"It is neither allegory or fable but a Story to be read for its own sake."

-9th January, 1922, E. R. E.

The author of this mythically grounded story asks the readers not to take it seriously beyond its own scope, which is also a plea to take it more seriously within its scope than many a fable or allegory had commanded on its intrinsic merits. It seems that many did not take the author's advice, least of all Jennifer Markson, who painted the cover art, of a dragon of the serpentine type eating its own tale and forming a rejuvenating cycle before a sky at once sun-lit and storm-clouded.

A preliminary reading of the text does not promise the most entertaining turning of the page, but infuses a sense of wonder, as the viewpoint character emerges from his garden of modernity to journey a world which blooms from forbidden knowledge.

Where does Eddison fit in the grand scheme of fantasy world builders, from Tolkien down to Jordon [The Wheel of Time] and Martin [A Song of Fire and Ice]?