Shady Forest Matt Haig. Book shady forest read online. Quotes from the book "The Shady Forest" by Matt Haig
Matt Haig
Shady forest
This is a place where the path is forbidden to any living creature. Here, evil comes in many forms, and creatures from legend and myth live and breathe. And they kill. This is a place beyond dreams and nightmares - a place that inspires such fear that until now it has not had a name. But now, in this book, I will explain the inexplicable and give fear the name it deserves. This name is Shadowwood, and it will strike fear in your hearts.
Professor Horatio Tanglewood
People and other creatures you will meet in this book
PEOPLE
BLINK FAMILY
Samuel Blink. A twelve-year-old boy, a little less lucky than most people. He never considered himself a hero. But in vain, because he turned out to be an excellent hero.
Martha Blink. Samuel's little sister who thinks she's in a musical. But that's not true. She sits in the backseat of her parents' car and sings silly songs right into Samuel's ear. Well, today is her birthday.
Liv Blink. Mother of Martha and Samuel. Martha's singing does not irritate her at all, unlike her husband's driving style.
Peter Blink. Martha and Samuel's dad. Crazy driver. If he survives to the end of the first chapter, it will be a great success.
NORSE
Aunt Ida. Norwegian sister of Liv Blink. Aunt of Samuel and Martha. Former Olympic champion in javelin throw. The owner of a lamp of happiness, ten pairs of warm underpants, a house near the Shady Forest and a hairy chin. She misses her husband, Uncle Henrik, who disappeared in the forest ten years ago.
Uncle Henrik. Shh-sh-sh! Don't mention Uncle Henrik to Aunt Ida. She will most likely start crying.
Oscar. A grocer in the village of Flåm with a weakness for bow ties and tall women (especially Aunt Ida).
Fredrik. Oscar's son loves to play with his calculator. Don't worry about him: you'll only encounter him in two chapters.
Old Thor. He is old. And... uh... his name is Thor. He paints mountains and fjords. And sometimes he comes across two-headed trolls.
OTHER PEOPLE
Professor Horatio Tanglewood (aka the Master of Change). An evil Englishman who lives in a wooden palace in the heart of the Shadow Forest, which he rules under the name of the Master of Change. He wrote the book "Creatures of the Shadowwood" and keeps the pickled heads of his enemies in jars. His favorite music is a child's cry. He is currently working on his autobiography.
Author. Goes by the rather boring name Matt Haig, although at his baptism he was named Cerebubulus Osrich Winterbottom the Third. Twice he rudely interrupts the story just when you are just beginning to get the hang of it. One day he came across Professor Horatio in his personal library. The professor asked him to lend him a pen, but he never returned it.
DOG
Ibsen. Aunt Ida's Norwegian Elkhound. Loves brown cheese, sleeping and human children. Hates the forest.
CREATURES OF THE SHADOW FOREST
WITCHES
Witch of Shadows. Using the powers of shadows, he transforms himself and other forest inhabitants. Lives with his master, Professor Horatio Tanglewood, in his wooden palace. The Shadow Witch breathes out clouds of shadows and tends to turn into a cat when leaving the forest.
Snow Witch. Sister of the Witch of Shadows, casts spells on the weather. He is currently in underground detention. Her strength is running out, and certain death awaits her. She's seen better days.
HULDRY
Vzhpp. A prison guard who is cruel to the tips of his nails, who, like all huldra, is afraid of sunlight and lives underground. In case you're trying to figure out how to pronounce his name: it can't be pronounced. This is impossible.
Grentoul. A slightly less brutal prison guard who is endlessly loyal to Professor Tanglewood (known to the Huldra as the Master of Change). Dreams of the old days when the Huldra were not afraid of the sun.
TROLLS
Troll-right and Troll-left. Two heads of the same troll, who hate each other until their stomachs quiver (which, from a technical point of view, they share).
Troll dad, Troll mom, Troll son And Troll daughter. A friendly family of trolls who share only one eye.
OTHER CREATURES
Tomte. A golden, barrel-shaped creature who wears brightly colored clothes and sings happy songs even when he knows there is absolutely nothing to be happy about.
Truthful Pixie. A pixie who lives in a log cabin in the eastern part of the Shadow Forest. He poisons everyone passing by and considers lies unacceptable. (If he invites you to dinner, have a good excuse ready.)
Flying loggers. Deadly creatures that smash with their beaks any skull they can find to feast on brains, their favorite delicacy.
Spoon. A giant creature, covered in fur and combining the features of a bear and a lion, with a belly more comfortable than any pillow. Spends most of his life sleeping, enjoying dreams about berries. Capable of cutting off a person's head in one bite.
Rabbit Greytail. An elderly rabbit who convinced all the other rabbits in the pen that Toubula, the rabbit god, would save them all. In reality, they will most likely end up in the troll cauldron.
Kalushi. Even more stupid than rabbits, Kalush are lanky three-headed birds that rush through the forest, clucking and constantly falling into holes.
ON THE WAY TO A BIG SURPRISE
The logs lying in the back of the truck were stacked in a pyramid shape and secured with three gray straps made of a material that Samuel Blink could not recognize. One of the straps was too loose, causing the logs to bounce as if they were restless or wishing they could escape and get back into the forest.
The truck overtook the car at desperate speed.
Have you ever seen anything like this? - Peter, Samuel’s dad, was indignant. - Some kind of maniac!
Samuel's dad considered all drivers except himself to be maniacs, and truck drivers to be the biggest maniacs of all.
“Great,” he said as the huge truck began to slow down. - So we'll never get there.
A truck with logs was now driving directly in front of their car, occupying both lanes, so that the white road markings flew out from under its body, flashing like laser beams.
There’s no hurry,” said Samuel’s mother, whose name was Liv. When dad got angry, she became more forgiving than ever.
Samuel didn't know where they were going. The only thing he knew was that he did not want to endure his sister's singing for another minute. More precisely, “the wheezing of a strangled cat” is how this sound should be described.
Mom, tell Martha to stop making those terrible noises.
These are not terrible sounds! “This is beautiful singing,” my mother exclaimed with annoyance.
It was a lie. One of the millions of cases of parental lies that Samuel had become accustomed to over the twelve years that he spent on this planet. But he knew that today he would not get support from anyone. It was Martha's birthday, after all, a fact confirmed by two large badges on her sweater that read "I'M 10" and "1°TODAY."
The singing became louder. Samuel's head shook like the logs in the truck as he pressed it against the car window, watching the grass flicker along the road.
Dad,” he said, turning to the second-ranking member of their family, “tell Martha.”
Dad ignored him. He was too busy grumbling about the truck in front of him.
This is ridiculous! Why the hell overtake if you're going to slow down?!
Martha squirmed under her seat belt and sang loudly into Samuel's ear:
I"m your baby girl, And you could be my world…
Ugh! Samuel felt like he was going to be sick. Even on his best days he hated his sister's singing, but he hated it especially when he was already tired. And that night he only slept for two hours because he had his usual nightmare. A nightmare about strange tailed monsters with gray skin and unblinking eyes. He woke up in a cold sweat and could no longer fall asleep.
Your singing should be given to murderers to listen to as punishment,” he told Martha.
Shut up, stinker. You are just jealous.
And she started her bagpipes again, singing snatches of silly girly love songs. He knew that she was capable of singing from morning to night. She sang from morning to night - every single day. It was as if her whole life was one long song. It was like she was stuck in one of those stupid musicals she always watched on TV.
Samuel turned back to the window and began to pray that Martha would shut up.
She became as quiet as a log.
Even when she was simply speaking, she would turn her sentences into a song, raising and lowering her voice so that each word sounded like a separate note.
So instead of asking, “Where are we going?” she sang, raising and lowering her voice:
- Mom and Dad, where are we going?
To which their mother replied:
You don't want to ruin the big surprise, do you?
Yes-ah-ah,” Martha sang.
“Well, you’ll see everything for yourself soon,” my mother answered.
“You won’t see it if we hang around behind this thing,” her dad objected, referring to the truck with logs.
Samuel wondered what kind of big surprise his parents had in store. He hoped it would be an amusement park like his last birthday. A roller coaster loop might have silenced Martha, at least for a little while. That time he went with his dad to an attraction called “Catapult,” which reached such speed that it was impossible to even turn his head. Samuel enjoyed every second of this crazy race, and Dad pretended to feel the same until he had to rush to the toilet to get rid of the lunch he had eaten (parental lie number 910 682).
However, Samuel now began to suspect that the big surprise would be much more boring than an amusement park. He thought about the stupid things Martha liked to do.
...Horse riding…
Doing hair...
Spending pocket money on stupid music...
Listen to stupid music...
Sing stupid songs...
So, with Martha's interests in mind, Samuel narrowed down his options to riding a horse all day, watching his sister get her hair cut at a fancy hair salon, or, worst case scenario, going to see a musical. Perhaps even a musical about a hairdresser who takes part in horse races and dedicates songs to his horse.
Samuel smiled at this exclusive version of hell in his head.
Beep!
Daydreams about people singing songs to horses were interrupted by Dad, who sharply honked the horn at the truck in front of them.
“This is just ridiculous,” he muttered, turning on the turn signal.
Peter, what are you doing? - Mom asked.
I turn. If we follow the truck, we will be stuck on this road all day. And did you see how these logs are secured? An accident is just about to happen.
But we don’t know the local roads.
We have a map. In the glove compartment.
Samuel and Martha knew what the card meant. It meant that Mom and Dad would get into a huge fight for at least an hour, arguing about where they should turn left.
“Okay,” said mom. “We need the route “At six four two.” Children, look for the route “At six four two.”
At six four two,” Martha sang.
At six four two.
They drove through the roundabout three times before Samuel noticed the indication for B-642 written in discreet letters on a small green road sign.
“Here she is,” he said.
The car turned off the junction, and not even five minutes had passed before the map caused the usual quarrel about turning left. Samuel continued to look out the window, the birthday girl continued to sing, and meanwhile the quarrel between their mom and dad took root and began to grow.
Too late. We should have just turned left.
You could have told me. You have the map.
That's what I said.
Oh well. You could have told me before we went around that damn corner.
This stupid old map. It's too difficult to understand.
Samuel thought about what his mother had just said. I wonder how a card can be stupid? Then he thought about the tree that was turned into paper to print this map. Perhaps the tree made the map so incomprehensible in retaliation.
Be that as it may, they missed the left turn and are now stuck on the B-642 highway.
Amazing! - Samuel's dad exclaimed. - Go back to where we came from!
It was your idea to fold.
Yes, but everything would be fine if you knew how to handle the damn card!
Oh no, said Samuel's mother.
What's the matter? - Dad said with annoyance.
This road does not intersect with the highway... It goes under it.
And, to confirm her words, around the next turn there was a view of a huge concrete bridge directly over the B-642 highway.
Samuel watched as, far to the left, a truck with logs stubbornly climbed onto the bridge. But he could not notice—he would have needed telescopic vision to do so—that the loose gray strap that held the logs in place was now completely unfastened. The two remaining belts were also tightened much looser than they should have been, and the logs were bouncing more and more desperately in the back.
By the time the second strap came loose, it was obvious that a third would inevitably follow. This happened, which, in turn, led to another inevitable event - the logs began to fall out of the body.
As the car approached the bridge, Samuel kept his eyes on the truck. He calculated that if they continued to drive at the same speed, the car would be under the bridge just as the truck was on it.
So when he saw the first log fall off the truck, he was already aware of the potential danger.
Dad! Stop the car!
Samuel, what the hell is the matter?
Stop the car! Logs! They fall off the truck! Stop the car!
Samuel, what are you even talking about? “Samuel’s dad had absolutely no intention of stopping the car.”
The first log broke the road fence a hundred meters from the bridge and rolled down the slope towards the field from the side of the B-642 highway.
Stop the car! Stop the car!
Samuel? - His mother always said his name with a questioning intonation when she started to get angry.
Stop it! Stop it! Just stop!
But the car continued to move forward, the logs continued to fall, and his sister continued to sing:
Happy Birthday to me…
Stop it!
Samuel?
We can't just stop.
Happy Birthday to me…
Can't you see?
Look, these logs, they're rolling down!
Happy birthday Martha...
Logs? What kind of logs?
Honestly, Samuel. I think you're overexcited...
Happy Birthday…
Then everything happened. Exactly at the moment when Samuel's dad finally decided to slow down. It was at this moment that the last ten logs remaining in the back of the truck fell down and broke through the fence.
This time, however, one of the logs did not roll down the hill into the field. It fell from the bridge and hit the only car that was driving along this section of the B-642 highway.
The log landed on the front of the roof. Heavy Scotch pine that traveled three hundred miles south on its way to a paper mill in Lincolnshire.
In less than a second—the time it took for the log to break through the thin metal of the roof—Samuel and Martha lost both their parents. They themselves, like the entire rear part of the car, remained safe and sound.
Samuel held his sister's hand as they sat dazed in the back seat. They were too shocked to move. Or to speak. Or to make at least a sound. In one second, their eyes saw more nightmares than in the entire time that they both lived in the world.
They never found out where their parents were going to take them for Martha's birthday. They knew one thing: no matter what happened next, their lives would never be the same.
The death of their parents, killed by a huge log, was not the first death Samuel and Martha Blink faced.
In fact, most of their closest relatives were killed during their short childhood lives, although they themselves were not present at any of these deaths.
They weren't around, for example, when grandpa was carrying a box of decorative gnomes into his garden behind the house and he had a heart attack. Or when, two months later, Grandma tripped over one of those gnomes and fell, hitting her head on the roof of the greenhouse.
Neither were they when Uncle Derek died from an electric shock while trying to free a tiny piece of toast from the toaster with a fork. Or when Aunt Sheila fell and hit her head on the door stop after winning five points in the lottery.
They were not there even when their Norwegian uncle Henrik... However, the case with Uncle Henrik remained very mysterious.
Unlike all the other deaths, Samuel and Martha were never told how Uncle Henrik died. To be honest, they also knew almost nothing about how he lived.
So, Uncle Henrik was from Norway. From the same country where Liv, Samuel and Martha's mother, was from. From a country they have never been to. Their mother had a twin sister named Ida. Liv and Ida grew up in a town called Fredrikstad near Norway's capital, Oslo. When they were twenty, their long-widowed mother died. The following year, Liv moved to England to study at university and there she met her future husband, Peter. That same year, in Norway, Ida fell in love with a ski jumper named Henrik.
Samuel and Martha knew very little about Aunt Ida and Uncle Henrik. But they knew one thing for sure: Aunt Ida was a very good javelin thrower, the best in all of Norway, and participated in the Olympic Games in Moscow. Samuel always found it an amazing fact that his blood relative had competed in the Olympic Games, and it inspired him to try harder on sports days. But after nearly spearing his trainer, he realized he might not be following in his aunt's footsteps.
Whenever Samuel and Martha asked about Aunt Ida, they always received the same answer from their mother: “She is a kind and wonderful woman.”
So why have they never seen this very kind and wonderful woman?
Good question. Both Samuel and Martha asked it repeatedly - about a hundred times each - but never gave a satisfactory answer.
Here are three of the not-so-satisfactory responses they received:
1) “Your Aunt Ida is afraid of ships and planes, so she never leaves Norway. And no more questions, I have a headache.”
2) “We can’t afford to travel to Norway because it’s a very expensive country and we don’t print money. And no more questions, I have a headache.”
3) “It’s very cold in Norway. I am sure that you would prefer to go to some warm country with good beaches. And no more questions, my head is really pounding.”
Samuel Blink - 1
This is a place where the path is forbidden to any living creature. Here, evil comes in many forms, and creatures from legend and myth live and breathe. And they kill. This place beyond dreams and nightmares is a place that inspires such fear that until now it has not had a name. But now, in this book, I will explain the inexplicable and give fear the name it deserves. This name is Shadowwood, and it will strike terror in your hearts.
People and other creatures you will meet in this book
BLINK FAMILY
Samuel Blink. A twelve-year-old boy, a little less lucky than most people. He never considered himself a hero. But in vain, because he turned out to be an excellent hero.
Martha Blink. Samuel's little sister who thinks she's in a musical. But that's not true. She sits in the backseat of her parents' car and sings silly songs right into Samuel's ear. Well, today is her birthday.
Liv Blink. Mother of Martha and Samuel. Martha's singing does not irritate her at all, unlike her husband's driving style.
Peter Blink. Martha and Samuel's dad. Crazy driver. If he survives to the end of the first chapter, it will be a great success.
NORSE
Aunt Ida. Norwegian sister of Liv Blink. Aunt of Samuel and Martha. Former Olympic champion in javelin throw. The owner of a lamp of happiness, ten pairs of warm underpants, a house near the Shady Forest and a hairy chin. She misses her husband, Uncle Henrik, who disappeared in the forest ten years ago.
Uncle Henrik. Shh-sh-sh! Don't mention Uncle Henrik to Aunt Ida. She will most likely start crying.
Oscar. A grocer in the village of Flåm with a weakness for bow ties and tall women (especially Aunt Ida).
Fredrik. Oscar's son loves to play with his calculator. Don't worry about him: you'll only encounter him in two chapters.
Old Thor. He is old. And... uh... his name is Thor. He paints mountains and fjords. And sometimes he comes across two-headed trolls.
OTHER PEOPLE
Professor Horatio Tanglewood (aka the Master of Change). An evil Englishman who lives in a wooden palace in the heart of the Shadow Forest, which he rules under the name of the Master of Change. He wrote the book "Creatures of the Shadowwood" and keeps the pickled heads of his enemies in jars. His favorite music is a child's cry. He is currently working on his autobiography.
Author. He goes by the rather boring name of Matt Haig, although at his baptism he was named Cerebubulus Osrich Winterbottom the Third. Twice he rudely interrupts the story just when you are just beginning to get the hang of it. One day he came across Professor Horatio in his personal library. The professor asked him to lend him a pen, but he never returned it.
Ibsen. Aunt Ida's Norwegian Elkhound. Loves brown cheese, sleeping and human children. Hates the forest.
Witch of Shadows. Using the powers of shadows, he transforms himself and other forest inhabitants. Lives with his master, Professor Horatio Tanglewood, in his wooden palace. The Shadow Witch breathes out clouds of shadows and tends to turn into a cat when leaving the forest.
Snow witch. Sister of the Witch of Shadows, casts spells on the weather. He is currently in underground detention. Her strength is running out, and certain death awaits her. She's seen better days.
Vzhpp. A prison guard who is cruel to the tips of his nails, who, like all huldra, is afraid of sunlight and lives underground. In case you're trying to figure out how to pronounce his name: it can't be pronounced. This is impossible.
Grentoul. A slightly less brutal prison guard who is endlessly loyal to Professor Tanglewood (known to the Huldra as the Master of Change). Dreams of the old days when the Huldra were not afraid of the sun.
Troll-right and Troll-left. Two heads of the same troll, who hate each other until their stomachs quiver (which, from a technical point of view, they share).
(estimates: 1
, average: 1,00
out of 5) 
Title: Shady Forest
About the book “The Shady Forest” by Matt Haig
The book we would like to present to you is the winner of many literary awards in Great Britain, it was even nominated for the Carnegie Medal. The work “Shady Forest” was given such a high honor. Soon Matt Haig wrote its sequel, called “The Runaway Troll.” This author is very popular among British readers. And although this book is positioned as a children's book, many adult fantasy lovers can enjoy reading it.
“The Shady Forest” is a scary fairy tale in which good and evil fight. In it, Matt Haig talks about a twelve-year-old boy, Samuel Blink. A tragic accident takes the lives of his parents. He and his younger sister Martha are left completely alone. The only remaining relative, Aunt Ida, takes them to live with him. So they move to Norway. The children face a boring life next to a prim aunt and a dog named Ibsen. Their new home is located on the edge of the forest. There is no entertainment there, not even a TV. In addition, Aunt Ida introduced one strict rule: children are not only forbidden to enter the forest, they are not even allowed to come close to it.
But children are children. Despite the ban, curious Martha still goes into the forest. Samuel goes to look for his little sister. There, under the canopy of trees, the boy realizes that he has found himself in another world. It's very dangerous here. Incredible mysterious creatures live here - trolls, huldras, truthful pixies, flying heads, tomte, witches and people who turn into rabbits. The Master of Change terrifies this entire amazing forest.
It is impossible to tear yourself away from the book “Shadow Forest”. It's easy to read, but a little scary. Matt Haig leads the narrative smoothly, not confusingly and very juicy. It feels like the author really tried to write for children. There are no lengthy abstract discussions or unnecessary descriptions here. The plot is captivating and impressive from the first pages. Events develop rapidly, not allowing you to get bored for a minute.
The story about Samuel Blink leaves a pleasant impression. There's a lot to think about here. There are many teaching points about what is good and evil, that you need to appreciate what you have and be grateful for it.
The atmosphere is quite gloomy, even scary. There are frightening bloody scenes. But children, as you know, love scary stories. We recommend reading “The Shady Forest” from the age of eight or nine until old age.
On our website about books, you can download the site for free without registration or read online the book “The Shady Forest” by Matt Haig in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.
Quotes from the book "The Shady Forest" by Matt Haig
A world without questions is the safest world.
Evil is not what you are. It's what you do.
There is only one thing worse than feeling afraid, and that is having no feelings at all.
Heaven is not a place. Heaven is the people you live your life with.
You can't hide a free soul in prison,
Wherever I am, happiness is in me.
Let there be no sun, no clouds -
My heart is free from heavy shackles.
If only death and sadness lie ahead,
Don't think about tomorrow: let your heart be in your chest
Filled with music, light and happiness.
Sing while you're alive and forget about misfortune.
When you're sad, when everything's wrong,
When in your heart there is only cold and darkness,
Don't give up, look more fun.
Sing a song, tomte, and it will become brighter.
It's raining, it's raining,
What will the rain bring me?
But I'm not sad at all
When I meet the rain.
He'll wet my jacket
It will start dripping onto my skin.
But why should I be dry,
If in this way
The sky is crying, sending
Rain from edge to edge.
The present is a house built from the stones of the past.
Matt Haig
SHADY FOREST
This is a place where the path is forbidden to any living creature. Here, evil comes in many forms, and creatures from legend and myth live and breathe. And they kill. This is a place beyond dreams and nightmares - a place that inspires such fear that until now it has not had a name. But now, in this book, I will explain the inexplicable and give fear the name it deserves. This name is Shadowwood, and it will strike fear in your hearts.
Professor Horatio Tanglewood
People and other creatures you will meet in this book
BLINK FAMILY
Samuel Blink. A twelve-year-old boy, a little less lucky than most people. He never considered himself a hero. But in vain, because he turned out to be an excellent hero.
Martha Blink. Samuel's little sister who thinks she's in a musical. But that's not true. She sits in the backseat of her parents' car and sings silly songs right into Samuel's ear. Well, today is her birthday.
Liv Blink. Mother of Martha and Samuel. Martha's singing does not irritate her at all, unlike her husband's driving style.
Peter Blink. Martha and Samuel's dad. Crazy driver. If he survives to the end of the first chapter, it will be a great success.
NORSE
Aunt Ida. Norwegian sister of Liv Blink. Aunt of Samuel and Martha. Former Olympic champion in javelin throw. The owner of a lamp of happiness, ten pairs of warm underpants, a house near the Shady Forest and a hairy chin. She misses her husband, Uncle Henrik, who disappeared in the forest ten years ago.
Uncle Henrik. Shh-sh-sh! Don't mention Uncle Henrik to Aunt Ida. She will most likely start crying.
Oscar. A grocer in the village of Flåm with a weakness for bow ties and tall women (especially Aunt Ida).
Fredrik. Oscar's son loves to play with his calculator. Don't worry about him: you'll only encounter him in two chapters.
Old Thor. He is old. And... uh... his name is Thor. He paints mountains and fjords. And sometimes he comes across two-headed trolls.
OTHER PEOPLE
Professor Horatio Tanglewood (aka the Master of Change). An evil Englishman who lives in a wooden palace in the heart of the Shadow Forest, which he rules under the name of the Master of Change. He wrote the book "Creatures of the Shadowwood" and keeps the pickled heads of his enemies in jars. His favorite music is a child's cry. He is currently working on his autobiography.
Author. Goes by the rather boring name Matt Haig, although at his baptism he was named Cerebubulus Osrich Winterbottom the Third. Twice he rudely interrupts the story just when you are just beginning to get the hang of it. One day he came across Professor Horatio in his personal library. The professor asked him to lend him a pen, but he never returned it.
DOG
Ibsen. Aunt Ida's Norwegian Elkhound. Loves brown cheese, sleeping and human children. Hates the forest.
CREATURES OF THE SHADOW FOREST
WITCHES
Witch of Shadows. Using the powers of shadows, he transforms himself and other forest inhabitants. Lives with his master, Professor Horatio Tanglewood, in his wooden palace. The Shadow Witch breathes out clouds of shadows and tends to turn into a cat when leaving the forest.
Snow Witch. Sister of the Witch of Shadows, casts spells on the weather. He is currently in underground detention. Her strength is running out, and certain death awaits her. She's seen better days.
HULDRY
Vzhpp. A prison guard who is cruel to the tips of his nails, who, like all huldra, is afraid of sunlight and lives underground. In case you're trying to figure out how to pronounce his name: it can't be pronounced. This is impossible.
Grentoul. A slightly less brutal prison guard who is endlessly loyal to Professor Tanglewood (known to the Huldra as the Master of Change). Dreams of the old days when the Huldra were not afraid of the sun.
TROLLS
Troll-right and Troll-left. Two heads of the same troll, who hate each other until their stomachs quiver (which, from a technical point of view, they share).
Troll dad, Troll mom, Troll son And Troll daughter. A friendly family of trolls who share only one eye.
OTHER CREATURES
Tomte. A golden, barrel-shaped creature who wears brightly colored clothes and sings happy songs even when he knows there is absolutely nothing to be happy about.
Truthful Pixie. A pixie who lives in a log cabin in the eastern part of the Shadow Forest. He poisons everyone passing by and considers lies unacceptable. (If he invites you to dinner, have a good excuse ready.)
Flying loggers. Deadly creatures that smash with their beaks any skull they can find to feast on brains, their favorite delicacy.
Spoon. A giant creature, covered in fur and combining the features of a bear and a lion, with a belly more comfortable than any pillow. Spends most of his life sleeping, enjoying dreams about berries. Capable of cutting off a person's head in one bite.
Rabbit Greytail. An elderly rabbit who convinced all the other rabbits in the pen that Toubula, the rabbit god, would save them all. In reality, they will most likely end up in the troll cauldron.
Kalushi. Even more stupid than rabbits, Kalush are lanky three-headed birds that rush through the forest, clucking and constantly falling into holes.
ON THE WAY TO A BIG SURPRISE
The logs lying in the back of the truck were stacked in a pyramid shape and secured with three gray straps made of a material that Samuel Blink could not recognize. One of the straps was too loose, causing the logs to bounce as if they were restless or wishing they could escape and get back into the forest.
The truck overtook the car at desperate speed.
Have you ever seen anything like this? - Peter, Samuel’s dad, was indignant. - Some kind of maniac!
Samuel's dad considered all drivers except himself to be maniacs, and truck drivers to be the biggest maniacs of all.
“Great,” he said as the huge truck began to slow down. - So we'll never get there.
A truck with logs was now driving directly in front of their car, occupying both lanes, so that the white road markings flew out from under its body, flashing like laser beams.
There’s no hurry,” said Samuel’s mother, whose name was Liv. When dad got angry, she became more forgiving than ever.
Samuel didn't know where they were going. The only thing he knew was that he did not want to endure his sister's singing for another minute. More precisely, “the wheezing of a strangled cat” is how this sound should be described.
Mom, tell Martha to stop making those terrible noises.
These are not terrible sounds! “This is beautiful singing,” my mother exclaimed with annoyance.
It was a lie. One of the millions of cases of parental lies that Samuel had become accustomed to over the twelve years that he spent on this planet. But he knew that today he would not get support from anyone. It was Martha's birthday, after all, a fact confirmed by two large badges on her sweater that read "I'M 10" and "1°TODAY."
The singing became louder. Samuel's head shook like the logs in the truck as he pressed it against the car window, watching the grass flicker along the road.
Dad,” he said, turning to the second-ranking member of their family, “tell Martha.”
Dad ignored him. He was too busy grumbling about the truck in front of him.
This is ridiculous! Why the hell overtake if you're going to slow down?!
Martha squirmed under her seat belt and sang loudly into Samuel's ear:
I"m your baby girl, And you could be my world…
Ugh! Samuel felt like he was going to be sick. Even on his best days he hated his sister's singing, but he hated it especially when he was already tired. And that night he only slept for two hours because he had his usual nightmare. A nightmare about strange tailed monsters with gray skin and unblinking eyes. He woke up in a cold sweat and could no longer fall asleep.
Your singing should be given to murderers to listen to as punishment,” he told Martha.
Shut up, stinker. You are just jealous.
And she started her bagpipes again, singing snatches of silly girly love songs. He knew that she was capable of singing from morning to night. She sang from morning to night - every single day. It was as if her whole life was one long song. It was like she was stuck in one of those stupid musicals she always watched on TV.
Dedicated to Andrea
Published with permission from literary agencies
AR Watt Limited and The Van Lear Agency
© Matt Haig, 2007
© S. Dolotovskaya, translation into Russian, 2011
© AST Publishing House LLC, 2015
This is a place where the path is forbidden to any living creature. Here, evil comes in many forms, and creatures from legend and myth live and breathe. And they kill. This is a place beyond dreams and nightmares - a place that inspires such fear that until now it has not had a name. But now, in this book, I will explain the inexplicable and give fear the name it deserves. This name is Shadowwood, and it will strike fear in your hearts.
Professor Horatio Tanglewood
People and other creatures you will meet in this book people
BLINK FAMILY
Samuel Blink. A twelve-year-old boy, a little less lucky than most people. He never considered himself a hero. But in vain, because he turned out to be an excellent hero.
Martha Blink. Samuel's little sister who thinks she's in a musical. But that's not true. She sits in the backseat of her parents' car and sings silly songs right into Samuel's ear. Well, today is her birthday.
Ive Blink. Mother of Martha and Samuel. Martha's singing does not irritate her at all, unlike her husband's driving style.
Peter Blink. Martha and Samuel's dad. Crazy driver. If he survives to the end of the first chapter, it will be a great success.
NORSE
Aunt Ida. Norwegian sister of Liv Blink. Aunt of Samuel and Martha. Former Olympic champion in javelin throw. The owner of a lamp of happiness, ten pairs of warm underpants, a house near the Shady Forest and a hairy chin. She misses her husband, Uncle Henrik, who disappeared in the forest ten years ago.
Uncle Henrik. Shh-sh-sh! Don't mention Uncle Henrik to Aunt Ida. She will most likely start crying.
Oscar. A grocer in the village of Flåm with a weakness for bow ties and tall women (especially Aunt Ida).
Fredrik. Oscar's son loves to play with his calculator. Don't worry about him: you'll only encounter him in two chapters.
Old Thor. He is old. And... uh... his name is Thor. He paints mountains and fjords. And sometimes he comes across two-headed trolls.
OTHER PEOPLE
Professor Horatio Tanglewood (aka the Master of Change). An evil Englishman who lives in a wooden palace in the heart of the Shadow Forest, which he rules under the name of the Master of Change. He wrote the book "Creatures of the Shadowwood" and keeps the pickled heads of his enemies in jars. His favorite music is a child's cry. He is currently working on his autobiography.
Author. Goes by the rather boring name Matt Haig, although at his baptism he was named Cerebubulus Osrich Winterbottom the Third. Twice he rudely interrupts the story just when you are just beginning to get the hang of it. One day he came across Professor Horatio in his personal library. The professor asked him to lend him a pen, but he never returned it.
DOG
Ibsen. Aunt Ida's Norwegian Elkhound. Loves brown cheese, sleeping and human children. Hates the forest.
CREATURES OF THE SHADOW FOREST
WITCHES
Witch of Shadows. Using the powers of shadows, he transforms himself and other forest inhabitants. Lives with his master, Professor Horatio Tanglewood, in his wooden palace. The Shadow Witch breathes out clouds of shadows and tends to turn into a cat when leaving the forest.
Snow witch. Sister of the Witch of Shadows, casts spells on the weather. He is currently in underground detention. Her strength is running out, and certain death awaits her. She's seen better days.
HULDRY
Vzhpp. A prison guard who is cruel to the tips of his nails, who, like all huldra, is afraid of sunlight and lives underground. In case you're trying to figure out how to pronounce his name: it can't be pronounced. This is impossible.
Grentoul. A slightly less brutal prison guard who is endlessly loyal to Professor Tanglewood (known to the Huldra as the Master of Change). Dreams of the old days when the Huldra were not afraid of the sun.
TROLLS
Troll-right and Troll-left. Two heads of the same troll, who hate each other until their stomachs quiver (which, from a technical point of view, they share). Troll dad, Troll mom, Troll son and Troll daughter. A friendly family of trolls who share only one eye.
OTHER CREATURES
Tomte. A golden, barrel-shaped creature who wears brightly colored clothes and sings happy songs even when he knows there is absolutely nothing to be happy about.
True pixie. A pixie who lives in a log cabin in the eastern part of the Shadow Forest. He poisons everyone passing by and considers lies unacceptable. (If he invites you to dinner, have a good excuse ready.)
Flying loggers. Deadly creatures that smash with their beaks any skull they can find to feast on brains, their favorite delicacy.
Spoon. A giant creature, covered in fur and combining the features of a bear and a lion, with a belly more comfortable than any pillow. Spends most of his life sleeping, enjoying dreams about berries. Capable of cutting off a person's head in one bite.
Rabbit Greytail. An elderly rabbit who convinced all the other rabbits in the pen that Toubula, the rabbit god, would save them all. In reality, they will most likely end up in the troll cauldron.
Kalushi. Even more stupid than rabbits, Kalush are lanky three-headed birds that rush through the forest, clucking and constantly falling into holes.
On the way to a big surprise
The logs lying in the back of the truck were stacked in a pyramid shape and secured with three gray straps made of a material that Samuel Blink could not recognize. One of the straps was too loose, causing the logs to bounce as if they were restless or wishing they could escape and get back into the forest.
The truck overtook the car at desperate speed.
-Have you ever seen anything like this? – Peter, Samuel’s dad, was indignant. - Some kind of maniac!
Samuel's dad considered all drivers except himself to be maniacs, and truck drivers to be the biggest maniacs of all.
“Great,” he said as the huge truck began to slow down. “So we’ll never get there.”
A truck with logs was now driving directly in front of their car, occupying both lanes, so that the white road markings flew out from under its body, flashing like laser beams.
“There’s no hurry,” said Samuel’s mother, whose name was Liv. When dad got angry, she became more forgiving than ever.
Samuel didn't know where they were going. The only thing he knew was that he did not want to endure his sister's singing for another minute. More precisely, “the wheezing of a strangled cat” is how this sound should be described.
“Mom, tell Martha to stop making those terrible sounds.”
- These are not terrible sounds! This is beautiful singing,” my mother exclaimed with annoyance.
It was a lie. One of the millions of cases of parental lies that Samuel had become accustomed to over the twelve years that he spent on this planet. But he knew that today he would not get support from anyone. It was Martha's birthday, after all, a fact confirmed by two large badges on her sweater that read "I'M 10" and "10 TODAY."
