The Moon of Gomrath
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Fantasy | |
Publisher | William Collins, Sons |
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Publication date | 1963 |
Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
Preceded by | The Weirdstone of Brisingamen |
Followed by | Boneland |
The Moon of Gomrath is a fantasy story by the author Alan Garner, published in 1963. It is the sequel to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen.
Plot synopsis
Once again, it details the involvement of two children, Colin and Susan, with the world of myth and magic. This time the focus is on the potential of the older, wilder forms of magic and myth cycle to create both creative and destructive forces on the world.
To ease the surrender of the Weirdstone in The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, Susan was given a magical bracelet by Angharad Goldenhand. It is the donning of this bracelet which has launched Susan unwittingly on a destiny connected with the cycles of the moon and hence the older wilder powers of the world. The Moon of Gomrath begins when the elves (
However, her sojourn to other levels of existence has sensitised her to the powers with which she and her brother have been coming to associate and the story takes a new dramatic turn. On walking home across the Edge on dusk, they are inspired to build a fire to keep warm, Susan almost manically so. This fire includes rowan and pine which unintendedly act as a wendfire, which on this night of the year has the power to call ancient spirits from their mounds. Colin and Susan release the Wild Hunt, which return several times during the course of the novel.
While they are trying to undo what they have done, the
Background
Garner provides a sidelight on his authorial approach by including an appendix of books which inspired him, along with a brief discussion of his approach to mythology.
Garner repeatedly refused to write a third, despite persistent requests, claiming that this would actually diminish the emotional power of the first two books and that his material, interests and style have moved on long ago. However Boneland, the conclusion to the sequence, was finally published in August 2012.[2]