When an influx of fairy fruit creates havoc in lud-in-the-mist, a merchant village situated where the rivers the dawl and the dapple meet in the free state of dorimare, the conventional, rule-abiding citizens must grapple with a previously unthinkable solution. the dapple springs from the bordering land of faerie-a country of fantastic inhabitants viewed by the tradition-bound people of lud-in-the-mist with fear and suspicion. when the effects of fairy fruit and the creatures of faerie can no longer be ignored, the stolid mayor of lud-in-the-mist, nathaniel chanticleer, undergoes radical rethinking and emerges as an unlikely leader of change. a classic of fantasy fiction, lud-in-the-mist has had a diffuse but indelible influence on the genre and has inspired such authors as neil gaiman, mary gentle, elizabeth hand, johanna russ, and tim powers. this warbler classics edition includes a detailed biographical timeline.