Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn
First edition cover
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| Author | |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Ron Walotsky |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Mythago Wood series |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Roc Books |
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Publication date
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1997 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 308 pp |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 37024785 |
| 823/.914 21 | |
| LC Class | PR6058.O442 G37 1997 |
| Preceded by | The Hollowing (1993) |
| Followed by | Avilion (2009) |
Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn is a fantasy novel by British author . It was originally published in the United States in 1997 (and in the United Kingdom under the title Gate of Ivory in 1998.) The story is a prequel to Mythago Wood and explores Christian Huxley's quest into Ryhope Wood and the apparent suicide of his mother, Jennifer Huxley. The title of the book refers to the gates of horn and ivory described in both Homer's Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid.
The tale The Cattle Raid of Cooley was an inspiration according to the author.David Langford, an author, editor and literary critic, points out that the multitude of impossible tasks placed before one of the main characters is based on the Mabinogion's incomplete tale of Culhwch and Olwen.
Christian Huxley enters Ryhope wood on a search for the compelling mythago Guiwenneth and for a better understanding of his mother's suicide. Inside the wood he joins a small group of mythago companions who, in turn, join a vast army of mythagos, numbering in the thousands. This army includes many mythic archetypes including shaman, shapeshifters, and warriors. Among these mythagos are those whose creation is influenced by King Arthur and the Welsh tales of the Mabinogion, specifically the tale of Culhwch and Olwen. Echoing the tales of Culhwch and Olwen, Christian is assigned with completing many impossible tasks. Holdstock uses the story within a story device to have Kylhuk retell a tale involving himself, Olwen and Pwyll, among others.
This army, known as a legion, is pursued by the angry dead on its search for the gates to the underworld. As Christian nears the end of his quest in the wood, he has an opportunity to enter the underworld (like Orpheus) and grapple with the suicide of his mother which has two very different manifestations, one true and one false. While in the underworld he is also faced with a difficult choice of rescuing only one of two loved ones from death.
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