superior. When the witches attempt to subjugate
the demons, the dispute is decided by a physical
contest in which the king of the witches is killed,
although he is immediately restored to life in his
homeland. He then uses magic to defeat and scat-
ter the demons, who must rescue their missing
champion if they are to have any hope of regaining
their freedom. They eventually do so, but only
after considerable trouble, and when they finally
defeat the witches, they are saddened at the
prospect of no further heroic deeds. The gods
therefore cause the situation to revert to its origi-
nal state, hence the title, which refers to the snake
that devours its own tale.
The associated trilogy consists of Mistress of
Mistresses(1935), A Fish Dinner in Memison(1941),
and the unfinished The Mezentian Gate(1958). The
setting is Zimiamvia, which is referred to in passing
in Worm.Lessingham dies and is reborn there as ad-
viser to one of the parties striving for the throne.
Although there is significant magic—visions,
shape-changing, and a kind of time travel—it is pri-
marily a novel of intrigue and court politics. The
second title is actually a prequel in which the king
still lives and has the magical ability to create other
worlds, including the one in which Lessingham
originates. The final title, though incomplete, is
readable thanks to detailed summaries that Eddison
had written. The story starts even earlier but con-
cludes with the death of the king.
It would be a mistake to dismiss the books as
typical heroic fantasy. Eddison’s use of language is
superb, and his ability to create a large cast of fas-
cinating characters is almost unequalled in fantasy
fiction. The physical action may be too slow-paced
for casual readers, but the many-leveled text re-
wards those who devote sufficient effort.
Wrede, Patricia(1953– )
Some writers establish a pattern with their first
book and rarely vary from it, while others tend to
diversify as they grow more experienced. Patricia
Wrede falls somewhere in between, because her
books have steadily improved in quality while only
slowly evolving in scope and theme. She made her
debut with Shadow Magic(1982), which introduced
the world of Lyra and its inhabitants. As is the case
in most of her novels, the protagonist is female, a
young woman who discovers that the myths of that
country have begun to take on a form of reality.
Daughter of Witches(1984) is a somewhat similar
adventure concerning a city that allows everyone to
enter, but is picky about whom it chooses to let de-
part. A young witch discovers that magic has both
its good and bad sides. The Seven Towers(1984),
not set in Lyra, is relatively uninteresting, but The
Harp of Imach Thyssel(1985) is a very fine story
about a man who finds a magic harp and then dis-
covers that it is a very mixed blessing. Caught in
Crystal(1987) continues the darker tone, with a
mysterious entity stirring to wakefulness after a long
sleep, but Wrede waited several years before return-
ing to Lyra for The Raven Ring(1994), a stirring but
imitative quest story.
Talking to Dragons(1985) is for young readers
and is basically a coming-of-age story with a boy
taking a legendary sword and facing various dan-
gers in an enchanted forest. In many ways it is
much more effective than Wrede’s adult novels,
and she later wrote a three-volume prequel, Deal-
ing with Dragons(1990, also published as Dragons-
bane), Searching for Dragons(1991, also published
as Dragon Search), and Calling on Dragons(1993).
The trilogy is lighter in tone than the first novel.
Wrede also produced an admirable version of Snow
White and the Seven Dwarves in Snow White and
Rose Red(1989), ostensibly for adults but actually
accessible to all reading levels.
Mairelon the Magician(1991) is a fairy tale set
in Regency England, drawn from traditional plots
and themes but developed in an unpredictable
and very rewarding fashion. It was with this novel
and another sharing the same setting, The Magi-
cian’s Ward(1997), that Wrede proved she could
be a formidable addition to the roster of contem-
porary fantasy writers. Both novels demonstrate
her growing skill and self-confidence. Wrede also
collaborated with Caroline Stevermer for two
other books set in a magical alternate Regency
England. Sorcery and Cecilia(1888) is a superior
young adult fantasy, and the long-delayed sequel,
The Grand Tour(2004), is even better, one of the
best young adult novels of the past 10 years, with
the protagonists foiling a plot to magically seize
control of all of Europe.Wrede, Patricia 391