Reviews for The Toys of Peace and Other Papers

The average rating for The Toys of Peace and Other Papers based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-09-26 00:00:00 Brandon Scroggins The edition I have opens with an essay from H. P. Lovecraft on the topic of Dunsany and his admiration for the mans work. In it, he politely intimates that he doesn't care for the last two dunsany collections and hopes that the then-just-announced Tales of Three Hemispheres will mark a return to form for Dunsany along the lines of his masterful The Sword of Welleran and A Dreamer's Tales. I, a man living in the future have come to bring you the devastating news that this is just mostly more disappointing Tales of Wonder. This short collection is a mishmash of uninspired oriental tales, saved only by The idle Days on the Yann (here reprinted from A Dreamer's Tales) and its two sequels. S. T. Joshi said in his great foreword to the Penguin collection of Dunsany stories that the reason Dunsany is not regarded higher in the literary world is because "he wrote too much". I'm beginning to see the truth in this as I have read eight Dunsany works and have found five masterful works, while I tally three duds in a row and hope the trend does not continue on into his novels. (Fingers tightly crossed)

Review # 2 was written on 2018-09-10 00:00:00 Gerald Fisher Tales of Three Hemispheres is a slim volume in which Lord Dunsany returns to the style of his earlier short fantasy fiction, after the minor diversion of a World War. One of the longer stories in it, in fact, is a reprint of 'Idle Days on the Yann' from A Dreamer's Tales, albeit it works well here in context as the first of a three part story. One risks being reductive by saying this is merely more of the same from Dunsany, but at a superficial level that is what it is. His fantastical prose poetry is as enchanting as ever, and will appeal to existing fans, but is neither the likeliest nor best starting point for winning new admirers.