Mythago Wood
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Author | Robert Holdstock |
|---|---|
| Cover Artist | Larry Rostant |
| Publisher | Orb Books |
| Released | September 2003 |
| Media Type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7653-0729-4 |
Mythago Wood was originally published in the UK in 1984 and was written by the award winning author Robert Holdstock. The story revolves around the Huxley family, particularly Stephen Huxley, and their experiences with the enigmatic Ryhope Wood. The woodland is ancient and, for reasons unknown, has the ability to tap into ancient memories and myths within the subconscious of nearby human minds - the forces within the wood create living creatures (including humans) from these ancient memories - these are called Mythagos (to quote from the book regarding the meaning of the word Mythago: "myth imago, the image of the idealized form of a myth creature"). To all intents and purposes these creations are real, but if any of them stray too far from the wood they slowly deteriorate and die. Because they are formed from human myths they will vary in appearance and character depending on the subconscious human memories from which they formed - for example there may be, over a period, many different forms of King Arthur, Robin Hood, etc - all with the same basic functions but all looking and acting differently, yet all acting within the 'rules' set by their defining myths. Because the area around Ryhope Wood is fairly sparsely populated there are few Mythagos in the woodland, but because of his interest in the wood and his experiments, the character George Huxley (father of Stephen) has succeeded in creating more Mythagos than would normally be present in the wood at any one time, so leading to a greater than usual diversity within the wood.
The wood has its own 'defences' to prevent humans from venturing in too deep (and so perhaps despoiling it) - these include disorientation and physical defences such as thick, impenetrable scrub, huge lakes and raging rivers. There are also airborne 'defences' to prevent aircraft from getting too close, such as vortices of air which would throw an aircraft off course (no doubt if a Mythago Wood story was written set in the present day there would be something to prevent satellites from viewing it in detail, perhaps a blurring or distortion of the image of the wood?). It's not impossible for a human to enter the wood but for anyone to succeed they need to have an understanding of how it works and/or a special connection to it. The wood also has its own unique time and time zones - a day may pass in 'normal' time, yet a traveller within the wood may have been there for weeks, or longer in comparison.
Another important factor regarding Ryhope Wood is that it is far, far bigger on the inside than on the outside (a bit like the TARDIS in Doctor Who but on a much vaster and more variable scale). Besides creating Mythagos of living, breathing creatures, the wood can also generate ancient places, from castles to battlefields to small ancient villages. These ancient places are referred to as Geistzones in the sequel to Mythago Wood, titled Lavondyss.
Mythago Wood is set soon after the end of World War 2 - Stephen Huxley returns from service (after recuperating from his war wounds) to see his elder brother Christian who now lives alone in their house Oak Lodge (very close to Ryhope Wood). Their father George has recently died, their mother Jennifer having died some years earlier. Christian is a little 'disturbed' due to his encounters with one of the Mythagos while Stephen is understandably confused and disbelieving after Christian explains the enigma of the wood (while growing up their father always explained away any Mythagos as being Gypsies). Christian soon goes back into the wood while Stephen reads up on his father's studies into the wood. He soon has his own encounters with the woodland Mythagos (and an older Christian ..... ) and ends up venturing into the wood with a local ex-RAF pilot called Harry Keeton who was shot down over France during the war where he was to encounter a similar wood (or perhaps another aspect of Ryhope Wood).
The book Mythago Wood has won a number of awards, including the 1985 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel along with the BSFA Award in 1984. It's a well told, highly imaginative and powerful story with some fascinating ideas and characters. Readers who enjoy it will almost certainly enjoy the second book in the series, titled Lavondyss.
