sing it!

Robert Holdstock just published a new novel!!! The title is Avilion, another book in the Mythago Wood series. It's being promoted as the closest thing to a direct sequel to Mythago Wood, even though anyone who's read the books knows that "sequel" may not be the appropriate word in a world where there are dozens of endings to every story and reality. I squee'd (no, I really did) when I found out that the story focuses on Steven and Guiwenneth living in the Wood. Holdstock's novels in this series focus heavily on folktales, both ones we're familiar with and ones he's made up, historical references (not just in England, where the primary action of the books takes place), and multiple verions of the same characters. As a person who's long been fascinated by anthropology and always interested in folklore, these books have just about everything I ever wanted. I can't initially explain it any better than that, or do it justice. The books can be confusing at times but are more than worth the effort. I re-read my copy of Mythago Wood time and time again.

Frustratingly (for me), Avilion has so far only been released in the UK. As soon as it makes an appearance in the States, I'll be racing to the nearest bookstore.

More people need to know about these books.