The Strange Journeys of Colonel Polders

An inspiration to many for his style and prose, Lord Dunsany was a pioneer for fantasy fiction, inspiring such famous writers as H. P. Lovecraft, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Neil Gaiman, to name a few. More than sixty years since its first publication, The Strange Journeys of Colonel Polders is now once again available to readers.

In this classic fantasy story, a no-nonsense British officer, having offended an Indian swami in his club, finds his spirit lodged into a succession of animal bodies. Some of the animals the officer’s spirit enters are a cat, a goat, an eel, a fox, and many others. In his fantastic style, Dunsany captures the exact sentiments of each animal, making it believable that the office has, in fact, taken them as his own.

Out of print for more than sixty years, The Strange Journeys of Colonel Polders is a fantastic tale that takes you to the core of fantasy writing and shows the skill of Lord Dunsany, which many writers hold in the absolute highest regard. A lost classic, The Strange Journeys of Colonel Polders is finally available for readers of the beloved fantasy genre.

Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Lord Dunsany (1878–1957) was the pen name for Edward Plunkett, an Irish writer and dramatist. During his lifetime, he published more than eighty books, as well as hundreds of short stories and several successful plays. Dunsany, most noted for his writing of fantasy, influenced such writers as H. P. Lovecraft, Arthur C. Clarke, Neil Gaiman, and many others.