Dense and opaque, The Vorrh is a tough nut to crack, but its meat is succulent and delightful if you can manage it. Catling’s prose often frustrating but equally magical and his tale converges wonderfully by the end. Don’t fret if you feel lost initially—like some dark and mystical jungle, that’s just part of the process. Catling suggests a much deeper history than he reveals here, and his occasional refusal to give you the answers (or, indeed, even the story) that you want will be a turn off for many readers, but neither he nor his book seem to particularly care. Like the forest he has concocted, his book is dark and secretive and elusive but great things await those with the patience to traverse its sometimes treacherous terrain.