The Weirwoods

by Thomas Burnett Swann

In the time of the Etruscans, the half-forgotten civilization that preceded Rome, centaurs, fauns and other manlike races still existed alongside humanity. Between mankind and the Weir Ones was constant fear and distrust. When the arrogant nobleman Lars Velcha enslaved one of these creatures the fear and distrust turned into open warfare.


Cover Illustration: Stephen Hickman

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

155 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Thomas Burnett Swann was best known as the author of numerous fantasies published in the 1960s and ’70s. Many of his bucolic tales were set in the Ancient World and populated by mythic creatures. His best-known works include the novel DAY OF THE MINOTAUR and the shorter works “Where Is the Bird of Fire?” and “The Manor of Roses,” all nominated for Hugo Awards. Swann was also a poet, professor, and literary critic.

Reviews

[mark monday · Rating 3 out of 5]

the name of Thomas Burnett Swann's game is Pastoral Fantasy vs. Slowly Encroaching Civilization. the author wrote a good number of fantasy (and some science fiction) novels that took the old myths and legends as reality and pitted them against the gradual intrusion of industry, the city, the military, modernity in general. one of the delightful things about this author is his ability to make these myths real in their own strange, unreal way. his dryads and water sprites and centaurs and fauns are three-dimensional yet often utterly alien as well. although it is obvious which side Swann is on (and what fantasy author will ever side against fantasy anyway), he also illustrates his early civilizations with the same trappings of fantasy - these aren't the ancient civilizations of the classroom, they are cultures that have been made almost as mythical as the fantasy creatures who share their world. entering one of Swann's novels is entering an adult fairy tale; very little is familiar except for the familiarity we all have with myths & legends & ancient civilizations. these myths & legends have been given a compelling sexuality that is central to their mythology. this is definitely Sexy Fantasy: the sexuality manages at different times to be genuinely sensual and carnal yet also innocent - not dirty and not exploitative, sometimes disturbing and threatening, often deeply homoerotic (and honestly I wish he had been a bit more even-handed with the ladies), and just as often unintentionally silly - and silly in a rather dated, eye-rolling, but still amusing way. anyway, The Weirwoods is about water sprites and Etruscans, a terrible revenge, and how a traveling musician, a naïve city girl, and two deadly but weirdly attractive water sprites all cross paths. his prose is lovely and his story manages to feel languorous despite its brief length. it is a serious book and it is also often a really goofy book (especially in its second half, post-revenge). overall I quite liked it; it took me right into another world and I wanted to stay there longer than I was able. I'm looking forward to reading more by the author and I'm excited to reread the ones I read as a teen. they certainly inspired dozens of my own smutty fantasies. but also a longing for things long past and things that never were.

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is set in the Etruscan period in a small town which has a truce with the legendary beings who inhabit the nearby woods and control the route to other towns for traders and travellers. Once every nine days they are allowed to come into town to trade. These creatures include centaurs, fawns and water nymphs/spirits. A rich and powerful merchant, travelling to the town to take up residence following the murder of his wife and son by barbarian invaders, wanders off the road and finds the lake where the watery beings live - and decides to kidnap and enslave a young man of their people to become a slave to his daughter. From then on, things go downhill for the merchant and the people of the nearby town.

There are a few themes in this such as how can you expect people or animals you enslave to not turn on you the first chance they get. And also the idea that to experience love is fatal to a being who is normally heartless. The author's usual theme has centre stage - that virginity is a waste of time and resources and it is much better to indulge in enjoyable but shallow sexual relationships - except that this time there is a price to pay. There is some lowkey same-sex attraction between men which is one-sided/unrequited as has appeared in other books by the author - and I can't recall ever seeing such an attraction between female characters. Women in Swann's books always have to find their fulfilment with men. Just an observation, but it does make things rather unbalanced.

All in all, I didn't find any of the characters that appealing so it wasn't easy to sympathise with their fates, which in some cases were rather fatal. So I would rate this as an OK 2 stars only.

[D.M. Ritzlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review previously appeared on the DMR Books Blog.

In the days when Rome was young, a forest populated by fantastic creatures stood near the Etruscan city of Sutrium. Lars Velcha, a nobleman of Sutrium, abducts a Water Sprite named Vel for his daughter Tanaquil to use as a slave. Tanaquil and Vel befriend Arnth, a wandering minstrel, and together contrive a plan to free the Water Sprite. Arnth travels to the lake in the Weirwoods and enlists the help of Vegoia, the Water Sprites’ sorceress. Things go awry when Vel carelessly misuses Vegoia’s magic, leading to the destruction of Sutrium. Arnth and Tanaquil must escape through the woods from the rioting slaves and Weir Folk (Centaurs and Fauns).

“Well-written” is a frequently used (yet hardly meaningful) adjective that is inadequate to describe The Weirwoods. Swann’s fanciful prose is reminiscent of… no one, really. The characters are not one-dimensional and a great deal of attention is paid to the relationships between Arnth, Tanaquil, and the non-humans. That last fact might be a deterrent to those looking strictly for action-packed adventure, but everything else is done well enough (including the wonderful cover art by Gray Morrow on the 1967 paperback edition) that it could hardly be considered a shortcoming. Recommended.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are going to have a cover featuring rainbow coloured pegasuses flying through a futuristic looking city, then you might want to at least feature one of these aspects? But despite that, this is surprisingly good. A city live in suspician and fear of the mysterious creatures who inhabit the wood, so naturally a rich merchant kidnaps one to look after his only daughter. It doesn't go well. Well written, I liked the characterisation and the forest dwellers in particular felt "other" and it wasn't the typical good vs evil plot of most fantasy. Recommended.

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. One of the best of Swann's novels I've read. As usual, the closer the story is to high antiquity, even if set on the periphery of Greece or Rome, the better his books are. The enslavement of an innocent water sprite by a rich trader triggers a series of severe events, both for the city (in Etruscan Italy) and the mythic races who dwell in the nearby forest.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Swann's Day of the Minotaur about 30 years ago and was disappointed. I had actually collected all of his books because I thought that he would be an author that I would like. I finally tried another book, and I was delighted. The Weirwoods is not quite like any other book that I can recall. The tone seems light and frivolous, but Swann's Weir Ones are truly creatures of myth. His centaurs, fauns and sprites can seem comical and seductive, but they are also heartless and unpredictable and, at times, cruel. Take a break from the weighty tomes of modern fantasy and try this Etruscan fantasy that resonates of myth.

[Ian Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful story from Mr Swann. I only “found” him recently but I’m loving what he does with ancient mythology and how it interacts with the Classical world. And he turns a mean sentence.

[Kevin Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swann's grasp on Greco-Roman culture is admirable, but the storytelling here is woefully inadequate.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting period of time

[Jonathan Lee B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Weirwoods is a buffet of just desserts.

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

1983 grade B-