Although Porius is widely regarded as John Cowper Powys's finest achievement in fiction, it has never been published in its intended form--until now. Abridged in every prior publication, the true Porius is presented here for the first time, carefully restored by Powys experts Morine Krisdóttir and Judith Bond. The culmination of Powys's lifelong passion for Wales and its mythology, Porius is at once a historical novel and commentary on the nature of modern warfare. It is the year 499. The scene is a Roman fort in North Wales, and the principal character is Porius, son of the reigning prince. The Saxons and their forest-people allies are advancing on Edeyrnion in a desperate attempt to save the remnants of their matriarchate. Arthur has sent ahead the magicians, Merlin, Neneue, and Medrawd, to help the beleaguered Porius. Powys, a self-described "born Inventor of Fairy Tales," transformed the people and animals of his Welsh village into the mythical figures that haunt Porius's primeval woods. The novel was severely cut from its intended form by previous publishers; this edition, newly edited by two preeminent Powys scholars, is Porius as Powys would have wanted the book that he considered "the chief work of my lifetime."