The Curse of the Wise Woman
#6633.84 adjusted 3.93 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1933 Reading commitment Low Lord Dunsany Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
The Curse of the Wise Woman is a 1933 novel by the Irish author Lord Dunsany, written between February and May of that year and published by William Collins. It is set in the real Irish countryside of the 1890s, among the Anglo-Irish gentry. A motherless teenage heir is left in charge of the family estates after his father leaves the country, and spends his freedom shooting wildfowl on a peat bog. When an industrial peat-cutting syndicate threatens the bog, his main ally is an old woman who believes she is a wise woman, or witch. Magic appears only sparingly, in cursing and conjuring scenes, and events can be read either as her powers or as nature at work. It is a standalone novel.
Mythic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Curse of the Wise Woman Lord Dunsany
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Curse of the Wise Woman; Set in real Ireland rather than in an invented world. | 1933 | 1 | core | 3.84 (106 ratings) |
A standalone novel of an Anglo-Irish teenager, a peat bog and a self-styled witch.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Curse of the Wise Woman? The Curse of the Wise Woman's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Curse of the Wise Woman finished? Complete (1933).
- How much reading does The Curse of the Wise Woman take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Curse of the Wise Woman ranked? #663 in this site's official ranking, based on 106 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #663?
Ranked #663 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.84 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (106 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.09 behind #662, The King of the Golden River.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 106 ratings · Ranks #663 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic 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 awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.84 across 106 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: Canon Extension: 29 universes; Inda widened to Sartorias-deles; 5 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Curse of the Wise Woman (1933).