The Well at the World's End

The Well at the World's End is a fantasy novel by William Morris, a British artist, poet, and author. It first appeared in 1896 and has been reprinted many times, often along with Morris's other book, The Wood Beyond the World. This tale is of Ralph of Upmeads, the son of a minor king, who heads out to seek his adventure as a knight. His task, to find the Well at the World's End: a magic well which gives those who drink from it immortality and a strong destiny. Ralph becomes lovers with a babe who has drunk from the well, and they become lovers.

When fate intervenes, Ralph is deterred from his goal. Will he find the magic well? This is a beautiful story well told. It heavily influenced J.R.R. Tolkien as a child, and would affect his own body of work. So if you loved The Lord of The Rings, you'll love this work. The Well at the World's End is both fantasy and fairy-tale, minus the fairies. It is also a "romance" in the strict sense that it is a chivalric, hero story about a man on a quest. Ralph of Upmeads, the least likely of the King's four sons, sent out to find a "fountain of youth." Be ye warned that you'll find many archaic words such as forsooth, quoth, whither, rideth, erstwhile, hitherward and betwixt. Soon enough, however, thou shalt get the hang of it.