Tales Of Annwn

AN ENTIRE KINGDOM BUILT AROUND A SUPERNATURAL NEED FOR JUSTICE, ENFORCED BY THE WILD HUNT AND THE HOUNDS OF HELL. What would you do if you blundered into a strange world, where all around you was the familiar landscape of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, but the inhabitants were the long-lived fae, and you the only human? George Talbot Traherne stumbles across the murdered huntsman of the Wild Hunt, and is drafted into finding out who did it. Oh, and assigned the task of taking the huntsman's place with the Hounds of Hell, whether he wants the job or not. The antlered god Cernunnos is the sponsor of this kingdom, and he requires its king to conduct the annual hunt for justice in pursuit of an evil criminal, or else lose his right to the kingship, and possibly end up hunted himself. Success is far from guaranteed, and no human has held the post. George discovers his own blood links to the fae king, and he's determined to try. But Cernunnos himself has a personal role to play, and George will have to sort out just why he's the one who's been chosen for the task. And whether he has any chance of surviving the job. Find out what it's like to live in a world where you can help the Right to prevail, even if it might cost you everything. To Carry the Horn is the first book of The Hounds of Annwn.

A story collection from The Hounds of Annwn. The Call – A very young Rhian discovers her beast-sense and, with it, the call of a lost hound. It’s not safe in the woods where cries for help can attract unwelcome attention, but two youngsters discover their courage in the teeth of necessity. Under the Bough – Angharad hasn’t lived with anyone for hundreds of years, but now she is ready to tie the knot with George Talbot Traherne, the human who has entered the fae otherworld to serve as huntsman for the Wild Hunt. As soon as she can make up her mind, anyway. George has been swept away by his new job and the people he has met, and by none more so than Angharad. But how can she value the short life of a human? And what will happen to her after he’s gone? Night Hunt – When George Talbot Traherne goes night hunting for fox in Virginia, he learns about unworthy men from the old-timers drinking moonshine around the fire and makes his own choices. Who could have anticipated that the same impulse that won him his old bluetick coonhound would lead him to his new wife and the hounds of Annwn? Every choice has a cost, he realizes, but never a regret. Cariad – Luhedoc is off with his adopted nephew Benitoe to fetch horses for the Golden Cockerel Inn. He’s been reunited with his beloved Maëlys at last, but how can he fit into her capable life as an innkeeper? What use is he to her now, after all these years? Luhedoc needs to relearn an important lesson about confidence. The Empty Hills – George Talbot Traherne arranges a small tour of the local human world for his fae family and friends, hoping to share some of the sense of wonder he discovered when he encountered the fae otherworld. He’s worried about discovery by other humans, but things don’t turn out quite the way he expects.

The retelling of the epic Welsh myth that is “certainly among the top 5 fantasy series of the twentieth century” (sfsite.com). The Mabinogion is to Welsh mythology what the tales of Zeus, Hera, and Apollo are to Greek myth. these tales constitute a powerful work of the imagination, ranking with Tokien’s Lord of the Rings novels and T.H. White’s The Once and Future King. Evangeline Walton’s compelling rendition of these classic, thrilling stories of magic, betrayal, lost love, and bitter retribution include the encounter between Prince Pwyll and Arawn, the God of Death, which Pwyll survives by agreeing to kill the one man that Death cannot fell, and the tale of bran the blessed and his family’s epic struggle for the throne. The Mabinogion is internationally recognized as the world’s finest arc of Celtic mythology; Walton’s vivid retelling introduces an ancient world of gods and monsters, heroes, kings and quests, making accessible one of the greatest fantasy sagas of all time. “These books are not only the best fantasies of the twentieth century, but also great works of fiction. They are actual retellings of diverse legends of the Mabinogion in novel form . . . dealing with Good and Evil . . . and the nature of love.” —The Saturday Review (UK) “Magnificently conceived . . . persuasive and powerful . . . the product of keenly imaginative and well disciplined mind.” —August Derleth “Evangeline Watson’s Mabinogion books remain the benchmark against which any future retellings of the stories must be measured.” —Diana L. Paxson

Upon finishing his debut novel, The Dark Thorn, author Shawn Speakman knew he would return to its world of Annwn. He does that here in The Twilight Dragon & Other Tales of Annwn. Four short stories anchor this collection of magic and darkness, conflict and shadows: Where an ancient dragon seeking a cure for his dying race returns to the Misty Isles of his birth--to devastating result. Where an unfettered knight enters Rome's Vatican to end the threat of a vampire--who bears the darkest of secrets. Where an Arch Druid tracks a witch--who in turn chases a thief who has stolen dangerous books of shadow magic. Where a musician is coerced to return to a past she abhors--to confront a shattered gargoyle whose past is just as hated. All four short stories play a role in and are preludes to The Everwinter Wraith, the sequel novel to The Dark Thorn. As a bonus, the first three chapters of The Everwinter Wraith are also included in this collection. Annwn will never be the same again.

Welsh Gothic, the first study of its kind, introduces readers to the array of Welsh Gothic literature published from 1780 to the present day. Informed by postcolonial and psychoanalytic theory, it argues that many of the fears encoded in Welsh Gothic writing are specific to the history of Welsh people, telling us much about the changing ways in which Welsh people have historically seen themselves and been perceived by others. The first part of the book explores Welsh Gothic writing from its beginnings in the last decades of the eighteenth century to 1997. The second part focuses on figures specific to the Welsh Gothic genre who enter literature from folk lore and local superstition, such as the sin-eater, cŵn Annwn (hellhounds), dark druids and Welsh witches. Contents Prologue: ‘A Long Terror’ PART I: HAUNTED BY HISTORY 1. Cambria Gothica (1780s–1820s) 2. An Underworld of One’s Own (1830s–1900s). 3. Haunted Communities (1900s–1940s). 4. Land of the Living Dead (1940s–1997). PART II: ‘THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE CELTIC TWILIGHT’ 5. Witches, Druids and the Hounds of Annwn. 6. The Sin-eater Epilogue: Post-devolution Gothic Notes Select Bibliography Index

A collection of five short stories from The Hounds of Annwn. THE CALL: A very young Rhian discovers her beast-sense and rushes to the rescue of an errant hound. UNDER THE BOUGH: Angharad hasn't lived with anyone for hundreds of years, but now she is ready to tie the knot with George Talbot Traherne, the human who has entered the fae otherworld to serve as huntsman for the Wild Hunt. As soon as she can make up her mind, anyway. NIGHT HUNT: George Talbot Traherne goes night hunting for fox in Virginia and thinks about the choices he has made. CARIAD: Benitoe and Luhedoc are off to fetch horses for the Golden Cockerel Inn in Edgewood. Luhedoc needs to relearn an important lesson about confidence. THE EMPTY HILLS: George Talbot Traherne shows a bit of the human world to family and friends, hoping to share some of the sense of wonder he discovered when he encountered the fae otherworld.

The peaceful Faery world of Annwn is ruled by an imcompetant king. A predatory sorcerer seeks the power of a god and to conquer the once invincible Otherworld. Only the king can save Annwn, but only if he turns his back on his god and pays with his sanity. This novella is the first in a series. Blended from Welsh myth and the darkest episodes of history, this novella is most indeed a unique Faery tale.