Book Description

They say that the last wild places in this civilised country vanished nearly two centuries ago. They say that the wild beasts, the magical creatures, the faeries and fauns, the little people, the wisps, the dragons and the wolves, all vanished when humankind spread their cultivation from sea to sea. The forests became tame, no mysteries hidden under their boughs. The hills became quiet but for the whistling of the winds. The lakes were emptied of those beings who would whisper watery dreams to you. The wild, they say, disappeared.But they would be wrong.The wild places still exist, hidden amongst the cultivation, the gardens, the streets and the gas lamps. They keep to themselves, taking the magic of the land with them as they pass. When the wild places vanish in truth, then will the spirit of this beautiful land pass beyond the veil also.All that will be left is the facade of social graces and the memory of the Keepers.Humans, imbued with the ability to listen and to speak to the wild places, they have guided the conquerors and their kin for centuries. They have told when to hunt, when to plant, how to live in harmony with the forgotten magics. They are not the ancient druids, who hold such power in their fingers and looks. They are just watchers. Observers. Those who listen and wait.This is the story of one of the last Keepers known to memory, and her place in the world of memory. This is the story of life, of love, of the heart and of the mind. It is the story of the Wild Places.