The Roots of the Mountains


Read by Phil Benson

(4.8 stars; 6 reviews)

The Roots of the Mountains was the second in a projected series of three historical novels set in a pre-medieval Germanic world (the third was not completed). It follows the themes of House of the Wolfings, which was published in the same year, into a later generation. A loose alliance of Dalesmen, Woodlanders and Shepherds who have lived in peace around the valley of Burgdale for so long that they barely remember war, find their peace disturbed by the Sons of the Wolf and the invading Dusky Men. Morris’s exploration of the social and economic organization of this fictional pre-medieval world reflects his socialism; the figure of the Dusky Men (unable to breed with the Germanic tribes and slaughtered without compassion) reflects the racial politics of his times. Long neglected, Morris’s two Germanic novels were rediscovered when they were published as the sixteenth and nineteenth volumes in the celebrated Newcastle Forgotten Fantasy Library. - Summary by Phil Benson (15 hr 5 min)

Chapters

Chapter I 26:52 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter II 14:05 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter III 15:38 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter IV 21:24 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter V 10:07 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter VI 19:36 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter VII 15:53 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter VIII 5:08 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter IX 7:05 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter X 12:16 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XI 11:22 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XII 8:56 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XIII 8:49 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XIV 11:38 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XV 11:22 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XVI 9:06 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XVII 17:51 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XVIII 10:20 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XIX 31:27 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XX 34:58 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXI 23:03 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXII 22:18 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXIII 7:04 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXIV 12:01 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXV 27:47 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXVI 16:11 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXVII 23:33 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXVIII 31:15 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXIX 19:37 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXX 11:28 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXXI 18:53 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXXII 26:19 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXXIII 8:00 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXXIV 26:25 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXXV 15:08 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXXVI 14:49 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXXVII 11:22 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXXVIII 10:28 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XXXIX 18:59 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XL 21:04 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XLI 13:47 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XLII 10:27 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XLIII 27:29 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XLIV 16:10 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XLV 18:55 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XLVI 22:04 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XLVII 10:04 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XLVIII 6:52 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter XLIX 13:32 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter L 8:47 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter LI 4:20 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter LII 3:07 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter LIII 10:43 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter LIV 7:00 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter LV 17:40 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter LVI 3:32 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter LVII 9:51 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter LVIII 19:32 Read by Phil Benson
Chapter LIX 12:21 Read by Phil Benson

Reviews


(5 stars)

A fascinating text about an ancient fantastic time, about a people held in horrible slavery and how they were saved, the tyrants slaughtered, about the brave shield maidens and honorable heroes. The rhymes and songs make the tale even more vivid. I enjoyed the old fashioned English. Thanks a lot for publishing it!