![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I present to you. The 10:00 review.
Enjoy.
Next Up for Review: Farseer Trilogy
Enjoy.
The book Mythago Wood was one of those books, for me, that I wanted to pick up for a long time, and never really did. When I finally picked it up and checked it out from my local library, it took me forever to get started on it. And what a loss it was for me. Mythago was slow to get into the meat of the story - it took nearly half the book to get into the real plotline - but at no moments did it drag or get boring. It was not an action-packed novel, but moved at a good pace that held my attention fairly well.
At the heart of the book is the concept of Rhyope Wood, a primal forest that is populated by "mythagos": creatures made from the mind of a society or individual. They can be malevolent or kindly, beautiful or ugly, and come from time periods as varied as the Ice Ages to the Knights of King Arthur.
The book avoids the cliches of fantasy without making said avoidance obvious, and weaves a skillful storyline woven of obsession, romance, and danger, mingled with a hint of mythology. There were moments where I was worried that the main character, Steven, would turn into just another hero archetype and lose his uniquely human air, but the end of the book at once took me completely by surprise and delighted me.
Stephen Holdstock's voice is down-to-earth and prosaic, beautiful without being flowery, and distinctively personal. His narrations speak to the reader clearly. He has since written a sequel, Lavondyss, which I hope to read soon. Stephen Holdstock may become a name to watch for innovative and engaging fantasy.
I came into this book expecting something entirely different from what I received, but found something that, if not better than my imagination, was at the very least equal.
At the heart of the book is the concept of Rhyope Wood, a primal forest that is populated by "mythagos": creatures made from the mind of a society or individual. They can be malevolent or kindly, beautiful or ugly, and come from time periods as varied as the Ice Ages to the Knights of King Arthur.
The book avoids the cliches of fantasy without making said avoidance obvious, and weaves a skillful storyline woven of obsession, romance, and danger, mingled with a hint of mythology. There were moments where I was worried that the main character, Steven, would turn into just another hero archetype and lose his uniquely human air, but the end of the book at once took me completely by surprise and delighted me.
Stephen Holdstock's voice is down-to-earth and prosaic, beautiful without being flowery, and distinctively personal. His narrations speak to the reader clearly. He has since written a sequel, Lavondyss, which I hope to read soon. Stephen Holdstock may become a name to watch for innovative and engaging fantasy.
I came into this book expecting something entirely different from what I received, but found something that, if not better than my imagination, was at the very least equal.
Next Up for Review: Farseer Trilogy
Tags: