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All the Hollow of the Sky
The Gyrford series (Related to this series)
- Author
- Kit Whitfield
- Narrator
- Juanita McMahon
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Publish Date
- 25 May 2023
- Run Time
- 22 hours 43 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
If you asked the folks of Gyrford, they'd tell you Jedediah Smith looked up to his father. After all, Corbie Mackem was the Sarsen Shepherd: the man who saved the Smith clan from Ab, the terrifyingly well-meaning fey who blighted a whole generation with unwanted gifts.
Corbie was a good fairy-smith. And if he wasn't a good father, well, that isn't something Jedediah likes to talk about. Especially since no one knows where Corbie's body lies: the day of his son's wedding, forty-odd years ago, he set off to travel and was never seen again.
These days Jedediah is a respectable elder, more concerned with his wayward grandson John than with his long-buried past, and he has other problems on his mind. There's the preparations for Saint Clement's Day, and the odd fact that birds all over the county have taken to hiding themselves, and the misbehaviour of Left-Lop the pig - which has grown vegetation all over its back, escaped its farm and taken to making personal remarks at folks in alarmingly alliterative verse.
But then disaster strikes. Ab is back. And Corbie, thought long dead, returns to Gyrford - younger than his son . . .
(P) 2023 Quercus Editions Limited
Critics Review
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It's a joy to return to the world of Gyrford and its fairy-smiths, where magic stalks the hillsides and encounters with the fey can be as perilous as their gifts. Settle in with this book and prepare to be enchanted!
Alison Littlewood, author of THE CROW GARDEN
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A gripping multi-generational family saga of surreal folk magic, with memorable characters, detailed worldbuilding and a satisfying plot
Fiona Moore, author of "Jolene"
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Engaging, believable characters who draw us into a world of walking bramble bushes and spectral, fire-breathing hounds . . . stands out for its depiction of a family deeply connected to a community, helping those who need it the most, regardless of the danger to themselves
THE GUARDIAN on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS
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As tart, dark and juicy as a summer pudding . . . combines power and poetry to serve up the perfect slice of folk Gothic
DAILY MAIL on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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Power struggles, violence, mistakes and responsibility are threaded throughout the story. John is a strong, nuanced protagonist whose sound heart gives this book its warmth, even when things start to go wrong. Whitfield's world-building is detailed, the magic of this story is enticing and I found plenty to enjoy in this book
BETH O'BRIEN, DISABLED TALES, on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS
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I really loved In The Heart of Hidden Things
TERRI WINDLING, winner of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS
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An immersive and rewarding read.
ParSec Magazine
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Warm and dark and wonderful
Francis Spufford, author of LIGHT PERPETUAL
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Enthralling reading!
Juliet E. McKenna, author of The Green Man's Quarry
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I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Whitfield delineates character and relationships with great delicacy, and joyfulness in invention
British Science Fiction Association review
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Kit Whitfield has a deep understanding of traditional fairy lore and uses it to great effect as a writer of fantasy. I loved In the Heart of Hidden Things and All the Hollow of the Sky, and look forward to her further excursions into the fairy realm
Wendy Froud (co-creator with Brian Froud of Trolls and Faeries’ Tales, and award-winning puppet designer for The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.
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I consider Kit Whitfield to be one of the most exciting writers of mythic fantasy today. Her Gyrford novels are utterly enchanting, and her use of fairy lore to explore themes of neurodiversity is compelling and brilliant. I loved the first two novels in this series, and can't wait for the next one
Teri Windling, ten-time winner of the World Fantasy Award
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Kit Whitfield has the unique gift of transporting the reader, body and mind, to another world; like one of the People. And book after book, she is building a world in which it is delightful to lose ourselves. This is a story of magic and human yearnings, a story which has something of the oral tradition, something of the written one. It is a spell
Francesco Dimitri
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A gripping multi-generational family saga of surreal folk magic, with memorable characters, detailed worldbuilding and a satisfying plot
Fiona Moore, author of "Jolene"
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An immersive and rewarding read
ParSec Magazine
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A skillfully written novel about family, love, and community
Interzone
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I consider Kit Whitfield to be one of the most exciting writers of mythic fantasy today. Her Gyrford novels are utterly enchanting, and her use of fairy lore to explore themes of neurodiversity is compelling and brilliant. I loved the first two novels in this series, and can't wait for the next one
Teri Windling, ten-time winner of the World Fantasy Award
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Kit Whitfield
- Narrator
- Juanita McMahon
- Duration
- 22 hours 43 minutes
- Release Date
- 25 May 2023
- ISBN
- 9781529414974
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Genre
- Fantasy, Fiction: literary and general non-genre, Traditional or cultural fiction and true stories, tales and retellings
Synopsis
Jedediah's father walked out of his life forty years ago. Now he's back. He won't apologise, he doesn't explain - and, impossibly, he hasn't aged a day. If you asked the folks of Gyrford, they'd tell you Jedediah Smith looked up to his father. After all, Corbie Mackem was the Sarsen Shepherd: the man who saved the Smith clan from Ab, the terrifyingly well-meaning fey who blighted a whole generation with unwanted gifts. Corbie was a good fairy-smith. And if he wasn't a good father, well, that isn't something Jedediah likes to talk about. Especially since no one knows where Corbie's body lies: the day of his son's wedding, forty-odd years ago, he set off to travel and was never seen again.These days Jedediah is a respectable elder, more concerned with his wayward grandson John than with his long-buried past, and he has other problems on his mind. There's the preparations for Saint Clement's Day, and the odd fact that birds all over the county have taken to hiding themselves, and the misbehaviour of Left-Lop the pig - which has grown vegetation all over its back, escaped its farm and taken to making personal remarks at folks in alarmingly alliterative verse.But then disaster strikes. Ab is back. And Corbie, thought long dead, returns to Gyrford - younger than his son . . .(P) 2023 Quercus Editions Limited
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