Most Popular Books by William Horwood

The epic first novel in the allegorical fantasy series about the romance and adventures of a community of moles is “a breathtaking achievement” (The Washington Post). The moles of Duncton Wood live in the shadow of Mandrake, a cruel tyrant corrupted by absolute power. A solitary young mole, Bracken, leads the fight to free them. Only by putting his trust in the ancient Stone, a forgotten symbol of a great spiritual past, can Bracken find the strength to challenge Mandrake’s darkness. When Bracken falls in love with Rebecca, Mandrake’s daughter, the moles must make life and death choices as their extraordinary search for freedom and truth begins. Together, Bracken and Rebecca will embark on moving journey that will challenge them in ways they could never have imagined. But can they save Duncton before it’s too late? “A passionate, lyrical, appealing tale . . . Consistently absorbing . . . Enchanting.” —Cosmopolitan “A great big mole-epic with a great big theme.” —Daily Mail

The moles of Duncton Wood face the ultimate test in the final novel of this classic fantasy trilogy inspired by the splendor of England’s countryside. The ruthless war against the Stone has almost been won by disciples of the Word—only wild Siabod and mysterious Beechenhill still hold out, and everywhere the followers of the Stone go in peril of their lives. Yet in the shadows of Duncton Wood, a new light is shining. For the Stone Mole has come, to revive the moles’ faith in themselves—and in the ancient power of the Stone—to defeat and deny the evil Word. But it is a task that will demand a greater sacrifice than any mole has yet to face . . .

This stunning continuation by William Horwood follows the further adventures of the four most beloved characters in English literature. In this new tale, we find the loyal companions approaching the autumn of their lives, reflecting on their many escapades and preparing to hand over River Bank to the next generation. When the future of the home they know and love suddenly comes under threat, all of the creatures, young and old, must rally together. Enriched once again by the outstanding illustrations of Patrick Benson, The Willows and Beyond is another captivating story for audiences and imaginations everywhere.

First volume in a trilogy concerning the future of the European wolf in a landscape destroyed by man. By the author of the ''Duncton'' novels.

The further escapades of four animal friends who live along a river in the English countryside--Toad, Mole, Rat, and Badger.

Now Moledom''s greatest tale can be told - from which all began and to which all is leading

As the moles face a devastating threat, a new hero must rise and lead the followers of the Stone in this sequel to the classic fantasy Duncton Wood. When Tryfan, son of Bracken and Rebecca, returns to the sacred Burrows of Uffington, he finds dreadful signs of death and destruction. For out of the chilly North have swarmed the grikes, a fanatical tribe of warrior moles bent on destroying all believers in the powers of the Stone. Tryfan’s duty is clear—to muster and protect the few remaining Stone followers from the evil that seems certain to engulf them. With only a frail and timid mole named Spindle for company, he sets off on an epic journey . . . But can he save his friends?

The fourth enchanting addition to Kenneth Grahame''s classic The Wind in the Willows - with the delightful illustrations of Patrick Benson. The twelve days of Christmas are fast approaching and Mole is planning to enjoy every one of them with his River Bank friends. So when the normally cheerful Toad despairs at the arrival of Mrs. Ffleshe, an impossibly rude houseguest who every year sets out to protect Toad from overindulgence, Mole must do something about it. But the plan he hatches with Ratty, Badger, and Otter goes horribly wrong. With the prospect of spending Christmas in jail, Mole will have to work hard if he is to salvage some Christmas spirit for his friends. The Willows at Christmas is the crowning achievement of William Horwood''s enchanting sequels to Kenneth Grahame''s The Wind in the Willows. The new story is set just after the original, but before Horwood''s critically acclaimed The Willows in Winter. It will give pleasure to the countless readers around the world who have reveled in each new work. Merry Christmas! "Lovers of The Wind in the Willows will feel at home and will laugh a lot with sheer pleasure." - The Times

Synopsis coming soon.......

Five-year-old Jimmy Rova is the unwanted child of a mother who rejects him, growing up among half-siblings who bully him. The one thing he can call his own is a pair of shoes, a present from the only person he feels has ever loved him. Only the arrival of his grandmother, and their move to a dilapidated house in the old fishing quarter of an east Kent coastal town - where the warm-hearted community befriends Jimmy and shows him how to love and be loved - reveals a way out. Based on his own remarkable childhood in south-east England after the Second World War and using all the skills that went into the creation of his modern classics Duncton Wood, Skallagrigg and The Willows in Winter, Horwood has created an inspiring story of childhood loss, personal survival and self-affirmation.

The adventure of a lifetime is just beginning . . . It has lain lost and forgotten for fifteen hundred years in the ancient heartland of England - a scrap of glass and metal melded by fierce fire. It is the lost core of a flawless Sphere made by the greatest of the Anglo-Saxon CraeftLords in memory of the one he loved. Her name was Spring and contained in the very heart of this work is a spark from the Fires of Creation. But while humans have lost their belief in such things, the Hydden - little people existing on the borders of our world - have not. Breaking the silence of centuries they send one of their own, a young boy, Jack, to live among humans in the hope that he may one day find what has been lost for so long. His journey leads him to Katherine, a girl he rescues from a tragic accident ¬- it''s a meeting that will change everything. It is only through their voyage into the dangerous Hyddenworld that they will realize their destiny, find love and complete the great quest that will save both their worlds from destruction. Their journey begins with Spring . . .

ONLY PROPHESY CAN HEAL TWO WORLDS One momentous evening, events are set in motion that will decide the fate of our world and the Hyddenworld - a land lying alongside our own, concealed from human eyes. As earth tremors ravage the Hyddenworld, a child of two worlds is born, a lost gem is found and the Hyddenworld''s sleeping Emperor finally wakes. And he requires a powerful gem to sustain his stricken body and time-worn spirit. These events signal the end of a normal life for Jack and his daughter. Judith must find her path as a woman of two worlds, as her unwelcome destiny calls her to unite four powerful gems, so keeping the earth from darkness with their light. If she fails, both human and hydden worlds will face extinction. And to triumph, she must embrace the help of friends - and the love of her greatest friend of all.

ONLY COURAGE CAN SAVE THEIR LANDS Winter has been unleashed upon the Hyddenworld by an angry Earth. And Judith, now the Earth''s unwilling ally and shield maiden, is powerless to intervene. Then while both human and Hydden lands wither, humans find their way into this secret realm - to destroy all that winter''s storms haven''t undone. The Hydden city of Brum now faces its darkest days; joining its greatest enemy to combat invaders. But ultimately, survival depends on its champions - Jack, Katherine and scrivener Bedwyn Stort. If they can locate a last gem, burning with fire and magic, devastation may be averted. But if the jewel fails to reach Juliet before winter''s end, human and Hyddenkind will pay the price. Yet his quest will cost Stort dearly. It requires him to finally let Juliet go; the epic love that''s sustained him. There is a solution, but is this buried too deep, lost beneath ice and snow?

The second enchanting sequel to Kenneth Grahame''s classic The Wind in the Willows.

Pumpkin leads the followers against the Newborns into retreat in Duncton Wood and all Moledom awaits the coming of the lost Book of Silence.

Presents an allegory of the concepts of imprisonment and freedom and love, honor, and loyalty

Brin-de-Fougère naquit par une nuit d''avril dans un terrier plein d''ombre et de chaleur, au plus profond du réseau de galeries du Bois Duncton, six années-taupe après la naissance de Rébecca. Ainsi commence l''histoire de Brin-de-Fougère et de Rébecca, de Boswell, la taupe-scribe d''Uffington, et du tyran Mandrake venu des lointains glacés du Siabod et qui règne sur la communauté du Bois Duncton.