Mythago Wood

Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock

George Huxley lives beside Ryhope Wood,a mysterious remnant of the primeval forests that once covered Britain in Neolithic times.His whole life,to the neglect of his family,has been an obsessive exploration of the forest. Objectively it can only be about three miles across but once within it you can not penetrate it,but can walk apparently in a straight line,and come out where you started.Time is strange there too,a fortnight in the woods may have only been two days outside the wood. Huxley over his life builds up knowledge of the wood,makes minor inroads finding some paths leading further in.He discovers "mythagos",the archetypal forms of legend and myth made corporate. In the wood you may find Arthur's knights,ghosts of Saxons,gods and goddesses,back to the most primitive times. Huxley meets and becomes obsessed with an mythago of a beautiful celtic girl.

After his death his sons too will be entranced by this girl with perilous consequences and will come to re-enact ancient myths. They will finally uncover the way of entering the wood and learn some of its secrets,and bitter rivalry and jealousy will lead to insanity and tragedy.

Beautifully written,with intriguing philosophical and spiritual themes,this book,winner of the British Fantasy Award and the British Science Fiction Award is as fresh and original today as when it was published in 1984. Mythic fiction at its best.The book is immersive ,gripping and intense. This Wild Wood is an awful lot darker than the one where Badger lives in Wind of the Willows!