Whiteadder/Wolfspider by Benjamin Myers, the brilliant auteur behind Cuddy, Pig Iron and The Gallows Pole (to name but three of his other novels), returns with new puzzle box of a novel - one his publishers say can be read forward or backwards or whichever way you wish. I read it chronologically, from page 1 to its end, which is the way I expect most of his readers will approach it. And what a fabulous novel it is.

It is 1973 and the psychedelic folk band Once Upon A Time move to the Scottish borders to gain some freedom, where Kit - our central character here - is young, just thirteen, but about to grow up very suddenly.

Then it is 1974 and Kit is in London, prowling around SoHo and haunted by his past - something comes smashing back into his present when Once Upon A Time reunite to play a festival.

Beautifully capturing a snapshot of the UK on the cusp of major changes - and of a music scene that would also soon be changing dramatically - Myers' latest novel is another triumph. I absolutely adored reading Whiteadder/Wolfspider, ploughing through it in one breathless sitting. I can't wait to re-read it again!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

"Some children never get to experience half the things that you do." "But I never got to be a child, did I?"

Benjamin Myers is one of the most unique voices in contemporary fiction. You can't really categorise his work but whatever he produces will take you on an unforgettable journey of discovery,

This is the story of Kit, a young teenager whose life is controlled by the actions and whims of his mum and the movements of a gradually defunct hippy band of the late 1960s called Once Upon A Time. Kit doesn't go to school as he finds his life is part of the band's entourage . The book looks at two transformative periods of time in Kit's life - Autumn 1973 and Spring/Summer 1974.

The first part of the book finds Kit and the group living in some dilapidate cottages in the Scottish Borders; the band are trying to create new music and find their path again whilst believing they are living a communal lifestyle dream. The only person who can see that things aren't working is young Kit and when a strange joins the group, events take a darker turn forcing Kit to escape. Kit escapes into the countryside observing life along the river Whiteadder ; his interaction with the natural world in Scotland is beautiful

The second part of the story finds Kit in central London navigating the darker areas of survival from predatory men and the world of narcotics; finally finding himself living in a squat with the band's 'manager/roadie'. But the book hinges upon whether Kit will ever find a route of peace and calm and true self-identity especially when things finally come to ahead at a psychedelic festival called the Wolfspider Solstice Fayre.

This is a book that once you get into you can't but be on Kit's side - his wisdom and perception of those around him make him the 'adult' figure as he cuts through the delusions and illusions to face the reality.

At turns tender, astonishing and shocking, it is Kit's desire to find 'himself' as he enters adolescence and find a future path that makes this an excellent read. Period details and attitudes create a sense of claustrophobia within the community that Kit resides but it is hope and sensitivity that shine through.

As with other Benjamin Myers' books a thread of survival runs through the stories- the abandoned, the lost, the misunderstood - all moving forward and ultimately finding a future.

Get through the first few pages ( the band seems overly self-absorbed and deluded) and you will join Kit on this rollercoaster of a story.

A winning read for 2027.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Circus publishing and NetGalley for this advance copy and an honest review

I love and admire Benjamin Myers novels, though less the folk noir ones which I find difficult to stomach. However this novel is more along the lines of Rare Singles or The Offing and is just as good.

Set in the early 1970s it is the story of Kit, a 13 year old who hasn't attended school for some time, but lives a semi-nomadic existence with his mother, a hippy who has weak mental health, and her partner, who is a member of a band - Once Upon a Time (an appropriate name) who were popular in the 1960s but who now exist on dwindling royalties, drugs and fading memories. They move to set up a commune in a set of dilapidated cottages in Scotland where they live in great discomfort (Kit is constantly hungry) and with the malign presence of a newcomer, Jonathan, who appears and joins the band, despite any apparent musical talent.

A sequence of events (no spoilers) sees Kit moving to London and initially falling into the world of young runaways who work as rent boys to powerful men. In some ways this is a coming of age story, but not one we would wish or want for anyone we know. Things come to a head at a ramshackle festival in Todmorden, Yorkshire and a revelation that may surprise or we may have known all along.

Definitely recommended and many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.

In a sense this book consists two complete stories. The comment seems to be that you can read them in any order. They both concern Kit and a music group called Once Upon a Time.

I read Whiteadder first. It's September 1973 and the group, famous in the Sixties, is finding it hard to be famous in the Seventies. Their leader, Alex who would wish to be seen as charismatic, has found a "pagan paradise" in southern Scotland. It consists of 5 dilapidated houses with a river running past called the Whiteadder and is a long way from anywhere. Alex, who is there with his French girlfriend, suggests that the rest of the group (actually only Bob) join him. With Bob comes his long term partner, Bronwyn, and her child (father unknown) Kit. The band's roadie, Gibby, brings Bob, Kit and Bronwyn and leaves shortly after. The band has had varied lineups over the years which rarely last other than Bob. Jonathan, a fan of the band arrives and stay to join the band. He's described as a "shadow slowly spreading like a jet black puddle", a line I loved and very apt.

It's fair to say that the group of hippy people start fairly dysfunctional and go downhill from there.

In Wolfspider it's April 1974 and Kit is arriving in London by train from the "pagan paradise". It's quickly clear that neither his mother or the other people in Scotland know where Kit is. At 14 Kit is on the streets in London. Dark and sleazy were the words that immediately came to mind about the early part of this story. In practice Kit is looking for Gibby and hoping to stay with him. It is very Seventies with music and drugs being important. The scene then moves to the open air Wolfspider festival in the north of England where the band are to have a reunion and recapture their glory…

I made a note while reading this "be very wary of mescaline"!

I saw Whiteadder as brutal and powerful. For me Wolfspider had light and dark as well as being powerful. This book overall may concern people as there is sexual abuse of young people as well as drug taking. The darkness even applies to the humour which can be razor sharp. I guess I found Wolfspider more amusing though I would understand other not agreeing with me.

I am a fan of Ben Myers's writing generally. The Offing and Rare Singles were both favourite books. In its way I think this one is just as strong. The writing is generally excellent and I loved Kit as a character. It's brutal at times and funny at times. It also can be emotional and both positively and negatively. I do think either story can be read first and I tried to work out what it might have been like if I'd read them the other way around but my brain couldn't manage that! Personally I really enjoyed this book and will happily round up the 4.5/5.

God, being in The Incredible String Band must have sucked.

This incredibly readable and captures the era of 60s idealism curdling into a greyer and more oppressive 70s brilliantly. Following on from The Perfect Golden Circle and Rare Singles, this further demonstrates that Myers has an uncanny knack for getting under the skin of a subculture. Could be a top book of 2027 for me.

Benjamin Myers pulls another completely different book out of the bag to amaze and amuse me. This is a dark tale of young Kit, dragged from pillar to post by his groupie mother at the tail end of the Seventies in service to a once famous folk band, now diminished by drugs, egos and shifting fashions. The first half of the book sees Kit adrift in the wilds of Scotland, living on porridge and his wits while the adults fail to acknowledge their neglect or the sinister agenda of a stranger who arrives in their midst. The second half sees Kit running off to London to escape the catastrophe of Scotland. You are supposed to be able to read each half in any order you like but I think it works best with Scotland first and then London. It's a twisty, clever book with a strange charm and dark humour that lifts it from the edge of horror.