"Sunday 0900: I see this lovely thing on twitter
0930: Place order 1100:@Greenspike1
delivers it to my door.
1130: 12yo pops in and is now engrossed..."
"Was sorely tempted to cancel lunch today and spend the afternoon exploring the fascinating world of Oxford bridge trolls - on the sofa! xx"
"Let yourself dive into a complete universe of an incredible imagination topped up with a little madness. It's wonderful!"
"Absolutely sublime. Illustrations are crisp and lively and the story itself it equal parts engaging, ridiculous and hilarious"
"A truly original and fantastical take on the magic of Oxford. Beautiful and intriguing, it just draws you in.
A whole new folklore has been born, or rather revealed to us for the first time."
"We were over the (troll) moon last week to receive our copies of The Oxford Trollomicus book (and so much more) from the creator himself, Spike Greening. Thanks very much Spike! We are in awe of your artwork, your imagination 😍 and your generosity!
Wishing you lots of Trowie good luck, from Leanne, Neil and the Shetland Trows"
"Like Monty Python crashed into The Dark Crystal"
Probably suitable for Teenagers and Adults who haven't lost their sense of absurd wonder....
Welcome to The Oxford Trollomicus
There is, and always shall be something a little curious and peculiar, a little wondrous and off kilter about Oxford. It is, perhaps, the capital of curious, a city state of the peculiar, a republic of wonders (and would never be wished to be thought of as ON kilter).
For Oxford is a city of stories and imagination. A city of ancient tales and urban magicks. Prone to wander, but held in place by its many Bridges. And as everyone knows, every Bridge has a Troll.
Here we have an (increasingly inaccurate) guidebook to those argumentative, curmudgeonly and downright odd beings that inhabit and repair, build up and (very rudely) put down the Great Device that is The Oxford Trollomicus. In between badmouthing each other, gossiping and generally causing as much trouble for one another as possible, these truly odd folk are keeping the EdgeTown of Oxford safe.
You see, Oxford, being an EdgeTown, sits on the very edge of things. On the edge of ideas, worlds, myths, on the far, far edges of Story. Legends are drawn to this tiny city, Marvels and Wonders alight from trains, and bicycles, from out of mists and out of time and make it home. All this means Reality gets a little… frayed around here.
Being on the Edges means this little city has a habit of wandering off. It meanders about, and really can’t be trusted to be where you left it. The Trollomicus and its Bridges try to watch for the rips and tears, the warps and wanderings - holding it all together in a place that very much likes to amble away.
So, welcome to the curious world of the Oxford Trollomicus. Remember to say thank you as you cross the Bridge….
