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Synopsis
The first step toward the characteristic large-scale fantasies which have had such influence on the genre ...is The House of the Wolfings. Here the setting is quasi-historical: a European Saxon community is resisting the decadent advances of late Imperial Rome. The romantic-supernatural story contains a large admixture of verse. Indeed, Morris's chief contribution to the book is his beautiful prose and poetry, for his version of the story is actually a collaboration with Norse scholar Eirikr Magnusson, who provided a literal translation of the original text, which Morris then reset as prose and poetry. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote of its influence on Lord of the Rings that, "The Dead Marshes and the approaches to the Morannon owe ... more to William Morris and his Huns and Romans, as in The House of the Wolfings or The Roots of the Mountains."
Is The house of the Wolfings appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 14 and up.
This 1889 epic fantasy features tribal warriors resisting Roman imperial conquest, with battle violence and supernatural elements presented in archaic prose and verse. No sexual content or strong language.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, mild sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include mass death and war.
Publisher ages reflect reading level; our rating reflects content maturity — they can differ.
Who'll love this
A beautifully written proto-fantasy about a Germanic tribe fighting back against the Roman Empire, told in the style of ancient Norse sagas.