The Tapestry at Briarmount Abbey

The Book of the Holt #1.5

by Bradley Beaulieu

Rylan Holbrooke, dragon singer and part-time thief, travels to faraway Briarmount Abbey only to learn that the Sylvan Tapestry, the very thing he’d come to see, was stolen mere hours before his arrival. When signs point to the thieves having used magic to abscond with the ancient relic, it puts Rylan on edge—the last thing he wants to do on his holiday is tangle with a rogue witch—but he considers the matter too important and offers to search for the tapestry.

With the help of Vedron, his acid-spitting dragon, Rylan sets off to find clues. The trail leads him to the hills known as the Winding, which are said go be haunted by the Dancing Willow. The willow is home to a band of undead children who pray on the unwary or those foolish enough to remain in the Winding for too long.

Rylan digs deeper and discovers the theft is related to the willow. In fact, the theft’s origins can be traced all the way back to Black Aerlath, the terrible day when the willow was made and the children were turned into haunting specters. The children didn’t deserve their fate, and Rylan is desperate to help them, but it seems as though the local constabulary, the willow, even the abbey itself, are all working against him.

Genres: Fantasy

122 pages, Hardcover

Published March 26, 2024

Reviews

[Joel Adamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, disclosure: I was asked to read and review this novella by Bradley P. Beaulieu after he noticed my review of The Dragons of Deepwood Fen, a book that disappointed me after years of being a huge fan of his work. That much-anticipated novel is set in an interesting world that was obscured by an overly-complicated plot and too many POV characters (over eight in the first few chapters). This novella, on the other hand, features just Rylan Holbrooke, the dragon singer and thief, kind of a Robin Hood with a flying lizard.

This is a simple story that illuminates the world and gives off a lot of epic fantasy vibes. In other words, fantasy is often about setting, and the kinds of magic that can be found in a particular place. Rylan and Hollis (who is also in DoDF) are taking a little jaunt into the hills of The Holt to see a magical tapestry at Briarmount Abbey. Of course, when they get there, the thing has been stolen. Fantasy hijinks ensue, with Rylan chasing down the thieves and finding just how thick the plot is. The plotting in this novella, however, is only minimally confusing, the level of confusion I expect and can easily let go for a future re-read.

I would rate this one as a slightly-better-than-okay fantasy novella. I wish I could rate it higher, but I wasn't really looking forward to picking it up because of its parent novel, and once I started reading it, it was only slightly more-than-baseline interesting. A good story, but not compelling enough to really eat it up. There should be more fantasy in settings like this, that remember what is cool about fantasy, about sacred space and connection to mysteries of nature. This novella does that well, and for that alone, it's worth reading.

[Justin Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent addition to The Book of the Holt. I really enjoyed Rylan’s adventure at Briarmount. The story behind the tapestry was particularly enthralling, evoking folklore and old myths, and as ever, the action, characterization, and worldbuilding were top notch. I hope we get more novellas in this world.

[Garrett Olinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much more than a YA book, despite the cursing. Add to the back ground of the main series

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick return to the Holt as Rylan investigates a missing, magic tapestry.

Compared to the first novel, this novella benefits from a tighter focus.