Looking for something short and sweet that will scratch that itch of wanting to run away into the woods with a forest spirit? Then may I recommend the Greenhollow Duology by Emily Tesh. These two novellas, Silver in the Wood and Drowned Country, came out in 2019 and 2020 respectively. But I just read them both together in the lovely audiobook narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies.
Tobias Finch is known as the Wild Man of Greenhollow. The local villagers react in fear whenever they see his giant frame and unruly mass of hair emerging from the trees, not understanding that he is actually a protector, standing between them and the dark forces that lurk in the woods. But Tobias doesn’t mind; he has been content for centuries to live an isolated life in his hidden cottage, with only the dryads and his pet cat Pearl for company. That is, until Henry Silver shows up. The new lord of Greenhollow Hall is attractive, flirtatious, and obsessed with local folklore. Tobias can’t keep Silver out of his head. He also can’t seem to keep Silver out of the woods, even on the summer solstice—when the darkest creature at the heart of the forest wakes each year to wreak havoc.
In the sequel, Drowned Country, Tobias and Silver’s roles have reversed in an interesting way. Now Silver is part of the magic of the wood and Tobias is adjusting to life in the outside world. A rift has grown between them, which Silver is eager to mend—though not quite as eager to address the behaviors that caused their rift in the first place. When Silver and Tobias are asked to investigate the disappearance of a young woman in the nearby port town rumored to house an ancient vampire, Silver jumps at the opportunity to spend time with Tobias again and get back in his good graces. But when they arrive in the town and discover a land still haunted by the memory of the primeval forest that was drowned under the sea and by fantastical realms that exist in parallel to our own, they encounter dangers much darker than vampires.
The Greenhollow Duology makes interesting use of the Green Man myth, blended together with other mythologies. Though Tobias seems affiliated with a Celtic, druidic tradition, he shares his wood with dryads of Greek myth and the wider world is populated with vampires, ghosts, and all sorts of other supernatural beings. As a folklorist, Silver makes some rather metatextual commentary on the similarities between broader fairy lore and the local legends of the Green Man and the Lord of Summer, though Tobias is quick to point out that real fairies are almost nothing like the popular depictions. Despite the appearance of more common magical beings in the story, Tobias and Silver are something unique. The Green Man myth that they draw from is nebulous and broad, with no definitive roots or tradition, which gives the author the leeway to make it fully her own. Interestingly enough, this is the second Green Man-inspired m/m romance novel I’ve read in as many years—the first being KJ Charles’s Spectred Isle. I suppose a man so deeply intertwined with nature does cut a romantic figure.
Speaking of romance, that was one of my favorite aspects of these stories. Tobias and Silver are prime examples of the old adage “opposites attract,” as these two men could not be more different. After living for centuries, Tobias has become the strong and silent type, carefully considering his words before he speaks. Having been betrayed by one he loved before, he is slow to trust again, and his obsession with duty makes it difficult for him to put his own happiness first. Henry Silver, on the other hand, is a young and privileged lord, used to enjoying the pleasures in life and using his charm to get his way. He speaks before he thinks and is prone to jumping on impulses. These differences make their romance slow to build, despite an immediate attraction, and occasionally lead to conflict. But the things they learn from each other along the way make it all worth it. I particularly appreciated the author’s choice to have each book in the duology narrated by a different member of the pair, so that the reader gets full insight into each of their perspectives.
If you like your romance with a dash of magic and myth, I highly recommend both Silver in the Wood and Drowned Country! You can find both books on shelves now at your favorite local retailer, or purchase them online and support The Gothic Library in the process using these Bookshop.org affiliate links: Silver in the Wood, Drowned Country. If you’ve read either of them, let me know your thoughts in the comments!