Silver in the Wood

Set in a 19th(?)-century England, Silver in the Wood is a lovely, gentle novella which is part a queer romantic take on the Green Man of folklore, part a love letter to ancient woodlands. Emily Tesh's prose is understated and lovely, and I appreciated the deft way in which she showed us Tobias' gradual re-engagement with other people and with his humanity. Will definitely look out for the sequel.

I really liked so much about this story. I loved the vibe and the characters and the central relationship. The writing was just a bit confusing at times. There were several times I found myself thinking "what...?" I get what happened and mostly it was all good though.

I did find myself feeling sort of irrationally annoyed by the ending. I just feel like maybe perhaps I struggle with change and there are just some things that I don't really want to change. It was all sort of happy in the end I guess and I did tear up a little bit at some moments, but it just bothers me that Tobias isn't the man of the wood anymore!!!!!!! I know it's silly, but I just don't like the idea of being connected to the woods for 400+ years and then just going show more back to being a regular guy while your boyfriend is connected to the woods instead! It all makes sense and I GET it, but I just... eh. I want the magic of being connected to the woods to remain. I was kind of thinking it would be more tragic actually. I mean it's fine that they swapped thematically I guess... I mean I guess I kind of thought one or both of them would just die and become a part of the wood, but like in a literal part of the dirt kind of way. It's not that I wanted them to die, but... I'm just not sold on Tobias being all good being human after being a magic wood-connected being for 400 years and then finding out the guy he loved who he thought was dead now got his job! That is weird! I feel conflicted about it!!!!! I guess on the bright side, this sort of fixes any possible weird age gap things. They will be able to relate to each other and understand each other much better now that they've had the same experience. That is sort of nice.

Anyways... so feeling conflicted, I went and read the ending of the second book and I feel much more satisfied by that although I'm still unsure about how I really feel about all of it. I guess I have to read the sequel, but I also feel unsure about how what happens in a sequel should affect ratings/thoughts of the previous book.. Also, although I feel good about how the sequel seems to end, I am not sure about the premise and conflict of the sequel. I'm nervous that the plot might annoy me, even though I feel pretty confident I'll be happy about the conclusion. It all just doesn't entirely work for me somehow. It's hard to explain why. I guess it's just the case that even though I thought this was all pretty good, but not quite as perfect as it could be. I do love Tobias a lot and Henry as well. I thought the whole toxic faerie-like ex stuff and the weird woodsy magic. I liked the nymphs and the cat although I can't believe Tobias just LEFT his cat in the woods??? I would never. I also liked Henry's mom. She was fun, albeit a bit annoying (by design).

I just feel like this could have been GREAT, so I'm a bit bummed I didn't totally love it, but I did like so much about it. I am looking forward to Drowned Country. We shall see how that goes and if my thoughts change singificantly after... show less

I didn't give this a star rating when I first finished reading it, because I wanted to leave it sit with me for a bit. I was kind of conflicted about what to give. Ultimately I decided to went with a three, because that was my experience with it, but I can certainly appreciate the higher star ratings and enthusiastically positive reviews.

I'm not sure I went into it with the right expectations. I had found this story on a list of books inspired by the Green Man folklore, because it's something I'm quite interested in and is a far less common topic than the usual fantasy elements of witches, elves, etc.

Chapter I of the book was perfection for me. It was atmospheric, sombre, and mysterious, and I was all in. In fact, I'd accidentally show more switched my Kindle progress indicator to the chapter instead of the whole book, and when I finished the chapter, I thought it was the end. I was so totally satisfied and in love with it, I was ready to hug it and scramble to download the next book in the duology before I realized that there was more to it.

So, I read the rest of it, and I was a little bit disappointed to be honest. The tone of the book changed on a dime and became something else that I was not expected and was not seeking out.

The second half introduces another character, Mrs Silver, who is plucky and almost comedic in her dourness, and feels rather trope-y. I feel like I would probably have loved her in a different book, but she seemed largely at odds with the more introspective, meditative, isolated atmosphere of the first half.

The tone of the exquisite first half is also undermined as the second half sets out to answer questions and provide backstory that I didn't need or want to be answered. The added backstory exposition and the resolution felt unnecessary and more like an episode of a monster-of-the-week series like Buffy or Supernatural. Again, in another book, I would probably have found these aspects to be charming and fun, but after the restrained and atmospheric first half, it felt to me like a bait 'n' switch.

I would absolutely read more of Emily Tesh's writing, because the highs where so high. The lows weren't low necessarily, but just not what I was looking for.

I was looking for literary fiction that was darker, ancient, and reflective, and I did get a taste of that before it switched to gears towards a paranormal fantasy romance. Ultimately, it wasn't what I was personally looking for, and I don't think that's a fault of the book. I think if you go into this expecting more of a lighthearted fantasy that is more charming than brooding, you might find Silver in the Wood to be something quite special. show less

Queer as Folklore

This is one for the randomly picking something in the Audible Included library and it turning out to be utterly phenemonal.

I'm flabbergasted with just how glorious this Novella's in tone and vibe are. It's like going on a beautiful spring walk in the British countryside, actually connecting with the trees and local folklore without having to deal with the posh Conservative or insular locals (I'm a Britbonger myself, so I think this is OK to say), experiencing all seasons and emotions in a day (which feels rather British).

Imagine if A24's Men was actually about positive masculinity and wonderfully adorable gay vibes, as well as the dangerous creature of myth.

I just feel so gloriously sated, especially with reading A show more Psalm for the Wild-Built in the last 36 hours. So much so that, while I am absolutely gagging to read the next book in this duology, I am so enamoured with coming across these books that I'm going to save it as a treat for the next time I need a pick me up or have a bad experience with a book.

Bloody marvellous! show less

Absolutely wonderful supernatural fantasy. Adored the viewpoint character, Tobias, and the way that the story ebbs and flows around them. Somewhat bemused by Henry Silver, but so much is explained when Mrs Silver (no first name that I remember; mother to Henry) appears.

Added bonus - queer protagonists, multiple queer relationships

This is rather gorgeous. It's a short novella but the characters and world-building just mesh wonderfully into a lovely intricate story of history, revenge, romance and redemption.

Tobias is the local Wild Man of the Woods, living a simple life in a cottage among the trees, with dryads and a cat to keep him company. In general the villagers avoid him, but keep the traditions alive, donating to the old gods when they remember. However the Manner has a new Lord, and when he passes by in a storm Tobias offers him shelter. The generosity is returned when Tobias is accidentally shot. Henry is interested in folklore and slowly uncovers some of the strangeness surrounding Tobias, and curiosity can't keep him away even when Tobias strictly warns show more him that some nights are not safe in the Woods.

It's marvellously done, the pacing is perfect, slowly revealing more and more details, explaining oddities mentioned earlier. The characters work well together and the motivations are clear. I seldom enjoy novellas, being either too short or too long, but this was just right. An author to watch out for. show less

I'm choosing to believe this is a historical fiction account of how Alan Moore fell in love with Grant Morrison and broke up with the ghost of a 16th century forest bandit.

A very cute little love story wrapped in a forest-centric fantasy tale. I loved how Tesh was able to build an entire mythos without leaving an area that was probably a couple square miles. What struck me most, though, was Tesh's use of time to signify the main character's emotional state, how entire months and years could be glossed over in the span of a sentence or so. And there's a cat.