Lost Islands

Inventing Avalon, Destroying Eden

by Kevan Manwaring

Heart of Albion Press, 2008

£14.95

Review by Bobcat

Like many of Kevan's books, Lost Islands reads like a journey. This one is no clear straight line; instead it takes the reader all over the world, meandering through history, exploring dozens of places from Easter Island to Bardsey Island. And though his aim is to present a thesis on the notion of the island - those lost, those found, those invented and those destroyed - this is not, I feel, quite what he achieves in the book. Instead, what he offers is a kaleidoscope of experiences and visions, both in what he includes and what he fleetingly touches on.

Like every valuable adventure, Lost Islands is a series of opportunities, inspiring the reader to stop and peruse the view. I found myself wanting to (and at times following that desire) cross reference, pausing to explore a text alluded to, get out the atlas and find the islands referred to, dig out and remember a myth or tale quoted. It is this quality of the book, as a series of pointers to other sources of inspiration that I most valued in its pages.

If you like Kevan's style, I'm sure you will like this book too. Indeed, here it is always as if he has created a work of non-fiction by gathering up research notes for a novel. It is rich with his inimitable style, that boyishness with which he manages to explain his ideas, both the serious and the playful.

Available from Amazon.co.uk

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