I enjoyed this YA novel quite a lot, but it actually reminded me much more of Alan Garner than of the other books I've read by Mary Gentle. Where past works I've read by her (Ancient Light, The Architecture of Desire, Golden Witchbreed) have been very sophisticated and challenging, this was a very straightforward adventure story, in the modern-teens-become-involved-with-events-out-of-British-legend genre. (In this case, the teens are caught between two groups of Faerie from the Hollow Hills in an age-old quarrel).
However, this book stood out from the crowd for its vivid portrayal of British small-town life, and its unsentimental, realistic characterizations. ( )

Goodness, very early Mary Gentle! Far less quirky and challenging than her later work, with lots of standard fantasy tropes here; what sets it apart are the slighty sweat, grimy workaday lives of her teenage protagonists. ( )