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$4.00
1. Ariel
$2.99
2. Elegy Beach
$29.00
3. The Architect of Sleep
 
4. Treks Not Taken
$174.62
5. Borderland: Where Magic Meets
 
6. The Gnole
 
7. Fantasy & Science Fiction
 
8. Borderland
 
9. F and SF 1994--April
 
10. Aboriginal Sf 1987--November/Dec
 
11. Aboriginal SF, November-December
 
12. Isaac Asimov's 1995--June
13. Orphans
 
14. Architect Sleep 27fl
 
15. Aboriginal SF 1988--Annual Anthology

1. Ariel
by Steven R. Boyett
Paperback: 448 Pages (2009-08-25)
list price: US$7.99 -- used & new: US$4.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0441017940
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
It's been five years since the lights went out, cars stopped in the streets, and magical creatures began roaming Earth.

Pete Garey survived the Change, trusting no one but himself until the day he met Ariel-a unicorn who brought new meaning and adventure to his life.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (73)

2-0 out of 5 stars Seriously Unfortunate Implications
This book gets off to a pretty engrossing start. I'll give it that. However, it fairly soon deviates into a couple a cliched tropes that begin to have some very, very unpleasant overtones:

1. The main character, a 20 year old boy collects a unicorn when he is in his mid-teens that he describes as a "little girl" and "child-like." As the book progresses, it is indicated that Ariel (the eponymous unicorn) is preventing him from growing up and having normal male sexuality. They both indicate multiple times that they would like to have a relationship more like a man and a woman. Squick.

2. Ariel constantly refers to herself as "pure" -- while she kills people, swears and steal and also effects other people negatively with her magic. Pete, who does the same is also referred to as the only person that is pure and worth of touching her. She says that she will not stand to be worshiped -- but allows Pete to do exactly that, while not allowing a girl that had a long-term committed relationship, that has not killed people to even follow her at first. By the middle of the book, she is a major, major purity Sue and completely obnoxious.

3.At the end of the book, it's clear that Ariel has created a situation where Pete is codependent on her magic to maintain his happiness. However, Ariel runs away from him after he saves her from imprisonment and creates circumstances under which he breaks pursuing her. She comes across finally as a cold, heartless Greek goddess that has used and abused Pete. In the end, Pete is written in such a way as to appear as though he has PTSD and is a victim of domestic-type abuse.

4. The plot is extremely thin, and mostly depends on everyone thinking Ariel is a creature of goodness and light that must be given worship and protection and the finest things left over from the world-that-was. It's almost like the world needs a new religion, and she's it. The only good in the world can come from having a heaven-sent good creature as a mascot.

4-0 out of 5 stars Fun, But Not Everything It Could Be
This is a fun and unusual story. There is; however, a strange sense of dislocation in time as part of the novel takes place at The World Trade Center.
The book was written when the author was nineteen years old, and I think that shows. Having said that, the story remains entertaining, and I intend to buy and read the much more recent sequel, Elegy Beach.
A road trip set in a post-apocalyptic world that includes such things as unicorns and griffons. S.M Stirling (allegedly a fan) later told this kind of story much more successfully and with more skill.

Michael Travis Jasper, Author of the Novel "To Be Chosen"

5-0 out of 5 stars NEAR PERFECT FANTASY
Through Amazon recommendations I found Steven R. Boyett's ARIEL, a near perfect fantasy.It is a brilliant effort. The is a story after the Change, no lights or electric, no cars, nothing considered modern technology works.We have America gone backward and a lot less population.Replace some of the people with great mythical creatures, griffins and unicorns and you get a feel for this wonderful story. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this great effort. Oldie but goodie.

4-0 out of 5 stars Excellent
I enjoy post-apocalyptic sci-fi.This book falls in that genre but has some unique aspects, such as incorporating fantasy and magic elemeents.I enjoyed it.The character development and the love relationship between the main character and a unicorn would be a strange thing to most people - the author pulls it off and makes it very believable, creating sexual tension in the process.The Japanese sword fighting and martial art philosphy add to the story.Some parts were a bit drawn out for me, but overall this is a great book.I read it on the kindle - only noticed a few typos in that edition but nothing major.

5-0 out of 5 stars Excellent postapocalypic fantasy with magic alive again!
I've listened to DJ SteveBoy's progressive/house podcasts for years now - in fact one is playing at this moment. Recently he started each podcast with a short advertisement of the SciFi novels he's written (in fact this one "Ariel" was first written 25 years ago). His music-mixes always makes me feeling good - on the positive, energized side, which I believe is related to his personality and how he relates to the world. His novels should do the same . . . . . and, BOY! was I right. Ariel presents a tightly woven tale of searching for your true self, in a world that has been shaken up like a snow-globe: where none of the "old rules" (or electricity, power of any sort) exists and the power of Magic has taken over (or returned?) The protagonist, some 20-something man-child meets up with a Unicorn (Ariel), and as the mix was right, Ariel becomes Pete's Familiar, and together they journey through the destroyed 20th century America. They get involved in a good vs. evil confrontation, whose outcome would determine how this new world would be controlled. Steven Boyett's sword-fighting scenes (no guns, anymore, remember?) are spell-binding, making this novel a real "page-turner"; while Pete's intropective/retropective analysis of himself and how he views this new world, is just as thought provoking for the reader. What would you do in his place. The novel is filled with wry humor (some of it really laugh-out-loud) especially Pete's comments on how everyone used to laugh at the "Renaissance Fair" nerds, yet they are now the ones that have the sword-fighting skills so necessary to survive. An aside: everyone names their "sword" with all sort of fancy, god invoking appellations - Pete calls his sword "Fred". I'm starting his sequel "Elegy Beach" at this time and will review the book once done. Interesting that the protagonist of this story is called "Fred".

Also included is an "AFTERWORD" where Steve has written what he was thinking at the time of writing this book, and tries to "update" any corrections from the 1983 version to today's world. Very interesting to have access to his process of writing this book.

Another nice feature provided by the author and publisher is the companion website ([...]), which includes maps of their travels, Steve's Blog, a community Forum and has some oral readings from certain chapters --> Check it out! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ... Read more


2. Elegy Beach
by Steven R. Boyett
Hardcover: 384 Pages (2009-11-03)
list price: US$24.95 -- used & new: US$2.99
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: B003B3NW80
Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Product Description
A publishing event twenty-five years in the making: the long awaited sequel to the unforgettable post-apocalyptic fantasy, Ariel.

Thirty years ago the lights went out, the airplanes fell, the cars went still, the cities all went dark. The laws humanity had always known were replaced by new laws that could only be called magic. The world has changed forever. Or has it?

In a small community on the California coast are Fred Garey and his friend Yan, both born after the Change. Yan dreams of doing something so big his name will live on forever. He thinks he's found it-a way to reverse the Change. But Fred fears the repercussions of such drastic, irreversible steps.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

5-0 out of 5 stars A good sequel to an amazing book.
I am a HUGE fan of the prequel to this book "Ariel" and it was nice to see Steve finally get this sequel finished and make it so interesting and great to read. I'm very glad that I bought it and plan to read it again after the next time I read Ariel(usually try to read it once every year or so).

4-0 out of 5 stars I think it was worth the wait.
In 1984, Steven R Boyett released his first novel, Ariel, and introduced us to his vision of a world after The Change, a world where, at 4:30 p.m. one day, magic returned to the land, and the laws of physics were simply rewritten. All technology - gunpowder, electricity, and even complicated machines - no longer functions, 90% of the people simply disappeared, and magical creatures like demons, dragons, and the unicorn, Ariel, appeared in their stead. The story followed Ariel, and her katana-wielding companion, Pete Garey, from Atlanta, to Washington DC, to New York City and an aerial assault on the Empire State Building. It had all the elements of a great post-apocalyptic road trip story, but threw in just enough swords and sorcery to make it even more interesting.

Ariel became a cult classic, and now, 25 years later, Boyett finally returns to the world of The Change with the long-awaited sequel, Elegy Beach.

Elegy Beach picks up about 20 years after the events of Ariel, and shifts to the West Coast, where Pete's son, Fred, is a young man growing up to be a talented caster. He and his best friend, Yan, try to apply scientific principles to the study of the magic that infuses their world, and for Yan, a taste of power only fuels his desire for even more.

The events that unfold next can be summed up in a scene where Fred thinks to himself, "In the air above the mountains in a battered gondola of a wounded airship on my way to confront my former best friend holed up in the ruin of a former castle while he perfects the casting that will reinstate the old world's order I am talking to a unicorn about whether the centaur following us is carrying my captured father. Um, ok..."

It might sound like more of a fantasy novel than a post-apocalyptic one, and in some ways it is, but a key theme here is the disparity between those who lived before The Change, and those who grew up after it, and the differences in their attitudes and world views. There's a great scene that takes place in a bubble of pre-Change space where Pete gets an old iPod to work, and plays some of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for Fred, and it blows his mind. He has never heard anything approaching recorded music, and with it, he begins to understand the loss that the older generation feels, and starts to realize that there may be lessons from the old world that are worth learning.

And the setting of the book is classic 1st generation post-apocalyptic. Buildings that are not actively maintained are falling apart, forests and overgrowth are starting to reclaim the land, and society is just starting to rebuild, mostly in isolated villages along the coast. They scavenge old stores, re-read 30 year old newspapers, and try to make do with what they have available.

The story of friends becoming enemies has been done before of course, but in this case, the recycled plot doesn't hinder the book. The settings are interesting, events fast paced, and some of the dialog is just damnned funny, particularly because of the the wise and wise-cracking unicorn, Ariel. She is a fantastic character, and is the added element that transforms Elegy Beach from a standard post-apocalyptic story into something more.

I'm sorry it took 25 years to arrive, but better late than never, because it was well worth the wait. It's definitely the kind of book that you can pick up every few years and enjoy again. If you don't mind some fantasy mixed in with your post-apocalypses, I highly recommend it.

2-0 out of 5 stars Should've been so much more
I have to admit, I've been waiting for a sequel to Ariel for over 20 years.I remember first reading it back in high school in the late 80s, and I've re-read it countless times since then.So when I first heard about Elegy Beach, it was like the week before Christmas.

Sadly, having finished reading it, I can only compare it to getting a present of socks for Christmas.Sure, it's a good gift, but nothing thrilling in the slightest.I feel the same about this story.It had so much potential, but just never materialized, which is sad, cause Boyett is an awesome author, I've enjoyed everything else I've read by him immensely.

To sum it up, there were just a couple of main problems:

1.First off, Fred was just not a sympathetic character, he seemed to just be waffling through life, there really seemed to be no substance to him, unlike how Pete was portrayed in Ariel.The only time I even got close to seeing him as real was just after Yan bailed on him, and he got into the routine of happiness in his hometown.Now that was believable and enjoyable as a reader.

2.Yan was also a caricature of a bad guy.He just did not seem real at all, like someone had to be the bad guy, let's make it our hero's best friend(lover?never really understood what kind of relationship they had).

3.The end.Ok, it was just way too abrupt, and seemed almost anticlimactic, except there really wasn't a climax.I'm reading along, and then bam!It's over, and let's sit for a moment and discuss feelings.I'm sorry, it just didn't give any satisfaction.

4.The language.Ok, I'm a prude, I'm fine with that.The F-bomb apocalypse in here just seemed a tad too...well...pointless.it didn't benefit the story, and actually detracted from it.If you're into it, fine, but it just really didn't fit.

Now, it's not all doom and gloom.There were some really good aspects as well:

1.The world 30 or so years after the change was an incredible backdrop.Very scary to live in, the hordes of centaurs make an appropriate foil for any humans attempting to flourish, for example.Boyett was able to describe it vividly, and the website tracing the locations on google earth was a brilliant plus, I haven't seen an author do that before, and it was a perfect fit.

2.The potential.This story has so much potential.I know at one point the author has said he couldn't see any more stories, but I disagree wholeheartedly, this whole world could be filled with different stories, there's so many pockets of people that new and different stories are just waiting to be told.

3.The magic.He's come up with an entirely new magic system (well, based on bogus magic in the real world), but it's very interesting.I think he could take this in so many different directions as well.

So, all in all, it had some pros and cons, but I just can't give it more than a 2, it's just such a letdown.Read if you enjoy the author, but don't go out ofyour way if you've never read him before.I definitely recommend Ariel though, even if it is over 2 decades old.

5-0 out of 5 stars A brilliant sequel.Truly fun to witness the writer's growth.
I just discovered Ariel (Boyett's first book in this series... at least I hope there will be more than two books) in 2009, even though it was released about twenty five years ago.I have read a lot of science fiction, but not a lot of fantasy.So, I took it on faith from a friend's recommendation to try Ariel. I couldn't put it down.

Fortunately for me, I only had to wait a few months from my reading of Ariel before Elegy Beach was published.From reading a lot of online reader reviews, I know a lot of people have waited two decades.Lucky me.

Elegy captured many of the same brilliant characters and relationships, and added many new and interesting ones to the mix.But, for me, one of the biggest delights was somehow feeling the writer's growth in the many years between book one and book two.The characters have aged as he has aged.Boyett's maturity as a person and a writer permeates the characters in a very authentic way.

A fantastic read.

5-0 out of 5 stars Elegy Beach -Couldn't Put It Down
I really enjoyed this - which I read just after reading Ariel for the first time.Loved theuniverse that the author created.The concept of spellware and trying to explain The Change (magic and fantasy) as new science is genius.Parts of the narrative were a bit drawn out for me but I was very interested in the characters at all times and couldn't stop reading. Ariel, Pete, Fred, Dr. Ram, Paypay, Bob - all seem so real and interesting.I wanted to know even more about them.I'd love to see a movie based on this. ... Read more


3. The Architect of Sleep
by Steven R. Boyett
Mass Market Paperback: 290 Pages (1986-07-01)
list price: US$2.95 -- used & new: US$29.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0441029051
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Product Description
Jim Bentley's plans for the evening were simple: a movie and the graveyard shift at the 7-Eleven. That was before he stumbled into another world. Evolution has taken a very different direction on this parallel Earth, but some things are constant. Jim Bentley has falled straight from his ordinary life inot the most constant thing of all: war. Even as he struggles to learn the ways of a strange culture, to make a place for himself in what seems likely to be his home for the rest of his life, the tides of revolution are rising around him. Jim Bentley has a part in play in this war- for his coming has been foretold by True Dreamers. His feet already set on a path that leads to the heart of the crisis. Like it or not, he is vital to the war efforts of the Architect of Sleep... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

5-0 out of 5 stars Amazing
This is easily the best novel I've ever read.The alternating narratives provide an interesting point of view to an alien world in which the protagonist suddenly finds himself a part of.It's a shame that the author basically got the screw-job in regards to writing this one and the sequels that have still not seen release.

Anyway, this is definitely worth your time.Grab it!

5-0 out of 5 stars The Architectof Sleep
One of the top 5 books I`ve ever read. Read this in Japan about 10 years ago, been looking for it ever since. Aboloutely brilliant!Heartbreakingly, this is the first volume in a series the author won`t release the rest of, due to disagreement with the publishers (Ace Fantasy, Berkley). I and thousands of others, live in hope that Berkley will see reason and we can finally read the rest.

5-0 out of 5 stars two of my favorite things: animals and sign language
It was a pleasant a read because it combined two of my favorite things in life: sign language and animals. I take a stern eye to anything written about them, usually.Does it ring true depsite being creative?Well...

Though the author has a very crude if not totally clueless experience with sign language it was still an interesting read once I got over the way the author refered to sign language (the annoyances are numerous, I won't bother listing them).

The racoons and people I was happy with, being a writer myself who writes about bipedal and talking animals.He got their behaviors, I felt, right on.I could relate to them and see them.

5-0 out of 5 stars The Architect of Sleep
This book has haunted me since the day I finished it.I am compelled to read it every 3 years or so and long for the day when a sequel appears.Boyett's characters are proper human and their trials are realistic and they suffer and triumph (sometimes)like real people.In supernatural situations they react not with super powers and spells, but with the fortitude and ethos that we wish we had in real life.

5-0 out of 5 stars A must own book!!
I was so pleased to see others enjoyed this book as much as I did! If you are on the fence about buying this book,hesitate no more! Buy it now! The ideas in this book are original, yet the writing is so smooth that you are 40 pages into the book before you know it.The main charactor, Jim, is someone with whom everyone can relate.Unlike some books charactors, Jim does not suddenly evolve from a guy working at a 7-11 into a major political force or brilliant military strategist.He reacts in a way that is realistic and understandable,yet not boring. In a strange world with limited communication skills, he makesmistakes, cries, and sometimes sulks,but never totally loses hope - the same way many of us feel about our own lives.

If you do not yet have this book for your collection,consider your collection incomplete. ... Read more


4. Treks Not Taken
by Steven R. Boyett
 Paperback: Pages (1996-08)
list price: US$12.95
Isbn: 1882813057
Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews (2)

4-0 out of 5 stars Very funny and fun to read!
This book was a great deal of fun, as it created ST:tNG stories that parodied various well-known authors. Now, keep in mind that someone who is not conversant with ST:tNG will probably have a hard time finding the humour in these stories, as the book relies on the premise that those reading it will be fans on the show. Additionally, if a reader is not familiar with some of the authors, some of the jokes will fall a little flat. However, with those concessions out of the way, I loved this book - I laughed my way through it in about 2 1/2 hours time. Some of my favorite "episodes" were: "A Clockwork Data," which is filled with the same sort of crazy verbiage that can be found in "A Clockwork Orange;" "Less Than Data," which is very funny in many different ways; "Lady Fed" is raunchy but fun; "The Vampire le Forge" of course had me rolling with laughter - not only did it parody the writing of the original, but it made fun of the writing of the original story in a very clever way; "Even Androids get the Blues" did a terrific job of playing with English, just like Tom Robbins does - it really captured the essence of Robbins' style; "Q Clearance" makes fun of the way very simple matters can escape people who are full of themselves; finally, "Moby Trek (abridged)" had to be the funniest of the bunch, as the abridgement notes make fun of the over-wrought style of the original (very similar to "The Vampire le Forge").

That said, there were a couple that were difficult to catch all the jokes (likely because I haven't read the original stories): "Trek 22" left me scratching my head - it's so full of double-speak and multiple negatives in the same sentence that I realized I really needed to read "Catch-22" so I can grasp the humour more. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Fan" was likewise pretty dense - again, I suppose you need to have read the original story to really catch the humour here.

There are several more stories in this text, and all of them have their moments of humour. I definitely recommend this for any fan of the show - you won't be sorry you took the time to find this text.

3-0 out of 5 stars Funny but a bit raunchy
Being a Trekker, I picked up this book.I laughed so hard!It is an excellent parody both on Star Trek and various authors' styles."Moby Trek" for instance, was the best.It captured the spirit of both verywell.I enjoyed the fact that it was a collection of short stories and notfully developed plot lines.

The only real downside is the slightlyoff-colour humor.Especially in "Lady Fed" which focuses onJackie Collins' writing, the blatant talking about sex and body parts was abit disconcerting.Was it supposed to be titillating or something?Almostall of the stories have profanity, which means younger kids couldn't readit.Almost all of the female characters in these stories exist only forsex.Crusher is the vamp who tells everyone that Picard has a landing baybut no shuttle, if you know what I mean.

Other than that, you can trustthis book for a great laugh!Definetly worth checking out. ... Read more


5. Borderland: Where Magic Meets Rock & Roll (Borderlands Series)
by Steven R Boyett, Bellamy Bach, Charles De Lint, Ellen Kushner
Mass Market Paperback: 256 Pages (1992-12-15)
list price: US$4.99 -- used & new: US$174.62
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0812522613
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
Charles de Lint, Ellen Kushner, Stephen R. Boyett, and Bellamy Bach collaborate on a tale of the Borderlands, where humans and highborn Elves mix. Reprint. AB. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

5-0 out of 5 stars Borderworld
Bordertown...
dear lovers of urban fantasy and faery lore,
.... is a place where magic and technology have formed an unstable alliance and to which teenagers runaway to find that thing that is missing in their lives. Alas, the elves are usually portrayed as being rather like spoiled rich kids, still we loved this series, although like most short story collections some stories appealed to us more than others. There are three other collections in this series, Bordertown: Where Magic Meets Rock & Roll, Life On The Border (Borderlands) and The Essential Bordertown (Borderlands), all of which we enjoyed. We also recommend the novels associated with it, Emma Bull's Finder: A Novel of the Borderlands, which while not as good as War for the Oaks: A Novel, nor a classic like that one, is still fun to read. Also, Will Shetterly's Elsewhere and Nevernever. We simply wished they'd write more in the series, and perhaps realize that not all elves are of the Unseelie variety.
kyela,
the silver elves

5-0 out of 5 stars The Land of Fairy before LKH
LKH suggests she created the Urban Fantasy genre...how wrong she is.

Borderland emerged over a decade before her Merry Gentry (Faery) series.

The land of fairy returns, and its a messy reunification at best. The land between the normal human world and fairy is called "The Border" a place where one can easily become lost--or found. In the rements of evacuated cities from this rebirth the two worlds come together in Bordertown, where magic and technology don't always work. The town is teeming with the outcasts, run-aways and dreamers of both fairy and earth children.

The stories are fabulous rich in mythology, Aurthurian legend, and fairy tales. The characters are heartbreakingly real and flawed. I wish the series would continue.

5-0 out of 5 stars Great urban fantasy geared towards a teen audience
I'm no longer a teenager, but I still really enjoyed this book, which consists of four novellas. All deal with the Borderland, a place where elves & humans coexist uneasily, where technology & magic are bothunreliable, & where lots of down-on-their-luck youths gather to playgreat music & attempt to live their dreams. Very original, excellentlywritten, & I think that almost everyone will find something to identifywith. I particularly liked the examination of the issues that 'halfies'(those who are half-elf, half-human) face. This is another of TerriWindling's fine projects, & it's a shame that this series is so hard toget hold of!

4-0 out of 5 stars Borderland: The Lord of the Rings meets Rolling Stone
I discovered this book by accident, and I am glad that I did.

Borderland is about a world like ours in which the Elves and their magic have returned to earth. Magic and technology both work sporadically in Bordertown (which lies at the heart of the Borderlands) where teenagers runaway to hang out in rock and roll clubs where fairie dust is a drug and music is magic.

The book is the first in an anthology series featuring such talents as Emma Bull and Charles de Lint.

After losing some of my interest in works of fantasy, this book reignited a spark in me like gasoline on a bbq pit. I haven't felt this way about a work of fantasy since Conan or Fahfrd and Greymouser.These books are nearly impossible to get ahold of but Essential Bordertwon is a new one coming out soon.

I cannot recommend this book and this series highly enough. ... Read more


6. The Gnole
by Alan Aldridge, Steven R. Boyett, Maxine Miller
 Hardcover: Pages (1999-12)
list price: US$14.99
Isbn: 0749322241
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Product Description
This is a fantasy novel with an awareness of and feeling for the environment. It involves colourful and quirky characters living on the fringe of the human world, with a hero in Fungle the gnole. Alan Aldridge is the author and illustrator of "The Butterfly Ball". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

5-0 out of 5 stars Simply One Of The best Tales Ever Told
Gorgeously illustrated with a number of techniques throughout, "The Gnole" is one of the crowning achievements of hman literature.In this book, gnomes, sprites, and the like are real, although quite different in appearance from traditional perceptions.Also real are Gnoles - small furry bipeds with mole-like characteristics, who live hidden from the ever-encroaching human world by magical wards.But it is into the terrifying world of man that the novel's main protagonist, the Gnole named Fungle Foxwit, must venture, sent on a mission by Molom, the Father Of Trees, to secure a magical stone of devastating power called Baphomet before it falls into the hands of either humanity or the demon Theverat who also seeks it, either of which could prove fatal for the world.

Aided by fellow gnole Neema Cleverbread and his loyal Gnome friend, Karbolic Earthcreep (Ka for short), as well as a host of other memorable characters, Fungle's journey into human civilization finds him undiscovered by man but, unxpectedly, becoming an instant global phenomenon beloved by the very species Gnoles are so wary of.Meanwhile Theverat, and his personal assasin Thorn, loom...

There's way more to the book than this, and I've said enough already.Suffice it to conclude by saying that this is one of the most magical, hilarious, spiritual, tragic, victorious and fantastical (yet eerily believable) books ever written.I pray there's a sequel someday.

Also recommended: the novel "Duncton Wood" by William Horwood (though I should point out it's pretty graphically traumatic in places; probably not for younger readers), the movies "Fairy Tale: A True Story", "Castle In The Sky" and "My Neighbor Totoro", and the video game "Ecco The Dolphin: Defender Of The Future".

3-0 out of 5 stars Some nice ideas but inconsistent
Hard to grade and classify this one - as close as I can remember is Duncton Wood, although there are X-files type conspiracy and supernatural/horror elements..

Fungle the Gnole is the ultimate new age environmental Dalai Lama. He's a laughing rustic who benignly cuts through pretensions. Almost (but not quite) cloying sentimentality in presenting the beatific integration with nature, various spirits of the wood, and with the simple community. Also a background something akin to the sadness of the Elves gradually giving over to the teaming nature-despoiling chaotic spread of humanity.

Starts setting up a standard fantasy baddie-goodie sorcery story (although the baddie is more from the horror genre, being a demon and all - a strength of the book is its underlying pantheon), then cuts to a million pop-culture references as Fungle encounters TV personalities and evil covert Govt. departments. Some OK playing with the innocent's alternative perspective on our everyday, but it's basically pretty self-indulgent.

But finally Aldridge lost me with his rough-diamond underground gangsters: we're supposed to enjoy their high spirits, but the fact that they enjoy throwing defenceless people to be torn to pieces by crocodiles as an afternoon's amusement made me unclear on the difference between them and the villain. Moreover one minute our hero can effortlessly use telepathy, astral travelling, levitation and sorcery, the next he's inexplicably running scared from any old security guard or mugger.

Some original ideas, generally capably presented, an OK overall plot/world, and some likeable central characters - but the book is inconsistent thematically and qualitatively. A bit lax in bothering for coherency: characters are added fairly randomly as we go on.

5-0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT BOOK
Found it in a small bookship in India - one of the best books I've ever read. It really made me think about things - enchanting writing.

5-0 out of 5 stars gnoles of the world unite!
the book, the gnole, is one of the best i have read in a long time.it was lent by a friend and i wanted to get a copy of my own and have discovered that it is out of print and very hard to find even insecond-hand bookstores.(hint, hint to the publishers!)

thephilosophy of the book is one of respecting and cherishing nature.takeonly what you need and use what you take.be kind to all living things. respect others, show courtesy even when it is not shown to you.

brieflyit is about a creature whose ancestors once populated the applachianmountains in the south-eastern us.they guarded knowledge until the timecame for it to be used.now there are only two gnoles left there and theymust stop some evil creatures from making use of the sacred knowledge to doharm.

a wonderful story for children of all ages.also theillustrations must be seen.i have seldom been so captivated.i heartilyrecommend this book to anyone, any age, any time, any place.

5-0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Fungle Fights the Forces of Evil!
GNOLE - dwarf-like herbivorous mammal. "Fungle - the only gnole ever in captivity, is considered middle-aged at one hundred twenty years."

Fungle the gnole - happier and hipper than the hobbit, moregnoledgeable than gandalf, cuddlier and cuter than JohnnyCarson

Intrigued?

Alan Aldridge et al, can tell a tale like a tale hasnever been told before. This is definitely a book where you should believethe hype. Unfortunately, there isn't much hype. And the book is out ofprint. I think this must be due to bad publicity and marketing, which isthe hugest shame.

I'd love to buy this book, but can't find it anywhere.It's been leant from a small village in Wales, all the way by air mail tome in Tel Aviv, as it's impossible to find this book. But if you find it,read it, treasure it, pass it on. ... Read more


7. Fantasy & Science Fiction April 1994 (Volume 86, No. 4, Whole No. 515)
by Pati Nagle, David Brin, R. Garcia yRobertson, Steven R. Boyett
 Paperback: Pages (1994-04-01)

Asin: B000ICHD78
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

8. Borderland
by Terri; Arnold, Mark Alan; Boyett, Steven R.; Bach, Bellamy; De Lint, C Windling
 Mass Market Paperback: Pages (1986-01-01)

Asin: B001JDHWGC
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

9. F and SF 1994--April
by Steven R. Boyett, David Brin. Contributors include Ben Bova
 Paperback: Pages (1994)

Asin: B00193VL8C
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

10. Aboriginal Sf 1987--November/Dec
by Rebecca Lee (Every Sparrow That Falls). Contributors include Steven R. Boyett (Minutes of the Last Meeting at Olduvai)
 Paperback: Pages (1987-01-01)

Asin: B000V4MY5O
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

11. Aboriginal SF, November-December 1988
by Steven R. Boyett, Harlan Ellison. Contributors include Patricia Anthony
 Paperback: Pages (1988)

Asin: B000V5KGYY
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

12. Isaac Asimov's 1995--June
by James Patrick Kelly, Pamela Sargent. Contributors include Steven R. Boyett
 Paperback: Pages (1995-01-01)

Asin: B000UUACGM
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

13. Orphans
by Steven R. Boyett
Unbound: Pages (2001-07)

Isbn: 1931305110
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars One of the genre's most underappreciated writers
It's a shame this book hasn't been reviewed yet on Amazon.It makes me wonder if Boyett hasn't received more attention precisely because his talent is so wide ranging that it's hard to put him in any one category. The same guy who wrote from Hucklebery Finn's point of view as an old man fighting alongside Tom Sawyer in the Mexican Revolution also wrote about the accidental nuclear bombing of Oz, Salvador Dali giving Walt Disney a bottle of distilled death to use in his art, and tons more. It hasn't helped that he hasn't published in any one place enough to get a profile. But for five bucks you can spend a couple of evenings with an inventive mind who is also in love with words. You won't regret it. And if any print publishers are reading this, why haven't you published this book? Shame on you. ... Read more


14. Architect Sleep 27fl
by Steven R. Boyett
 Paperback: Pages (1986-07-01)
list price: US$79.65
Isbn: 0441973493
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

15. Aboriginal SF 1988--Annual Anthology
by Orson Scott Card, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Ian Watson. Contributors include Steven R. Boyett
 Paperback: Pages (1988)

Asin: B000V5INWG
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

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