The woodcutter by Reginald Hill

The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the Woodcutter. It is a modern fairy tale with twists and turns and many layers but at its heart it is really an ageless story of a hero overcoming a set of trials. I really loved Reginald Hill's book the Stranger House but the woodcutter some how lacked something that the Stranger House had. I can't quite put my finger on it, but don't let that put you off, the Woodcutter is a fantastic thriller packed full of memorable characters, locations and suspense. There's some interesting symbolism in the story too, which you'd expect as one of the main characters is a psychiatrist. There are wolves, fairies and elves, dark woods, castles, woodcutters, betrayals, evil queens and benevolent Kings. But don't worry you can enjoy the story with out even bothering to think too deeply about the modern fairy tale imagery.

Also if you love Cumbria and the Lake District Reginald Hill describes his native county exquisitely I really felt that I was back there when reading some of the Cumbrian scenes.  


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