Mischief Acts by Zoe Gilbert

Book Review

After reading Zoe Gilbert’s debut novel Folk, I couldn't wait to get my hands on ‘Mischief Acts’’ and a Yuletide benefactor obliged. Each chapter has a vignette of Herne’s life, from his conception as a hunter to his future self rewilded.

Here’s the blurb:

Herne the hunter, mischief-maker, spirit of the forest, leader of the wild hunt, hurtles through the centuries pursued by his creator.

A shapeshifter, Herne dons many guises as he slips and ripples through time at candlelit Twelfth Night revels, at the spectacular burning of the Crystal Palace, at an acid-laced Sixties party. Wherever he goes, transgression, debauch and enchantment always follow in his wake.

But as the forest is increasingly encroached upon by urban sprawl and gentrification, and the world slides into crisis, Herne must find a way to survive or exact his revenge.

Each era holds a unique voice and point of view when telling the story of Herne’s life. From kings and wood nymphs, to souls of the dead and activists, in this book Herne is everywhere. He is the beating heart of the forest and the cause of much mischief, mayhem and misfortune.

Part history of London, part folklore part dystopian future Zoe Gilbert weaves a tangled web. I will admit that on occasion I did literally lose the plot as some of the voices spoke to me more than others and the life of Herne was not one that followed a straight line. If you take each chapter as a separate story this is an infinitely better way to access this book, rather than trying to manifest links through the narrative that you might expect to find in a novel.

In short, Herne is an omnipotent presence but his story is not a coherent one. I certainly have my favourite chapters and ones I would go back to and read again as short stories all of their own.

If you love fantasy, folklore and otherworldly fiction, you’ll love this latest offering from Zoe Gilbert.

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You can buy Zoe Gilbert’s , ‘Mischief Acts’ in all good bookshops.

If you would like to buy a copy online, please consider visiting my page on Bookshop.org where I have gathered some of the books I read and recommend. Here you will find a plethora of myth, legend and folktale.

Don’t forget to support your local library too and see if they have a copy to borrow.