jimmypat's review against another edition
3.0
This was a better book than its predecessor, Lavondyss, but it has some of the same failings: excellent first half with the second half fragmenting into near nonsense or random events that occur for no apparent reason. A grudging three stars for the first half.
jorgcc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.0
dancarey_404's review against another edition
3.0
I read [b:Mythago Wood|126192|Mythago Wood (Mythago Wood, #1)|Robert Holdstock|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1308639607l/126192._SY75_.jpg|121534] back when it was first published, and I loved it. I have read it several times and have always wished it could be turned into a move. The Hollowing is a much better tale than the middle book, [b:Lavondyss|280716|Lavondyss (Mythago Wood, #2)|Robert Holdstock|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389643000l/280716._SY75_.jpg|1839828], which I considered to be a vast disappointment.
But when all is said and done, I love the idea of Holdstock's myth-haunted Ryhope Wood more than I love his stories. The Hollowing is a bit of a hot mess, alternating jerkily between well-crafted scenes and jumbled Jung-influenced images flung at you with what almost feels like hostility. Perhaps a strong-handed editor or agent could have guided Holdstock to a stronger narrative. But we will never know.
elundh's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.5
I don’t even know how to rate these books! I think I rated the first book of the series the highest because the concept of Mythago Wood so tickling and new. Lavondyss was too disjointed and convoluted for me to enjoy very much, and I saw some of that towards the end of this book as well (they all seem to end in some kind of what-the-fuckery). Even though my ratings of these books haven’t been consistently high, I find myself drawn back to the strange, scary, haunting world of Mythago Wood; much like the series poor protagonists.
ianbanks's review against another edition
3.0
It doesn't reach the heights of the first two volumes and tells a story that, while it compares to the first two volumes, doesn't have the same power or eloquence. Part of that is that the reader, if they have read the first books, is too familiar with the idea of mythagos to be truly surprised by anything. Another reason is that the characters are now so familiar with them that they have lost their mystery and become - in the eyes of the characters - something scientific and measurable. To be frank, I reacted more to the domestic story of Richard and his ruined life than I did to anything else that happened in the book: Mr Holdstock did a very true and honest portrayal of ordinary life that mixed very well with the numinous but that doesn't quite meet the mark here.
annetteb's review against another edition
3.0
Some of this book felt like padding and could have been trimmed for it did not add to the overall story. The overall story was however really good.
thecommonswings's review against another edition
4.0
In many ways this is the most linear of the Mythago books so far, mostly because it’s mostly the product of Alex’s mind. As such it feels like the young adult novel version of the usual Mythago Cycle novels, with a vaguely happyish ending for once (albeit one with plenty of ambiguities) and with distinctly strange riffs on children’s stories of a certain era. It’s in many ways very satisfying because of this, but it also feels a little like a step down after Lavondyss. However having said that I suspect the books needed a considerably more straightforward novel at some point and there’s enough startling images - a Mythago “being born” is particularly worrying - to make it still wildly successful.
mrnickheath's review against another edition
5.0
I loved Mythago Wood from when I bought it in about 1989 - on a whim I think, or some sort of space rock heavy metal fan connection with Michael Moorcock.. (the Oswald Bastable trilogy).
Anyway I bought book 2 (Lavondyss) a year later and never read it. I had got trapped in a groundhog day type Harry Potter re-read loop, and went back to Mythago Wood to break it. Job done.
Frankly the first two books are extraordinary. But I do not get the vitriol that book 3 (The Bone Forest) gets. There’s lots of pointers and back story.
This the true successor to Lavondyss, and it’s quite brilliant. I only get to read a couple of times a week or in short snippets on my lunch break, but I have enjoyed it. Great, fully rounded central characters, you don’t find yourself craving for the originals, book 2 is intrinsically but also only slightly part of this book. There’s laughter humour pathos sadness loss and utter confusion involved.
Read it.
Anyway I bought book 2 (Lavondyss) a year later and never read it. I had got trapped in a groundhog day type Harry Potter re-read loop, and went back to Mythago Wood to break it. Job done.
Frankly the first two books are extraordinary. But I do not get the vitriol that book 3 (The Bone Forest) gets. There’s lots of pointers and back story.
This the true successor to Lavondyss, and it’s quite brilliant. I only get to read a couple of times a week or in short snippets on my lunch break, but I have enjoyed it. Great, fully rounded central characters, you don’t find yourself craving for the originals, book 2 is intrinsically but also only slightly part of this book. There’s laughter humour pathos sadness loss and utter confusion involved.
Read it.
terminatee's review
5.0
Holdstock has an absolutely amazing (and creepy) imagination. He deserves more fame than I'm guessing he has.
annetteb's review
3.0
Some of this book felt like padding and could have been trimmed for it did not add to the overall story. The overall story was however really good.
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