Search Worlds Without End

As the pre-mythagos in each of our heads will naturally vary according to our experience, so the wood would manifest differently were new people to spend time among its trees. What then might we see?

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Robert Holdstock's seminal fantasy novel Mythago Wood (winner of the World Fantasy Award and British Fantasy Award), Heartwood for the first time opens Holdstock's world to other writers. From new tales of Ryhope and Oak Lodge to strange encounters with mythagos further afield, this groundbreaking anthology revisits the old pathways and cuts new tracks through the undergrowth, drawing ever closer to the mysteries of Lavondyss -- the Old Forbidden Place at the heart of the wood.

Contents:

• Introduction: The Matter of Albion - essay by Michael Moorcock
• Transient in Green - short story by R. J. Barker
• Paved with Gold - short story by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Here There Be Monsters - short story by Tim Waggoner
• Raptor - short story by Maura McHugh
• Horsey Horsey - short story by James Brogden
• Et in Acadia - short story by John Langan
• The Crossing Place - short story by Paul Kane
• What Happened to the Green Boy? - short story by Gary Budden
• The Dog on the Hookland Road - short story by Justina Robson
• Voici les Neiges d'Antan - short story by Chaz Brenchley
• Old Coal - short story by Mark Morris
• The Myth of Grief - short story by Steven Savile
• Into the Heart - short story by Allen Stroud
• Lovely, Dark and Deep - short story by Lisa Tuttle
• Prey - short story by Matthew Ward
• Mad Pranks and Merry Jests - short story by Jen Williams
• Hearts of Ice - short story by Peter Haynes
• Calling the Tune - short story by Lucy Hounsom
• The Known Song - short story by Aliya Whiteley
• Knight of the Air - short story by Gareth Hanrahan

Stasya lives in an isolated farming village on the edge of the mysterious Heartwood Forest with her unusual dog for company. Thought odd by the locals, she is tolerated for her rare gift with animals. Engaging with her fellow humans is difficult, with one goatherd Lukas, who shares her love of storytelling.

The peace of Heartwood is shattered when a group of soldiers descends, under orders from the Ruler of the Northlands. Their to hack a path through the forest and find the fabled treasure said to lie deep within. Under the grueling decree, Stasya's village falls into chaos. The task is clearly impossible. The forest is alive with bears and wolves, and the old tales speak of evil spirits, monsters and uncanny beings. Nobody has ever gone deep into Heartwood Forest and returned safe and well.

When Stasya raises her voice in protest she is removed from her beloved home and transported to court -- a different world. Word of her special skills has reached the Ruler's ears, and Lady Elisabeta has a job for her. But Stasya will not break her vow to protect the forest, even under the most appalling threat. Help comes from an unlikely quarter.

Secrets abound; dangers lie everywhere; and it is hard to tell friend from foe. As Stasya and her band of unlikely allies embark on a perilous mission, it becomes apparent that uncanny forces may indeed be involved. Maybe the old tales of the Hermit are true.

A dying tree, a desperate quest, a love story, a last stand.

Chonrad, Lord of Barle, comes to the fortified temple of Heartwood for the Congressus peace talks, which Heartwood's holy knights have called in an attempt to stave off war in Anguis. But the Arbor, Heartwood's holy tree, is failing, and because the land and its people are one, it is imperative the nations try to make peace.

After the Veriditas, or annual Greening Ceremony, the Congressus takes place. The talks do not go well and tempers are rising when an army of warriors emerges from the river. After a fierce battle, the Heartwood knights discover that the water warriors have stolen the Arbor's heart. For the first time in history, its leaves begin to fall...

The knights divide into seven groups and begin an epic quest to retrieve the Arbor, and save the land.

Year after year, season after season, for as long as Darak's people could remember, the battle of the Oak and the Holly had taken place, bringing an end to Winter and the rebirth of Spring. But this year the battle went wrong as Darak's brother became possessed by the spirit of the Holly. To free him, Darak must undertake a quest to restore the very balance of nature.