Hookland Fragments Volume One is the long-awaited book by David Southwell, the creator of Hookland, whose near daily offerings across the main social media platforms has gained a cult status and large following.
And rightly so, Southwell has been treating us to these missives for years and neither the output nor the quality has diminished, a remarkable achievement. When the text limit of a Twitter tweet frustrated all who used it, this author turned it into an art form.
For those who are unaware, Hookland is a fictional county somewhere in England. It exists in and born out of the era of the author’s formative years; the 70s and early 80s whose characters from that period combine with ‘17th century occultists and Edwardian storytellers’
It is a landscape carved out of 1970s children’s television, folk-horror, early Doctor Who and the supernatural, the strange lure of electricity pylons and the ever present threat of a nuclear holocaust. A land of Cunning Folk, Hedge Witches, Ghost Hunters, Salt Hags and Wood Sprites to name but a few. When I first stumbled on Hookland on Twitter (when there was value to be had on being there), I was happily puzzled, I searched out Dr M. Benn expecting to find something, anything about them on an internet search, an out of print book or a reference to a living person, but nothing. It was so unique it gloriously bamboozled me, and then I found myself constantly checking for a new submissive, another glimpse into this wyrd world. Hookland hooked me.
His characters are fascinating and endearing; Hookland followers will be grateful for a further insight into Emily C. Banting, C.L. Nolan and C. Josiffe with fleeting appearances by Jack Rosehip, Gyrus Clarke and Owen Booth wondering where his invisible hare-chasing dog has gone. A local pub is never far from sight in Hookland; a place of respite on a cold and damp Tuesday night where whispered gossip and old tales are swapped and recorded for posterity by the author and a day not done until Hookland bids us ‘goodnight’.
This is properly clever stuff, it’s written by someone deeply entrenched in the magic of old lore; a champion of the downtrodden, born in the age of protest, social injustice and political violence who sought refuge in Britain’s mythical underbelly. Like me, David Southwell grew up in a time when imagination was often our only escape and salvation through difficult times. His ability to call upon such a rich vocabulary of myths and legends has both helped him through his own personal trevails and inspired countless others to seek out an enchanted wood or old corpse road, to see a ley line or gateway into faery.
Avid followers have long been hopeful of a book; the author knows his audience and their thirst for greater knowledge about the county and its characters and here the balance between insight and a retention of mystery is well executed. The beauty of Hookland is that it is a place for everyone and their imagination, there are no rules other than entering with a shared common decency so make of Nolan, Benn and Banting et al what you will, they serve to fire the thoughts and dream times of the reader, the map is your own to follow.
Hookland Fragments shows its readers the gateway into the authors world of imagination; from its earliest beginnings to its present day. For those of us of a certain age his influences summon a warm glow of recall, but in truth, it’s looser than he might admit because there is nothing like Hookland. Yes, if you loved Alan Garner as a child you would love this and vice versa but he isn’t Garner, or Dr Who, or Machen , Tove Jansson or Ballard and whilst the county exists outside of real time, the author would be forgiven for slowing down or having long since peaked like many understandably do but it’s as fresh as those earliest forays. I don’t know how he does it.
Hookland makes it ok to imagine, whatever your age. It harks back to a time when a storyteller created real magic and we need that more than ever. Books like these deserve support, this first edition will become a collector’s item and take its rightful place amongst those who inspired David all those years ago. I shall keep mine close, it’s perfect for a journey, a tea break or a waiting room reassurance, a dream inducer, a portal into the wonder of possibilities.
Long live Hookland.
Hookland Fragments Volume One by David Southwell. ISBN: 978106859812B and published by Twisted Trunk Books. Artwork by Maria Strutz.
Now available on Amazon and via your local bookshop.
Hookland can be found on your preferred social media site:
Blue Sky: @hookland.bsky.social
X/Twitter: @hooklandguide
Instagram: @officialhooklandguide
Related matters:
Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain
The Owl Service Television Series
Categories: British History and Folklore, The Reading Room
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