All the Hollow of the Sky

(Hardback)

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Description

Jedediah's father walked out of his life forty years ago. Now he's back. He won't apologise, he doesn't explain - and, impossibly, he hasn't aged a day.

If you asked the folks of Gyrford, they'd tell you Jedediah Smith looked up to his father. After all, Corbie Mackem was the Sarsen Shepherd: the man who saved the Smith clan from Ab, the terrifyingly well-meaning fey who blighted a whole generation with unwanted gifts.

Corbie was a good fairy-smith. And if he wasn't a good father, well, that isn't something Jedediah likes to talk about. Especially since no one knows where Corbie's body lies: the day of his son's wedding, forty-odd years ago, he set off to travel and was never seen again.

These days Jedediah is a respectable elder, more concerned with his wayward grandson John than with his long-buried past, and he has other problems on his mind. There's the preparations for Saint Clement's Day, and the odd fact that birds all over the county have taken to hiding themselves, and the misbehaviour of Left-Lop the pig - which has grown vegetation all over its back, escaped its farm and taken to making personal remarks at folks in alarmingly alliterative verse.

But then disaster strikes. Ab is back. And Corbie, thought long dead, returns to Gyrford - younger than his son . . .

"Prepare to be utterly enchanted!" Alison Littlewood, author of The Crow Garden

Reviews

It's a joy to return to the world of Gyrford and its fairy-smiths, where magic stalks the hillsides and encounters with the fey can be as perilous as their gifts. Settle in with this book and prepare to be enchanted! * Alison Littlewood, author of THE CROW GARDEN *
Engaging, believable characters who draw us into a world of walking bramble bushes and spectral, fire-breathing hounds . . . stands out for its depiction of a family deeply connected to a community, helping those who need it the most, regardless of the danger to themselves * THE GUARDIAN on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS *
As tart, dark and juicy as a summer pudding . . . combines power and poetry to serve up the perfect slice of folk Gothic * DAILY MAIL on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS *
It's warm, witty, compassionate, filled with People, with a village and woods in which it's sweet to get lost. Fellow Good Folk aficionados, I know you're out there, I know you should get this book the minute it's out * FRANCESCO DIMITRI, award-winning author of The Book of Hidden Things, on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS *
A beautiful exploration of masculinity, of what it means to . . . potentially have control over others, and how a person accepts responsibility * SFX on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS *
Power struggles, violence, mistakes and responsibility are threaded throughout the story. John is a strong, nuanced protagonist whose sound heart gives this book its warmth, even when things start to go wrong. Whitfield's world-building is detailed, the magic of this story is enticing and I found plenty to enjoy in this book * BETH O'BRIEN, DISABLED TALES, on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS *
I really loved In The Heart of Hidden Things * TERRI WINDLING, winner of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS *
As powerfully intelligent as it is entertaining, Whitfield's marvellously assured fantasy debut leads the reader into a mysterious world of fairy-smiths, weaving a gripping tale of trespass, revenge and responsibility * WATERSTONES on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS *
A very engaging novel * SFCROWSNEST on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THINGS *
One of 2022's more enjoyable discoveries . . . Whitfield studs the tale with artful digressions, which provide useful backstory without really interrupting the story. The prose is skilful and appropriate to a fairy tale * ISNT LIFE STRANGE on IN THE HEART OF HIDDEN THNGS *

Author Bio

Kit Whitfield was born in West London and brought up in Wiltshire and London, where she now lives with her husband and son in a neurodiverse family. She is the author of Bareback (published in the US as Benighted), which was shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and longlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award, and In Great Waters, which was nominated for the World Fantasy Award. Her fantasy duology In the Heart of Hidden Things and the sequel , All the Hollow of the Sky, are to be published by Jo Fletcher Books. You will find her on Twitter @KitWhitfield.