Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emily Tesh’s World Fantasy Award-winning Greenhollow Duology, which begins with Silver in the Wood, is a gorgeously told novella which digs deep into legends of the fae. Her writing is reminiscent of both Guy Gavriel Kay and Robert Holdstock, and I very much found myself hearing echoes of Holdstock’s Mythago Wood series.

This is a beautifully told tale of transformation and love, of good and evil, of the commonplace colliding with the fantastic, all set in the myth-inspiring landscape of England’s small villages and the manors which oversee them.

My only criticism, which in fact is a testament to Tesh’s ability to create an absorbing tale, is that I wanted more. The world she builds, the characters with which she populates that world, and the emotional adventure which ensues are all highly addictive and utterly absorbing.

While this is not high literature, and hence the reason for three rather than four or five stars, this is most definitely great escapist literature of the highest calibre. Go read it.

View all my reviews
Drowned Country by Emily Tesh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emily Tesh concludes her captivating Greenhollow Duology with Drowned Country, and a satisfying conclusion it is.

The story continues with the concept of transformation and love, set amid the overlapping worlds of the English countryside and the fairy realm, and this time she also seamlessly introduces a vampiric presence. She weaves tension through not only her plot advancement, but through the unspoken dialogues between characters. This is very adept writing, weaving all of human experience through any narrative, creating believable characters from the unbelievable.

If you enjoy well-written fantasy the likes of Guy Gavriel Kay, Robert Holdstock, or C.J. Cherryh’s Morgaine Cycle, you will certainly enjoy Tesh’s Greenhollow Duology.

View all my reviews