Monday 22 May 2023

Book Review: Storyland by Amy Jeffs (Non-Fiction/Folklore)

Title: Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain
Author: Amy Jeffs
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: 22 August 2023
Pages: 384
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: Non-Fiction/Mythology
Source: ARC via NetGalley

Immersed in mist and old magic,  Storyland is an exquisitely illustrated new mythology of Britain, set in its wildest landscapes. Historian and printmaker Amy Jeffs reimagines ancient legends in wondrous detail in this this gift-worthy collection for all lovers of myth, folklore, and mysticism.

Storyland begins between the Creation and Noah's Flood, follows the footsteps of the earliest generation of giants, covers the founding of Britain, England, Wales, and Scotland, the birth of Christ, the wars between Britons, Saxons and Vikings, and closes with the arrival of the Normans.

These are retellings of medieval tales of legend, landscape, and the yearning to belong, inhabited by characters now Arthur, Brutus, Albina, and more. Told with narrative flair, embellished in stunning, original linocuts and glossed with a rich and erudite commentary,
Storyland illuminates a collective memory that still informs the identity and culture of Britain and its descendants.
 
Readers will visit beautiful, sacred places that include prehistoric monuments like Stonehenge and Wayland's Smithy; mountains and lakes such as Snowdon and Loch Etive; and rivers including the Ness, the Soar, and the storied Thames in this vivid, beautiful tale of a land steeped in myth.


Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain was an entertaining read that took the reader through the early history of Britain via a series of sequential myths. I enjoyed how each tale was followed by a brief commentary outlining its origins and the author's thoughts. Most of the stories I was already familiar with, but a couple were new to me, and I think this is a book that will appeal to lovers of folklore and myth as it is a delightful collection told in an engaging manner. It gets four stars from me.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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