Duncton Wood

This was such a deeply satisfying read and resonated at such a level; it's a very spiritual book. It's a wonderful allegory on how society has tried to crush paganism but also how it will never succeed; and it uses the character of Mandrake to illustrate how dictators come into power.

The characters are so well written that you have to keep reminding yourself that the story is about moles. It's difficult not to become emotionally involved in the narrative, and even when Mandrake dies you feel pity for him - to me, that takes real skill. Anyone can write a one-dimensional villain, but Mandrake is a constant enigma -so powerful, but so many emotional chinks that are finally exploited to his ruin.

In many ways I wouldn't call this a fantasy novel - it's been called "Lord Of The Rings, but with moles". I feel that's a misnomer; to me it's a rites of passage story but with moles instead of humans. The ironic thing is by anthropomorphising the moles Horwood is able to bring his message across in a way that wouldn't have worked with humans. I cared more for the characters as moles than I probably would have had they been human, and certainly felt more for them. I really empathised with Bracken and Rebecca's personal journeys and their plights in many ways echoed my own.

I would recommend this book to anyone who feels they are on a spiritual path, or would like to learn about the old ways. This isn't about moles, not really, it's about life and the path that your life will take you on. It's a wonderful allegory and when I went over to Duncton earlier this year I managed to track down the great grandchildren of Bracken - the magic is still there, and I almost joined them!!