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A review by thebakersbooks
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
5.0
5/5 stars — a lyrical folk tale with high reread value
In an interview with The Fantasy Inn, Emily Tesh described her debut novella Silver in the Wood as "what if a very depressed queer version of Tom Bombadil living in a beautiful creepy magical wood was also a monster hunter and then he fell in love." Which is to say that I was always likely to adore this story—and Tesh's deft storytelling only added to my enjoyment of the lush, green setting and its inhabitants.
In tone and atmosphere, Silver in the Wood did remind me of Tolkien, but also of Naomi Novik's and Robin McKinley's writing. The story is built around the Green Man mythos; Tesh's prose is an homage to the original folk tale and its era while the characters feel mysterious yet relatable. I loved Tobias (he actually reminded me of Radagast the Brown AND Tom Bombadil), so I was pleased the narrative was heavily character-driven, delving deeply into Tobias's past as well as his changing view of the world as Henry Silver became a larger part of Tobias's life. The plot grew out of Tobias meeting and growing to like Silver, which brought Tobias back into touch with the fast-paced human world. Just when I thought I could predict the flow of the ending, Tesh threw me for a couple of loops. The last third of the book included more twists and sudden changes than I expected could reasonably fit in just over a hundred pages, but they were very well executed.
Speaking of length, I found the bite-sized novella format worked very well. The story is somewhat cyclic in nature, focusing on themes of growth and rebirth. I read it twice back-to-back because I liked the writing style and was never bored. After all, folk stories are meant to be told over and over!
I highly recommend Silver in the Wood to anyone who enjoys atmospheric fantasy or fairy tale retellings. Emily Tesh's writing is full of beautiful descriptions, emotionally deep characters, and magic woven into a subtly epic setting. Saying I'm excited to read more of her work is an understatement.
In an interview with The Fantasy Inn, Emily Tesh described her debut novella Silver in the Wood as "what if a very depressed queer version of Tom Bombadil living in a beautiful creepy magical wood was also a monster hunter and then he fell in love." Which is to say that I was always likely to adore this story—and Tesh's deft storytelling only added to my enjoyment of the lush, green setting and its inhabitants.
In tone and atmosphere, Silver in the Wood did remind me of Tolkien, but also of Naomi Novik's and Robin McKinley's writing. The story is built around the Green Man mythos; Tesh's prose is an homage to the original folk tale and its era while the characters feel mysterious yet relatable. I loved Tobias (he actually reminded me of Radagast the Brown AND Tom Bombadil), so I was pleased the narrative was heavily character-driven, delving deeply into Tobias's past as well as his changing view of the world as Henry Silver became a larger part of Tobias's life. The plot grew out of Tobias meeting and growing to like Silver, which brought Tobias back into touch with the fast-paced human world. Just when I thought I could predict the flow of the ending, Tesh threw me for a couple of loops. The last third of the book included more twists and sudden changes than I expected could reasonably fit in just over a hundred pages, but they were very well executed.
Speaking of length, I found the bite-sized novella format worked very well. The story is somewhat cyclic in nature, focusing on themes of growth and rebirth. I read it twice back-to-back because I liked the writing style and was never bored. After all, folk stories are meant to be told over and over!
I highly recommend Silver in the Wood to anyone who enjoys atmospheric fantasy or fairy tale retellings. Emily Tesh's writing is full of beautiful descriptions, emotionally deep characters, and magic woven into a subtly epic setting. Saying I'm excited to read more of her work is an understatement.