Synopsis: In Wildwood, Prue and her friend Curtis uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval—a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics, and powerful figures with the darkest intentions. And what begins as a rescue mission becomes something much greater as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness. A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.

 

For the Writer: Wildwood is a crazy romp in the woods. The author writes not merely for clarity, but to set a tone, so that even in its darkest moments (no spoilers here), the story retains a quality of playing make-believe in the woods. Like the authors of Tunnels, Colin Meloy promises a fantasy roller coaster ride and he delivers. If you like roller coasters.

There seems to be a kind of hysteria, or manic quality to the writing that I found distracting. Its the kind of writing style where the Easter Bunny and Atilla the Hun share stories after a little too much schnapps, a malice in wonderland hallucination. As in Tunnels I kept wondering if the story was not running amok like an unruly, unedited first draft, not for its mistakes, but for its need of pruning imaginative tangents, which were growing like wild vines. At the same time, as in Tunnels, the author’s style is freeing. The excess makes the story fun and gives us writers the permission (do we need permission?) to tell a story the way we want to, irregardless of convention.