greendrum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
2.5
Some interesting ideas hampered by one-dimensional, misogynistic writing
vezreads's review against another edition
Misogynistic writing put me off. Born sexy yesterday trope done in a really gross way
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
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.