Synopsis
Welcome to the world of The Garden Knight.
Derry is a gardener who has made his home in the quiet woodland village of Haverdell. Accompanied by his faithful dog Barrow, Derry intends to spend all his days tending to his gardens, roving the wilds, helping his friends in town, and enjoying the peaceful solitude of life in the hills. But as Harvest Night approaches, strange plants begin to appear, first crawling from the lakeshore near Derry’s cottage, then emerging from a hollow in the hills overlooking Haverdell. These plants wriggle along the forest floor, pierce man and beast with long prickling needles, and devour the forest around them with rapid new growth.
Their hunger is increasing. As the gardener of Haverdell, Derry must employ all his wits, woodlore, and cunning to thwart the invasive, ravenous frond-tendrils before they consume the forest completely—as well as his own home and everything he loves.
Review
A mini review for a mini story. For such a short novella, this was full to the brim with world-building, character-building and the sentiment of finding solace in every day things. Justin has a beautiful way of writing poetic descriptions and I was impressed with how much of the world was realised through simplicity. I enjoyed reading about nature and how this was conveyed to be part of the story.
This is the beginning of something great and I cannot wait for book one to be released. There’s so much going on here. At only 69 pages, this is something that can be devoured in one sitting however you’ll want to read and re-read for this Le Guin-esque prose that has you wanting for more.
Book one should definitely be on your radar.
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