| The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw |
[Jan. 17th, 2007|01:33 pm] |
What a wonderful book! Everything was right about it - great writing, strong, compelling story line, an original exploration of authentic folklore. The story follows Saaski, a faery changeling growing up in the human world. The village where she lives is disturbed by her strangeness and Saaski doesn't feel that she belongs anywhere. In my opinion, this book is truly one of the greats of faery fiction. Highly, highly recommended. |
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| The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint |
[Dec. 30th, 2006|02:02 pm] |
I am disappointed in The Wild Wood. It is Charles de Lint's first novel, so perhaps that explains it, but I really felt that the writing in this book was simply bad. The theme, plot, and moral were interesting enough, though they were often presented too overtly, but the writing was abysmal. I can't quite describe why it was bad, but suffice to say that it was juvenile and awkward. I have only read one other book of de Lint's, The Blue Girl, and I must say that I was not totally pleased with that book either. The writing was certainly better than in The Wild Wood, but at this point I'm not sold on Charles de Lint. I would not recommend The Wild Wood, but since Charles de Lint is so acclaimed, I'm willing to read more of books to form a more educated opinion. |
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| The Great God Pan by Donna Jo Napoli |
[Nov. 20th, 2006|07:21 pm] |
I started this last year and for some reason never finished it, but I managed to do so yesterday. This is a really great little book that follows Pan of Greek mythology as he falls in love with Iphigenia, a Trojan princess. Lots of great mythological information and the writing is strong. I love greek myths and the poetic way in which Napoli explores them is highly enjoyable. A good read! |
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| The Changeling by Terri Windling |
[Nov. 20th, 2006|07:15 pm] |
I actually read this some time in the summer. I forget when; I think it was somewhat early on. It looks like a dorky kid's book and and the cover is awful but the book itself is actually quite good. It's a short children's fiction about Charlie, a boy near the turn of the century, who has lost both his father and brothers to tuberculosis. He goes with his mother and little sister Polly to live with his Irish grandmother in the South Eastern United States. There his sister begins to act strange, and, based on Charlie’s grandmother's stories of Irish faeries, the two begin to suspect that she has been stolen by the faeries and replaced by a changeling. Charlie must go into the forest and confront the faeries to save her. It's a lovely look at folk beliefs that have emigrated from Ireland, and it incorporates Irish music as well. Also, to top it all off, the faeries are delightfully scary! Windling delves into the darker realms of faery through strong writing and a compelling story. It's out of print, but highly recommended! |
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| The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar |
[Nov. 8th, 2006|09:13 pm] |
Wow. This book is hilarious and well-written. The story follows Heather and Morag, two Scottish thistle fairies who flee to New York after offending various fairy clans in Scotland. Once in the city, they each take to living with a human companion and find themselves in the middle of fairy race disputes and other sticky situations. The book is rife with sex, drugs and liquor, which certainly makes for a lot of fun. There are a few questionable race commentaries; The Chinese fairies, for example, are sometimes described as "the yellow fairies." Considering the overall tone of the book, however, which was very accepting and inclusive of many cultures and lifestyles, I think Millar was just trying the usual boundaries of political correctness. Though the folklore is far from factual (with some accurate points thrown in), this book is as original as they come and is endlessly funny. I wouldn't recommend it as the first book for someone getting into faeries or anything, as it is so folkloricly inaccurate, but as part of the faery cannon it is fresh and expertly written! Highly recommended. |
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| The Various by Steve Augarde |
[Sep. 14th, 2006|10:47 pm] |
What a great book! Excellent writing, compelling story line, an original and dark view of the faeries - everything I look for in a faery book! The story line follows Midge as she discovers the endangered world of the Various - the faeries who live in the woods owned by Midge's uncle. The various are such a different breed of faeries as we usually see, down to earth and almost human. It's not really an accurate portrayal according to folklore, but the thing about faeries is that we have no idea what they're really like, and Augarde gives his perspective with craft and originality. The sequel, Celandine, just came out, and appears to be ust as promising! One of the greats of the faery cannon! |
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| The Fairies of Nutfolk Wood by Barb Bentler Ullman |
[Aug. 24th, 2006|02:08 pm] |
Read this one earlier in the summer. It was very young, but of course it was intended to be so. The faery stuff wasn't really the focus of the book, and in the end I didn't feel much like the faeries had been real at all. And there wasn't really a folkloric background for the faeries, like I prefer there to be. The characters, however, were really likeable, and their relationships made the book interesting and enjoyable. I wouldn't put it on a list of book to read that are informative about faeries, but I would reccomend it as a nice book that paints a rather fanciful picture of the folk. |
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| The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue |
[Aug. 23rd, 2006|11:29 pm] |
I read this one in late May. I have to say it's one of my favorite faery books ever. And that's saying something! It's Keith Donohue's first novel and is a really different exploration of the changeling myth. The chapters alternate between the voice of a child stolen by the faeries and that of the faery who was put in his place. Throughout the course of the book Donohue touches on traditional changeling folklore from around the world but focuses mainly on his original spin. He also delves deeply into the emotions that arise through dealings with the faery realm. The writing was solid and the book is different from any of the other books I've read. Really refreshing. SO GOOD! |
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| Fablehaven by Brandon Mull |
[Aug. 20th, 2006|06:11 pm] |
I was totally wrapped up in this book - couldn't put it down. From a folklore perspective, however, I found it a little juvenile. Though most of the mythical creatures explored in the book were fairies (naiads, saytrs, trolls, etc.) the creatures actually *called* fairies in the story were loathsomely infantalized. Despite that, as Fablehaven in the first in a series, I don't think I'll be able to resist the next one. A fun read, with a bit of good folklore. |
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| In the Kingdom of the Fairies by Helen Susan Cameron Coyne |
[Aug. 20th, 2006|05:59 pm] |
I realized that I hadn't posted when I finished this book. I actually read it before Troll Bridge. I started it a few years ago and never finished it, though I don't know why. It's a really wonderful book! Though I'm all about dark faeries and stuff, In the Kingdom of the Faeries is a sweet memoir about a little girl's faery experience. Coyne recounts a summer in which, at her family's lakehouse in Canada, she receives letters from a fairy princess named Nootsie Tah. You know the whole time that a neighbor is writing them to her, but that doesn't really ruin the magical delight of this memoir. I love it! |
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