A review by ianbanks
The Hollowing by Robert Holdstock

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.