Elidor
#5033.85 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1965 Reading commitment Low Alan Garner Last reviewed 2026-09-06
Overview
Four English siblings in Manchester find a doorway, through a derelict church, into the dying otherworld of Elidor, and must guard four ordinary-looking treasures needed to restore its light — treasures that keep interfering with electricity back home, and that something in Elidor wants returned.
Portal fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Elidor (1965) core · 3.85 (3,717 ratings); Standalone children's portal fantasy: four English siblings in Manchester find a doorway, through a derelict church, into the dying otherworld of Elidor, and must guard four magical treasures needed to restore its light. First published by William Collins, Sons (UK, 1965); a commended runner-up for the Carnegie Medal. Confirmed as a separate, unrelated universe from Alan Garner's other two already-admitted works, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Owl Service.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Elidor? Elidor's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Elidor finished? Complete (1965).
- How much reading does Elidor take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~173 pages).
- How is Elidor ranked? #503 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 3,717 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #503?
Ranked #503 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.85 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (3,717 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #502, Tooth and Claw (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 4k ratings · Ranks #503 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment portal fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No juried award win found; a commended Carnegie Medal runner-up mention is recorded in the notes above.
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Suggestions computed from what Elidor and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Brave Story Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.19
- Tom's Midnight Garden Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.05
- Time Quintet Portal fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.98
- Oz Portal fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 3.96
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.85 across 3,717 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit Elidor (Alan Garner) accepted 2026-09-06
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Elidor Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-09-06
Rule: A single standalone novel (William Collins, Sons, 1965); registered as one Core Canon entry.