Moondance of Stonewylde Synopsis
Moondance of Stonewylde is the second in this series of five titles, and follows on from Magus of Stonewylde. The story is picked up again at the Summer Solstice, where Yul has incurred Magus’ wrath by challenging him for the leadership of the community. The sunrise ceremony amongst the great standing stones was a disaster for Magus, with Yul lighting the Solstice Fire and receiving the powerful earth energy in his place. But Magus still holds the power, and embarks on another attempt to subdue the rebellious Village boy.
The story unfolds throughout the glorious summer at Stonewylde, where crops are grown organically and the people are self-sufficient and productive. Beautiful descriptions flow of this idyllic place, a community steeped in magic and time-honoured traditions. There’s an exhilarating cricket match on the Village Green at Lammas, and the harvesting of wheat in honour of the Corn Mother. Yul proves worthy of the wise-woman’s prophecies, hardening himself to the brutality that Magus inflicts so casually, and waiting with growing impatience for the time when his destiny can be fulfilled.
But Magus discovers Sylvie’s secret gift, bestowed during the rising of each full moon, and sees a way to exploit her to boost his own waning power. His attempts to harness the young girl’s magic are aided by his shaman half-brother, who is weak and easily bribed with the addictive hallucinogenic cakes that are part of every pagan festival at Stonewylde. Sylvie grows fragile and thin again, and Yul seems powerless to save her from Magus’ cruelty.
The Autumn Equinox sees the harvesting of apples in the great orchards at Stonewylde, and Sylvie realises she has a rival for Yul’s affections. Her innocent and evocative relationship with the boy is developing into something more adult, and both struggle to control their powerful feelings for each other. Meanwhile Sylvie’s mother Miranda remains besotted with Magus and abandons any attempts to protect her daughter from the man’s exploitation. As Samhain (Hallowe’en) approaches, the tension notches even higher when Yul makes a disastrous attempt to rescue Sylvie from the clutches of the two men. By the end of the book, his life hangs by a whisker as Magus gives free rein to his excesses. The reader is left feverish to discover what happens next.
Once again, extensive research and close attention to accurate detail of life in an alternative Dorset community creates a sense of reality that seems at odds with the green magic and earth energy of Stonewylde. A bucolic cricket match and the weaving of corn dollies, reaping time with traditional threshing and winnowing, the apple harvest and cider making – but also a brutal fight scene worthy of any action movie and a romantic encounter in the Cider House that would put many bodice-rippers in the shade, means there is something for everyone in this electrifying sequel.
