Scan barcode
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
5.0
How come I'd never heard of Robert Holdstock before accidentally coming across "Mythago wood"? It's a lovely book, quite unlike anything I've read. It takes place in England in the years after WW2, where our hero Steven returns after the war only to find his brother Christian slightly unhinged. Christian, like his late father, has become obsessed with the ancient woodlands surrounding the family home. Steven studies his father's diaries which seem to indicate that the Ryhope wood is no ordinary place, and soon enough experiences the wildness and violence of the woods himself.
Holdstock skilfully uses Jungian archetypes and Celtic myths to tell his tale, never going overboard. The results are fascinating, sometimes funny, often moving. I loved the depiction of Ryhope wood. Holdstock's knowledge of and love for the woods is obvious. As a kid, I spent a lot of time in the deep forests surrounding my hometown, often making up stories or fantasizing about imaginary creatures (yes, I was a nerdy kid), and this book brought to life the feeling of being immersed in a living, breathing forest with a life of it's own.
Holdstock skilfully uses Jungian archetypes and Celtic myths to tell his tale, never going overboard. The results are fascinating, sometimes funny, often moving. I loved the depiction of Ryhope wood. Holdstock's knowledge of and love for the woods is obvious. As a kid, I spent a lot of time in the deep forests surrounding my hometown, often making up stories or fantasizing about imaginary creatures (yes, I was a nerdy kid), and this book brought to life the feeling of being immersed in a living, breathing forest with a life of it's own.
zoe_werdy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I loved the fantasy, British mythology themes in this book and it was a really interesting concept but the writing didn't grip me and I wasn't that invested in the story. Had to slightly drag myself to the end
jacksonhager's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kettlekitten's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sevencrane's review against another edition
4.0
Cool, a bit dated...definitely saw that 80s fantasy influence in how the lone female character was treated. The actual seriousness of British culture was cool, like no shit everyone was white in it. It's about British mythology.
The story itself was well constructed though, nice sense of brooding mystery in the woods before they finally got into it.
The story itself was well constructed though, nice sense of brooding mystery in the woods before they finally got into it.
pa3jans_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ostrava's review against another edition
1.0
One has to admit the atmosphere and the concept are strong, strong enough in fact to save it from being absolutely unredeemable, but that alone can't hold the weight of an entire novel.
Maybe some readings of Jung could have prepared me beforehand, but I hardly see the point of putting that much effort into what's essentially a juvenile and poorly aged attempt at introducing quirky pop-psychology themes into the genre.
There's not really much grace or elegance in the writing, and the immersion suffers from it. But it also suffers from exposition and poor pacing. But those are things I can deal with, what pisses me off, what truly irrates me is the insufferable amount of time spent on the "ideal male fantasy" that the author spents so much precious time wasting on.
You have a world of possibilities, Robin Hood and Arthur like characters who can lead you to the most surreal revisions of mythology and their influence on fantasy, and instead you decided to be horny.
Holdstock is going to horny jail, and I need to go take a shower. Wasted potential.
Maybe some readings of Jung could have prepared me beforehand, but I hardly see the point of putting that much effort into what's essentially a juvenile and poorly aged attempt at introducing quirky pop-psychology themes into the genre.
There's not really much grace or elegance in the writing, and the immersion suffers from it. But it also suffers from exposition and poor pacing. But those are things I can deal with, what pisses me off, what truly irrates me is the insufferable amount of time spent on the "ideal male fantasy" that the author spents so much precious time wasting on.
You have a world of possibilities, Robin Hood and Arthur like characters who can lead you to the most surreal revisions of mythology and their influence on fantasy, and instead you decided to be horny.
Holdstock is going to horny jail, and I need to go take a shower. Wasted potential.
lyrrael's review against another edition
5.0
I grew up on the edge of a little wood -- it was mostly ‘young’ growth, to be honest, not anything like the ancient woods in this book -- but I can remembering adventuring through it as a child, and how once you made it past the brush and briars on the edge it receded into this creepy, quiet forest floor littered with old leaves and trillium. I remember a giant boulder that I would go read on, and past the boulder was a giant old felled tree, and once you passed the rise on the other side of the valley the floor would change to sticky mud at the lowest points, and there, I can remember thinking that magic had to be real. Mythago Wood maintains that not only is the magic real, but our fairy tales and myths come to flesh and blood life through our collective memory. This was like a much, MUCH darker Bridge to Terabithia in that you cross the threshold, and you're in a different world were magic exists and exerts its influence on your life, and I’m frankly shocked that I hadn’t really run across it before, because it was outstanding. I’m really glad I ran across it, and I know it’s going to leave shockwaves on my memory for quite a while.
lgrunwald's review against another edition
5.0
"Eventually he left, but named the valley ritha muireog, which means 'where the hunter waits'. Later, however, the valley was called imarn uklyss, which means 'where the girl came back through the fire'. But that is a story for another time, and another people."
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. I don't even know how to start. Was this book perfect? No. Did it have some parts that were a bit too slow or not explained enough? Yes. However, just because it wasn't a perfect book doesn't mean it wasn't MY perfect book. I swear I think this book was written personally for me. Even though our dear author Robert Holdstock has passed away it's like he knew years later I would read this book and be touched so deeply. It's like every single thing I am passionate about in life such as: history, mythology, nature, the preservation of stories and culture, languages, love, and the desire for knowledge long lost was all wrapped into a book that was only just under 300 pages along. I am in awe and am deeply grateful to the brilliant mind of Robert Holdstock.
Mythago Wood in is essence is about the nature of myth itself. How stories impact a culture and the people of the land it resides. How it's passed down from generation to generation and how and why details and concepts of a legend may change but it's core elements stay the same. How the myths are affected by the people who create them and the people and their cultures are shaped by the myths and the importance of there role in all of our histories.
Through his tale of Steven, Christian, Guiwenneth, and Keeton and the mysteries and legends in the Ryhope Wood Holdstock shows his absolute masterful understanding of the way our real life myths, religions, and stories evolve and change overtime. He flawlessly displays how a core story can remain the same for thousands and thousands of years in our subconscious but have it take different forms depending on the need of the time period through the spectacular idea of a mythago. The book definition of a mythago is "myth imago, the image of the idealized form of a myth creature". As someone who has studied history and myth for years and years, he absolutely nails the way our real life works in his fictional account. His interpretation of folklore and the nature of myth and how it is forever changing with the land and the people around it is also brilliantly displayed in his version of how time works in the woodland. Once you enter the woodland time switches to a "myth time" I guess you could say. Where a simple few months in our world could be years and years in the wood as the people and creatures there are forced to live out these legendary tales again and again in and endless cycle while their forms and pathways through there stories shift and change the always end up in the same place.
Holdstock writes about the woodlands like nothing I have ever seen. It's both great and terrible, awe inspiring and shocking, beautiful and ugly. As I walked the great primitive woodland with Steven I could practically feel the ancient earth beneath my feet, the suffocation of the undergrowth, I could smell the trees, the dirt, and the rot of the land. I felt both the pounding rains and the freezing snows above the giant canopies of the trees. All thanks to Holdstocks absolutely masterful descriptions and abilities of immersion.
The characters were brilliant and genuinely heartwarming, the lore fantastic and unique, the forest and its powers were spell-binding and addicting and the whole story was hard to put down. I laughed, I cried, I felt incredible joys and deep anger and sorrow and an adrenaline rush I don't think I'll ever get again from a novel. I only wish I could forget it so I could reread it again with a fresh mind! I haven't genuinely enjoyed a world or a fantasy story this much since I read the works of JRR Tolkien as a teenager. In fact, I think Holdstock and Tolkien would get along brilliantly. I can honestly say without a doubt that, in my opinion, this in a genuine masterpiece and probably the greatest novel I have ever read and my favourite. I have never given such high praise to a book but this...this is exactly the novel I've been looking for all of my life. My very own holy grail. I can't wait to try the rest of the series in the future and I will also be deeply diving into Holdstocks other works.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. I don't even know how to start. Was this book perfect? No. Did it have some parts that were a bit too slow or not explained enough? Yes. However, just because it wasn't a perfect book doesn't mean it wasn't MY perfect book. I swear I think this book was written personally for me. Even though our dear author Robert Holdstock has passed away it's like he knew years later I would read this book and be touched so deeply. It's like every single thing I am passionate about in life such as: history, mythology, nature, the preservation of stories and culture, languages, love, and the desire for knowledge long lost was all wrapped into a book that was only just under 300 pages along. I am in awe and am deeply grateful to the brilliant mind of Robert Holdstock.
Mythago Wood in is essence is about the nature of myth itself. How stories impact a culture and the people of the land it resides. How it's passed down from generation to generation and how and why details and concepts of a legend may change but it's core elements stay the same. How the myths are affected by the people who create them and the people and their cultures are shaped by the myths and the importance of there role in all of our histories.
Through his tale of Steven, Christian, Guiwenneth, and Keeton and the mysteries and legends in the Ryhope Wood Holdstock shows his absolute masterful understanding of the way our real life myths, religions, and stories evolve and change overtime. He flawlessly displays how a core story can remain the same for thousands and thousands of years in our subconscious but have it take different forms depending on the need of the time period through the spectacular idea of a mythago. The book definition of a mythago is "myth imago, the image of the idealized form of a myth creature". As someone who has studied history and myth for years and years, he absolutely nails the way our real life works in his fictional account. His interpretation of folklore and the nature of myth and how it is forever changing with the land and the people around it is also brilliantly displayed in his version of how time works in the woodland. Once you enter the woodland time switches to a "myth time" I guess you could say. Where a simple few months in our world could be years and years in the wood as the people and creatures there are forced to live out these legendary tales again and again in and endless cycle while their forms and pathways through there stories shift and change the always end up in the same place.
Holdstock writes about the woodlands like nothing I have ever seen. It's both great and terrible, awe inspiring and shocking, beautiful and ugly. As I walked the great primitive woodland with Steven I could practically feel the ancient earth beneath my feet, the suffocation of the undergrowth, I could smell the trees, the dirt, and the rot of the land. I felt both the pounding rains and the freezing snows above the giant canopies of the trees. All thanks to Holdstocks absolutely masterful descriptions and abilities of immersion.
The characters were brilliant and genuinely heartwarming, the lore fantastic and unique, the forest and its powers were spell-binding and addicting and the whole story was hard to put down. I laughed, I cried, I felt incredible joys and deep anger and sorrow and an adrenaline rush I don't think I'll ever get again from a novel. I only wish I could forget it so I could reread it again with a fresh mind! I haven't genuinely enjoyed a world or a fantasy story this much since I read the works of JRR Tolkien as a teenager. In fact, I think Holdstock and Tolkien would get along brilliantly. I can honestly say without a doubt that, in my opinion, this in a genuine masterpiece and probably the greatest novel I have ever read and my favourite. I have never given such high praise to a book but this...this is exactly the novel I've been looking for all of my life. My very own holy grail. I can't wait to try the rest of the series in the future and I will also be deeply diving into Holdstocks other works.
jimmypat's review against another edition
4.0
This is the thirteenth book in a series I am calling "quarantine life." With all of our public libraries closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, I have turned to my bookshelves and the unread books that await me there.
I've actually read this book before - I felt compelled to return to it after really enjoying Holdstock's Merlin Codex series. There's a lot of overlap with the Merlin series and it is obvious that Holdstock is very interested in myth and creating a dreamlike setting in his novels. While not explicit in the text of this novel or in the Merlin Codex, and probably not to be implied by the author, there seems to be a subtext of the ending of myth and the rise of Christianity that I find intriguing in his work. I think the ending of this novel and it's implication of Eden is interesting. Good stuff.
I've actually read this book before - I felt compelled to return to it after really enjoying Holdstock's Merlin Codex series. There's a lot of overlap with the Merlin series and it is obvious that Holdstock is very interested in myth and creating a dreamlike setting in his novels. While not explicit in the text of this novel or in the Merlin Codex, and probably not to be implied by the author, there seems to be a subtext of the ending of myth and the rise of Christianity that I find intriguing in his work. I think the ending of this novel and it's implication of Eden is interesting. Good stuff.