Avilion

Description

At the heart of Ryhope Wood, Steven and the mythago Guiwenneth live in the ruins of a Roman villa close to a haunted fortress from the Iron Age, from which Guiwenneth's myth arose. She is comfortable here, almost tied to the place and Steven has long since abandoned all thought of returning to his own world. They have animals, protection and crops. They also have two children, a combination of human and mythago. Jack is like his father, an active boy keen to know all about the outer world'; Yssobel takes after her mother, even to her long auburn hair. But this idyll cannot last. The hunters who protected Guiwenneth as a child have come to warn her she is in danger. Yssobel is dreaming increasingly of her Uncle Christian, Steven's brother, who disappeared into Lavondyss and Jack wants to see 'the outer world' more than anything. Events are about to overtake them.

Robert Holdstock has a Masters in Medical Zoology and worked as a research scientist before his love of the wild places, his insatiable curiosity and his deep knowledge of myth and legend overwhelmed him and he turned to writing full time. He lives in London.

He is a compelling myth-maker, creating new legends, heroes and villains, new wonders to wake our dormant sense of wonder. THE BROKEN KINGS is simply magical. - The Times. What lifts Holdstock's trilogy far above most other fantasy creations is his skill at recreating myth and investing its stock figures with startling reality, emotion and motivation. THE MERLIN CODEX will add to his already considerable reputation as a master fantasist. - Guardian on THE MERLIN CODEX. One of the finest living crafters of myth. - Publishers Weekly. A new expression of the British genius for true fantasy. - Alan Garner on MYTHAGO WOOD.