Book cover of Silver in the Wood

Book description

Winner of the 2020 World Fantasy Award!

From Astounding Award winner and Crawford Award finalist Emily Tesh

An ALA RUSA Reading List Selection

"A true story of the woods, of the fae, and of the heart. Deep and green and wonderful.”—New York Times bestselling author Naomi Novik

There is a…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Silver in the Wood as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This novella has some of my favorite descriptions of the natural world and I love how it plays with its protagonist’s sense of time.

The lead character and his relationship to the forest draw from the mythology of the Green Man, and it’s a fantastic example of how much the narration style can be affected by the viewpoint character.

Tesh’s pose is dreamlike and slow, and all of its elements—the plot, the characters, the relationships—unfold slowly, like winter melting into spring.

Stories rife with forest magic and characters who learn to let go of past hurts are two of my…

From Elizabeth's list on queer fairy tale retellings for teens.

In most books, the mysterious figure in the woods is there solely to help the hero on his or her journey. When it comes to the Wild Man of Greenhollow, however, he has his own journey to take.

This novella feels more like an old-school fairy tale than anything else I've ever read. If you want to understand what the word "lyrical" really means, this is the book to show you. (For the record, the World Fantasy Awards agrees with me on this). There's a sequel that gives you more to the story, but this is the only book that…

From Jenniffer's list on side characters who got their own stories.

If you love Silver in the Wood...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like Silver in the Wood?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Silver in the Wood.

Browse books like Silver in the Wood

Book cover of All Systems Red
Book cover of Stepsister
Book cover of Hench

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,298

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Silver in the Wood, you might also like...

Book cover of Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman by Alexis Krasilovsky,

Kate from Jules et Jim meets I Love Dick.

A young woman filmmaker’s journey of self-discovery, set against a backdrop of the sexual liberation movement of the 1970s and 1980s. In Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman, we follow Ana Fried as she faces the ultimate…

Book cover of Dark Fae Outcast

Dark Fae Outcast by Autumn M. Birt,

Trapped in our world, the fae are dying from drugs, contaminants, and hopelessness. Kicked out of the dark fae court for tainting his body and magic, Riasg only wants one thing: to die a bit faster. It’s already the end of his world, after all.

But while scoring his last…

5 book lists we think you will like!