''The Vorrh'' is a

dark Darkness is the condition resulting from a lack of illumination, or an absence of visible light. Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low luminance because the hue-sensitive photoreceptor cells on the retina are ...

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

by multi-disciplinary artist B. Catling that was first published in November of

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. Aided in its publicity by a glowing foreword from

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and graphic-novelist

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

, it garnered significant critical coverage in the media when republished for an international audience in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

. The first in a trilogy of novels (rounded out by

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

's ''

The Erstwhile ''The Erstwhile'' is a dark historical fantasy novel by multi-disciplinary artist B. Catling that was first published in March of 2017. It is the second in a trilogy of novels focusing on 'the Vorrh,' a massive and magical African forest. Criti ...

'' and

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

's ''The Cloven''), it investigates themes as wide ranging as colonialism, mythology, sentience, and guilt, in prose noted for its lyrical structure and flow.

Summary

The town of Essenwald is an expression of colonialism so pure it was moved brick by brick from Germany to sit nestled on the edge of a vast, time-bending, and quite possibly sentient African forest, known locally as "the Vorrh". With the recent events of World War One casting a pallid glow on the entirety of the colonial project, the secrets of this ancient forest are among the last things Essenwald's managers are concerned with. Though it is mostly ignored in this manner by the colonial intruders, a renegade British soldier penetrates deep into the forest's mysteries when he finds a close relationship crumbling into a strange and tangled series of magical occurrences. Along the way, a sizeable cast of characters both fantastic and historical are drawn into the Vorrh's embrace.

Critical reception

''The Vorrh'' received generally positive critical reception, garnering coverage from a wide variety of publications.

Editions

* Original cover, British release * Alternate cover, international release

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vorrh 2012 British novels Historical fantasy novels Dark fantasy novels British fantasy novels 2012 fantasy novels Novels set in forests