The Well at the World's End
William Morris ; Sheba Blake
- The
- Well
- at
- the
- World's
- End
- is
- a
- high
- fantasy
- novel
- by
- the
- British
- artist,
- poet,
- and
- author
- William
- Morris.
- It
- was
- first
- published
- in
- 1896
- and
- has
- been
- reprinted
- a
- number
- of
- times
- since,
- most
- notably
- in
- two
- parts
- as
- the
- 20th
- and
- 21st
- volumes
- of
- the
- Ballantine
- Adult
- Fantasy
- series,
- in
- August
- and
- September
- 1970.
- It
- is
- also
- available
- in
- one
- volume
- along
- with
- a
- similar
- Morris
- tale,
- The
- Wood
- Beyond
- the
- World
- (1894),
- in
- On
- the
- Lines
- of
- Morris'
- Romances:
- Two
- Books
- that
- Inspired
- J.
- R.
- R.
- Tolkien.
- Using
- language
- with
- elements
- of
- the
- medieval
- tales
- which
- were
- his
- models,
- Morris
- tells
- the
- story
- of
- Peter,
- King
- of
- Upmeads,
- and
- his
- four
- sons,
- Blaise,
- Hugh,
- Gregory,
- and
- Ralph.
- These
- four
- sons
- decide
- one
- day
- that
- they
- would
- like
- to
- explore
- the
- world,
- so
- their
- father
- gives
- them
- permission.
- From
- that
- point
- on,
- the
- plot
- centers
- on
- the
- youngest
- son,
- Ralph.
- Ralph's
- explorations
- begin
- at
- Bourton
- Abbas,
- after
- which
- he
- goes
- through
- the
- Wood
- Perilous.
- He
- has
- various
- adventures
- there,
- including
- the
- slaying
- of
- two
- men
- who
- had
- entrapped
- a
- woman.
- That
- woman
- later
- turns
- out
- to
- be
- the
- Lady
- of
- Abundance,
- who
- later
- becomes
- his
- lover
- for
- a
- short time.