William Morris - Story of the Glittering Plain

In this early example of the modern high fantasy genre, Hallblithe, a warrior of the House of Raven, sets out in pursuit of the pirates who have kidnapped his troth-plight maiden, the Hostage. Kidnapped himself, Hallblithe sails to the Isle of Ransom in the company of the giant Puny Fox. Travelling onward to the Land of the Glittering Plain, he spurns the offer of eternal youth and the hand of the King's daughter to continue the search for his beloved. First published in 1890 in the English Illustrated Magazine, The Story of the Glittering Plain was re-published in 1973 as the first volume of the celebrated Newcastle Forgotten Fantasy Library. This recording is read from the gloriously printed 1891 Kelmscott Press edition, with illustrations by Walter Crane. (Phil Benson) — Summary by Phil Benson