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Duncton Chronicles #2
Duncton Quest
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?
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?
926 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
64 people are currently reading
813 people want to read
About the author
William Horwood
43 books250 followersWilliam Horwood is an English novelist. His first novel, Duncton Wood, an allegorical tale about a community of moles, was published in 1980. It was followed by two sequels, forming The Duncton Chronicles, and also a second trilogy, The Book of Silence. William Horwood has also written two stand-alone novels intertwining the lives of humans and of eagles,
The Stonor Eagles and Callanish
, and The Wolves of Time duology. Skallagrigg, his 1987 novel about disability, love, and trust, was made into a BBC film in 1994. In addition, he has written a number of sequels to
The Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame.
In 2007, he collaborated with historian Helen Rappaport to produce Dark Hearts of Chicago, a historical mystery and thriller set in nineteenth-century Chicago. It was republished in 2008 as City of Dark Hearts with some significant revisions and cuts under the pen name James Conan.
In 2007, he collaborated with historian Helen Rappaport to produce Dark Hearts of Chicago, a historical mystery and thriller set in nineteenth-century Chicago. It was republished in 2008 as City of Dark Hearts with some significant revisions and cuts under the pen name James Conan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
January 2, 2016
This absorbing book is the second of a series that I am re-reading after many years and I am enjoying them all over again. There is a lot more depth in the books than just reading them on the surface level as animal stories. I am enjoying them very much.
December 31, 2020
Ah, that was so much better. With the loss of all the stuff I disliked about book one (there is one incestual rape but we only hear about it third hand; we don’t get a sickening play-by-play like we did in the first book) all the stuff I did actually like about the first book gets more room to shine; mainly the world-building and the characters.
I’m always seeing this book compared to Watership Down, The Wind in the Willows and The Lord of the Rings but, for my money, it reminds me far more of The Chronicles of Narnia and the Star Wars saga... and The Bible, of course, because of the obvious religious parallels.
I’m really hoping book three continues like this and doesn’t return to all the mole-shagging from book one.
I’m always seeing this book compared to Watership Down, The Wind in the Willows and The Lord of the Rings but, for my money, it reminds me far more of The Chronicles of Narnia and the Star Wars saga... and The Bible, of course, because of the obvious religious parallels.
I’m really hoping book three continues like this and doesn’t return to all the mole-shagging from book one.
July 14, 2010
This is the sequel to the book Duncton Wood, where William Horwood first introduced the idea of moles and told us the tale of Rebecca and Bracken. Here we pick up the story with their son, Tryfan. We journey with him as he learns his task for the Stone; as he watches the rise of the Word and evil Henbane; and as he loves and loses the one mole he's destined for.
As the title suggests, this novel concerns a quest - ultimately for the Stone Mole, who is prophesied to be coming to aid moledom and the Stone in their darkest hour. Tryfan is heavily involved in this coming of the Stone Mole, as he travels firstly to the Wen and meets sweet Feverfew, then goes north to Whern, the dark heart of the Word.
Horwood's strength is the characters he introduces in this book. We have a large cast of extremely characterful and colourful moles, from the scribes Boswell and Tryfan to the ex-grikes Alder and Marram. I particularly love Mayweed - he, alone, grants this book an extra star above what it might have received from me. His loquacious language and wonderful vulnerability are lovely to read about. Considering the massive cast, each receives enough screentime to be well-developed and take their rightful place in the story.
The same issues I had with Duncton Wood raise their heads here - there are some problems with pacing, mainly with the passage into the Wen which is both dreary in description and slow to read through. In this book a new side to this is added with the extremely loooooong monologues by Tryfan about the nature of faith and how to worship the Stone properly. I understand that his character is meant to preach the coming of the Stone Mole and lead moles to accept the Stone, but it is very dull - especially if you don't feel faith for a religion yourself.
The internal consistency is all over the place, for a number of reasons. The first is that this book was clearly written when the first ended up being successful, since it seems tacked onto Duncton Wood by the most tenuous of links. The rise of the Word, the prophecies about the Stone Mole, the history of Scirpus, Rune's true nature - none of these were even hinted at in the first book, so here the information is rather thrown at the reader with large sections of exposition.
I just do not get how moledays, molemonths and moleyears fit into human terms of time. Horwood had a brief go at explaining the way the moleyears are actually months for humans, but then trampled all over that logic by having Boswell and Rune survive for a ridiculous length of time.
Thirdly, in the original book, it seemed very much as though Stone worship was a simple allegory for paganism, what with using standing stones as a focus and Avebury being an important system. The importance of Midsummer and Longest Night as the times that moles came out to worship in strength also lent impetus to this idea. However, in this book, I'm not entirely sure that the Stone is paganism, what with the coming of the Stone Mole, which has a huge parallel with the coming of Christ. The snoutings performed by the mole of the Word could be seen as similar to crucifictions. Basically, I'm confused! At least it is easy to tell that we need to be rooting for the moles of the Stone to succeed!
Another couple of issues with the prose is that using terms such as 'somemole' and 'nomole' really jar you out of the flow of the words. Plus I had no appreciation for the simplistic and folksy rhymes that accompany healing and worship.
Lastly, I had a terrible time reading some of the descriptions of the woundings done in the name of the Word, especially the graphic snoutings and the attack on Tryfan. Deeply uncomfortable. We avoided explicit sex scenes this time round, but the sighings and ecstacy and other choices of words Horwood used were just wrong!
I enjoyed the book overall and will complete my read of the trilogy (the third book being Duncton Found), but I certainly don't agree with the review emblazoned on the back of my paperback copy that states this novel bears comparison with the Lord of the Rings. It most certainly doesn't, and isn't the enchanting read suggested, but it is just interesting enough.
As the title suggests, this novel concerns a quest - ultimately for the Stone Mole, who is prophesied to be coming to aid moledom and the Stone in their darkest hour. Tryfan is heavily involved in this coming of the Stone Mole, as he travels firstly to the Wen and meets sweet Feverfew, then goes north to Whern, the dark heart of the Word.
Horwood's strength is the characters he introduces in this book. We have a large cast of extremely characterful and colourful moles, from the scribes Boswell and Tryfan to the ex-grikes Alder and Marram. I particularly love Mayweed - he, alone, grants this book an extra star above what it might have received from me. His loquacious language and wonderful vulnerability are lovely to read about. Considering the massive cast, each receives enough screentime to be well-developed and take their rightful place in the story.
The same issues I had with Duncton Wood raise their heads here - there are some problems with pacing, mainly with the passage into the Wen which is both dreary in description and slow to read through. In this book a new side to this is added with the extremely loooooong monologues by Tryfan about the nature of faith and how to worship the Stone properly. I understand that his character is meant to preach the coming of the Stone Mole and lead moles to accept the Stone, but it is very dull - especially if you don't feel faith for a religion yourself.
The internal consistency is all over the place, for a number of reasons. The first is that this book was clearly written when the first ended up being successful, since it seems tacked onto Duncton Wood by the most tenuous of links. The rise of the Word, the prophecies about the Stone Mole, the history of Scirpus, Rune's true nature - none of these were even hinted at in the first book, so here the information is rather thrown at the reader with large sections of exposition.
I just do not get how moledays, molemonths and moleyears fit into human terms of time. Horwood had a brief go at explaining the way the moleyears are actually months for humans, but then trampled all over that logic by having Boswell and Rune survive for a ridiculous length of time.
Thirdly, in the original book, it seemed very much as though Stone worship was a simple allegory for paganism, what with using standing stones as a focus and Avebury being an important system. The importance of Midsummer and Longest Night as the times that moles came out to worship in strength also lent impetus to this idea. However, in this book, I'm not entirely sure that the Stone is paganism, what with the coming of the Stone Mole, which has a huge parallel with the coming of Christ. The snoutings performed by the mole of the Word could be seen as similar to crucifictions. Basically, I'm confused! At least it is easy to tell that we need to be rooting for the moles of the Stone to succeed!
Another couple of issues with the prose is that using terms such as 'somemole' and 'nomole' really jar you out of the flow of the words. Plus I had no appreciation for the simplistic and folksy rhymes that accompany healing and worship.
Lastly, I had a terrible time reading some of the descriptions of the woundings done in the name of the Word, especially the graphic snoutings and the attack on Tryfan. Deeply uncomfortable. We avoided explicit sex scenes this time round, but the sighings and ecstacy and other choices of words Horwood used were just wrong!
I enjoyed the book overall and will complete my read of the trilogy (the third book being Duncton Found), but I certainly don't agree with the review emblazoned on the back of my paperback copy that states this novel bears comparison with the Lord of the Rings. It most certainly doesn't, and isn't the enchanting read suggested, but it is just interesting enough.
November 8, 2015
Who doesn't love Mayweed?
Story about faith, love, and discovery.
Story about faith, love, and discovery.
March 1, 2021
!!!! IT’S FINISHED!!!!
It only took me six months... haha
Honestly so, so good. A great continuation of the Duncton story. It only took me so long as I’m a very slow reader and this is the longest book I’ve ever read! 916 pages!! Feeling pretty proud of myself! I’ve enjoyed every page, I’ve cried, I’ve laughed and raged. William Horwood kicks Richard Adams, Watership Downs butt! It may be a long book but it’s filled with plot as opposed to description. The story is constantly moving and evolving, all the pages are taken up with the story. I’ve ordered the final book in the trilogy, and I can’t wait to see how the story ends. As the beginning and the middle have been fantastic! I would highly, highly recommend this book! 5/5!
It only took me six months... haha
Honestly so, so good. A great continuation of the Duncton story. It only took me so long as I’m a very slow reader and this is the longest book I’ve ever read! 916 pages!! Feeling pretty proud of myself! I’ve enjoyed every page, I’ve cried, I’ve laughed and raged. William Horwood kicks Richard Adams, Watership Downs butt! It may be a long book but it’s filled with plot as opposed to description. The story is constantly moving and evolving, all the pages are taken up with the story. I’ve ordered the final book in the trilogy, and I can’t wait to see how the story ends. As the beginning and the middle have been fantastic! I would highly, highly recommend this book! 5/5!
April 7, 2024
The Duncton series about how love and acceptance can bring even those who seem completely lost back to the light and about how it is especially important to love the unloved and the weak because they carry the strongest light. It’s about forgiveness, repaying cruelty with kindness, coping with loss, supporting each other, doing the right thing and trusting in your faith to guide your path. It’s about taking strength from your faith and realising that although your God (whoever They may be) may seem absent His work is done through the small acts of kindness from other people you meet on the way. But most importantly, and I cannot stress this enough, it’s about telling Mayweed to shut up.
(ily Mayweed)
(ily Mayweed)
November 20, 2024
I liked this book even more than the first, namely because the characters and relationships introduced in this book were so rich and well-developed, even though they are constantly on the move. This book expands the universe of the first significantly, which can be a bit jarring, but I think Horwood pulled it off. The story kept my attention for 900 pages.
My only main complaint is that Rune's inclusion did not make sense temporarily and was entirely unnecessary for the story to work.
My only main complaint is that Rune's inclusion did not make sense temporarily and was entirely unnecessary for the story to work.
January 18, 2020
I've only read the first two of the Duncton Chronicles, and I've not read other books by this author yet, but I'm thinking surely this is his masterpiece. The writing is superb and the plot is wonderfully engaging. I stayed up quite late last night to finish this one, and will start the third today. What a Quest!! If you love quality fantasy, read this. I think it would be fine as a stand-alone, although the first book was solidly entertaining, too.
August 15, 2009
Very heavy on the Christian allegory. Can't say that I minded it much. Follows very much in the spirit of Watership Down in that it takes cute, fuzzy animals and makes a very, very serious and at times quite grim story about them. War! Torture! Incest! Religion! Not for children, really.
May 30, 2015
Horwood effortlessly draws his readers into a world so entrenched in lore and magic that it is bittersweet to reach the finale. Truly an unheralded , masterpiece in the literary world.
March 22, 2016
So here we have a continuation of my favourite series and this reread that I'm doing did not disappoint. I felt every emotion, every struggle and I could never stop loving this series.
December 5, 2021
I thought that this book was extremely clever indeed. Human conflicts weaved into the world of moles. absolutely amazing read. I would definitely recommend it There are two trilogies. All of them are around 6-850 pages.
November 27, 2021
This book and its prequel, "Duncton Wood," contain characters and story lines that will stay with the reader forever.
August 22, 2011
Duncton Quest, is a far darker book than Duncton Wood . Instead of Bracken and Boswell as Main Characters there is Tryfan (son of Bracken and Rebecca) and Spindle. And in the evil department there is Henbrane Daugther of Mandrake. The book starts were Duncton Wood ends. (It is hard to beleive the books were written almost nine years apart.) Disease, death and hatered are a main part of the book as moles who follow the "Word" take over those who follow the "stone". As a Stone beleiver, Tryfan struggles to keep faith in a world going dark. A number of characters from Duncton Wood appear in Duncton Quest. Listed as a childrens book in a written for adults. The book is FANTASTIC and easy to follow, even through in most chapters, you are following different groups of moles at the same time.
August 16, 2022
How much of the past does a good future hold?
This sequel to Duncton Wood is the second in a trilogy of anthropomorphic moles. It is billed as a love story... or rather a life story. Deeply spiritual and fable-like, it conveys both inspiration and a moral tone. This book is a bit darker than the first, and perhaps more tragic. It leaves the mental imprint of numerous word pictures pointing more or less to redemptive Christianity. I enjoyed this from the Kindle format, along with the excellent Audible narration over on the European market (a separate log-in from my Audible USA market account.) It is not quite a classic though it has been around for three decades.
It is not entirely a book for small children, unless you are reading aloud and skipping bits and pieces for younger ears. It has an adult world view that is quite remarkable. Add that to the fact that nature can be quite a bit more violent and arbitrary for animals than for even humans. It functions as a spiritual and social allegory that also is a commentary on protecting the environment and pandemics/ plague.
The series is highly to be recommended and is a beautiful continuing saga that will melt your heart in many different ways. If you've read books like War With the Newts, The Wind in the Willows, Watership Down; books that have anthropomorphic creatures, then this is for you. It is quite lengthy, and will take a while to read, but the ending is worth every page.
This sequel to Duncton Wood is the second in a trilogy of anthropomorphic moles. It is billed as a love story... or rather a life story. Deeply spiritual and fable-like, it conveys both inspiration and a moral tone. This book is a bit darker than the first, and perhaps more tragic. It leaves the mental imprint of numerous word pictures pointing more or less to redemptive Christianity. I enjoyed this from the Kindle format, along with the excellent Audible narration over on the European market (a separate log-in from my Audible USA market account.) It is not quite a classic though it has been around for three decades.
"Dissent breeds its own community, which in turn makes its own burrows and finds its own meeting places."
"...scribing comes from the heart not the talons."
It is not entirely a book for small children, unless you are reading aloud and skipping bits and pieces for younger ears. It has an adult world view that is quite remarkable. Add that to the fact that nature can be quite a bit more violent and arbitrary for animals than for even humans. It functions as a spiritual and social allegory that also is a commentary on protecting the environment and pandemics/ plague.
"Spindle’s view of the trees and roots and sky were obscured and fuzzed by Thyme’s fur, and his senses overtaken by the warmth of her body...
‘Spindle, I’m frightened,’ whispered Thyme, for she had heard the life inside her and its generations yet to be."
"...but mothers are never to be trusted before birth or after it. Before conception they will kill for a mate. After conception they wish to die. After birth they will kill for their young."
"‘A talon-thrust is easier to make than a piercing thought, a thought is harder to absorb than a talon-thrust."
The series is highly to be recommended and is a beautiful continuing saga that will melt your heart in many different ways. If you've read books like War With the Newts, The Wind in the Willows, Watership Down; books that have anthropomorphic creatures, then this is for you. It is quite lengthy, and will take a while to read, but the ending is worth every page.
July 23, 2018
Just so you know, I love William Horwood's writing. I think I said I read Duncton Wood when it originally came out, but I didn't know about the sequels until last year. I now own them all, and I urge you to read them.
Moles have relatively short lives, so the books follow generations of moles from Bracken and Rebecca to Tryfan to Bailey... . The primary journey of each is to find the STONE, worship it, and try to bring moledom back to the true faith. So the series is an allegorical tale in the same sense as C.S. Lewis's Narnia series and J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. As with them, not everything applies, some things are only applicable to moles. As a Chrisitian (and I've heard the warnings from others), I cringed at the war between the Word and those of the Stone. Of course in Christianity, the Word is Jesus Christ, and rocks are just rocks. But once you get away from that initial problem, you realize that the "Word" did not exist in the original quest for the Stone, so as a writer, there is a problem in continuing the series, if you are going to have a great opposing and evil force. What are you going to call it? So I give Horwood a pass and read the content of both. Nowhere do the followers of the Word exhibit excellent qualities. It is a violent and corrupt system born of corruption. The Stone followers have their faults, but on the whole, they strive to honor and believe in the Stone.
Horwood deserves a lot of credit for his insights into human (mole) mindsets and needs for something greater than themselves. If you get nothing else out of it, this is worth the read.
Moles have relatively short lives, so the books follow generations of moles from Bracken and Rebecca to Tryfan to Bailey... . The primary journey of each is to find the STONE, worship it, and try to bring moledom back to the true faith. So the series is an allegorical tale in the same sense as C.S. Lewis's Narnia series and J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. As with them, not everything applies, some things are only applicable to moles. As a Chrisitian (and I've heard the warnings from others), I cringed at the war between the Word and those of the Stone. Of course in Christianity, the Word is Jesus Christ, and rocks are just rocks. But once you get away from that initial problem, you realize that the "Word" did not exist in the original quest for the Stone, so as a writer, there is a problem in continuing the series, if you are going to have a great opposing and evil force. What are you going to call it? So I give Horwood a pass and read the content of both. Nowhere do the followers of the Word exhibit excellent qualities. It is a violent and corrupt system born of corruption. The Stone followers have their faults, but on the whole, they strive to honor and believe in the Stone.
Horwood deserves a lot of credit for his insights into human (mole) mindsets and needs for something greater than themselves. If you get nothing else out of it, this is worth the read.
January 30, 2019
(Read for my personal 2019 reading challenge: read a fantasy book)
I expected to enjoy this novel more. I gave the first instalment in the series, Duncton Wood, 4.5 stars when I read it in 2015. I don't pretend to remember the content of the previous book. So, maybe the issues I have with this second book existed in that one, too.
This book started off promising. It was comforting and easy to read, if not exactly riveting. To sum up, the main reasons I find this book inferior to the first one in the series are: I didn't care about these characters as much, I got tired of the heavy-handed Christian allegory, and the author didn't offer any profound reflections on society or any other topic.
The book lacked adventure, even though it was supposed to be an adventure. I think this is because I genuinely didn't care which moles died or were injured, since their characterization was forgettable. And every attempt at attaching a deeper meaning to the story was a restatement of some basic biblical tenet that required no effort on the author's part.
I expected to enjoy this novel more. I gave the first instalment in the series, Duncton Wood, 4.5 stars when I read it in 2015. I don't pretend to remember the content of the previous book. So, maybe the issues I have with this second book existed in that one, too.
This book started off promising. It was comforting and easy to read, if not exactly riveting. To sum up, the main reasons I find this book inferior to the first one in the series are: I didn't care about these characters as much, I got tired of the heavy-handed Christian allegory, and the author didn't offer any profound reflections on society or any other topic.
The book lacked adventure, even though it was supposed to be an adventure. I think this is because I genuinely didn't care which moles died or were injured, since their characterization was forgettable. And every attempt at attaching a deeper meaning to the story was a restatement of some basic biblical tenet that required no effort on the author's part.
January 30, 2018
The second of the mole books in the Duncton trilogy, we find the hero of the book, Tryfan, making a pilgrimage to the Uffington system with his scribemole mentor. When they get there they find the system overtaken by “grikes”, followers of the Word rather than the Stone. The grikes are systematically taking each system by force, so Tryfan heads back home to prepare Duncton for battle, then off into London (the Wen) to seek the Stone Mole.
The story features moles but they’re written as people, in societies, with relationships and struggles in life. The battle scenes are really well done and we really find ourselves rooting for Tryfan as the story unfolds. It’s no fairy story either. There is bloodshed and death, but also religion and supernatural happenings.
People (twofoots) and cars (roaring owls) are only background detail to this story, so wonderfully told, with great characters, even if they are moles.
The story features moles but they’re written as people, in societies, with relationships and struggles in life. The battle scenes are really well done and we really find ourselves rooting for Tryfan as the story unfolds. It’s no fairy story either. There is bloodshed and death, but also religion and supernatural happenings.
People (twofoots) and cars (roaring owls) are only background detail to this story, so wonderfully told, with great characters, even if they are moles.
February 16, 2020
Horwood's books are not all 800 pages long - al lot of 'Duncton' are. This makes for serious long reads. I read Duncton Quest several years ago when it first came out and had all but forgotten it except fort the feeling of evil being very well portrayed and frightening. Duncton Wood, the first book felt as if I came away with a feeling of love and a building up and spiritual growth (with a horrible rape scene) . But this was evil, wintery, long arduous treks, and disease. I wonder if the book could have been made into two books - leaving Tryfan and friends entering the Wen -or just leaving it.
But nevertheless there are no books that portray spirituality so truthfully as Horwood's. This is no exception. Tryfan's humilty, Mayweed's growth, Sleekit's turning, all shout love so loudly. There are very tragic and sad bits but hope shines through. The Stone Mole has arrived!
Now when will I read the third? I've had a copy since first publication. Don't wait for my review.
But nevertheless there are no books that portray spirituality so truthfully as Horwood's. This is no exception. Tryfan's humilty, Mayweed's growth, Sleekit's turning, all shout love so loudly. There are very tragic and sad bits but hope shines through. The Stone Mole has arrived!
Now when will I read the third? I've had a copy since first publication. Don't wait for my review.
April 9, 2024
Below the surface, deep within interconnecting and intertwining tunnels, a furious struggle for the heart and soul of Moledom is being waged. From the far north, a zealous and dogmatic force of miles who follow the Word will sweep south to struggle against the moles who believe in and honour the standing stones around which their society and beliefs are built.
Far greater in scope than Duncton Wood, Duncton Quest is very much a quest - a quest for true faith, true virtue, and hope amid great hardships. Tryfan, son of Bracken, is raked with a mighty journey to tell of the Stone and the prophesied Stone Mole as he and a band of colourful and unique moles aid him.
William Horwood, like in Duncton Wood, writes a hymn of British countryside from Duncton Wood itself and the rolling vale of the White Horse of Uffington to the wild and unforgiving wilderness of Siabod and the Welsh mountains to the few specks of greenery in the middle of London. The book is filled with gorgeous imagery of the natural world, the rhythms of the seasons fill the pages with flowers, trees, birds, and lives of moles. These moles are not cutesy anthropomorphic ones who live in a Disney-style harmony with each other but live, fight, mate, and die in the reality of the natural world.
Horwood’s former faith figures much more than in Duncton Wood, where the standing stones filled a vague deist role in the moles’ faith. Now, that faith is explicitly more Christian than before and deeply enriched the world and society of the moles. Faith in the Stone and the coming of the Stone Mole echoes C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia.
This is a surprisingly deep meditation on what faith, hope, community, and forgiveness mean, told almost allegorically through moles. And yet, it is a strongly-built example of world and character building, creating emotionally-resonant characters and a world in which you want to dwell. Horwood took a great idea in Duncton Wood and made it the seed not just of faith but of a whole world right beneath our feet.
Far greater in scope than Duncton Wood, Duncton Quest is very much a quest - a quest for true faith, true virtue, and hope amid great hardships. Tryfan, son of Bracken, is raked with a mighty journey to tell of the Stone and the prophesied Stone Mole as he and a band of colourful and unique moles aid him.
William Horwood, like in Duncton Wood, writes a hymn of British countryside from Duncton Wood itself and the rolling vale of the White Horse of Uffington to the wild and unforgiving wilderness of Siabod and the Welsh mountains to the few specks of greenery in the middle of London. The book is filled with gorgeous imagery of the natural world, the rhythms of the seasons fill the pages with flowers, trees, birds, and lives of moles. These moles are not cutesy anthropomorphic ones who live in a Disney-style harmony with each other but live, fight, mate, and die in the reality of the natural world.
Horwood’s former faith figures much more than in Duncton Wood, where the standing stones filled a vague deist role in the moles’ faith. Now, that faith is explicitly more Christian than before and deeply enriched the world and society of the moles. Faith in the Stone and the coming of the Stone Mole echoes C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia.
This is a surprisingly deep meditation on what faith, hope, community, and forgiveness mean, told almost allegorically through moles. And yet, it is a strongly-built example of world and character building, creating emotionally-resonant characters and a world in which you want to dwell. Horwood took a great idea in Duncton Wood and made it the seed not just of faith but of a whole world right beneath our feet.
March 17, 2018
I picked up the first book in this series in a second hand book store and have been searching far and wide to find Duncton Quest in order to carry on with this epic series that hooked me from the start.
The sequel is just as beautifully written as the first and introduces a whole new host of characters and even some beloved old ones. The story is darker and takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions from elation to heartbreak along with some well scattered comic relief. I am once again amazed at how complex Horwood's characters are and how memorable- Mayweed, for instance, has cemented himself in my heart forever.
The story can drag on sometimes and it's maybe too long but those can be my only criticisms.
The sequel is just as beautifully written as the first and introduces a whole new host of characters and even some beloved old ones. The story is darker and takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions from elation to heartbreak along with some well scattered comic relief. I am once again amazed at how complex Horwood's characters are and how memorable- Mayweed, for instance, has cemented himself in my heart forever.
The story can drag on sometimes and it's maybe too long but those can be my only criticisms.
March 21, 2024
A wonderful continuation of the first story, with Tryfan, born of Bracken and Rebecca, taking up the reins and travelling to Uffington with Boswell, where he is made a scribe mole.
This tale is much more bloody than the first book with a war going on between the believers in the Stone and the preachers of the Word.
I found I could not put it down, and wanted to keep going, to find out what happened next as the various characters encountered their arch enemies in various parts of the country, as they prepare for the coming of the Stone Mole, who will bring peace and harmony back to Duncton and the whole of Moledom.
Ready to move on to book 3 now.
This tale is much more bloody than the first book with a war going on between the believers in the Stone and the preachers of the Word.
I found I could not put it down, and wanted to keep going, to find out what happened next as the various characters encountered their arch enemies in various parts of the country, as they prepare for the coming of the Stone Mole, who will bring peace and harmony back to Duncton and the whole of Moledom.
Ready to move on to book 3 now.
June 13, 2019
I first read Duncton wood was a teenager and I loved it. At the time I did not realize that it was the first of many. So after many years and now an adult I found the rest of the chronicles and purchased them. While I dont think this was as good as the first I was still enthralled and captivated. The circumstances less idyllic and as others reviewers have stated dark is an accurate representation of the tone of the second book of the chronicles.
January 11, 2024
Where do I start. If I thought I loved Duncton Found, Duncton Quest surpassed that in many ways. I could not put this down and was thoroughly gripped with Tryfans journey. So much happens in this book but I never felt like I was lost in their journey. Mayweed is my favourite of all the moles for many reasons and I was moved to tears by a couple of key moments involved. Simply phenomenal.
November 30, 2024
The epic continues well enough and there are always characters you're invested in. The Christian overtones are a bit hard to ignore, but at least it's a kinder gentler Christianity than seems to be dominant these days - honestly the "good-guy" Stone worshippers seem more like Buddhists and the "bad-guy" followers of the Word seem more like fundamentalist Christians.
February 23, 2025
Quite a marathon adventure where the moles of the stone are driven out by the moles of the word - an allegory of warfare between Humans over differences of religion. Interesting approach. Lets see where the final volume in the trilogy goes. I found this hard going in places, but overall feel it is a good read.
August 13, 2018
I'm speaking of the whole trilogy here really. It's an amazing cross between Watership Down, The Lord of the Rings and The Prophet. I found it more inspirational than those books that are intended to be (The Shack, The Secret, etc.) , and felt wonderfully at peace as I read and afterwards.
December 28, 2018
Just as epic and involved as the first in the series. Yes, the religious stuff allegory is full-on, but it works given the story. To ask a reader to care about moles might be a big ask but it's much easier than you might expect.
A classic.
A classic.
March 9, 2024
A great second book in the Duncton Chronicles, I really enjoyed this one and I loved the drama and the story of this one and it had me guessing as to who the stone mole would be the whole time!
You just never realise how much we as a species affect the lives of the wildlife around us.
You just never realise how much we as a species affect the lives of the wildlife around us.
August 31, 2019
917 pages
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