Silver in the Wood & Drowned Country

The Greenhollow Duology

By: Emily Tesh

Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies

Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Silver in the Wood

There is a wild man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.

When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intensely curious new owner in Henry Silver, everything changes. Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias is forced to reckon with his troubled past - both the green magic of the woods and the dark things that rest in its heart.

Drowned Country

Even the wild man of Greenhollow can't ignore a summons from his mother when that mother is the indomitable Adela Silver, practical folklorist. Henry Silver does not relish what he'll find in the grimy seaside town of Rothport, where once the ancient wood extended before it was drowned beneath the sea - a missing girl, a monster on the loose, or, worst of all, Tobias Finch, who loves him.

©2020 Emily Tesh (P)2020 Tantor

Such a gentle and beautiful story

At first, I thought the story would be ended with a sad note, but then the author turned it around with such gentleness and thoughtfulness, I simply adored it.

Cozy and Mysterious

If you're a fan of the anime Mushi-Shi you will instantly love this story. Featuring charming characters that you root for, there is an interesting balance of the foreboding power of the mystical world overlayed with everyday life that is a fresh breath of air amidst so many stories that are focused on overly grand themes.

While my only complaint was that the stories were so short, I must admit that the author was very good about not taking any more time than she needed to and perhaps adding more would have been superfluous.

Simply Beautiful

Beautiful, elegant, delightful, and so very easy to listen to. To be enraptured in the the forest in her words is a delight. This work makes me happy to put it quite simply

what a lovely storie

A joyful read I love the characters maybe I will give another one of the author books a read.

Only wish it was hours longer

Sweet. Well written. Great characters. Wonderful world building. Thoroughly enjoyed this fairy tale.
Please write more!!

Magical, charming green man story

Green man/fairy story done right with complex plot and tantalizing world building along with a smut-free love story

Two for One!

I happened upon Silver in the Wood a while ago and was excited an audio version was scheduled for release. At the time I read the story I sincerely hoped Emily Tesh wanted to continue writing about this universe and Yes! Drowned Country is included here too! Awesome. A second supernatural adventure to enjoy.

Silver in the Wood is more of a straight up faerie tale. Emily Tesh's elegant turn of phrase and graceful, lyrical writing captures that otherworldly ethereal beauty of the Hallowed Wood, giving us all a glimpse into things we usually can not see. Like all good faerie tales, some of the beings are benign, some are benevolent, and some are a menace to humanity. There's mystery and intrigue as Silver in the Wood unfolds and I was left satisfied and gratified at its close.

Drowned Country picks up where Silver in the Wood left off and the story is communicated in jumps and starts. Its pace is mercurial, accurately illustrating a different character's personality and also the change in POV that's telling this story. There's a lot of introspection and also a lot of shallowness. The story is filtered through the MC's emotions and feelings regarding relationships. Jealousy. Pettiness. Selfishness. Etc. On the one hand it's a bit frustrating, on the other, it's a brilliant example of how a different mind faces problems, compared to one seasoned by four hundred years. As the adventure into the drowned country progresses, a faerie menace is revealed and all the pieces of the story come together in another gratifying and satisfying close.

I love an interesting faerie story and there's two to enjoy here. And to top it all off Matthew Lloyd Davies narration makes them even better. His characterizations are vivid, three dimensional and his wide range makes for an excellent listen.

Definitely worth the credit.

Great Story

I enjoyed this story! never really knew where it was going and I quite liked that. and the lure was very cool!!
It felt like a bit of a rushed ending, still a worthwhile read.

Charming "Feel-Good" Fairytales for Adults

A charming duology of fairytale-esque Dryads, Fae, and Vampires, mixed with a bit of romance.

THE GOOD

Ambiance: This book felt - for lack of a better term - quiet. The character of Tobias is a quiet, deep thinking man, well suited to the moody & mysterious enchanted woods he is the caretaker of. In contrast, the bright and charming Silver livens the book up to keep it from being a little too moody.

Just the right length: This duology doesn't waste any words, and is the better for it. A short read (or in my case, listen, as I read the audiobooks) that does what it intended to do without lingering longer than needed.

Narrator: Matthew Lloyd Davies brought a wonderful, quiet feel to these books that does a great job of filling out the ambiance.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD

Feel Good Reading: While I did enjoy both stories, the first story of the duology was the stronger of the two by a bit. I did enjoy the ending of the second book though, and feel this would qualify as "feel good" reading.

THE VERDICT

A short, sweet set of stories that will leave you feeling uplifted.

Excellent

I got this because A. it was recommended by friends, and more importantly, B. it is narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies, a gifted vocal gymnast with a velvety, expressive baritone.

LGBTQI fiction has come a long way since I read Beebo Brinker et alia in the 1980s. This passes the A. C. Campbell test with flying rainbow colors: take the same-sex orientation as read, and create a story that's inherently good.

This is a great pair of stories: mythopoeically dense, well-structured, lovely twists, wonderful characters, gloriously effortless writing, over a moving and internally solid reality. Only complaint is, they're too short and too few, because I really want to see more of these people. And hear more from Mr. Davies.