Reviews

• A Mythic Hidden Gem

  At the time of this writing this book is out of print which is a shame. It is one of the most intriguing I've read in many a year. For anyone who has an interest in myths and legends, this is a powerful tale of one man confronting such legends and how he's changed by it. Holdstock drinks from the same well as Gaiman and any fan of Gaiman should definitely give Holdstock a go. He also seems to be familiar with many of Jung's Archtype ideas and gives them a believable place to live. Thus the protagonist begins his journey into the heartwood of a mythic primeval forest and beyond - a journey to find his beloved celtic princess and the Umscrumug - the First Myth - the Myth Before all Others. A myth so ancient, the author says, is now fading even in Mythago Wood as Humanity's Collective Unconcious slowly forgets its past. Mythago Wood, a forest where legends and myths from every people of every time and every land are formed, live and breath. A WW1 soldier inhabits the same land as shamanic tribesmen. A celtic princess from the days of Roman Britain walks the woods from legends out of a much later Robin Hood era. And while it is clear that these beings are not "real" in the same sense that the protagonist is they are still capable of feeling joy, love, pain and sorrow. And are equally capable of killing and being killed. The characters are human, with both flaws and redeeming qualities and hints of why myths and legends still hold our imagination are part of the entertaining story (If Mythago Wood were real I'm sure Jedi Knights, Klingons and Paul Atreides would now be walking there too). This book won awards for good reason. If you enjoy stories of myths and legends don't fail to pick it up.

• not a fan

  Too much mythical detail and too many divergent story lines for me…I won’t be trying any more of this author’s books.

• a magical place

  I absolutely loved this book- it's true that it's slow moving at times, and takes a while to get into the thick(et) of things..But the wood speaks to me so strongly. This book allows me to project my own myths into it, but at the same time creating a whole world which is real while I'm reading it. I'm now reading the second book and loving it even more.

• A different fantasy story

  Unlike anything else i have read. Pulls together legend and fantasy in a complex and engaging story.

• Assolutamente meraviglioso!

  Il mio preferito dalla serie dei Mythago. Se mai qualcuno mi chiedesse un consiglio su cosa leggere questa serie sarebbe la mia preferita dopo Il Signore degli anelli. E un libro complesso,non ti puoi permettere di girare le pagine senza dare troppa attenzione perché ti ritroverai in dei posti fisici e mistici che non comprenderai. E un viaggio nel tempo veloce, come tornare in un mondo primordiale dove ancora la natura ha un potentissimo potere spirituale.

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