Reviews for Wild Guide to British Wildlife

The average rating for Wild Guide to British Wildlife based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-10-28 00:00:00 Leslie Gutierrez Very informative, a great first book for someone just getting into Wicca.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-04-23 00:00:00 Allen Underhill As I had read and loved Fiona Horne’s first two books, Witch: A Personal Journey and Witch: A Magickal Year, I wasted no time as a 14 year-old in purchasing her handbook for teenage witches when it came out. I thought her first two books spoke to young people very well as her personable and laidback attitude endeared herself to me much more than the older Pagans I had been acquainted with at the time, who were wary of teenage witches in general. In taking on a task to break a mystery religion down into sugar-coated, bite-sized pieces, Horne naturally opens herself up to criticism. I did not feel that with Horne’s naturally accessible way of talking about her religion, it was necessary to write a book targeted towards teenagers to make Wicca and witchcraft even more accessible. I discovered her first two books at the ages of 12 and 13 respectively and found them simple enough for me to understand. I unfortunately found Life’s a Witch’s style bordering on juvenile and flippant, even as a young teen witch myself. Despite the numerous criticisms that can be said about Horne and her books, I maintain that her greatest strength as a writer is in how she structures her books so as to keep them entertaining and highly readable. The new millennium saw the release of her Wikid Witch Kit that included cosmetics, a CD-ROM which included a program that helps you choose your craft name, and a fake tattoo, as well as her move to Los Angeles, United States that led to her starring on a reality TV show called Mad Mad House that furthered damaged her image of credibility and respectability among Pagans worldwide. My conclusion for this book is rather mixed. First, the book as it is, “a handbook for teen witches”, I would not recommend for readers, particularly if you are starting out and have not been exposed to the writings of many other reputable Wicca 101 writers (a rare league), it would potentially hinder your development, if it does not put you off Wiccans completely. I say this because in attempts to make witchcraft understandable for teenagers, Horne simplifies many aspects of Wicca to the point it distorts the real experience of magic. She speaks little of the origins of magic, for example, Wicca’s sources of inspiration in ceremonial magic and the Golden Dawn, giving the impression Wicca is more of a course in self-development (which to an extent it can be), but largely downplays the fact that it is also a religion (try making that fun for teenagers). Second, if you choose Life’s a Witch as your handbook to the craft, you could also find some resistance and suspicion among fellow practitioners so do abandon all thought that Life’s a Witch is the be all and end all of Wicca. Rather, I would suggest Horne’s style and approach makes this book much better suited as an introduction of Wicca for non-Pagans, but as far as I know, she has not attempted one as yet. Also, I think those in the older generations forget how quickly children grow up. I would be much more inclined to give this book to 8-12 year-olds than teenagers per se. If you do get your hands on a copy of this book, turn to page 10, of chapter entitled In Your Own Words, for my claim to fame.