World's Desire [Hardcover]

H. Rider Haggard (Author), Andrew Lang (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1970

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE SLAYING OF THE SIDONIANS. Morning broke in the East. A new day dawned upon the silent sea, and on the world of light and sound. The sunrise topped the hill at last, and fell upon the golden raiment of the Wanderer where he slept, making it blaze like living fire. As the sun touched him, the prow of a black ship stole swiftly round the headland, for the oarsmen drove her well with the oars. Any man who saw her would have known her to be a vessel of the merchants of Sidon—the most cunning people and the greediest of gain—for on her prow were two big-headed shapes of dwarfs, with gaping mouths and knotted limbs. Such gods as those were worshipped by the Sidonians. She was now returning from Albion, an isle beyond the pillars of Heracles and the gates of the great sea, where much store of tin is found; and she had rich merchandise on board. On the half-deck beside the steersman was the captain, a thin, keen-eyed sailor, who looked shoreward and paw the sun blaze on the golden armour of lln' Yandprpr. They were so far off that he could not see clearly what it was that glittered yellow, but all that glittered yellow was a lurefor him, and gold drew him on as iron draws the hands of heroes. So he bade the helmsman steer straight in, for the sea was deep below the rock, and there they all saw a man lying asleep in golden armour. They whispered together, laughing silently, and then sprang ashore, taking with them a rope of twisted ox-hide, a hawser of the ship, and a strong cable of byblus, the papyrus plant. On these ropes they cast a loop and a running knot, a lasso for throwing, so that they might capture the man in safety from a distance. With these in their hands they crept up the cliff, for their purpose was to noose the man in golden armour, and drag him ...

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: TBS The Book Service Ltd (January 15, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0356012719
• ISBN-13: 978-0356012711
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars One last grand adventure across the wine-dark sea, January 20, 2012

By 

William Timothy Lukeman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The world's desire (Ballantine adult fantasy series) (Mass Market Paperback)

Have you ever wondered what happened to Odysseus after the conclusion of his epic journey home to Ithaca? Well, here's one possibility, offered in a rousing, glorious melange of fantasy, folklore & (pseudo-) history, by the creators of She & the many-colored Fairy Books, H. Rider Haggard & Andrew Lang.

Thanks to Lin Carter & the fabled Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series, this unjustly neglected gem was reprinted to the delight of eager young readers after decades had passed. And while some classics don't always wear well with age, this novel had lost none of its appeal in the interim.

Odysseus is an older man now, the lone survivor of a plague that has swept away all that he knew & loved on Ithaca. Shifting his fealty from Athena to Aphrodite, he embarks on a new voyage, one that leads him to Egypt during the time of Moses. As an outsider, he brings a unique perspective to the Biblical tale -- and it never bogs down in too much Victorian piety, either. The emphasis is on story, first & foremost.

And what an exciting story it is! Haggard & Lang are in top form, giving us both spectacle & shrewd characterization. You'll even see references to their own works in passing, a knowing wink to the reader that never gets in the way of the story. It's just an added dash of color to an already vibrant tapestry.

While there are several reprints currently available, the out-of-print Ballantine edition offers their typically lush cover art & an enthusiastic introduction by editor Lin Carter. But whatever edition you get, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Recommended!