The Forest of Hours [Paperback]

Kerstin Ekman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2000

This novel begins in the Middle Ages when Skord, a magical being who is neither man nor animal, finds himself in a forest with no memory, no past and no language. As he observes the behaviour of the human beings he meets in the forest, he begins to gradually understand human civilization and learn their language. Although he can pose as one of them, he is also able to assume the form of animals and cause things to happen simply by willing them. Skord survives for five hundred years and lives many different lives but, despite his learning, he finds it difficult to resist the call of the forest and returns there periodically to rejoin the band of forest outlaws who live outside human society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“I have read little more beautiful than Ekman’s evocations of northern Sweden.” -- Independent

“Unforgettable… The Forest of Hours is an ambitious, learned and intensely imagined novel.” -- The Times Literary Supplement

Product Details

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: Random House UK (January 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099751712
• ISBN-13: 978-0099751717
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,947,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sensitive portrayal of life and environment, April 4, 2001

By 

David Moore (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Forest of Hours (Hardcover)

This is an extraordinary work. Ekman tracks the centuries-long life of a troll, from his early years in the northern Scandinavian forest through his assimilation into human society. We see the hero move through a series of incarnations (from the perspective of human life spans) as brigand, army medic, prisoner, alchemist, physician...

As one reads on, the work reveals itself to be a wonderfully insightful perspective on civilization, and on the follies and joys of human life.

Ekman evokes the human environment as it would have been experienced by those whose efforts helped shape our own more comfortable circumstances. Extreme poverty, hunger, cold and lack of even basic security eventually gives way to the comforts we take for granted, until our troll finds that he is troubled by all sorts of modern ailments, from ennui through coffee-induced stomach acidity!

Ekman obviously has a deep love of nature, and the book is at once a deep affirmation of the wonders of our environmental heritage and a mourning of what is being lost.

Great works of literature deserve great translators, and Ekman's Scottish collaborator in this instance has produced a superb result that is an absolute joy to read in English.

Highly recommended to anyone wanting a thoughtful, engaging and enjoyable read.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One day I must visit Skule forest, August 1, 2000

By 

Frank Bierbrauer (Cardiff, Wales, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Forest of Hours (Hardcover)

The Tale of a troll with an interest in humans and their affairs, this is a quick summary of what the novel is about. But this doesn't do it justice, in a gradual movement from "somewhere" in the middle ages right up to "somewhere" in the 18th Century we follow the story of this troll as he suffers and loves, he does this in a way not unlike stories such as "The Lord of the Rings" but also engenders a feeling akin to spirituality as well. At times the world Ekman creates almost resonates with being from animal languages which are understood and yet still remain animal to the sense of presence in the wood of the title. More than anything this is brought out in the ending. The sense of what it is to be a forest or how a person can live is shown by Ekman, a characteristic not unknown in Scandinavian writers.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lost in the woods, January 11, 2002

By 

"simonandingrid" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Forest of Hours (Hardcover)

This book is about a troll from the Skule forest in Northern Sweden. He ages very slowly and lives many lifetimes among people, developing both finer and baser human qualities along the way.

At times the writing transported me to Skule and I could almost smell the decaying pine needles. Kirsten Ekman succesfully created a picture of medieval life in this harsh environment and her descriptions of animal life in the forest was like nothing I had ever read before.

However, as our troll-hero ages, the characterisations of his human companions become less sharp, the writing became less evocative and the forest somehow less magical. It seemed as if this novel was an over-ambitious project that the author just couldn't quite pull off. Reading the last few chapters, I just wanted it be over.

Still, there were enough memorable passages in the book for me to want to try Kirsten Ekman again - and soon.