Both are able to see the mythagos within the Shadox area, where the events take place, and both have the magical ability to invoke old and forgotten stories, as well as the characters involved in the tales. The story starts with all of the inexplicable happenings surrounding Tallis’ birth and the unusual connection she shared with her grandfather, Owen Keeton. Lavondyss is divided into two parts – Old Forbidden Place and In the Unknown Region. Eventually, it is revealed that the protagonist in the sequel, Tallis, is the sister of Harry Keeton from the first book. it doesn’t pick up where Mythago Wood left off, I wondered how the two novels were connected. As Lavondyss is not a direct sequel, i.e. I must admit I had to go through my review of Mythago Wood and a few other articles to refresh my memory of the main story because I read it many books ago. Old Forbidden Place – The Road to Self-Acceptance *Keep in mind, there will be spoilers ahead. How did Lavondyss fare compared to Mythago Wood? They are “the image of the idealized form of a myth creature” or, simply said, archetype images of heroes, beasts, damsels, knights, monsters, born out of fear and hatred almost always unconsciously called upon in times of crisis and repeating their fate until the story cycle is complete and the next one begins again.

A dense and enchanting forest, Ryhope Wood is as old as time itself and it’s the “home” of many mythagos, former and present. Both novels tell the tales of seemingly ordinary individuals, who feel the magic and the calling of the nearby Ryhope Wood. If you need a bit of a refresher (as I did), Lavondyss is the indirect sequel to another book we reviewed more than a year ago – Mythago Wood. Hence, I’m typing this just after finishing part one. This usually happens when I read non-fiction, however, Robert Holdstock’s Lavondyss is probably one of the few exceptions. Rarely do I feel the need to write down everything going through my mind whilst reading something.

Lavondyss by robert holdstock