| Title | : | The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0142400297 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780142400296 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 |
| Publication | : | First published May 27, 2002 |
| Awards | : | World Fantasy Award Best Anthology (2003) |
The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest Reviews
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This book claims to be an anthology of works interpreting the spirit of nature. While that description is technically correct, it gives a completely inaccurate picture of the short stories in this works. The majority of the works are modern dark or weird fantasy in an urban setting. Only one or two incorporate the green man of the title and provide any sense of the mystery of nature. It may be that I am too old for this work, which is aimed at teens, but I found it really slow going. The stories could better be described as interpreting the spirit of adolescent angst and alienation -- and I've been there, done that, and am over it.
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This collection of short stories, all inspired by the myth/ legend of the Green Man, was the most satisfying collection of short stories I've read in a long time. There were only one or two that didn't stick with me for a long time after reading them, and as a whole, the work was tremendously cohesive. Definitely a keeper for any fan of YA fantasy.
***wondering why all my reviews are five stars? Because I'm only reviewing my favorite books -- not every book I read. Consider a novel's presence on my Goodreads bookshelf as a hearty endorsement. I can't believe I just said "hearty." It sounds like a stew.**** -
This book is a truly magical composition. One day I must visit Grand Central Park and say hello to Gnaw-bone and Bugle, or go into a lonely wild tangle searching for a wodwo or The Green Man, or gae to the Scotland woodland to find the Cailleach Bheur. In some ways I feel I already have, it transported me so.
“When you see the wind stir the green-wood, or when you turn the pages of a book made from a tree’s still-blameless flesh, lean close and listen.
You hear my voice.”
And I do; it is my own voice. It is my heart that beats in these pages, that lives through them. Perhaps such a life is hollow, living through the magic found in green and marvelous chiaroscuro, in the deep places. Perhaps these words are pretentious, nothing more than the whining or longing of a child for magical things. There is truth in that longing, there is desire to wander and wonder and go into the dark to come out to the light again. That longing is not only longing, that feeling is and means both more and less than what it may seem, I can see how it is shallow and deep. I have been on both sides, knowing this great rush of what feels like power, knowledge that no one else around me has, of what it is like in the woods. Then there is the other side of the coin, it is a wish and a dream, there is no power in me and the knowledge is fancy, I must be realistic. That is what I tell myself. It is like the world is two-layered, it is both strange and normal and I do not know which layer is on top-if either are I believe it is myself that makes it so.
One day I will go back to where I grew up and take a walk in the woods in search of the Fair Folk, whose eyes are fierce and wild. I’ll hear nothing but my own breath and it will be their breathing. -
This was a very inspiring collection of short stories all to do with forests and magic. They were all wonderful but The Pagodas of Ciboure by M. Shayne Bellstood out for me as a really special piece of writing!
This book is a must-read! -
Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have paid true homage to the spirit of the Green Man in this anthology: "In this book, we've asked the writers to journey deep into the Mythic Forest, to bring back tales of those wild lands, and of the creatures who dwell within them. Thus in these pages you'll find witches, wolves, dryads, deer men, a faery or two, and numerous magical spirits of nature..."
This anthology of the spirit who symbolizes nature includes stories by:
Gaiman, Neil: "Going Wodwo" (poem) >> Of what would be and what it would feel like becoming a Green Man yourself. "I'll tell the wind my name, and no one else.// True madness takes or leaves us in the wood halfway through our lives."
Sherman, Delia: "Grand Central Park" >> The first-person protagonist is a young overweight "sensitive geek" girl who encounters the Queen of the Fairies in New York City. She must play Truth or Dare if she wants to escape with her life.
Cadnum, Michael: "Daphne" >> Narrates Ovid's tale of Apollo's attempted seduction on the daughter of a river god.
de Lint, Charles: "Somewhere in My Mind There Is a Painting Box" >> The first truly engaging story in the book wherein the protagonist must make a choice: should she stay in this magical world or venture beyond where you don't need to paint beauty since it already exists there in its most perfect form?
Lee, Tanith: "Among the Leaves So Green" >> Two half-sisters, Bergette and Ghilane, are the unloved daughters of the village prostitute by two different woodcutters, conceived in the forest bordering their village and often sent back to the forest itself that their mother secretly hopes to be rid of them. Unusual twist when it is the hateful older sister who is the focus rather than the decent younger sister.
Yolen, Jane: "Song of the Cailleach Bheur" (poem) >> "A single word from her icy lips; A single kiss is killing."
McKillip, Patricia A.: "Hunter's Moon" >> Dawn and her little brother Ewan, lost in the woods during deer-hunting season, and are taught a lesson by him who's a "Hunter." A hit-it-close-to-home moral lesson entwined in the story.
Snyder, Midori: "Charlie's Away" >> The story is chillingly beautiful and sad. The imagery is wonderful, as Charlie escapes childhood guilt into a fantastical treetop world, and should be especially poignant to those who remember the anxieties of first leaving home.
Vaz, Katherine: "A World Painted by Birds" >> The General ruling Rio Seco condemns those who defy him to a detention camp on the far side of the forest-- though not the young lace maker Lucia--since the General's Wife has a weakness for lace. When Lucia falls in love with a young violinist who has played songs protesting the General's tyranny, the lovers flee into the forest and join the Gardener. Exemplifies the power of love told in the traditional fairy tale way.
Hoffman, Nina Kiriki: "Grounded" >> Tale relates a divorcee mother, Meg and her daughter Fiona's first face-to-face meeting with Vernon (who has the power to bring life to plants) and his kids, as Fiona keeps looking for the snags of living among these fair folk. I like the fantasy ingraining itself to the ultra modern world of ours. Remind me of elves for some reason.
Emshwiller, Carol: "Overlooking" >> Revolves around the first person narration of the matriarch of the hidden forest people who amuse themselves over the mountain climbers and nature buffs and alternately talks about her experiences with humans and about one day's company of an old man the youngsters brought to her.
Maguire, Gregory: "Fee, Fie, Foe, et Cetera" >> Retelling of the Jack & the Beanstalk story, with the action split between two Jacks - the adventurer and his daft younger brother - and their mother, none of whom are very bright. The king's mismanagement of the treasury leads to trying the family for "agricultural treason". I have never appreciated any of Maguire's works and was dismayed to see his writing included in this anthology.
Bull, Emma: "Joshua Tree" >> The author has the voice down to reality, and paints a compelling picture. The Joshua tree itself is little seen, but remains a focal point in the girl's history. It’s cool how the rave reads like a faery celebration. "The way to get through normal life is to pretend it isn't getting to you. If you let on that you're hurt, the other animals will turn on you and tear you to pieces."
Dunn, Carolyn: "Ali Anugne O Chash (The Boy Who Was)" >> Follows the ill-fated deer hunt of "Ali Anugne O Chash (The Boy Who Was)", the other part of the story narrated by the clubfooted girl who loved him but brought about his downfall. Colors of Native American myths obviously present.
Koja, Kathe: "Remnants" >> The narrator's forest is made of "Remnants" (a "forest" created from garbage-plastic bottles and paper bags strung on rakes) but the 'Department of People Watching' don't like it.
Bell, M. Shayne: "The Pagodas of Ciboure" >> Sickly little Maurice Ravel (future composer) meets "pagodas" - creatures out of French legend - on his grandmother's countryside estate, and asks them to heal him. But what can he do for them? "Even if there were no jewels, it was nice to dream of being rich. This was a place that invited dreams."
Lewis, Bill: "Green Men" (poem) >> "I am lost within a wood/ that is lost within me."
Ford, Jeffrey: "The Green Word" >> The forest people's revolt draws to a close as Moren Kairn accepts the last gift the witch of the forest has to offer: a mysterious seed that grants him easy dying even as he faces execution. The witch, in turn, creates a champion from the earth watered by Kairn's spilled blood: Vertuminous, a manlike tree with fruit where his heart should be, who regenerates every time he's killed.
Book Details:
Title The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest
Author Edited by Terri Windling & Ellen Datlow
Reviewed By Purplycookie -
This was somewhat of a disappointment for a fan of this editing team and their previous anthologies. Admittedly, I did not realize that this one was categorized as YA until after I bought the book, so it was immediately at a disadvantage with me.
The first story was definitely starting out on the wrong foot. Although I enjoyed Delia Sherman's adult fantasy,
The Porcelain Dove, this urban fantasy tale never bridged the gap of disbelief for me. I know Central Park quite well, have explored the wilds of it, watched the sun set from the rocks at the south end of the park, roamed the Sheep Meadow, circled the Reservoir, and let me tell you, real nature is kept to a bare minimum and no spirits of nature would ever roam that acreage. I know the difference because I grew up in a place with plenty of wilderness all around me......real wilderness, with real spirits of nature.
The others were pretty good; but I was disappointed when I got to the Patricia McKillip story that I had been looking forward to and realized that I had already read it.
Overall, it was okay. -
I was so excited to start reading and was so thoroughly disappointed. The collection read very juvenile and sort of cobbled together. The only redeeming story for me was "Daphne", which had a lilting quality to it that was quite nice; unfortunately some of the word choice was a bit put-upon and indulgent. Granted, I only made it through the first 4 stories before deciding to put it down. Other choices were calling my name.
-
Oddly, my favorite story was the least green -- Emma Bull's "Joshua Tree."
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I found two new authors to follow!
Let's begin by listing the folks who wrote this anthology:
Editors:
Ellen Datlow,
Terri Windling.
Contributors:
Neil Gaiman,
Delia Sherman,
Michael Cadnum,
Charles de Lint,
Tanith Lee,
Jane Yolen,
Patricia A. McKillip,
Midori Snyder,
Katherine Vaz,
Nina Kiriki Hoffman,
Carol Emshwiller,
Gregory Maguire,
Emma Bull,
Carolyn Dunn,
Kathe Koja,
M. Shayne Bell,
Bill Lewis, and
Jeffrey Ford.
Two things immediately come to mind on reading that list. First it is long: 18 contributing authors. There's a lot in this anthology. Second, if you're a fantasy fan, a lot of those names are familiar. The ones that leapt out to me were
Gaiman,
Lee,
Yolen, and
McKillip. Now (truth in advertising),
Gaiman and
Yolen's contributions are a brief poem each. While I enjoy poetry, I confess to feeling a little cheated.
Lee and
McKillip's contributions, in contrast, are substantial stories, rather good ones, in fact.
But even better than that were two authors I had not read before:
Katherine Vaz and
Emma Bull.
Vaz's contribution, "A World Painted by Birds", feels like a particularly vivid example of Latin-American magic realism. It's a story that leaves pictures in your mind.
Bull's contribution, "Joshua Tree", is just a plain good story, with a very likeable protagonist.
Bull is, it appears, rather famous for the novel
War for the Oaks, which some credit as being the book that kicked off urban fantasy. It's on my to-read list now.
As for the rest, editors
Datlow and
Windling did a good job of achieving thematic coherence. These stories belong together.
Of course, as usual in such a collection, there's some dead weight. Some of the stories are not very good. In fact, most of the bad ones were, in my opinion, bad in roughly the same way. They were preachy. Two problems with that: (1) I don't like being preached at, even when I agree with the content of the sermon, and (2) by and large, I didn't. The most common message the authors conveyed was "Nature good, humans bad." And the remedy they seemed to be recommending was "Don't divide yourself from nature." Now, if you think dividing people from nature is a bad thing, and if your writing gives the impression that you believe nature is good and humans bad, well, you might want to give that a little bit more thought.
But bottom line: there were at least four good stories here, and I met two new authors whom I want to read more of. Those are outstanding outcomes. -
A nice collection of stories with a a couple of poems.
-
Мне интересно, как "человек" превратился в "рыцаря". В оригинале на обложке написано Green Man. Но видимо переводчики хотели добавить средневековой романтики, чтобы читатель чего-то ждал-ждал, но так и не дождался.
Это сборник рассказов о всяком зеленом, странном, непонятном, из лесов (а в одном рассказе даже из пустыни). В замечательном вступительном слове Терри Виндлинг объясняет нам, откуда пошло понятие про зеленого человека и в каких других произведениях можно прочитать о нем. Когда я начинал читать эту книгу, то я даже не догадывался, что именно вступи��ельное слово окажется самой интересной ее частью=)
Почему так? Наверное потому, что у меня были завышенные ожидания от "Зеленого рыцаря". Я обожаю лес и все, что с ним связано. Очень люблю сказки о лесных жителях, люблю играть за друидов в ролевых играх, люблю зелень и непроходимые чащи. Мне казалось, что в этой книге я обязательно найду для себя несколько замечательных рассказов о том, как кто-то заблудился в лесу, еле к ночи вышел на полянку и увидел там нечто такое, чего никогда не увидишь в обычном месте. Но только один из всех рассказов мной был оценен на максимальные 8 баллов. Это рассказов "Фи, фо, фу, фру и всё такое". По сути это римейк сказки про Джека и бобовое зернышко, написанный с залихватским черным юмором.
Большая часть других рассказов - это какой-то добрый мифопоэтический янг эдалт. Чаще всего героем рассказов предстает девочка-подросток, у которой или не все в порядке с семьей, или есть проблемы с учебой, или с друзьями нет контакта, или просто-скучно-грустно жить. А потом в ее жизни появляется таинственный незнакомец, который обещает сделать ее жизнь лучше. "Летим со мной, там столько всего вкусного" (с). И эти рассказы как-то больше не о зеленом человеке нам рассказывают, а о том, как порой трудно живется вот таким маленьким девочкам-подросткам.
Еще часть рассказов - это римейки старых мифов и сказок. Весьма пустые, к слову.
Есть несколько стихотворений, которых я вообще не понимаю. В том числе и Нила Геймана, чье имя крупно выбито золотыми буквами на обложке, чтобы вы подумали, будто это новая книга Геймана, и купили ее.
Поэтому, к сожалению, ни один рассказ не запал мне в душу (а этого очень хотелось!).
Тем не менее, откровенно провальных рассказов в сборнике тоже нету. Просто их читаешь и сразу забываешь. Средние оценки 6-7. Но так как семерок я поставил больше, то и этому сборнику с большой натяжкой можно поставить 7.
Одноразовый сборник. Неужели про зеленого человека нельзя было написать что-то более захватывающее? -
У мене складні стосунки із антологіями Датлоу-Віндлінг. Ну, як складні... Дві дочитати поки що не вийшло, а от чарівна третя спроба була більш вдалою.
"Зелений лицар" - це якраз приклад концептуально стрункої антології, де різні тексти по-різному викручують основну тему, пропонуючи багато варіантів прочитання. Тут і класичні "зелені люди" середньовічних жахликів, і трішки кельтики, і дріади, і сучасні варіації на всі теми, і переспіви казок різного ступеню постмодерності, і чистий сюр з екологічними мотивами. Літературно воно все теж більш-менш рівне і вправно грає в оркестрі. З усіх текстів для себе виділила (і запам'ятала на майбутнє імена ще не відомих поки що авторів):
* "Центральний парк" Делії Шерман - бо це прикольний підлітковий переспів стандарту "Діва проти Королеви Фей";
* "Пісня Кайлех Бер" Джейн Йолен - бо мені подоба��ться образ Зимової Королеви;
* "Назад до коренів" Ніни Кірікі Гофман - бо це теж прикольний янґ-адалтовий варіант;
* "Дерево пустелі" Емми Булл - знову янг-адалт, але теж симпатичний і по-своєму стильний - місто-напівпривид в аризонській глушині, ммм... я це люблю;
* "Пагоди Сібура" Шейна Белла - бо це дуже незвична варіація на тему казок про маленьких лісових мешканців. -
A beautiful collection of mythic short stories(with the exclusion of two). I loved the introduction, which I usually skip in most books. This one, however, was very informative and interesting. I also like that at the end of each story or poem they give you a little info about that author. I've found many new authors that I like as well as books by them that I've added to my "to-read" shelf. I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars, but there were two stories in particular that did not fit in with the flow of the others. One had nothing to do with the Green Man whatsoever; I absolutely hated the story- then found out the writer is the same author of two or three books I've been wanting to read. Sadly, I may have changed my mind about reading said books.
-
The Green Man is an excellent anthology of fantasy stories, each incorporating--you guessed it-- the green man figure. Not sure what/who the green man is? There's an essay at the beginning discussing the history and prevalence of the green man legends! There are stories for just about everyone-- ones set in our world with a fantasy twist, or ones in other worlds; there are fairytale retellings, and pop culture references. It also serves as an excellent way to familiarize yourself with a range of fantasy writers.
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I liked most of the stories in this book, and several I even loved.
More than that, the tone or theme of the collection as a whole--the sense of quiet inscrutable vitality surging in the roots and leaves and green shadows--haunts my imagination even after the individual stories begin to fade.
That is the highest praise I know to give an anthology. -
Great anthology with a wide array of stories and writing styles. My favorite was the last piece, entitled "The Green Word" by Jeffrey Ford. Looking forward to the other collections in this series.
-
I was so pleasantly surprised by this anthology.
It was one of those books that I kept seeing at the library and wanting to check out but kept reminding myself "hey, you don't like short stories that much."
I was incorrect. (Well, the half of me saying "don't bother" was incorrect, and fortunately overruled by the other half that kept saying: "but forests.")
While I didn't like every single entry, I did like a lot of them and loved a few. For some reason /Grounded/ is probably my favorite, even though it was also very weird. I took note of several of the authors.
Worth noting that all of these are *original* stories, not retellings (although inspired by myths/folktales), and generally by fantasy/sci-fi authors. I thought originally there might be some more strict retellings and maybe some historical. I'd still like to read something more like that, but having the mostly-modern fantasy vibe did make it a very cohesive read. -
Compilations are always literally a mixed bag. This collection centered around a beloved themes; the power of nature personified, mythic beings and worlds within our world. I'm thrilled to have some new favorite authors to hunt down as well :)
Many thanks to my sweet friend April for pressing this into my hands when I also borrowed The Wood Wife. She knew this would be right up my alley.💙💚💙
Favorite pieces:
Somewhere in My Mind There Is A Painting Box by Charles De Lint
Among The Leaves So Green by Tanith Lee
Hunter's Moon by Patricia a McKillip
Grounded by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Fee, Fie, Foe etc by Gregory Maguire
Joshua Tree by Emma Bull
Remnants by Kathe Koja
Further notes on each piece were saved in status updates as I read. -
Excellent, diverse stories!
Each of the stories leaves an impression on your heart, and will make you look at magic, nature, and people differently. Learn about the mythical French forest pagodas, the urban faeries of NYC, artists lost in the fairy realm, desert forests and their silent magic, the inner thoughts of the "crazy" lady with bags in her trees. These stories are worth your time, and a great way to celebrate Beltane and Earth spirits! -
I’m not much of a fan of short stories, but some of my favorite fantasy writers were included in this collection so I had high hopes. I quite liked the stories by Charles De Lint, Tanith Lee, and Jeffrey Ford. The rest were hit or miss. Too many of them were contemporary urban fantasy, which doesn’t seem to fit the Green Man theme, at least not the way I would interpret it, i.e. nature spirits connected to trees and plants. YMMV
-
I loved this collection and just wish it had been longer
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Stunning book of Green Man tales from some of the best fantasy authors. Any anthology edited by Ellen Datlow or Terry Windling is guaranteed to be a beauty.
-
Anthology. 2.5 star average
1. Going Wodwo by Neil Gaiman. I'm only semi-into poetry but this seemed very short. Didn't know what to make of it. 2 stars
2. Grand Central Park by Delia Sherman. A teenager sees fairies again. 4 stars
3. Daphne by Michael Cadnum. A young woman wants to be left alone. 3 stars.
4. Somewhere in My Mind There is a Painting Box by Charles de Lint. Strange story, I kept wondering if there was some kind of plot but not really. Lillian kindly of quietly chose her life. 3 stars.
5. Among the Leaves so Green by Tanith Lee. A story of two sisters - one mean, one nice - who their fathers were and how their lives changed. 3 stars
6. Song of the Cailleach Bheur by Jan Yolen. A poem. 2 stars
7. Hunter's Moon by Patricia A. McKillip. Was the rescuer trying to get her killed when she said yes? 3 stars.
8. Charlie's Away by Midori Snyder. I'm not sure of Charlie was going to stay or go by the end of the story. 3 stars.
9. A World Painted by Birds by Katherine Vaz. If I took acid before reading this story, what a trip that would be. 2 stars.
10. Grounded by Nina Kirki Hoffman. A mom goes to find love and takes her daughter with her. They meet a strange family. I'm not sure why the mom and the new guy fit together so well. 3 stars.
11. Overlooking by Carol Emshwiller. A strange creature tries to amuse herself. 2 stars
12. Fee, Fie, Foe, et Cetera by Gregory Maguire. Jack and the Beanstalk but with an attempt at funny. I didn't really care for it. 2 stars.
13. Joshua Tree by Emma Bull. A young girl gets lost literally and figuratively. 3 stars.
14. Ali Anugne O Chash (The Boy Who Was) by Carolyn Dunn. I was confused. 2 stars.
15. Remnants by Kathe Koja. A crazy hoarder uses garbage to keep sane. 2 stars.
16. The Pagodas of Cibourne by M. Shayne Bell. Broken china is more than broken china. 2 stars.
17. Green Men by Bill Lewis. Poem. 2 stars.
18. The Green Word by Jeffrey Ford. A king gets his comeuppance. 2 stars -
In fairy tales, whenever someone journeys into the forest, you just know something strange is about to occur and that the protagonist’s life is going to be changed forever. The same is true of the stories and poems featured in The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest. With this collection, editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling kicked off a series of young adult anthologies, each devoted to a particular theme. Here, the theme is wild nature, and most of the stories feature teenage characters who encounter the wilderness and undergo a coming-of-age experience there.
Of course, I have my favorites. Delia Sherman contributes a tale of the Faery Queen of Central Park, and the insecure girl who faces her in a battle of wits. ... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi... -
A wonderfully inspired selection of short stories and poems each with their own spin on the legendary “Green Man”. Find here a teenage girl plays a deadly game with the Queen of Central Park, a boy who risks his own life to help in a war, two girls who wish for their lives to change with unexpected results and many more.
The tales range from humorous to untamed and mystical, but each contains the power and mystery of the forest. The Green Man will take you from New York to Arizona, from fairy tale to present. With authors like Patricia Mckillip, Emma Bull, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Jane Yolen and many more, this fasinating collection will appeal to more than just fans of fantasy and mythology. -
An excellent collection of forest and nature spirit-themed tales, this kind of work is exactly what we need these days. Nature has never left us, but more and more we find ourselves leaving it; this anthology provides a refreshing return to the creative natural world, beautifully seen through both lighter and heavier lenses of fantasy. My only criticism is that there are one or two stories that for less smoothly into the theme, but it's not irksome enough to merit a snatched star. All of the writing is intriguing, and each tale provides a different twist on nature both in setting and in tone. Highly recommended for anyone wanting more environmental fantasy in their life, and for anyone who needs reminding of the very real magic in our green works.
