 Although the novel faded into relative obscurity following its initial release, it found new longevity and wider critical acclaim when a paperback edition was released in 1969 as the second volume of the "Ballantine Adult Fantasy series".It has also been included in a more recent series of books reprinting the best of modern fantasy, the Fantasy Masterworks series.While seen as highly influential upon the genre as a whole, the novel was particularly formative in the (later-named) subgenres of fairytale fantasy and high fantasy.