam směřovat.
Co mě na Třpytivé rovině bavilo nejvíce? To poselství mezi řádky. Že si falešná utopie, dokonalá společnost a nesmrtelnost vybírají těžkou daň na svobodě a potřebě někam směřovat.
March 26, 2008
This is one of the very early fantasy novels. This one is from 1913, I think.
It takes place near the real world, with vaguely magical things happening, and strange coincidences. To a modern reader, it may seem a bit contrived. But if you can suspend your disbelief, it's engaging. It has a naivety that's really refreshing.
I picked it up from Project Gutenberg , but you may also find it at your local library.
It takes place near the real world, with vaguely magical things happening, and strange coincidences. To a modern reader, it may seem a bit contrived. But if you can suspend your disbelief, it's engaging. It has a naivety that's really refreshing.
I picked it up from Project Gutenberg , but you may also find it at your local library.
November 26, 2009
A young Viking sets off on a quest to rescue his kidnapped bride and along the way discovers the earthly paradise. Somehow he must turn his back on paradise to complete his quest to find a woman he barely knows. William Morris is best remembered today as one of the founders of the Arts and Crafts design movement, but he also wrote some ripping Fantasy stories.
October 15, 2015
One thing that struck me about this book was that despite the anachronistic language, the pictures that it drew in my head were quite clear - I could see the dimly-lit interiors of the Viking halls and hear the speech of these men as they bandied about what they sought. The plot structure was rather strange, and only after finishing it (which took longer than the page count would suggest) realized the entire tale was in the Introduction. I guess we have to keep in mind that Morris was actually inventing the fantasy novel here, so if it seems a little rough, that's probably to be expected. I think for anyone interested in fantasy as a genre or as literature, a worthwhile read.
September 16, 2019
[2.5 ⭐] I just didn't get on with this text. I know this is meant to be one of the first ever fantasy novels but it just felt like an imitation of a medieval saga with no purpose to it. I didn't like 'medieval reminiscent' writing style and much preferred the flow he had in writing News From Nowhere. I just couldn't get past thinking the story was a little pointless and wish we were reading one of his other heroic fantasies instead as they are said to be better. It seems to me that it was over saturated with symbolism making it obstructive to read. I need to reread it to understand it better in order to make a better judgement on it but I don't want to read it again.
January 8, 2024
hate hate hate the fact this is written in medieval prose despite being a victorian text alongside it just being a travel blog of this misogynists pillages to find his fiancé just consisting of eying up other women, threatening people and eating in basically every chapter.
I am aware this is one of the ‘first ever’ fantasy novels (this is the first text I have to read for my ‘making of modern fantasy’ classes in university) but babes there’s literally so many iconic and well written victorian fantasy books you could have used?
disappointed but not surprised 3
I am aware this is one of the ‘first ever’ fantasy novels (this is the first text I have to read for my ‘making of modern fantasy’ classes in university) but babes there’s literally so many iconic and well written victorian fantasy books you could have used?
disappointed but not surprised 3
December 16, 2016
An odd sort of fairytale but with vikings. Kind of like beowolf i imagine, but as things progress more of the plot falls into place and you see it has a much more modern influence and makes a lot more sense than it first seems. In tone it reminded me of those Sindbad films from the 70's. I really enjoyed it, more so towards the end.
July 30, 2020
A Wonderful Preraphaelite Medieval Romance similar to other William Morris worse.
June 14, 2024
Ce cinquième roman de William Morris, publié en 1891, n'est pas mon préféré de l'écrivain britannique. Le récit est sympathique et poétique, mais je n'ai pas été autant séduit que dans les romans précédents, sans doute parce que j'ai eu du mal à saisir où l'auteur voulait m'emmener.
February 17, 2024
this was SO much better upon rereading 😍 - first rating was 2.5⭐️ i think due to the audiobook, but rereading made me appreciate the language and plot detail a lot more 💗
July 5, 2022
This is the second fantasy by Morris that I have read, and I found it imaginative, witty and just a wonder to read. It reminds me of Beowulf mixed with Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, in a simpler prose, with all the quirks and wit that you might expect from turns of phrase in 1891. I yearned a little for more detail of The Glittering Plain, but as seen through a Viking warrior’s eye, I’m left with some beautiful images of those far mysterious lands in a story as beautiful as it is funny.
“Now were they underneath the black shadow of the black cliff and amidst the twilight the surf was tossed about like white fire. In the lower heavens the stars were beginning to twinkle and the moon was bright and yellow, and aloft all was peaceful, for no cloud sullied the sky. One moment Hallblithe saw all this hanging above the turmoil of thundering water and dripping rock and the next he was in the darkness of the cave, the roaring wind and the waves still making thunder about him, though of a different voice from the harsh hubbub without.” (p.18)
“Crag-nester, thou art wrathful, but little.” (p.128)
“Are they dreaming-drunk before the wine is poured?” (p.141)
“Now were they underneath the black shadow of the black cliff and amidst the twilight the surf was tossed about like white fire. In the lower heavens the stars were beginning to twinkle and the moon was bright and yellow, and aloft all was peaceful, for no cloud sullied the sky. One moment Hallblithe saw all this hanging above the turmoil of thundering water and dripping rock and the next he was in the darkness of the cave, the roaring wind and the waves still making thunder about him, though of a different voice from the harsh hubbub without.” (p.18)
“Crag-nester, thou art wrathful, but little.” (p.128)
“Are they dreaming-drunk before the wine is poured?” (p.141)
July 14, 2015
Reseña: http://www.fabulantes.com/2015/07/his...
"La novela cuenta una historia bien simple. Tanto, que puede resumirse en muy pocas líneas: Hallblithe, de la Casa del Cuervo, recibe la visita de tres jinetes que buscan la Tierra de la Llanura Esplendente; incapaz de satisfacerlos, deja que se marchen y al poco descubre que la Rehén, su prometida, ha sido secuestrada; decidido a seguir su rastro hasta el fin del mundo, se hace a la mar armado de su valor y su constancia. A partir de aquí el relato se desarrolla sin sobresaltos, mientras que los dos hilos (qué cosa es la Llanura esplendente; quién se ha llevado a la Rehén) se anudan en uno solo. Porque si algo destaca en esta historia es su sencillez. Si el lector espera una epopeya llena de prodigios y peripecias, la decepción será mayúscula. Pero esto no es culpa de la novela, sino un error de enfoque."
"La novela cuenta una historia bien simple. Tanto, que puede resumirse en muy pocas líneas: Hallblithe, de la Casa del Cuervo, recibe la visita de tres jinetes que buscan la Tierra de la Llanura Esplendente; incapaz de satisfacerlos, deja que se marchen y al poco descubre que la Rehén, su prometida, ha sido secuestrada; decidido a seguir su rastro hasta el fin del mundo, se hace a la mar armado de su valor y su constancia. A partir de aquí el relato se desarrolla sin sobresaltos, mientras que los dos hilos (qué cosa es la Llanura esplendente; quién se ha llevado a la Rehén) se anudan en uno solo. Porque si algo destaca en esta historia es su sencillez. Si el lector espera una epopeya llena de prodigios y peripecias, la decepción será mayúscula. Pero esto no es culpa de la novela, sino un error de enfoque."
May 13, 2020
I would recommend this quest-romance for anyone who likes a good story with a plot twist. Out of all of Morris's prose romances, The Story of The Glittering Plain is the shortest and easiest to read, especially if you are not a fan of Morris's archaic language. The book is highly inspired by medieval Iceland, but as the hero Hallblithe encounters different societies on his journey, the reader is equally confronted with different views on society. If you have read Morris's most famous work News From Nowhere, you are going to notice how Morris proposed the same values, but in the form of a fantastical journey instead of a dream-mechanism (views on socialism here, are more latent instead of explicit as in NFN). I highly recommend this romance for its old school fantasy!
May 26, 2020
Morris’s socialism has a much stronger appearance here than I had seen previously. More readable than The House of the Wolflings (which is not necessarily a good thing),The Story of the Glittering Plain bears more in common with his short story, The Hollow Land both in scope and in mystery. Under my present interpretations, Glitter was the least of these three, but I still eagerly anticipate more. It may actually be more refined storytelling...
February 15, 2021
Norse-inspired fantasy! There's a handy glossary in the back. I found it funny and charming! The best part about fantasy set in the far past is that it ages better than old scifi stuff set in the future.
December 16, 2025
WOW I loved this book! It was a beautiful experience to read, with the flowery language, the romantic plot, and the stunning illustrations. I became so invested in Hallblithe’s story, and every twist and turn of his adventure was so compelling to me. The different scenes of the story were so fun to picture and so vivid in my mind.
I also really enjoyed (and was surprised by) how creepy it got. It seems that everyone Hallblithe meets has a secret agenda, and that was especially effective with the King of the Glittering Plain. He was a creepy character! The way the curtain slowly rises on the Glittering Plain to show its faults was very interesting and fun to read.
That being said, I think the ending was very strange. It just turns out that the people he originally thought had his fiance DID have her, and therefore his whole quest in the Glittering Plain was kind of for nothing. Additionally, he so easily forgives the people who took his fiance, even going so far as to perform a blood letting ceremony so he and his fiancé’s captors could become blood brothers.
The fiance literally says that she is scared and wary of these men, whom she has been stuck with for over a year. Yet Hallblithe just says, oh don’t be like that! I trust them!
How can he trust them when they took his fiance and kept her from him for a year?
I know the character Fox had a whole redemption plot, so I understand Hallblithe’s affection for him, but not for the chieftain of the Ravagers. Yet still, the chieftain becomes his blood brother.
Also, they never explain what the Glittering Plain is or why the king’s daughter had a book with Hallblithe’s picture in it.
Anyways, I guess you don’t REALLY read this book for the plot. It seems to mostly just be about the experience of reading a romantic medieval-themed story in old-fashioned font, accompanied by beautiful illustrations.
I still give it 5 stars because I couldn’t put it down, and that rarely happens to me.
I also really enjoyed (and was surprised by) how creepy it got. It seems that everyone Hallblithe meets has a secret agenda, and that was especially effective with the King of the Glittering Plain. He was a creepy character! The way the curtain slowly rises on the Glittering Plain to show its faults was very interesting and fun to read.
That being said, I think the ending was very strange. It just turns out that the people he originally thought had his fiance DID have her, and therefore his whole quest in the Glittering Plain was kind of for nothing. Additionally, he so easily forgives the people who took his fiance, even going so far as to perform a blood letting ceremony so he and his fiancé’s captors could become blood brothers.
The fiance literally says that she is scared and wary of these men, whom she has been stuck with for over a year. Yet Hallblithe just says, oh don’t be like that! I trust them!
How can he trust them when they took his fiance and kept her from him for a year?
I know the character Fox had a whole redemption plot, so I understand Hallblithe’s affection for him, but not for the chieftain of the Ravagers. Yet still, the chieftain becomes his blood brother.
Also, they never explain what the Glittering Plain is or why the king’s daughter had a book with Hallblithe’s picture in it.
Anyways, I guess you don’t REALLY read this book for the plot. It seems to mostly just be about the experience of reading a romantic medieval-themed story in old-fashioned font, accompanied by beautiful illustrations.
I still give it 5 stars because I couldn’t put it down, and that rarely happens to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2026
The Story of the Glittering Plain by William Morris
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Color me… confused. This was not, not,
not good??? Primarily, the author attempts some sort of faux middle english to give it more medieval vibes but this just fails. His prose becomes befuddled and unclear. Maybe it’s because english isn’t my first language, but how we got from point A to point B got COMPLETELY lost in translation. I often had to reread passeges to figure out how we got somewhere or who someone is— and that sucked. That was the main problem; this book was extremely cloudy. 🏰🌊⛴️🗡️🌹.
Along a similar line, I failed to understand certain aspects of the book— maybe because I didn’t understand the language or it went simply unexplained. Things made no sense. Like why people helped other people along long journeys when they just met. I’m sure there were reasons, but I didn’t get them. Most importantly, the whole plot and theme of the book— immortality— I didn’t get until I read supporting articles online… It was never explicitly stated, I just thought old people were turning young?? Ahhh sooooo confusing. Maybe it’s my fault. But you know what? Maybe not.
These things are just off the top off my head but the questioning was constant. It’s not that the book is necessarily bad but my experience reading it was lamentable. I’m curious to
examine the book through the lens of it starting the fantasy genre (for a class). That might make this novel more interesting.
Overall, reading this felt like being bullied in middle school. Why can’t I sit with the cool kids? Why can’t I understand a sliver of what is happening? Is it me or is it them? Let me in 👑📖🏝️💓🍷!
P.S. What was the Hostage doing for a year? Why couldn’t she originally be found in the Land of Ransom? Questions, questions, questions.
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Color me… confused. This was not, not,
not good??? Primarily, the author attempts some sort of faux middle english to give it more medieval vibes but this just fails. His prose becomes befuddled and unclear. Maybe it’s because english isn’t my first language, but how we got from point A to point B got COMPLETELY lost in translation. I often had to reread passeges to figure out how we got somewhere or who someone is— and that sucked. That was the main problem; this book was extremely cloudy. 🏰🌊⛴️🗡️🌹.
Along a similar line, I failed to understand certain aspects of the book— maybe because I didn’t understand the language or it went simply unexplained. Things made no sense. Like why people helped other people along long journeys when they just met. I’m sure there were reasons, but I didn’t get them. Most importantly, the whole plot and theme of the book— immortality— I didn’t get until I read supporting articles online… It was never explicitly stated, I just thought old people were turning young?? Ahhh sooooo confusing. Maybe it’s my fault. But you know what? Maybe not.
These things are just off the top off my head but the questioning was constant. It’s not that the book is necessarily bad but my experience reading it was lamentable. I’m curious to
examine the book through the lens of it starting the fantasy genre (for a class). That might make this novel more interesting.
Overall, reading this felt like being bullied in middle school. Why can’t I sit with the cool kids? Why can’t I understand a sliver of what is happening? Is it me or is it them? Let me in 👑📖🏝️💓🍷!
P.S. What was the Hostage doing for a year? Why couldn’t she originally be found in the Land of Ransom? Questions, questions, questions.
January 15, 2026
This is a fantasy taking place in a mythical medieval time about the knight Hallblithe, who goes in search of his kidnapped betrothed. Following her trail, he meets with pirate-warriors and eventually accompanies one of them to the Glittering Plain, a utopia of sorts where youth is regained for eternity. After a year of disheartening adventures, he escapes this land and continues his quest to be reunited with his love.
I wouldn't consider this an allegory, though it reminds me a great deal of both Spenser's Faerie Queene and George MacDonald's Phantastes. Through my own fault, no doubt, I failed to perceive the pro-socialist message that is reportedly part of this tale, and saw only a chivalrous tale in the reminiscent of both the King Arthur stories and Greek mythology.
Morris chose an archaic prose style, fitting for the subject and creating an unearthly effect. The characters were two-dimensional, but again, that was fitting for this type of story. Overall, I enjoyed it a good deal, especially his descriptions and storytelling and look forward to reading more of work in the future.
I wouldn't consider this an allegory, though it reminds me a great deal of both Spenser's Faerie Queene and George MacDonald's Phantastes. Through my own fault, no doubt, I failed to perceive the pro-socialist message that is reportedly part of this tale, and saw only a chivalrous tale in the reminiscent of both the King Arthur stories and Greek mythology.
Morris chose an archaic prose style, fitting for the subject and creating an unearthly effect. The characters were two-dimensional, but again, that was fitting for this type of story. Overall, I enjoyed it a good deal, especially his descriptions and storytelling and look forward to reading more of work in the future.
April 4, 2022
A delightful book, full of archaic language, an impossible quest, and love triumphing in the end. The Story of the Glittering Plain was a book that inspired Tolkien, and this reprint is part of a series called “The professor’s bookshelf” that has a number of such books. When I was first captivated by Tolkien as a small boy in a small town in New England in the 60s, I thought I was stumbling on a great secret world. I had no idea of the industry that would arise from the marvelous story of hobbits, elves, and rings of power so many years later. But this book makes me glad such an industry has arisen.
September 2, 2022
It took me a long time to get through this short book. I enjoyed this one more than The Roots if the Mountains, but not as much as The House of the Wolfings. This is actually the first of the prose-romances to be set in a secondary world, and so is less historical fiction and more fantasy, maybe even the first modern fantasy book. The Acre of the Undying is somewhat reminiscent of the Undying Lands of Tolkien. The prose is beautiful, and when poetry is presented it shines. There is something magical about Morris’s writing, it was exactly what I need right now.
February 7, 2022
A fun adventure! I really enjoyed reading this but be warned that the language is a bit archaic at times. You might have to look up a couple turns of phrase or words for sanity's sake. I felt like it added to the charm.
July 11, 2025
Assigned text
if I was more interested in Icelandic saga inspired tales, then I would like this story a strong 4-star read.
however, I did like it enough to consider revisiting it in the future.
the simplicity of the plot and characters helps balance the overly lyrical medieval language.
if I was more interested in Icelandic saga inspired tales, then I would like this story a strong 4-star read.
however, I did like it enough to consider revisiting it in the future.
the simplicity of the plot and characters helps balance the overly lyrical medieval language.
October 13, 2018
Morris' meditation on 'beguilement' is unconvincing, as is the thought that dissatisfaction with the work lends support to Morris' case against the ideal.
January 22, 2024
william morris i beg of you to write shorter sentences
April 22, 2024
Great
It was a bit thou and thine for my liking but yea I thought it a great read indeed! CWB.
It was a bit thou and thine for my liking but yea I thought it a great read indeed! CWB.
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