he felt himself for a moment as the stump of a rotten old tree, putting up thin green shoots at strange new angles.” And then one day Henry Silver, the lord of the manor, turns up at his door in a rainstorm, dripping wet, charming, handsome, curious, and, oh yes, a folklorist. What could possibly go wrong? Woods with a curse, immortality under the bases of managing the woods, love in the most unexpected places, love of mythology & folklore Two years after the events of the first story, Silver has become the new Wild Man of the Woods, and Tobias has ended their romantic relationship. Tobias now works for Mrs. Silver. One day, Henry receives a letter from his mother; she is investigating the disappearance of Maud Lindherst, who has been kidnapped by a vampire. Silver agrees to help. Figure you must be the new owner up at Greenhallow Hall, said Tobias. Which makes you my landlord. Not being kind, just buttering you up.

Silver in the Wood - Macmillan Silver in the Wood - Macmillan

First off, as someone who knew nothing about the Green Man and is completely unfamiliar with any Green Man lore which I’m told this book is a retelling of, Tobias pretty much reads as Lorax. When you tell me that he speaks for the trees, my orange friend is the blueprint. Silver got changed and then sat down by the fire again. Pearl graciously crawled into his lap and butted his hand with her head to indicate he might have the honour of petting her. Tobias sat down by the window and returned to sharpening his knives. He let himself glance over once in a while, but Silver didn’t seem inclined to chatter and Tobias had never been the talkative type. He often intimidated people, being a big and grim-looking sort of fellow; he’d accepted it years ago and had long since stopped trying to be the kind of man who smiled enough to make up for it. Silver’s hair dried into fluffy curls, and although not a particularly small man, he looked like he might disappear inside Tobias’s shirt and trousers. But Greenhollow Hall and the surrounding lands have a new owner: Henry Silver. Henry is curious and starts to spend more and more time with Tobias, searching for answers to local myths. Questions that would best be left unanswered lest they reveal the dark heart at the centre of the Wood. Deep within Greenhollow lives Tobias. Thought by many to be a myth, a legend, he listens to the woods. A Wild Man, he lives an unremarkable existence. Dwelling with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads, evading his past life. The relationship between Tobias and Silver lovely to watch unfold. It's a subtle thing and creeps up due to it being a short story but it was done well. We also get some quality moments like Tobias having a '???...!!!' moment when he realises Silver is in his bed and wearing his clothes.

The flow. If you enjoy fairy tales or folk stories, this will pull you in with its loving mimicry of that style. Find a quiet place in a nearby wood, listen to the trees whisper, and thank the old gods and new for this beautiful little book, of which I intend to get lost in again and again."— Book Riot A wildly evocative and enchanting story of old forests, forgotten gods, and new love. Just magnificent.”—Jenn Lyons, author of The Ruin of Kings

Greenhollow Duology - Wikipedia Greenhollow Duology - Wikipedia

Mr Finch," said Mrs Silver, the one time he said anything about it. "you are not, in point of fact, a tree.” The atmosphere is set well in a slow fairytale-like narration that gives a feel of a few hundred years spent in green forest time, a part of the slow and barely changing world of trees and brambles and eternal green fairytale existing outside of the changing world around, with ever-present melancholy loneliness all around Tobias. And that is where the strength of the story lies. But, at the plot’s climax, there is a point where Tobias realizes that he loves Henry. I felt like his feelings came out of nowhere. It didn’t feel like it had really built to that point. I’ve read plenty of queer books where the romance is nearly undetectable, and they hit harder than Silver in the Wood. I can’t really pinpoint exactly why I felt like this. But, I felt like we missed out on any real build up of feelings between the two characters. It just sort of happened. Tobias Finch lives hidden away in Greenhollow Wood. He has his quiet existence with his cat and his dryads in his secret cottage. He’s not a people person and he keeps to himself – which is simple considering he can refocus the woods around him to keep people away. It doesn’t look very comfortable,” said Silver. “The bed’s big enough to share, surely.” He gave Tobias a smile.

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