The Way Home

An honest, radical and moving account of life off the grid. It was 11pm when I checked my email for the last time and turned off my phone for what I hoped would be forever. No running water, no car, no electricity or any of the things it powers: the internet, phone, washing machine, radio or light bulb. Just a wooden cabin, on a smallholding, by the edge of a stand of spruce. In this upfront and lyrical account of a remarkable life without modern technology, Mark Boyle explores the hard won joys of building a home with his bare hands, learning to make fire, collecting water from the spring, foraging and fishing. What he finds is an elemental life, one governed by the rhythms of the sun and seasons, where life and death dance in a primal landscape of blood, wood, muck, water, and fire – much the same life we have lived for most of our time on earth. Revisiting itbrings a deep insight into what it means to be human at a time when the boundaries between man and machine are blurring. *** ‘Boyle's memoir of his first year off-grid is fascinating… Apoetic meditation on the almost-mystical benefits of falling in sync with nature .’— New Statesman ‘ A warts-and-all look at an extreme way of life , but one that, by the end of this engrossing book, makes the world around it seem dysfunctional.’ — Irish Independen t , BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019 ‘ A beautiful and thought-provoking story that will inspire you to live differently . Mark asks the most fundamental questions then sets out to live the answers.’ Lily Cole, model and activist

My father cleared his throat. He began to say, "They took her," but he never got past the first word, and had to start again. He said finally, "The Dreamies took her. She went with the Dreamies." Sooz was an extraordinary little girl. She grew into an extraordinary woman, with a gift given to her by a unicorn, after a battle with a griffin. The gift is more precious than she could have imagined but sets her on a dangerous path to rescue the sister she never knew she had from a land to which humans never go. But Sooz is no ordinary human. She may not be human at all. The one thing this changeling child does know is love, and courage. Combining the Hugo award-winning novelette Two Hearts with brand new story Sooz, The Way Home returns us to the world of The Last Unicorn . Peter S. Beagle brings the same humanity, poignancy and wisdom that makes his writing so magical.

My father cleared his throat. He began to say, "They took her," but he never got past the first word, and had to start again. He said finally, "The Dreamies took her. She went with the Dreamies." Sooz was an extraordinary little girl. She grew into an extraordinary woman, with a gift given to her by a unicorn, after a battle with a griffin. The gift is more precious than she could have imagined but sets her on a dangerous path to rescue the sister she never knew she had from a land to which humans never go. But Sooz is no ordinary human. She may not be human at all. The one thing this changeling child does know is love, and courage. Combining the Hugo award-winning novelette Two Hearts with brand new story Sooz, The Way Home returns us to the world of The Last Unicorn . Peter S. Beagle brings the same humanity, poignancy and wisdom that makes his writing so magical.

An honest, radical and moving account of life off the grid. It was 11pm when I checked my email for the last time and turned off my phone for what I hoped would be forever. No running water, no car, no electricity or any of the things it powers: the internet, phone, washing machine, radio or light bulb. Just a wooden cabin, on a smallholding, by the edge of a stand of spruce. In this upfront and lyrical account of a remarkable life without modern technology, Mark Boyle explores the hard won joys of building a home with his bare hands, learning to make fire, collecting water from the spring, foraging and fishing. What he finds is an elemental life, one governed by the rhythms of the sun and seasons, where life and death dance in a primal landscape of blood, wood, muck, water, and fire – much the same life we have lived for most of our time on earth. Revisiting it brings a deep insight into what it means to be human at a time when the boundaries between man and machine are blurring. *** ‘Boyle's memoir of his first year off-grid is fascinating… A poetic meditation on the almost-mystical benefits of falling in sync with nature .’ — New Statesman ‘ A warts-and-all look at an extreme way of life , but one that, by the end of this engrossing book, makes the world around it seem dysfunctional.’ — Irish Independen t , BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019 ‘ A beautiful and thought-provoking story that will inspire you to live differently . Mark asks the most fundamental questions then sets out to live the answers.’ Lily Cole, model and activist