Spine wear / cover tearing from spine / cover bending / foxing / dog eared pages Cover art 1st printing 1967 1922 heroic high fantasy novel by E. R. Eddison, known for its epic scope, Shakespearean prose, and influences from Norse sagas, chronicling a war between the Lords of Demonland and the tyrannical King Gorice of Witchland. The story follows quests, battles, and intrigue as the heroes seek to defeat the sorcerous king, and it is considered a landmark work that influenced later fantasy, including The Lord of the Rings.