I was listening to a song, very folkloric in style, and it mentioned finding the road to Lavondis. I’m very much into folklore and myth so I googled it which led me to the Mythago books by Robert Holdstock. Looks like they were published in the 80’s. Fantasy is my main genre of reading, but I can be a bit picky when it comes to the type of fantasy I’m reading. I’m going to add them to my list, but I was wondering if anyone has read them and what they thought? Also a follow up question, have you ever found a book through music?
That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time! I read Mythago Wood in my early teens when I was devouring every fantasy book in the house, and I wasn’t the most discerning reader at the time so I’m not the most reliable guide, but I enjoyed it a lot back then and I can tell you there are images from it that have stuck with me ever since. It’s a really cool premise, at least. I wonder if I still have that copy kicking around somewhere - I don’t think I ever knew there were sequels.
As for your second question, yes! Later in my teens I was really into seventies and eighties post-punk music, which was hugely influential to both my personal politics/philosophy and taste in literature. It turned me onto authors like Camus and Dostoyevsky who’ve been firm favourites ever since. A couple of years ago I also read the Berserk manga partly due to obsessing over Susumu Hirasawa’s music, including his score work for its anime adaptations. It’s something I might have written off as not my thing otherwise and I’m so glad I didn’t.