Holdstock's fantasy of a surviving primeval forest where legends and tribes of different ages coexist draws power from the myths, archetypes and literary conventions it embodies. The long, Wellsian introduction to the Huxley family and their fascination with Ryhope Wood slowly moves toward a civilized British confrontation with the wilderness and savagery. Unaware of the consequences, Steve Huxley falls in love with the latest incarnation of beautiful Guiwenneth of the greenwoodas his father and brother had before him. When she is kidnapped, his attempt to find her becomes a quest leading to the heart of the mysterious wood. Although it takes its time getting started, and occasionally reminds us that it was expanded from a short story, this is a winning novel with a fine feeling for the interface between airy dreams and sweaty reality.