The Gods of Pegana, Lord Dunsany's first published book, is a strange and wondrous creation. In it he invents an entire pantheon of gods who rule over the titular world, from the sleeping creator Mana-Yood-Sushai to the lesser gods who while away the eons at play. The prose alternates between biblical, high-minded, and childlike, with the gods frustrating their human subjects through single-minded and often completely inscrutable actions. When they're not busy being mysterious, they're busy taking revenge on each other.
It's possible these short tales were written to convey lessons about life, death, and the nature of belief, though the rhythmic simplicity of the prose and the strange, often petty nature of the gods leaves that open to debate. Regardless of intent, the collection is a foundational work of fantasy literature, and its invented mythology and ornate, incantatory style would go on to influence generations of fantasy writers.
Readers drawn to strange, dreamlike fantasy-and to the invented mythologies of writers like Tolkien and Lovecraft, both of whom counted Dunsany as an influence-will find in The Gods of Pegana a fascinating glimpse at one of the genre's earliest and most idiosyncratic creations.
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