Booklog 35/2018 - Juliet McKenna: The Green Man's Heir

[jacey]

One of my favourite books so far this year

A modern fantasy, rural rather than urban. Dan works with wood, moving from place to place so he doesn't get too close to anyone. A century ago, a person with a secret could simply move to the other end of the country and take up a new identity, but nowadays with CCTV and social media, it's not so easy. Dan has a big secret. His mother is a Dryad and that makes Dan… different. When a young woman is murdered and left in Derbyshire woodland, Dan realises that the culprit is from his world. She's not the first. The police are never going to find the serial killer, so it's up to Dan. Dan is a great character, always trying to avoid that attention of the local police, but rarely managing it. He's a big lad with powerful fists and usually at the top of the list when the Law comes around asking questions. I do hope Juliet McKenna makes this the first in a series. I'd love to read more. There's a wealth of British folklore in here, and a damn good story.

Comments

[cmcmck]

Sounds a bit in the line of Holdstock's 'Mythago Wood' which I'd recommend if you haven't come across it.

[jacey]

I have read Mythago Wood (almost 20 years ago). From what I recall there's only a superficial resemblance. After such a long gap it's difficult to know whether I'm comparing apples with apples, but I much prefer Green Man's Heir to what I remember of Mythago Wood, which sadly I didn't enjoy as much as I wanted to. I think the problem was that Mythago Wood had been much hyped by friends and it didn't live up to my expectations. To be fair, reading anything that's been praised to high heaven is always likely to be a bit of a let down. One of these days I'll re-read it, though... so many books, so little time.

[cmcmck]

I know the feeling and even though sort of retired, I still have to get through a shedload of historical research offerings!