William Horwood

[Mouse]

I've just finished reading a book which I had to review and so picked up another book which I'm supposed to review... I started reading it but it's awful. The narration is... odd. It's like somebody telling a story - the narrator makes interjections in brackets, but then we hear character thoughts. So I put it down.

I picked up Teresa's Queen's Necklace again instead (which I'm enjoying. Loving Luke!). But then just started thinking about other books I'd read and that I never read a book more than once. Until I remembered William Horwood.

I remember somebody bought me Duncton Wood for my birthday. I must have been 14ish?! Anyway, they thought it was a kid's book because it was about moles. I was pretty surprised when I started reading it. Rape, incest, murder... and these are moles.

I loved it. Got the next books from the library. Read them. Then went out and bought them all and read them again. Several times.

I'd sort of forgotten how good these books were/are until I got thinking about it last night. I'd rate William Horwood higher than George RR Martin. In fact, the only writer who I think I prefer now is Neil Gaiman.

The characters in the Duncton books are the best characters I've ever read about. Mayweed in particular is brilliant. Also, I think these books are the only books which have ever made me cry. (Robin Hobb has come close.)

They're funny, tragic, well-written, complex, exciting...

I've read his Wolves of Time books and although I enjoyed the first one, the second didn't really do it for me. I think he had to merge book two and three into one big book so it was all pretty rushed.

His other books about eagles never appealed.

So, has anybody else read William Horwood's books? What did you think?

Anybody read Hyddenworld, his new one, yet? I'm tempted but the synopsis sounds a little bit... twee.

(And that was a very long-winded way of saying Who's read Duncton Wood? )

 

[J Riff]

I've seen his books, but always in Dutch. What about 'Tales of the Willows'? That and 'Toad Triumphant' I have somewhere as mp3 so will have a listen.

 

[J Riff]

Bot of a twee div?
Wiataminit...this is toad of toad hall stuff... it's good. The guy reading it is excellent.

 

[Clansman]

J Riff, methinks you are referring to that classic of children's literature, Wind in the Willows. I loved it myself, but it is often considered a little difficult for our coddled toddlers of today.

Not much to do with William Horwood at all, though, as Doncton Wood is definitely young adult reading, at a minimum. An animated film was made, I believe, of the first book, but some of the more, ahem, risky elements were removed.

 

[Mouse]

No, William Horwood also wrote some Wind in the Willows stuff. Which I've not read as I can't stick Wind in the Willows.

As for Duncton Wood being for young adults!! No freaking way. A book being about animals does not make it for children, especially not the Duncton books. Far far too much sex and murder in them. Explicit sex and murder at that.

It was Skallagrigg which was made into a film apparently.

 

[J Riff]

S'called Tales of the Willows, by W. Horwood, and since I'm not Winded by those other Willows...I will wind up wiking it.

 

[thatollie]

I bought the first three recently, haven't gotten around to reading them yet.

 

[J Riff]

Ahhh... good old graphix sex n' murder with the cute aminals of the Smutwood Forest...

 

[digs]

I read Duncton Wood as a kid. I can't remember a whole lot about it - but I'm pretty sure I really liked it. It's like Redwall for grownups.

 

[Mouse]

It's like Redwall for grownups.

Sort of... they both contain moles, but that's the only similarity.

 

[digs]

Haha yeah, but that's the only thing I remember about it. Looks like it's time for a reread.

Sidenote: the moles from Redwall rock! Burr, aye!

 

[GOLLUM]

Yeh, read them more than 20 years ago now....AH the memories....

 

[Mouse]

Sidenote: the moles from Redwall rock! Burr, aye!

Oh no!! Don't get me started on that. Brian Jacques said the moles accent was the west country one. It's so wrong it makes me want to spoon out my own eyeballs every time they speak! And why are they all so stupid?!

 

[digs]

Well...they're moles! We can't all be as great as your precious mice

And I don't know much about British accents except that they're frequently hilarious.

 

[Oxman]

Wow. What a blast from the past. Somebody also bought me Duncton Wood, when I was about 12 and I remember my parents driving down to Hampshire from the Midlands to see my older sister and I didn't look out of the window once - I just gave the book a proper hammering. As Mouse said, the talking moles theme is a front for sex, violence, grown-up politics and manipulation aplenty! So I was hooked! (on the same trip I also had the first book in the Chronicles of Prydain and loved that series too so it was quite a nice little holiday!)

That was 20 years ago and I remember buying Duncton Found and Duncton Quest soonafter and later on Duncton Tales - but was a bit disappointed with that last one. I loved the writing and some of it was a little complex at that age, but for the most part I was spellbound. I always intended to do a re-read, though never have and the only real thing I remember about the books now was how much I enjoyed them and Boswell the Scribe (If my memory serves me correctly). I think that was also the first time I'd read sequals that didn't deal with the same protagonist as the first book, which threw me a little at first (again my memory might be cloudy on that).

I might dig out Duncton Wood now actually, have a flick through and see how it looks, for nostalgia's sake. Or would it be a mistake and I shouldn't go back? It would serve as a further distraction from editing at least...

 

[Mouse]

Ah Boswell. Was never a fan of him, he always seemed a bit Aslan-y to me and I can't stand Aslan. But yes, you're right. First book, Duncton Wood, was centred around Bracken and Rebecca. The next two were about Tryfan, their son.

I think the next three were about different characters again (one called Rooster), but I seem to remember Mayweed making an appearance... possibly as a ghost?!

I so need to read them again too!

 

[Oxman]

Well, I have a nasty dose of treatment tomorrow after a nice christmas break, and sometimes the thought of going through a manuscript with a highlighter is a little overbearing. So I have taken the coward's way out and have taken Duncton Wood from the shelf. I'll read that for a couple of hours instead, see how it fits after so many years (and I said there were too many new books for me to get through before I re-read old ones)!

Now you mention Bracken and Rebecca, the names come back to me, though Tryfan needs a bit more probing. And would probably get it in the Duncton universe!

It's been too long to get any Aslan memories from Boswell. If it's the right mole I'm thinking of, he was a bit of a weakling and took some stick from more important/bigger moles. But then again, at that age I liked Aslan too, mainly because he seemed to be a bad-ass magical lion (I was too young/dense to get the obvious comparisons when I read Narnia) and I wasn't too familiar with any religious works.

 

[Mouse]

Yeah Boswell was a weakling. And he had a crippled paw... But just Aslan-y in the Jesus sense.

 

[SleepyDormouse]

I remember the duncton wood series, read it as a young teen. Remember it being a bit gruesome but not the details. remember that standing stones where important and something about cars being called owls??

I picked up his new one hydenworld was it? at the library recently as I recognised the authors name, didn't really read the synopsis as the kids were with me. Haven't read yet though as currently reading a Naomi Novik (Temperaire series)

Maybe I'll look out his duncton wood series again and re-read them. Suprises me sometimes the things I quite happily read in my teens (but didnt' read terry pratchets for ages as didnt' like the covers)

 

[Ursa major]

I remember somebody bought me Duncton Wood for my birthday. I must have been 14ish?! Anyway, they thought it was a kid's book because it was about moles. I was pretty surprised when I started reading it. Rape, incest, murder... and these are moles.

Didn't the author's name sound a warning bell...?