Silver in the Wood: 1 (The Greenhollow Duology)

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The people I spoke to in Hallerton village. They say there’s a wild man out here—a priest of the old gods, or a desperate criminal, or just an ordinary lunatic. He eats nothing but meat, raw, and it has made him grow to a giant’s stature; or so I was given to understand at the Fox and Feathers. They informed me I would know him by his height and his hair. 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

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh - Publishers Weekly Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh - Publishers Weekly

Reread 2023. Overflowing with earthy woods and the scent of rotten leaves, the writing is just as beautifully descriptive the second time round. Tobias Finch is a lot older than he looks. Nestled in his little cottage in the deep woods, he is content to keep to himself, patrol the forest, and generally do what he’s been doing…for a very long time.

Part of me wishes it had been longer but I'm not going to hold that against it since it's a short story. So I am hoping this is not the last we'll see of Tobias, Silver and Greenhollow. And Pearl and Silver's mother of course, who are some of the best supporting characters. Get you a cat like Pearl. I would read a thousand more stories in this world. I don’t know where Tesh has been all these years, but she’s a gem of a writer. The world of Greenhollow Hall and the lives of its inhabitants are gorgeously rendered. She is a captivating writer, one who can describe a scene in detail without burying the reader in minutiae or losing sight of how the characters influence and are influenced by the scene. Henry’s presence as the Vernal Equinox approaches begins to stir up the past in an entirely new way, and Tobias comes to realize that things are going to change whether he wants them to or not. For the first time in his life, something matters to him more than the forest itself. The young man stared at him a little longer, and then carefully opened Tobias’s garden gate, closed it again behind him, and walked down the path to the cottage. Tobias stood aside to let him in. Need some help with that coat? he asked.

Silver in the Wood - LGBT Book Review - Book of the Gay Silver in the Wood - LGBT Book Review - Book of the Gay

The bond Tobias has with his wood is both beautiful and tragic in the way it’s described. This forest feels real, like it could be set anywhere really, seamlessly blending the real with the fantastical. It’s basically a character unto itself in the way responds to Tobias and interacts with him, and he feels a part of it. I love the way that, at first, this feels sweet, like a woodsman who loves his home, but morphs into something darker and less benign. Silver in the Wood was enchanting and atmospheric and not a bad way for a new writer to show off her writing chops as she tells the story of a 400-year-old Wild Man in the Greenhollow Forest, guarding both the forest and the people around it; existing somewhere in the space between human and not quite human anymore, protected by a bramble dryad, easily falling into the slow green forest time - and keeping guard against the old fae evil. A wildly evocative and enchanting story of old forests, forgotten gods, and new love. Just magnificent.”—Jenn Lyons, author of The Ruin of Kings

Silver in the Wood reads like a forest fairytale. It could be seen like a loose m/m retelling of the Green Man myths, so it's fitting that this is a story about rebirth and reawakening, not only of nature after spring but of people after toxic relationships. This was such a gorgeous little volume. I fell in love with Tesh's descriptions of Greenhollow, and Tobias. It's lush and vibrant. It's a spell that is woven around you slowly, bring you into the deep dark green. Silver in the Wood —with its cottagecore, cat-loving man bound to a forest of magical trees— was amazing! The atmosphere in particular felt entirely tangible and lovely; I could almost believe I was experiencing the story whilst traversing the woods with Tobias and Silver. there’s something so powerful in being able to put concepts like immortality and ineffability and destiny (...........and depression, lol, honestly immortality is horrifying) in painfully, brutally human terms and to examine the effects they might have on Actual People... and nobody has Done It For Me like this in years and years. He knew it the same way the woodsman knew it, because he knew trees: but he also knew it with the knowledge of the Wild Man of Greenhallow, who felt every slow green beat of the forest's heart."

Silver in the Wood (The Greenhollow Duology Book 1) Kindle

Tobias has been the Wild Man of Greenhollow Wood for four hundred years now, protecting the Wood from the local people, and the local people from the things that dwell in the Wood. These include smaller spirits like dryads, both friendly and otherwise, and more dangerous creatures like the Summer King. Tobias is very much part of the Wood himself, and though he certainly started life as a human he is not, quite, human and mortal at this point. To local villagers, he is a creature out of myth himself, and someone to fear. I utterly adored Emily Tesh’s Silver in the Wood. That’s it. That’s the whole review. What? You need more? Alright, then…Fans of C.L. Polk’s excellent Witchmark will love Silver in the Wood. This is definitely a summer must-read. I honestly had absolutely no idea what to expect from this going in, because no one could really tell me except that I had to read it. I’m here to tell you all today … read it. It’s fabulous, even though I sometimes struggle to say exactly why. It’s just … everything. A wildly evocative and enchanting story of old forests, forgotten gods, and new love. Just magnificent."—Jenn Lyons The world was far bigger than Tobias remembered from four centuries ago. It was bigger than he had ever known, and he was living in it. He had thought himself a thing uprooted, like the great oak, ready to begin his death.”