Celtic fantasy – Speculative fiction – Experimental fiction
Through our Pantolwen Press imprint, we offer a small range of speculative fiction.
A New Form
Our most recent publication is experimental fiction. In Vu, former playwright Kenneth Sinclair is attempting a new form. His captive storyteller finds himself face to face with the legendary Princess Scheherazade. Narrating to her from the exotic location of her private apartment, he presents a collage of vividly-painted lyric pictures with myriad details – his personal selection from 2000 years of culture across the globe. Writing for the Historical Novel Society, reviewer Susie Helme exclaims, “I’ve never seen a book like this. The words are so beautiful, so image-rich, a cornucopia for the senses.”
Fantasy as a Mirror of Reality
Our previous publications include The Seaborne and The Priest’s Wife by A G Rivett. Damian Walford Davies called The Seaborne “a parable for our particularly torn times.” Rolf Billes, an educator with the Iona Community, described the novels as “works of great beauty and imagination.” They are the opening books of the Isle Fincara Trilogy.
The Isle Fincara Trilogy is speculative fiction, a Celtic fantasy and a time-slip narrative, all at the same time. Each part is set on the same mythical island and includes many of the same characters. Each tells its own distinctive story. The Trilogy opens with a modern man on a medieval island a thousand years ago, and uses fantasy as a mirror for reflecting on the direction of historical change and the ways we face, and fail to face, the challenges of our own particular times.
What these very different works have in common: historical perspective, a willingness to challenge the mainstream, an appreciation of timeless values, and a spirit of inquiry.
Printing and Publication
We print our books using the outstanding services of Gomer Press to produce a quality product, locally, on carbon neutral paper. Our books are also available print-on-demand through IngramSpark for worldwide distribution.
We are grateful for support from Llyfrau Cymru, the Books Council of Wales, who distribute our books. You can buy from them direct at their on-line shop, Gwales.com