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Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu books
The Complete Pegāna
Lord Dunsany is best known as a favorite of other writers--such as H. P. Lovecraft, who counted him second only to Edgar Allan Poe as an influence on his work. Lovecraft readers will be interested to know that two ideas Lovecraft got from Dunsany were (1) an artificial pantheon of gods and other entities (Dunsany's Pegāna Mythos predates Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos) and (2) a cosmic vision of man as living on a tiny island of order amid a vast and chaotic universe. Perhaps, as S. T. Joshi writes in the introduction to this collection, "It is now time to appreciate Dunsany in his own right as a master fantasist whose prodigal imagination was equaled by few, whose prose style was a model of affecting simplicity, and whose bold philosophical vision remains challenging to the present day." This edition includes the complete stories from The Gods of Pegāna (1905) and Time and the Gods (1906), plus three other stories belonging to the Pegāna cycle. --Fiona Webster
Contents:
The Gods of Pegāna (1905)
Of Skarl the Drummer (1905)
Of the Making of the Worlds (1905)
Of the Game of the Gods (1905)
The Chaunt of the Gods (1905)
The Sayings of Kib (1905)
Concerning Sish (1905)
The Sayings of Slid (1905)
The Deeds of Mung (1905)
The Chaunt of the Priests (1905)
The Sayings of Limpang-Tung (1905)
Of Yoharneth-Lahai (1905)
Of Roon, the God of Going (1905)
The Revolt of the Home Gods (1905)
Of Dorozhand (1905)
The Eye in the Waste (1905)
Of the Thing That Is neither God nor Beast (1905)
Yonath the Prophet (1905)
Yug the Prophet (1905)
Alhireth-Hotep the Prophet (1905)
Kabok the Prophet (1905)
Of the Calamity That Befel Yun-Ilara by the Sea (1905)
Of How the Gods Whelmed Sidith (1905)
Of How Imbaun Became High Prophet in Aradec (1905)
Of How Imbaun Met Zodrak (1905)
Pegāna (1905)
The Sayings of Imbaun (1905)
Of How Imbaun Spake of Death to the King (1905)
Of Ood (1905)
The River (1905)
The Bird of Doom and the End (1905)
Time and the Gods (1906)
The Coming of the Sea (1906)
A Legend of the Dawn (1906)
The Vengeance of Men (1906)
When the Gods Slept (1906)
The King That Was Not (1906)
The Cave of Kai (1906)
The Sorrow of Search (1906)
The Men of Yarnith (1906)
For the Honour of the Gods (1906)
Night and Morning (1906)
Usury (1906)
Mlideen (1906)
The Secret of the Gods (1906)
The South Wind (1906)
In the Land of Time (1906)
The Relenting of Sarnidac (1906)
The Jest of the Gods (1906)
The Dreams of a Prophet (1906)
The Journey of the King (1906)
Beyond the Fields We Know (1919) essay
Idle Days on the Yann (1910)
A Shop in Go-by Street (1912)
The Avenger of Perdóndaris (1912)
Contents:
The Gods of Pegāna (1905)
Of Skarl the Drummer (1905)
Of the Making of the Worlds (1905)
Of the Game of the Gods (1905)
The Chaunt of the Gods (1905)
The Sayings of Kib (1905)
Concerning Sish (1905)
The Sayings of Slid (1905)
The Deeds of Mung (1905)
The Chaunt of the Priests (1905)
The Sayings of Limpang-Tung (1905)
Of Yoharneth-Lahai (1905)
Of Roon, the God of Going (1905)
The Revolt of the Home Gods (1905)
Of Dorozhand (1905)
The Eye in the Waste (1905)
Of the Thing That Is neither God nor Beast (1905)
Yonath the Prophet (1905)
Yug the Prophet (1905)
Alhireth-Hotep the Prophet (1905)
Kabok the Prophet (1905)
Of the Calamity That Befel Yun-Ilara by the Sea (1905)
Of How the Gods Whelmed Sidith (1905)
Of How Imbaun Became High Prophet in Aradec (1905)
Of How Imbaun Met Zodrak (1905)
Pegāna (1905)
The Sayings of Imbaun (1905)
Of How Imbaun Spake of Death to the King (1905)
Of Ood (1905)
The River (1905)
The Bird of Doom and the End (1905)
Time and the Gods (1906)
The Coming of the Sea (1906)
A Legend of the Dawn (1906)
The Vengeance of Men (1906)
When the Gods Slept (1906)
The King That Was Not (1906)
The Cave of Kai (1906)
The Sorrow of Search (1906)
The Men of Yarnith (1906)
For the Honour of the Gods (1906)
Night and Morning (1906)
Usury (1906)
Mlideen (1906)
The Secret of the Gods (1906)
The South Wind (1906)
In the Land of Time (1906)
The Relenting of Sarnidac (1906)
The Jest of the Gods (1906)
The Dreams of a Prophet (1906)
The Journey of the King (1906)
Beyond the Fields We Know (1919) essay
Idle Days on the Yann (1910)
A Shop in Go-by Street (1912)
The Avenger of Perdóndaris (1912)
239 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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329 people want to read
About the author
Lord Dunsany
688 books846 followersEdward 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.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 3, 2014
This is a compilation of Dunsany's first two books of short stories, all of which are written in a style hovering between Lang's fairy tales and the King James Bible, which make perfect sense as these stories have same mix of didactism and strangeness you find in fairy tales and Old Testament stories. The editor, S.T. Joshi, points out that these were written shortly after Dunsany read some Nietzsche, and I imagine he must have read Thus Spoke Zarathustra, as his style is remarkably similar to the style of Thomas Common's translation. (I'd swear Dunsany was actually copying the Common translation of that book but it did not appear until a few years after The Gods of Pegana.)
Having all the Pegana stories in one volume actually decreases the effectiveness of the stories in my opinion -- it encourages the reader to plow through the book rather than ruminate on them. While some of the stories are relatively straightforward, and others seem to defy analysis, for the most part the irony is thick and and the prose, while probably satirical of Yeats (who had a bit of a rivalry with Dunsany), is often worth savoring.
Some critics have found these stories to be a bit shallow and criticize their lack of reverence, indeed some question whether Dunsany has any knowledge of religion and myth*, but I think that criticism betrays a failure to understand that these stories, while sometimes lacking a clear "message" or deep meaning, taken collectively work on multiple levels. The individual stories are interesting, occasionally moving, works of surreal fancy. As a "cycle" of myths, they depict a pantheon of utterly amoral and fickle gods, dramatizing the conflict of faith and reason in Dunsany's time (and ours). You would be hard pressed to find a more pointed parable of the nature of faith than "The men of Yarnith," and the stories of a succession of prophets ("Yonath the prophet," etc.) are excellent satires of religious authority and pride.
*[For example, the Pegana panthoen does not mention agricultural or fertility gods, which at least one critic says shows Dunsany's lack of understanding of how real myths work. But Dunsany includes Wohoon ("the lord of noises in the night") and a thousand other minor godlings. So is that a mistaken omission or wicked satire?]
I'd give five stars to both The Gods of Pegana and Time and the Gods, but the compilation I'm reviewing here unfortunately has a number of defects that Joshi's generally good introduction does not quite make up for. First, the Sydney Sime illustrations of the original are lacking. Secondly, Dunsnay's own introductions are omitted. Lastly, Joshi's introduction, and the publisher's feckless efforts to present the stories as somehow belonging to the Cthulhu Mythos, distract the reader. Dunsany may not have been one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, but he deserves better than to be treated like a footnote to H.P. Lovecraft (who, indeed, admitted his own debt to Dunsany and made embarrassing attempts to copy his style). So, I'd only go with this edition if you have no better options available.
Having all the Pegana stories in one volume actually decreases the effectiveness of the stories in my opinion -- it encourages the reader to plow through the book rather than ruminate on them. While some of the stories are relatively straightforward, and others seem to defy analysis, for the most part the irony is thick and and the prose, while probably satirical of Yeats (who had a bit of a rivalry with Dunsany), is often worth savoring.
Some critics have found these stories to be a bit shallow and criticize their lack of reverence, indeed some question whether Dunsany has any knowledge of religion and myth*, but I think that criticism betrays a failure to understand that these stories, while sometimes lacking a clear "message" or deep meaning, taken collectively work on multiple levels. The individual stories are interesting, occasionally moving, works of surreal fancy. As a "cycle" of myths, they depict a pantheon of utterly amoral and fickle gods, dramatizing the conflict of faith and reason in Dunsany's time (and ours). You would be hard pressed to find a more pointed parable of the nature of faith than "The men of Yarnith," and the stories of a succession of prophets ("Yonath the prophet," etc.) are excellent satires of religious authority and pride.
*[For example, the Pegana panthoen does not mention agricultural or fertility gods, which at least one critic says shows Dunsany's lack of understanding of how real myths work. But Dunsany includes Wohoon ("the lord of noises in the night") and a thousand other minor godlings. So is that a mistaken omission or wicked satire?]
I'd give five stars to both The Gods of Pegana and Time and the Gods, but the compilation I'm reviewing here unfortunately has a number of defects that Joshi's generally good introduction does not quite make up for. First, the Sydney Sime illustrations of the original are lacking. Secondly, Dunsnay's own introductions are omitted. Lastly, Joshi's introduction, and the publisher's feckless efforts to present the stories as somehow belonging to the Cthulhu Mythos, distract the reader. Dunsany may not have been one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, but he deserves better than to be treated like a footnote to H.P. Lovecraft (who, indeed, admitted his own debt to Dunsany and made embarrassing attempts to copy his style). So, I'd only go with this edition if you have no better options available.
June 24, 2010
2.5 stars. One of the true pioneers of weird fantasy, I was really excited to read this collection of stories. Alas, I was a little disappointed and was hoping for better. I did read these stories very quickly so it could be that a more careful reading would yield a more favorable result.
November 23, 2009
Lord Dunsany created his own mythology and it is stunning. Our world is the dream of MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI who is kept asleep by the drumming of Skarl, but when he finally wakes our world will end a new world will begin. In the meantime the gods play a game in which Kib creates new things and Mung brings them to an end. "The Eye in the Waste" and "The Revolt of the Home Gods" are my favorites in the collection.
February 28, 2012
Weird, wild stuff from one of H.P. Lovecraft's early influences. Not for everyone but I found it mythic and fascinating. Fantasy fans who consider "invented" mythologies a major part of world building owe him a big debt of gratitude.
January 4, 2011
About 100 years old, this book may have originated the archaic language in which some modern fantasy is written. It also has huge ideas, vivid new worlds, and descriptions of sensual beauty.
December 11, 2015
While I thought the prose was hard to read, Dunsany's influence in Lovecraft's Dreamlands stories is unmistakable. I'd recommend to anyone to take their time to parse Dunsany's writing.
August 26, 2016
A passable edition of a peerless cycle of stories.
April 22, 2022
Knowing Dunsany was a huge influence on Lovecraft and Poe made me really keen to read this book, and I was really excited when I finally got my hands on it. Unfortunately it doesn't live up to expectations. Dunsany was a pioneer of fantasy fiction, sure, he had a lot of big and innovative ideas for his time, but for the most part I found the execution goofy and amateurish. All of the stories in this volume are quite short, barely surpassing 2,000 words at most, with most of them being flash fiction length. This made it hard to get invested in the stories when they all ended so soon. On top of that I am not a fan of Dunsany's writing style. He uses odd/old fashioned spelling here and there, I get the point of it, but I found it to be distracting. Then we come to the prose itself, which for the most part is terrible, clumsily written and awkwardly phrased. It reminds me of the stuff I wrote in high school, way back when I first took an interest in writing. Dunsany had some great ideas, but didn't know how to execute them effectively, and was a terrible writer.
While I give credit where credit is due for Dunsany being a pioneer and huge influence on a number of other very influential writers, but that aside and judging the work by itself on its own merits I have to say this is one of the worst books I've ever read.
While I give credit where credit is due for Dunsany being a pioneer and huge influence on a number of other very influential writers, but that aside and judging the work by itself on its own merits I have to say this is one of the worst books I've ever read.
August 13, 2023
Lord Dunsany, as noted, created his own pantheon of gods -- his own mythology -- something that influenced H.P. Lovecraft, who created his own mythos. These are all the stories (though many seem more like vignettes or prose poems) set in his realm of Pegana. Modern readers might not have patience with his writing style, but if you can quiet your mind and free yourself from distractions, you may find his poetic language usage as beautiful as I did.
January 28, 2024
Riveting, original mythology/folklore from an atheistic nihilist perspective. This is haunting, sometimes terrifying, existential stuff. Dunsany pulls no punches: what would a world of magic and gods be like if death and meaningless nothingness was always at the end of it all? He writes beautifully and I admire his willingness to jump around in his world and not worry too much about continuity.
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November 29, 2012False
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December 15, 2014Contains some quite catching and original stories of creation and gods of the Pegana realm
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March 30, 2009The Complete Pegana by Lord Dunsany (2006)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews