Avilion
| Avilion | |
|---|---|
 First edition cover |
|
| Author | Robert Holdstock |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Mythago Wood |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz Ltd |
| Publication date | July 16, 2009 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 384 pp |
| ISBN | 978-0575082991 |
| OCLC Number | 316002569 |
Avilion is a fantasy novel by British author Robert Holdstock. It was published in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2009. It is his first Ryhope wood novel since Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn was published in 1997. Avilion is Tennyson's term for Avalon in Le Morte d'Arthur. Avilion is described by Tennyson as an island valley with ideal weather and fertile land.
Reading the novel Mythago Wood will illuminate Avilion for first time readers. Reading the Wikipedia article on Mythago Wood will help in understanding issues and terminology in this article.
Contents |
Plot introduction
Avilion takes place after the events in Mythago Wood. Steven Huxley and the mythago Guiwenneth have been living in Ryhope wood where they are raising ther two children, each half-human, half-mythago. The older boy, Jack, wishes to know about the outside world while the younger girl, Yssobel, dreams about her uncle Christian, who vanished into Lavondyss at the end of Mythago Wood. Despite being comfortably settled and living an idyllic agrarian lifestyle, events at hand will change the family's future.
Critical commentary
Early reviews have been very complimentary, with The Times Online saying "This is a wonderful, grown-up fantasy about growing up and moving on, and going home."[1] and The Guardian commenting "Mythago Wood was a seminal expression of British fantasy, and Avilion, though lacking its predecessor's narrative drive and intensity, is an enthralling reworking of myth and a haunting vision of love and loss unmatched in contemporary fantasy."[2]
Books in the Mythago Cycle
- Mythago Wood (1984)
- Lavondyss (1988)
- The Bone Forest (1991), a novella and collection of short stories
- The Hollowing (1993)
- Merlin's Wood (1994), a novel and two short stories (only published in the UK)
- Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn (1997)
- Avilion (2009)
Note: the order in which the works were written/published does not necessarily correspond to the order of events within the realm of the Mythago Wood cycle. For example, Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn and the novella The Bone Forest are prequels to Mythago Wood even though they were published at a later date. The novel Merlin's Wood and short stories in The Bone Forest and Merlin's Wood have little bearing on the events in the Ryhope wood. See the table below for a chronology of events within Ryhope wood.
| Preceded by: | Chronology of Events in Ryhope Wood: |
Followed by: |
|---|---|---|
| Mythago Wood | Avilion | Lavondyss |
Footnotes
References
- Holdstock, Robert (1984). Mythago Wood (1st ed.). London: Victor Gollancz. ISBN 0575034963.
- Holdstock, Robert (1988). Lavondyss (1st ed.). London: Victor Gollancz. ISBN 0575043741.
- Holdstock, Robert (1991). The Bone Forest (1st ed.). London: Grafton. ISBN 9780246138330.
- Holdstock, Robert (1993). The Hollowing (1st ed.). London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0246138343.
- Holdstock, Robert (1994). Merlin's Wood (1st ed.). London: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780002246031.
- Holdstock, Robert (1997). Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn (1st ed.). New York: Roc Books. ISBN 9780451455703.
- Holdstock, Robert (2009). Avilion (1st ed.). London: Victor Gollancz. ISBN 9780575082991.
External links
stock | retire | vm
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