Though not as prolific as many of his contemporaries in British fantasy between the wars, E. R. Eddison is routinely singled out as one of the most significant contributors to fantasy literature during this period on the strength of his first novel, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance (1922), and his uncompleted Zimiamvia trilogy. His work was praised by writers as diverse as C. S. Lewis and H. P. Lovecraft, and he is regularly compared with near-contemporaries such as Lord Dunsany and J. R. R. Tolkien. Like Tolkien, Eddison created a secondary world that, despite its fantastic nature, comes to vibrant life for the reader. His creation of this world was, like Tolkien's, informed by his studies in northern European mythology and folklore--in particular the Icelandic sagas. Some critics have even suggested that, for all Tolkien's gifts and his importance in fantasy literature, Eddison is the greater talent. In a...