The Woods

Award-winning science fiction and fantasy author Stephen Leigh offers us a dark urban fantasy novel where the borders between reality and fantasy are blurred and difficult to see. Here, the wild and romanticized dreamscape of youth intersects the gray, adult world beyond.

Rob Mullins and Mark Dyson are fast friends, growing up in a neighborhood surrounded by a forest. The boys have spent their childhood among the green pathways of the woods playing as pirates, knights, and adventurers. They believe nothing can ever alter the bond between them. But adolescence wields a compulsive snare, and fantasy can no longer hold back reality. Rob’s parents are preparing to move, threatening to tear Rob away from everything he has known, while Mark’s father JD has become increasingly abusive and harsh. Rob’s familiar world and his friendship with Mark are both unraveling.

But the pretense of magic remains. Mark, through a startling sacrifice, appears to call into existence a young girl of the same age: Sheila. Her fey, magical, and erotic presence shatters the last remnants of Mark and Rob’s childhood.

THE WOODS is a strong, riveting, and frank exploration of young adulthood that reminds us that every wish and desire bears its own price.