There's a lot of literature about British supernatural beings but most was written by folklorist long ago and some are more fantasy than history
This is an informative and intriguing book, a bit harsh at times, but never dry.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was excited to read a book on this topic as there are not many out there that cover Britain's supernatural beings without solely concentrating on the fae.
However (and this may be due to the fact this is an arc and may not be properly formatted) I found this book to be a confusing jumble of ideas that lead on one to the other in almost a stream of conciousness that is impossible to follow.
While there is a lot of good information to be gleaned from this tome I feel a little reorganisation may be in ordered

One of my very favorite things about "Twilight of the Godlings" is that it looks at the question "Where did the belief in British fairies come from?" and rather than saying "we can never know! such things are lost to time!" it sets out to discover what we can indeed know or infer about early beliefs in British supernatural creatures.

This book is deep dive into the religious and mythic history of Britain and I think it is best suited for those with a bit of background in the topic. I certainly don't believe that you need to be an academic to read and understand it, and I expect anyone with a little familiarity with (and curiosity about!) the creatures that haunt folklore will find this book very rewarding. This is not a collection of myths and tales, but an exploration of where the fairies in those old tales came from. There is a lot of focus on linguistics and discussion of what can and cannot be deduced from names.

One of the things I most appreciated about the book was how the author managed to covey both the idea that people of the far past are still people, but also the fact that people long ago had very different lives and beliefs than we do now. The author brings up the fact that people historically have not been entirely unified in their beliefs, even people of the same time, religion, and culture will have variances.

It was really fascinating to see the writer explore the connections between literary stories and fairy beliefs. Young points out that just because supernatural creatures appear in tales does not automatically mean that the writers or tellers of such stories believed in such creatures or if they did, that the beings they believed in were the same as the ones in their stories. Also explored are ideas about how literary tales impacted and shaped belief in the creatures they portrayed.

Finally, it was a good deal of fun to see pointed out the fact that the fairies are always said to be leaving or to have left long ago, but somehow they also seem to always be around. These creatures supposedly belong to the shadowy past, or at least so say the writers of centuries ago. However, our ongoing interest in the fey shows that the hold such things has on our minds is yet one more way modern people are connected to those of the past.

Many thanks to Cambridge University Press and NetGalley for an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Cambridge University Press for an advance copy of this book on England, the supernatural, where these creatures came from, and where they went.

I was talking to my nephew about our family and he asked me about my Nan, my grandmother and his great-grandmother. My nephew leaned in and conspiratorially whispered. "Daddy (my brother) said she was witch". I couldn't disagree. Nan could read tea leaves, told my mother she would have two boys, was the one everyone asked advice of, and told stories about Ireland, the coasts and shores and the creatures that lived on it, that I still have never seen in other books, stories I can barely remember and are lost to us when she passed away. Nan was also a Catholic, who went to Church everyday she could, though my Grandfather did not. In her the past and present were alive, and she saw no problems with reading tea leaves and lighting a candle. Twilight of the Gods Francis Young looks at the supernatural past of Britain and Ireland, wondering what happened to certain ideas, what adapted, and why.

England has always had its own mythology, and in many ways the past has been written by the victors. After the Romans came and killed those they couldn't rule, much of the past has been lost to origins of a lot of supernatural ideas. However starting much was changed, adapted and made anew by many of the new thoughts and beliefs that were starting to come to England and Ireland. Many areas, more secluded areas kept the old ideas, and adopted the new as a why not kind of principle. Others had change forced on them. And yet many of the ideas, the godlings still had their influence, and still effected many of the people and their traditions.

A very different way of looking at the past and beliefs. Francis Young does a very good job of asking questions, answering them, and explaining why. Much of this could drift into deep academic thought, but Young keeps everything clear and concise, neither talking up or down, but just explaining ideas, and reasons. Young explains why many of the ideas from the past were used in the new faith with clear examples, and again clear writing.

A book that asks a lot of questions and mostly answers them. Recommended not only for those who enjoy books on early religion, but for readers of early mythology, and cultural history. Also game designers and writers of fantasy stories and graphic novels will find many ideas, an even better explanations for why some ideas hold on, and others are forgotten.

Twilight of the Godlings by Francis Young is an excellent examination of nonhuman mythical beings excluding gods or angels in pre Christian British lore..
The text was intriguing and educational while remaining approachable for readers like myself who are not actively engaged in current academia on the topic. .
I will be seeking out a physical copy of this title come its release date and would recommend it for anyone interested in British and Celtic lore.

This book is fascinating! I have always wondered about the change of religion from early times to today. There are many books that propose why and how but few achieve the level of pure interest that this does. In Britain and Ireland and many other nations the old faith is demonized and we accept that for a fact. But what did the early people believe and why did some Gods remain and be incorporated into Christianity while the Faery traditions did not ? These were questions I had.This book is of great interest to those who are questioning and looking for answers that have been overlooked or discounted by the mainstream religious types IMO. This title fills in a gap in history and religious belief that I found extremely interesting and made sense too.

This thorough work of historical scholarship and linguistic analysis explores the origins of Britain's godlings that is nonhuman mythical beings excluding gods or angels, through the Roman era, Christianiazation of Britan and medieval era. Examples are fairies and elves. Contests the traditional scholarly that these godlings were derived from pagan gods. Illustrations.