The Forest

A remarkable and ambitious novel whose central figure is not a man or a woman, but the ancient New Forest in England. Few places are closer to the heart of the national heritage than the New Forest. Now, Edward Rutherfurd weaves its history and legends into captivating fiction, from the mysterious murder of King William Rufus to betrayal and witchcraft, as well as smuggling and poaching: this is an epic tale of well-born ladies, humble woodcutters, sailors, merchants, and Cistercian monks. The feuds, wars, loyalties, and passions of generations culminate in a crime that shakes the respectable society of Jane Austen's Bath, with repercussions that extend to the era of Victorian railway builders and to the ecologists of the present day.