The Hollowing

After the disappearance of his son into the mysterious depths of Ryhope Wood, a father braves the powerful forces of the strange, magical forest on a quest that takes him from ancient North America to medieval Europe to the age of Greek myth on a search for his son.

Playing with archetype, myth and the nature of reality, Holdstock returns to the landscape of his World Fantasy Award-winning Mythago Wood , a primeval woodland in modern England that has defended itself through the eons with mythagos, embodiments of the human need for heroes and heroic acts. Devastated by the death of his young son, Alexander, Richard Bradley meets Alexander Lytton and Helen Silverlock, who indicate that the boy is still alive in a mysterious way in nearby Ryhope Wood. As the distraught father follows researcher Arnauld Lacan into the wood, he is gradually introduced to its properties and inhabitants, which range through the deeply embedded myths of all times. Meanwhile, Lytton wants Bradley to find Alexander because the fearful boy's vivid fantasies are changing the very nature of the wood that Lytton and his crew have been studying for years. Bradley's search proves unsuccessful, however, and it's only after the father gains the aid of Sarin, the Tall Grass Lady from the time of the Tower of Babel, that his quest reaches its climax. Holdstock weaves a dense and, at times, impenetrable tale, but a careful reading brings to light a variety of treasures, including a telling portrayal of Jason and the Argonauts in old age.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The dark mysteries of Ryhope Wood draw Richard Bradley into its depths in search of his son Alex, whose fearful imaginings threaten to erode the old forest's delicate magical balance. Like Mythago Wood (Avon, 1991) and The Bone Forest (Avon, 1992), Holdstock's latest novel unravels the mythic landscape of the unconscious mind, revealing a world where dreams and legends become uncomfortably real. Powerful storytelling and strong characters make this a good choice for fantasy collections.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This is Holdstock's third novel-length exploration of the mysterious Ryhope Woods, in which the oldest human memories are incarnated as mythagos. The visit of a mythago to the bedside of a dying man launches the story. A father and son are also visiting the deathbed, and the son is drawn into a quest into the wood. As in his earlier mythago work, most of the time it is a little hard to discern a conventional plot in Holdstock's tale and more than a little hard to follow it when you can discern it. We'll endure tales far more nonlinear than this, however, for the sake of Holdstock's mythic lore and exquisite characterization and prose. This is fantasy concerned with the mythical idea, and the more of it done at this high level, the better. Roland Green