The Wood Beyond the World

By: William Morris

Narrated by: Cori Samuel

"The Wood Beyond the World" is a fantasy novel by William Morris, perhaps the first modern fantasy writer to unite an imaginary world with the element of the supernatural, and thus the precursor of much of present day fantasy literature. It was first published in hardcover by Morris' Kelmscott Press in 1894.©2017 SAGA Egmont (P)2017 SAGA Egmont

Dreamy Fairy Tale

The story and the narrator could not be better matched! I downloaded this book out of curiosity as I enjoy William Morris' artwork. What I discovered was a medieval-styled fairy tale read by the dreamiest of voices. What delightful escapism! It was like stepping into a John William Waterhouse painting.

That said, some listeners may not enjoy the archaic language. Personally, I enjoyed it.

Beautiful Symbolism

Cori Samuel has the perfect dreamlike quality for these type of stories. Many times I would have to rewind and re-listen as I would often fall asleep. William Morris is not like current fantasy but rather harkens back to a time when literal images carried much symbolic significance in an expression to the sublime. This was an enjoyable listen.