Duncton Rising

I love the Duncton books. And this has everything you'd expect in a Duncton book, a heroically risen stone, moles fleeing into the ancient system, abusive power imbalances, rediscovering lost loves... but it is definitely more of a slog to read for me than some of the others.

These Duncton books reach a new low. Since Horwood clearly didn't take the trouble to write anything worth reading, I shall not take the trouble to complete a full review. I will merely point out the following: these books are not, under any circumstances, for children. I worry that the tagline comparing them with Watership Down will cause younger readers to pick them up.

Here are the reasons they shouldn't:

Overt torture scenes.

Explicit mole sex scenes.

At least two instances of rape, one involving a father towards his son.

Disgustingly brutal fight scenes.

A couple of really obscene death scenes.

Avoid. Please.

The Second Volume of "The Book of Silence" (Duncton Tales being the first one) is even more interesting and moving than the beginning. Many questions about Privet and Whillan are answered. We suffer with Privet's friends - Pumpkin, Chater, the Master of the Delve Rooster and many others - and learn that there is always hope, always a stream of light in the darkness. The risen stone marks almost the end of the book, at which we begin to understand what and where the lost book of silence really is...