Congratulations to Leo Elijah Cristea, winner of last week’s book prize, The Snowmelt River by Frank P. Ryan, a work of classic fantasy steeped in Irish mythology. I enjoyed all the entries, which presented four eclectic portals into the realms of otherworldliness – Leo’s metamorphosing pathway, Romeo Kennedy’s secret tree trunk, Tina Lawton’s cheerful toilet, and Chris’s whalebone arch at Whitby (returning through which would only be possible if you had saved a whale in the past). I chose the winner by pulling a Tarot Card – the Tarot being itself a portal to another world, and its four suits associated with the Celtic symbols of Sword, Spear, Cauldron and Stone.
Again courtesty of Jo Fletcher Books, this week’s prize, The Silver Bough by Lisa Tuttle, combines fantasy, romance, and echoes of WB Yeats, and whisks our Celtic themes across the cold northern waters to the realms of Scottish faery:
Appleton is a small town nestled on the coast of Scotland. Though it was once famous for the apples it produced, these days it’s a shadow of its former self. But in a hidden orchard a golden apple dangles from a silver bough, an apple believed lost for ever. The apple is part of a legend, promising either eternal happiness to the young couple who eat from it secure in their love – or a curse, for those who take its gift for granted. Now, as the town teeters on the edge of decline, the old rituals have been forgotten and the mists are rolling in. And in the mist, something is stirring…
The Cursed wild strawberries of the forgotten wilderness. Attracting hungry travellers to their doom, leading them to nowhere, to remain in the wilds forever!
Congratulations, Romeo! You scared off the competition . . . or perhaps left them stranded in your Bergmanesque void! Can you get in touch with Nicola Budd of JFB (Nicola.Budd@quercusbooks.co.uk) who will send you your book. Please let me know that you’ve received this message.