The countryside of England & Wales in the Dark Ages forms an almost tangible background to this wonderfully & powerfully realised picture of an ancestral hero coming to manhood. The Hollow Hills is the brilliant portrayal of the young Arthur from his birth to accession to the throne of Britain. & behind & around him is the strong yet vulnerable figure of Merlin who sees & knows so much but is powerless to prevent the strife & violence of his turbulent times.