The Watcher on the Tower a Novel

Valdai Hills lay the village of Svir. In the distance the outline of the banks of the river Tver could be discerned, but the Tver was frozen and lay like a curving sheet of glass under the cold grey Russian sky. Behind the village rose the black forbidding hills, black with dense timber that even the ever-falling snow could not lighten. In front, stretching so far away in the distance that the eye could scarce tell where trees commenced or ended, lay the great black pine forest of Sukhona, flaked here and there with patches of snow. Between the village and the forest lay the scanty fields which did duty for cultivation in that part of Russia. The village itself was mean and paltry to the eye of anyone accustomed to the village life of softer climes, mean even though the soft white mantle of snow lay over all things, dressing the low roofs and the dirty walls of the houses with a beauty and splendour that natures artist hand knows how to bestow.(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text. Read books online for free at