The Green Man's Silence

Green Man #3

by Juliet E. McKenna

Daniel Mackmain has always been a loner. As a dryad’s son, he can see the supernatural alongside everyday reality, and that’s not something he can easily share. Perhaps visiting East Anglia to stay with Finele Wicken and her family will be different. They have their own ties to the uncanny.

But something is amiss in the depths of the Fens. Creatures Dan has never encountered outside folk tales are growing uneasy, even hostile. He soon learns they have good reason. Can he help them before they retaliate and disaster strikes the unsuspecting locals? Can the Green Man help Dan in a landscape dominated by water for centuries, where the oaks were cut down aeons ago?

A modern fantasy rooted in the ancient myths and folklore of the British Isles.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, British Literature

294 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 2, 2020

About the author

Juliet E McKenna is a British fantasy author living in the Cotswolds, UK. Loving history, myth and other worlds since she first learned to read, she has written fifteen epic fantasy novels so far. Her debut, The Thief’s Gamble, began The Tales of Einarinn in 1999, followed by The Aldabreshin Compass sequence, The Chronicles of the Lescari Revolution, and The Hadrumal Crisis trilogy. The Green Man’s Heir was her first modern fantasy inspired by British folklore in 2018. The Green Man’s Quarry in 2023 was the sixth title in this ongoing series and won the BSFA Award for Best Novel. The seventh book, in 2024, is The Green Man’s War.

Her 2023 novel The Cleaving is a female-centred retelling of the story of King Arthur, while her shorter fiction includes forays into dark fantasy, steampunk and science fiction. She promotes SF&Fantasy by reviewing, by blogging on book trade issues, attending conventions and teaching creative writing. She has served as a judge for the James White Award, the Aeon Award, the Arthur C Clarke Award and the World Fantasy Awards. In 2015 she received the British Fantasy Society’s Karl Edward Wagner Award. As J M Alvey, she has written historical murder mysteries set in ancient Greece.

Who’s to say what will come next?

Learn more about all of this at julietemckenna.com and on Twitter @JulietEMcKenna

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

More of this cracking series, this time set in the Fens, which a) is genius and b) takes Daniel the dryad's son out of the greenwood lands where he's got roots (ahaha sorry).

Lovely building sense of threat, with the supernatural creatures Dan and his swan maiden girlfriend are trying to help pretty menacing in their own right, and an absolutely wonderful sense of place. Brilliant end sequence that had me reading under the covers at night rather than leave it unfinished. English fantasy par excellence.

[Farah Mendlesohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the other two books. This was a pleasant enough read but I wasn't as engaged.

I think there are three problems:

The first is that the main character just doesn't feel as convincing: although his size is mentioned he doesn't seem to live in his body as a big guy--if anything he's written as if he is constantly noticing it, rather than moving with it--and this has a knock on effect with the "romance" which for all he wants to sleep with Finele doesn't seem to extend to his body.

The romance is the second problem: maybe it's supposed to be anaemic? maybe it's supposed to fizzle out? But at the moment it feels like they are supposed to fancy each other because... but neither of them really does and they are going through the motions.

Finally and what I thought was the real let down: the villain is a cartoon. We never get to know him, he's utterly obnoxious and everyone thinks he is utterly obnoxious. It doesn't make for much tension.

[Cameron Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great slice of rural fantasy dripping with English folklore - these books are pretty much made for me. Urban fantasy without the hustle and bustle and more on the natural locations and their eerie denizens is just what I want right now.

[imyril is not really here any more · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another folkloric adventure for Dan Mackmain when a trip to meet his new girlfriend’s mum turns into a difficult mission to stop a would-be magician enslaving the local spirits. The Fenland setting and menacing hobs, sylphs and nereids really make this one. And that ominous ending has me ever so keen to see where McKenna takes this series next.

3.5 stars

[BrokenMnemonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this series out of order on and off for a few years now, and I really enjoy it. The combination of the mysteries being set in rural areas around the UK and the use of beings from folklore that I recognise but haven't seen used much in urban fantasy stories gives this series a flavour that I really like. I don't think I've ever read a story set in the fens in East Anglia before, although I know the area a little; the area has a unique feel that's captured so very well in this book, from the sense of space to the unsettling nature of the roads that rise above all the drained marshland and the proximity to water everywhere.

[Jacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Mackmain is the son of a dryad and a human man which gives him an affinity for wood. He can see creatures on the supernatural spectrum, he heals fast and he's likely to have a long life, if nothing kills him first, but he doesn't have superpowers of instant magic. Since he keeps getting involved with supernatural problems, sometimes it seems as if almost everything is out to get him, but, as he's proved in the two previous Green Man books, he's a survivor. Now with a regular woodworking job at Blythehurst, and in a new-ish relationship with Fin, a swan maiden from a family of swan-folk, he's visiting the Fens at the invitation of Fin's mother. Payback time for their previous help with another problem. Fin and her mum are worried that the supernaturals who inhabit the area have been strangely quiet, recently and they hope that Dan can establish why. Together with Fin he has to contend with aggressive hobs and the sylphs – and they're just the good guys. It turns out that someone is searching for a crystal that will allow him to control the supers, who in turn will lead him to what he hopes is buried treasure. He's actually about to disturb something much more lethal that's lurking underground. Unfortunately, in the Fens, there are few trees and the Green Man, who has been a guiding a motivating presence in previous books, is strangely silent. There's a lot of rich detail here infused with day to day life, but we realise pretty quickly that Dan isn't going to get a holiday. The pace picks up gradually to a terrifying climax. Highly recommended. You could read this as a standalone but I recommend reading The Green Man's Heir and The Green Man's Foe first.

[Bel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleased to see that this series was visiting the fens, since to me that is a uniquely weird and potentially creepy part of the country with an interesting history. I also enjoyed the introduction to new mythical beings like hobs and sylphs. I kind of appreciate that the romance is so down-to-earth that it's barely there. Dan has connected with a woman who can understand things about his life, and they are seeing each other in an on-and-off way without drama while he waits for her to decide how she feels. They meet each other's parents. It's quite grown up and realistic.

Something about the execution of these books continues to fall a little flat to me though. The antagonist - again - is rarely onscreen, and the peril feels at one remove when we are provided with such insane minutiae of the protagonist's thoughts. I found the series interesting and unchallenging enough to finish off the trilogy, only to find that this volume ends on a (no way it's a cliffhanger - they never manage that much tension) promise of more to come. Being disappointed that the series hasn't ended is not a good sign!

[Aliki Ekaterini Chapple · Rating 2 out of 5]

The dullest of McKenna’s Green Man series, and the only one in which I really, really noticed how little she knows the country she is writing about.

[Alistair Robb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel Mackmain has always been a loner. As a dryad’s son, he can see the supernatural alongside everyday reality, and that’s not something he can easily share. Perhaps visiting East Anglia to stay with Finele Wicken and her family will be different. They have their own ties to the uncanny.

But something is amiss in the depths of the Fens. Creatures Dan has never encountered outside folk tales are growing uneasy, even hostile. He soon learns they have good reason. Can he help them before they retaliate and disaster strikes the unsuspecting locals? Can the Green Man help Dan in a landscape dominated by water for centuries, where the oaks were cut down aeons ago?

A modern fantasy rooted in the ancient myths and folklore of the British Isles.

I have been seduced by this series. I almost gave up on the first book but persevered and was hooked by the time I got a third of the way through. This book takes us away from the North and the Cotswolds to an area I know well the Fens or at least the western edges of East Anglia. Here we see the growing relationship between Dan Mackmain and the swan princess Fin Wicken and find ourselves rooting for them to stay together. Also it's the first yime we see a small glimmer of an overarching story to tie these books together.

If you are a fan of British folk-fantasy such as The Dark is Rising sequence, Alan Garner's Alderly series or Robert Holdstock's Mythago books you'll love these.

[Nighteye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I'm done with the green man's silence, very good book. Well written, nice new characters.
Like the deepening relationship with the swan lady, intresting archeological focus and the issues focusing and resolving around new folklore creatures. Some whom are similar to the Swedish ones.

Here in Sweden I sometimes on the guided folklore walking tours with Sweden History Tours take up our death vaesen The lantern man: lyktgubben.
He is a man who have moved the boundaries a bit to get more land and after his death his mortal delaying body can't get rest but walks every night from the grave along the right border to try to set it back. Shows himself in spirit form as a single moving light... often close to bogs (sump gas) to lure travellers to a watery death and your soul to hell as the body is not put in hallowed ground. It can also show you home if you're lost and you give it money or something as a payment.

[Steven Poore · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a while at the end there, I was a little miffed that the main villain got such short shrift in this third Green Man adventure from Juliet E McKenna. Thinking on it more though, you can see that he isn't actually all that important in the scheme of things. McKenna uses this book to show the larger dangers beyond dodgy archaeologists in the Fens, setting up a deeper narrative beyond the one-off adventures that Dan Mackmain has had before. Dan really is in deep waters this time round as well, completely out of his element.
More excellent work, guaranteeing I'll be back for another installment!

[Martin Owton · Rating 5 out of 5]

All you really need to know is that The Green Man's Silence keeps up the standard of the previous books. As previously Juliet McKenna delves deeply into English regional folklore, this time in the East Anglian Fen country, and comes up with tales and spirits I had never heard of as Dan goes to meet the family of his new girlfriend who can turn into swans. This very much looks like it is turning into a continuing series and I will continue to buy them.

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Centred around the fen country near Ely, this book again shows McKenna's interest in English folklore and that she can turn it into well worth reading matter. The fens - where I lived as a teenager, though further south - can be an eerie place, even today when much land has been reclaimed, mostly for farming.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much love this series of books - excellent modern fantasy, based on ancient English folk tales. The only complaint I have of this one is that it's such an easy read that I finished it too fast!

[Heebson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a drop off in quality in this series.
I really enjoyed the first book. Modern folkloric fantasy is relatively rare on my shelf (really enjoyed Mark Chadbourne a long time back). It really gives a great frisson with our own lived experience.
I’ve liked how each book has introduced new folklore characters, but it seems like it’s not actually building to anything. The complete lack of the Green Man in this book seems like an inexplicable miss for building a series/sequence.
The books can be a bit linear, but the lack of complexity of the plot really made this stand out. Describing every time Dan washes dishes and, er, washes his car!? is poor writing. Feels like wiring class exercises pasted in.
It’s something to say that an earlier battle for Dan felt more vital than the big boss battle - as he had agency in the former.
Frankly it seems like Dan is becoming more anaemic as we go along - his love of a pint seems to have evaporated, sexual attraction between to apparently gorgeous specimens is only obliquely mentioned, apart from one instance, violence - even self-defence - is eschewed. This would be all fine if there hadn’t been a huge change from book 1 to book 3.
I would probably read one more in this series - as the subject matter really appeals - but if the plot & characterisation doesn’t get back to book 1, it will be the last.
(Btw - per other reviews, the villain is absent too much, but contrary to some, I loved how the author conjured up such an unpleasant character so efficiently!)

[Carro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third book in series, enjoyed it, up to the standard of the first two.

Daniel Mackmain is half dryad, which gives him the ability to see supernatural creatures, and heals far better than an ordinary human. In the first two books of the series he was contacted by the Green Man who had jobs for him - contacted by dreams and hints, nothing as simple as a letter. In this book he is off to the fens to visit his new girlfriend Fin and her family (who shape shift into swans) and then a hob comes knocking - pretty much literally - demanding help and trying to get something for nothing.
This book wraps in an atmospheric description of the fens, a collection of interesting old buildings, a range of supernatural creatures from East Anglian myths, the Elizabethan astrologer and possibly sorcerer John Dee and a well written mystery adventure as Daniel, Fin and friends and relatives of Fin work out what the villain is up to and try to stop him.

[S. Naomi Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Another excellent episode in the life of Daniel Mackmain. Full review to follow soonly.

[Graculus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed the previous two books in this series ( The Green Man's Heir and The Green Man's Foe ), buying this was pretty much a no-brainer, though it's taken me a while to get around to reading it - I've also dispensed with my usual re-read of the previous books in a series since Mount TBR is currently threatening to crush me to death if I take that kind of detour back into things I've already read.

The basic premise of the story is that Dan, the protagonist of all these books, is taking a long-awaited holiday and visiting his new girlfriend's family in the Fens. It's always a bit tense, meeting the parents for the first time, and the last thing Dan needs is a supernatural mystery popping up to complicate things - naturally, since that's the last thing he wants, this is what he finds himself embroiled in. This time around it's a mystery involving the hobs, supernatural creatures who look after people's homes, and sylphs, which are spirits of the air. A snobbish former professor is desperately searching for a way to control them and that's not going to end well for anyone.

I have to admit, I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the previous one and I think it's because of the pacing. There's a hell of a lot going on in terms of plot and more characters involved than the earlier two books and I think the pacing suffers because of it. There are more moving pieces, so more things need explaining and fleshing out, which is always a bit of a potential problem when you're committed to a first person narrative.

It's still an enjoyable read, though, and I doubt my minor issues with this book will stop me buying the next one in the series whenever it appears.

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This further set of adventures takes Dan right out of his comfort zone – not much in the way of forests and trees out on the Fens. And he’s staying over with Fin’s family – people he doesn’t want to let down, particularly as he isn’t completely sure about where his ongoing relationship with her is going. To complicate things further, the Green Man isn’t saying much about the emerging crisis, either.

McKenna has been clever in moving Dan away from his usual haunts, where we already know he has a certain amount of power. Now, both personally and as half-Fae, he is out of his depth. It was enjoyable to learn more about Fin and her background – seeing her within her own family and contrasting her sense of belonging, in comparison to Dan’s sense of isolation, brought home why he is quite so wary. It also nicely raised the stakes when recalling his criminal record, so that when problems get sufficiently out of hand to come to the attention of the police, Dan is at an immediate, major disadvantage. This further compromises him, as he deals with an entitled, arrogant character very sure of his own place in the scheme of things.

Once again, the fae characters ping off the page with their sense of otherness and evident threat – the hobs and their unnerving powers, and those sylphs… Who knew that creatures of the air could be so lethal? McKenna further flexes her skill in writing action with a particularly dramatic fight scene in the middle of a storm that had me holding my breath when Dan and his landrover take a beating. It makes a doozy of a climax.

While The Green Man’s Silence can be read as a standalone, I recommend you get hold of at least one of the other books in the series first, in order to get the best out of this outstanding book. Highly recommended for fantasy fans who are looking for well-written fae adventures with a difference.
10/10

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dan takes a few days off to go help Fin and the swan shifters with a local issues. But he never gets any specific orders from the Green Man, so he spends a lot of time not knowing what he is there to do.

A local academic has been accused of stealing papers written by John Dee, and then he tears the family home up and runs off; the house Hob shows them that he took a crystal ball.

But what is he going to do with it?

An interesting spin on the damage knowing a little of the wrong type of knowledge can do. We are never told what he is looking for; they assume it is treasure. But he upsets all the local magic creatures, and may even bring a worst thing down on them, when Dan and Fin realise that a wyrm has laid eggs IN the treasure hoard. And the last thing any of them want is another wyrm hatching.

If only because the sea creatures have said they will flood the whole region to kill the nest.

I am not sure why this one didn’t work for me. Lots of reaction to a cartoonishly bad villain?

solid 3 stars.

[Stephen Whq · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third adventure of Daniel Mackmain, on the face of it a pleasant ordinary bloke who sees supernatural creatures because his mum is a dryad. In this book his ?mentor the Green Man is pretty silent... Mackmain is off to the Fens for a scrap that brings together Dr John Dee, an archaeological looter, swan maidens up for a scrap, sneaky hobs and dangerous sylphs... and we find out why all those Saxon relics have wyrms on them.

Mackmain manages his usual mix of common sense, courage, and supernatural insight in a world where mundane reality is only a shadow away from sinister powers.

[Carol Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I think, I read this out of order, not realising it was the 3rd in a series. I expected to enjoy it more...but reading out of sequence might be the problem. It was the references to things that had come before, the feeling of not being part of the conversation, of being left out...you know? So I might have scored higher if I felt more part of what was going on. Anyhoo, the reworking of folklore, especially stroppy hobs and snippy sylphs appealed very much to me. Beautiful descriptions of the fens, and a plot which occasionally became over convoluted as the characters tried to work their way around various obstacles, but overall it was my kind of book.

[Emma Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant third episode! I enjoyed it every bit as much as the first two, loads of folklore (a passion of mine), the usual excellent cast of characters, and a truly obnoxious adversary. Francis Pryor's book on the Fens and its history is credited for some of the inspiration, he has a lovely and entertaining Twitter thread for anyone interested. It's a satisfyingly long read too, with hobs, sylphs and other supernaturals involved. Not going to say more about the plot - buy it and read it yourselves!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, the third in the Green Man series. I enjoy fantasy novels in general and this is series is one of the few I've read that sets fantasy elements in the modern world and it works so well. I really like the main character and enjoyed seeing more of Fin and her family this time round. I look forward to seeing what the Green Man has in store for Dan in the next installment. I hope for many more novels following his adventures!

[Mick Staplehurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who to believe?

Based as it is on existing legends, myths and folk tales it is surprisingly easy to suspend disbelief whilst reading. I found myself having to put the book down at certain points because I was becoming too invested in the problems the characters were experiencing.
Everybody will make their own decisions on the book but as far as I’m concerned it’s a damn good read.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Green Man's Silence

Dan is invited by Fin's mother Helen to stay with them in the Fens. Soon it becomes clear something is happening in the area and Dan soon finds himself involved.
Juliet E McKenna has written another brilliant book in The Green Man series.
The novel is fast paced and I found it impossible to put down.
I do hope Juliet writes another book in the series as I would love to find out what happens to Dan next.
Highly recommended.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2023/1...

This one introduces some interesting new supernatural characters, but the plot is pretty boring. The protagonist goes with his new love interest to visit her mom, and of course they get caught up in shenanigans, but it's just like, there’s a guy up to no good and they have to watch him and stop him. I still enjoy the characters a lot so I’ll keep going with this series, but I didn’t enjoy this one as much. B.

[Sam Worby · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable book based on British folklore. Generally fun and action-packed, and the climax was great. The plot was a bit contrived and overly complex, not enhanced by the pedestrian POV of the main character (his careful, thorough, explicit approach works in character BUT works best with action not planning scenes). Still, overall a solid addition to a series I plan to keep reading.

[Runalong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very entertaining adventure win this ongoing series but this time the format is subtlety played with so it’s doesn’t become overly familiar. Magic, myth and history all collide on a fun way

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[David H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun entry in this series, which I find easy to plow through. I was also amused because I think this is the first book that's even touched on a place I've visited in England. A few parts kind of dragged unfortunately (the "let's try to figure out what to do" discussion can be annoying when they have no idea).