Naomi Foyle
  • Home
  • About
  • Writing
    • Novels
      • Seoul Survivors
      • Astra
      • Rook Song
      • The Blood of the Hoopoe
      • Stained Light
    • Poetry Collections
      • The Night Pavilion
      • The World Cup
      • Adamantine
      • Salt & Snow
    • Poetry Pamphlets
      • Febrifugue
      • Red Hot & Bothered
      • Grace of the Gamblers
      • No Enemy but Time
      • Importents
    • Essays & Reviews
  • Collaborations
    • Theatre
      • Astra (2022)
      • The Strange Wife
      • Hush
      • The Snow Queen
    • Filmpoems
      • Salt, Snow, Earth (2025)
      • Ways of Seeing Trees (2025)
      • Good Definition (2003)
    • Music
      • The Vales
      • Urban Pillow
  • Blog
  • Events Etc.
  • Editing / Tarot
  • Contact
Novels

The Great JFB Book Bonanza: The Silver Bough

The Great JFB Book Bonanza: The Silver Bough
Novels

Congratulations to Leo Elijah Cristea, winner of last week’s book prize, The Snowmelt River by Frank P. Ryan, a work of classic fantasy steeped in Irish mythology. I enjoyed all the entries, which presented four eclectic portals into the realms of otherworldliness – Leo’s metamorphosing pathway, Romeo Kennedy’s secret tree trunk, Tina Lawton’s cheerful toilet, and Chris’s whalebone arch at Whitby (returning through which would only be possible if you had saved a whale in the past). I chose the winner by pulling a Tarot Card – the Tarot being itself a portal to another world, and its four suits associated with the Celtic symbols of Sword, Spear, Cauldron and Stone.

Again courtesty of Jo Fletcher Books, this week’s prize, The Silver Bough by Lisa Tuttle, combines fantasy, romance, and echoes of WB Yeats, and whisks our Celtic themes across the cold northern waters to the realms of Scottish faery:

Appleton is a small town nestled on the coast of Scotland. Though it was once famous for the apples it produced, these days it’s a shadow of its former self. But in a hidden orchard a golden apple dangles from a silver bough, an apple believed lost for ever. The apple is part of a legend, promising either eternal happiness to the young couple who eat from it secure in their love – or a curse, for those who take its gift for granted. Now, as the town teeters on the edge of decline, the old rituals have been forgotten and the mists are rolling in. And in the mist, something is stirring…

I’m a big fan of Lisa Tuttle’s short fiction – she’s a maven of psychological atmosphere, and The Silver Bough promises to be an absorbing read. I’m jealous of the winner already! To enter this week’s competition, please let me know how, if granted magical moxie, you would invest a piece of fruit with the power to bestow a blessing and/or a curse. Your answer can be fey or familiar, rooted in an ancient orchard or plucked from a supermarket shelf. I will choose the winner next Thursday at Midnight by consulting a Ouija board and asking WB Yeats to pick a number . . .

Related

Jo Fletcher Books Lisa Tuttle The Silver Bough WB Yeats

Previous articleThe Great JFB Bookgiveaway: The Snowmelt RiverNext article Encountering the Incalculable

2 comments

Romeo Kennedy says:
16th February 2013 at 2:15 am

The Cursed wild strawberries of the forgotten wilderness. Attracting hungry travellers to their doom, leading them to nowhere, to remain in the wilds forever!

nfoyle says:
22nd February 2013 at 11:21 am

Congratulations, Romeo! You scared off the competition . . . or perhaps left them stranded in your Bergmanesque void! Can you get in touch with Nicola Budd of JFB (Nicola.Budd@quercusbooks.co.uk) who will send you your book. Please let me know that you’ve received this message.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search by categories

© Naomi Foyle | website by SheShe