The Green Man's Gift by Juliet E McKenna
I would like to thank Cheryl from Wizard’s Tower Press for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher - Wizard’s Tower Press
Published - Out Now
Price - £17.00 paperback £4.99 Kindle eBook
A teenage boy has turned up in Snowdonia, barely conscious and babbling about beautiful women and fairy feasts. The authorities blame magic mushrooms. The wise women say different and they want dryad’s son, Daniel Mackmain, to investigate. He needs to watch his step in the mountains. Those who live in the hollow hills mask their secrets and intentions with sly half-truths.
Far from the woods he knows, Dan needs help from the allies he has made in past adventures. But he's a loner at heart. As the true power of his adversary becomes clear, he must decide if he's willing to see those he cares for put themselves in danger.
The old folk tales are both admiring and fearful of magic. Wishes can come true and make you in love and rich. Wishes can come true to make you go to ruin. Beware the wild magic and those who use it. Fairy tales of joy or Fae to be feared is a theme explored from Shakespeare to Pratchett and now Juliet E McKenna in the latest of the Green Man series has a suitably spooky and epic tale set in Wales for The Green Man’s Gift which is another excellent tale in one of the most interesting contemporary fantasy series around.
Dan Mackmain has been so used to being a loner he is now surprised that he is now starting to be plugged into a network of various people with connections to the supernatural world. He is alerted to a strange case of a young man who vanished for several weeks in Cheshire and now has been found bewildered in Snowdonia. His claims though of a mysterious woman and a strange place he was sent to make Dan feel there is likely more to this than meets the eye and not simply a case of drug abuse. Dan drives up to investigate and finds himself soon embroiled in a case where a strange folk singer casts a spell; mysterious powers lurk in the Welsh mountains and Dan may find he has got himself in far too much trouble for even his own magical patron to get him out quickly
I really really was impressed how this story is using the wider world of the Green Man to make the UK countryside seem even more spooky and epic than the earlier stories managed. This would not be a bad entry point for new readers either as standalone adventure giving you a taste of Daniel Mackmain’s world. McKenna starts the story as a magical mystery as to what is happening to these young men (and soon we find there are a number of dead bodies also found in the area). The tone is sombre yet feels dangerous. We have so far just faced monsters and people who are prepared to use them to further their aims this time the storyline genuinely feels like a different kind of foe awaits (and hats off to McKenna for always ensuring these books never fall into a predictable formula).
With the use of Wales we also get a different feel yet again. McKenna uses ancient myths and culture (plus the use of language) to create a different kind of place to the stories we have met before. In the past series we typically are connected to Woodland but here its Mountains, caves and mines that again all help to give us a grimmer and yet suitably epic place for magical confrontations. This time McKenna makes us feel Dan is treading into a truly ancient and magical place that he may not be yet ready for. When the foe is revealed, we are now aware that this time the fae is real. Here they are powerful and enigmatic. They do what they want but we don’t know why; and they enjoy playing with human bait. A claustrophobic dark setting and some very strange supernatural creatures all help create a feeling of the fantastical that does not fear humanity that much. The old concept of magical fae bargains and being careful what you ask for are all used very effectively and add tension to scenes where Dan has to try and navigate himself out of a situation. Neatly McKenna plays with the reader mixing highs and lows without warning and then plunging Dan into an act of a simple burglary that feels very much like the fate of many lives depends on it going well. Do not be surprised if you stay up late to finish this.
As mentioned earlier, another interesting angle is how big the world now feels. We meet more shapeshifters and people with potentially magical powers connected to other forces in this world. Dan is actually now not singly reliant on enigmatic steers from the Green Man and is now taking a steadily more pro-active stance into protecting the world from these forces. There are hints his struggles are only just continuing and more challenges await. This time there is a strain on his relationship with Fin (a shape-shifting swan-maiden and ecologist) but its notably grown-up disagreements; they talk things through and try to navigate the path they’re on. Dan himself stays level-headed but we do see his desire to try and fix things himself really puts him in danger (and shaking head from reader) but I enjoy finding out how he navigates his way out this time. A person who looks at a battle with immortal magic-wielders as simply just another problem to solve one step at a time just as he has in his day job. As well as liking him you admire a competent hero a lot more than a lucky loudmouth one.
Safe to say I’m very glad I am now up to speed with the Green Man’s series and this for me is the best yet. The variety and tone really struck me as giving an extra edge to the story and suggests the world has far more to now throw at Dan and his friends (and importantly now he is not just a magical loner). Excellent storytelling and a unique use of ancient myth in contemporary settings (and also a chance to explore current issues) this is well worth your time to get this tale now and I suspect like me you’ll be catching up on the earlier adventure very soon too. Now I’m just sad waiting for the next one. Strongly recommended!
