Mistress of Mistresses
core novel 1935 Zimiamvia
Record
| First published | 1935 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.66 (550 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| Page count | 416 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780007578139 |
| Internal chronology | 3 |
Synopsis
Mistress of Mistresses, published by E.R. Eddison in 1935, opens the Zimiamvia sequence in the aftermath of the death of King Mezentius, whose forceful, unifying personality had held together three separate kingdoms under a single rule. With Mezentius gone, the fragile unity he imposed begins to unravel, as ambitious nobles form shifting alliances and quietly maneuver against one another for advantage, leaving the future of the realm deeply uncertain. Into this uneasy vacuum steps the enigmatic Lessingham, a figure whose true nature and ultimate loyalties are left deliberately unclear, but who nonetheless emerges as a potentially decisive force in whatever new order comes to replace Mezentius's rule. Some chapters unfold on Earth in the twentieth century, interwoven with the Zimiamvian political drama, hinting at connections between the two worlds that the novel does not fully explain.
Where it sits
- Universe: Zimiamvia
- Series: Zimiamvia core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: E.R. Eddison
Notes
- From the series record (Zimiamvia): Core Canon: the 2 Zimiamvian novels Eddison completed in his lifetime. Internal chronology (per Wikipedia) runs in reverse of publication order relative to the Expanded Canon's The Mezentian Gate (earliest events) -- internal chronology values reflect story order, not publication order; not resolved further.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Zimiamvia: position 1 of 3: next A Fish Dinner in Memison (1941)
- Internal chronology, within Zimiamvia: position 3 of 3: previous A Fish Dinner in Memison (1941)
Sources
← Zimiamvia dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.