Product Description
For more than a decade, readers have turned to The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror to find the most rewarding fantastic short stories. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling continue their critically acclaimed and award-winning tradition with another stunning collection of stories. The fiction and poetry here is culled from an exhaustive survey of the field, nearly four dozen stories ranging from fairy tales to gothic horror, from magical realism to dark tales in the Grand Guignol style. Rounding out the volume are the editors' invaluable overviews of the year in fantasy and horror, a new Year's Best section, on comics, by Charles Vess, and on anime and manga, by Joan D. Vinge, and a long list of Honorable Mentions, making this an indispensable reference as well as the best reading available in fantasy and horror.
Amazon.com Review
The collaborative efforts of Ellen Datlow (horror) and TerriWindling (fantasy) are becoming something of a legend, as year after yearthey deliver the best horror and fantasy short fiction in a fat (500double-length pages) anthology that avoids pigeonholes with its mingled,unlabeled sample of the two genres. As in previous years, this volumeincludes more than 100 pages of summaries about the year 1997 in horrorand fantasy publishing, horror and fantasy in the media,and comics. The fiction includes 18 stories and 8 poems with just TerriWindling's initials, and 18 stories and 1 poem with Ellen Datlow'sinitials, with some (presumably dark fantasy) that are tagged by both.

Even more than usual, Ellen Datlow's horror selections introduce a remarkablevariety of types of stories. One of the best tales is Molly Brown's "The Psychomantium," about a mirror that allowsalternative time lines to intersect, creating double fates for thecharacters. "The Skull of Charlotte Corday" (photosincluded) by Leslie Dick takes an essayistic approach to afamous female assassin and some creepy details in the history of sexualsurgery. Douglas Clegg's "I Am Infinite, I ContainMultitudes" is a striking body-horror tale that was nominated for a BramStoker Award. Christopher Harman, P.D. Cacek, Joyce Carol Oates, and Vikram Chandra contributeold-fashioned ghost stories. Gary Braunbeck's"Safe" is reminiscent of the best of Stephen King in its portrayal ofrealistic horror in a small town. Michael Chabon's "In theBlack Mill" more than proves that Lovecraftian horror can transcend shallowpastiche. And other horror notables--such as Michael Cadnum,Christopher Fowler, Caitlín Kiernan, StephenLaws, Kim Newman, Norman Partridge, and Nicholas Royle--make appearances.

Terri Windling's selections include familiar fantasy names such as Peter Beagle, Charles de Lint, Karen JoyFowler, and Jane Yolen, and famous genre-crossers such asRay Bradbury, Howard Waldrop, and Jack Womack. She also provides welcome space for fantasy poetry--charmingpieces with images of the Trickster Coyote, Sheela Na Gig, and a mermaid,and titles like "Coffee Jerk at the Gates of Hell." The PulitzerPrize-winning Steven Millhauser contributes an enchanting tale that originally appeared in the New Yorker. Other tales are inspired byan intriguing range of sources: Gulliver's Travels,Marilyn Monroe, the Scottish legend of the Sineater, the artof glass blowing, Aztec myth, and ancient Jewish lore.

There's no better way to take in the best of these two genres, both for thegreat selections and the ample pointers to 1997's novels, magazines, art,movies, and comics that you may not have heard about. --Fiona Webster ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

15/2001: The bar is high and some stories are exceptional. Recommended 14/2000: Too many blatant stories. Not recommended
(Because Amazon lumps all of these volumes together, this review is split in halves: Fifteen/2001 and Fourteen/2000.)

For THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR: FIFTEENTH ANNUAL COLLECTION (2001)
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifteen Annual Collection collects the best (as determined by the editors) short fiction of both genres in 2001, using wide definitions of the genres in order to build a diverse, quality collection. Introductions survey related novels, anthologies, and media; some of these recommendations are useless, but others are a rich resource. The stories and poems themselves vary in quality, but the standard is high and some stories are a distinct success. It's no surprise that such a large anthology has its ups and downs, but Datlow and Windling achieve many of their lofty goals. This is a varied and successful collection of short fiction and a promising resource for discovering new authors. I recommend it.

Short fiction anthologies and collections are almost always a mixed bag, and this one in particular reaches farther--and is longer--than most collections, so there are plenty of opportunities for failure. But it's a surprising success: there's some underwhelming poetry and some disappointing and odd short stories, but on average the bar is high and the best stories are exceptional. Doerr's "The Hunter's Wife," Arnott's "Prussian Snowdrops," Kiernan's "Onion," Maguire's "Scarecrow," and best of all Palwick's "Gestella," the story of a rapidly-aging werewolf, were among my favorites, and while another reader may have different preferences the best part about this broad collection is that it has something to delight every sort of horror/fantasy fan, and perhaps something new for each reader.

Other than a treasure-trove of stories, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror also serves to expose the reader to new work and new authors. The introductions are lengthy, but useful: Windling is the most succinct in picking her choices for best fantasy novels and anthologies, Datlow is more wordy and less helpful in her horror recommendations, and the surveys of related media, comics, and anime/manga are pretty much useless (and in the final case, laughably so). Still, skim the introductions and remember your favorite authors from the short story collection, and this anthology has the potential to inflate your to-be-read list in record time. All in all, this volume of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is not perfect, but Datlow and Windling aim high and manage to pull together a surprising amount of enjoyable fiction that includes some true gems and opens the door to finding many more. I recommend it.

For THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR: FOURTEENTH ANNUAL COLLECTION (2000)
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fourteenth Annual Collection collects the best (as determined by the editors) short fiction of both genres in 2000, using wide definitions of the genres in order to build a diverse, quality collection. Largely useless introductions summarize the year in fantasy, horror, and related media, but the bulk of the book is 43 short stories and 11 poems which span paranormal horror to imaginary world fantasy to mythic poems. The stories are a mixed bag, but on the whole a disappointment: some break the mold, but most of these selections are so exaggerated that they lack magic or tension. This series has a laudable goal, but in this installment the editors don't quite reach it. Not recommended.

I so much enjoyed the fifteenth volume of this series that it boggles my mind that I found this fourteenth installment such a slog. Short story collections are usually composed of selection of varying quality, and an anthology this wide-reaching and long has plenty of opportunities for failure--and, unfortunately, in this volume it often does fail. The selections are a mixed bag: Some are wonderful, and Koja's "At Eventide," Grant and Link's "Ship, Sea, Mountain, Sky," Duffy's Circe and Little Red Cap, Adriázola's "Buttons," Gaiman's Instructions, and best of all Greer Gilman's "Jack Daw's Pack," a mythic and dreamlike story of the trials and tribulations of divine avatars, were my favorites. But too often, regardless of genre, these stories are often so blatant--horror exaggerated to empty violence, retold myth which is too obvious, humorous fantasy pushed over the top--that they lose all the magic and tension that can come with subtlety. Perhaps that's a personal preference, but I doubt it. Obvious, exaggerated stories smack of lazy writing, and certainly don't warrant a "best of" collection.

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fourteenth Annual Collection still serves a purpose: some selections, like those listed above, break the mold and are in turns understated, haunting, intelligent, or otherwise subtlety and skillfully told. And the volume also functions as a means to encounter new stories and new authors. With such a wide range, pulling from paranormal to psychological horror, from magical realism to urban fantasy, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is a broad cross-section of both genres and may expose a reader to all number of new writers or texts. Unfortunately, like the middling quality of the stories themselves, this volume isn't always a good resource: Windling summary of fantasy novels is concise and useful, but Daltow's summary is unnecessarily long and the summations of media and comics often lose sight of their fantasy/horror purview. All told, this fourteenth installment of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is well-intended but not wholly successful. Other installments prove that the premise can succeed, and such a wide goal as the year's best pulled from broad definitions of two genres is loftly and laudable. But perhaps the pickings were slim, perhaps they had a bad year--for whatever reason, Windling and Datlow don't reach their goals in this fourtheenth installment, and I don't recommend it.

Another Satisfying Entry In The Series
I collect this series hungrily. There are always at least 10 stories that excite and amaze me, and I do feel they can honestly be called "the best" of each year. I also buy stacks of other genre anthologies, none of which demonstrate such consistent quality. How there came to be a gap on my shelf where this volume ought to be I'm not sure, but I did find out while shopping for its replacement what others have discovered: it is frustratingly difficult to get an accurate report of the contents of each of these volumes. Of the several well-written and helpful reader reviews, one refers to the 11th edition, another, while begging Amazon to represent it faithfully, nevertheless is clearly misfiled, describing the contents of the 14th. To be sure, even as I snarl and curse my way through the tangle of confusion I salute each reviewer's insights; I only wish their efforts could be properly represented. To help other benighted seekers, I'm suggesting a visit to this site, an extremely valuable and meticulously maintained resource.
locusmag.com/index/2002

Snnorrrrre Snnnorrrreeeee
For some reason, the folks at Amazon keep posting my reviews for this series in the wrong place, so expecting that to happen again this time, let me clarify: The review is covering the FOURTEENTH edition.

Years ago, I made the mistake of taking "The Year's Best" title seriously, and rushed out and bought all the books in the series I could get my hands on. That turned out to be a BIG mistake, as Editors Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling seem to have very different ideas from me about what makes a good story. Luckily, this is the last volume I was unfortunate enough to purchase.

I'll skip the usual complaints this time out. I won't rant about the overlong year-in-review segments. I won't mention the fact that Windling's Fantasy selections monopolixe the book. I won't utter a word about Windling's bizarre penchant for poetry and rehashed versions of older-than-dirt fairy-tales. I'll concentrate on the stories that were actually readable.

Charles de Lint contributes another Newford story, "Granny Weather"; As usual, it's a good read.
Ramsey Campbell offers up two creepy little gems, "No Strings", and "No Story In It".
Jack Dann's "Marilyn" turns a young boy's sexual fantasy into a waking nightmare.
Glen Hirschberg's "Mr. Dark's Carnival" is a great haunted house tale.
Ian Rodwell & Steve Duffy's "The Penny Drops" is waaayyy too long, but the knockout ending makes the suffering worthwhile.
Bret Lott's "The Train, The Lake, The Bridge" could almost be a true story, and it's all the creepier for that.
Jonathan Carroll's "The Heidelberg Cylinder" is a hilariously bizarre tale that needs to be read to be appreciated.
Jack Ketchum contributes "Gone", a short but excellent halloween tale.
Paul J. McAuley's "Bone Orchards" is a follow up to his tale from the previous Year's collection, "Naming The Dead"; It's a real treat, and I'd love to see more with the main character.

Search out the aforementioned Authors, by all means; Just don't waste your money on this stankass series....unless you have MUCH more patience than me.

Tedious, Overblown, Pretentious, Overwritten......
I really can't be bothered doing my usual story-by-story review, since most of the stories stunk. I'm not a big Fantasy fan, so my distaste for the Fantasy side of the book shouldn't be a big surprise. I'll just reiterate my usual complaint about Fantasy Editor Terri Windling's half (More like 2/3rd's..) of the book: Waaaaayyy too much Fantasy, to the point where the Horror stories get short shrift. Ellen Datlow's Horror selections also leave a lot to be desired, as the truly distinctive voices of modern Horror fiction, like Bentley Little, Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Richard Laymon, et al, continue to not be represented, while told-by-rote Victorian-era wannabes dominate the book.

(My original review was much longer, and I did single out particular stories/Authors for praise, and recommended some of the individual anthologies, but the review-censorship gang at Amazon saw fit to chop off four whole paragraphs of my review! Thanks, @ssholes!)

Another Year, Another Snooze-Fest....
Made it through another one!!! Once again, Fantasy Editor Terri Windling runs roughshod over Horror Editor Ellen Datlow- Windling weighs in with 26 stories, Datlow with 19. (Datlow continues to beat the drum for awful-poetry lovers everywhere, with no less than EIGHT poems...Yuck.)

As usual, the book opens with Windling's interminably long overview on The Year in Fantasy, which is really no more than a list of every book that's come out that year, along with her rambling on and on about "Magical Realism" for what seems like 5000 pages. I read one page, skimmed the rest, didn't miss a thing.

On to Datlow's Year in Horror- Slightly more interesting, but still WAAY too long. Skimmed once again...

Edward Bryant's Horror and Fantasy in the Media overview is interesting reading, but it seems as if Bryant just throws every movie he's seen into the mix. Does "In the Company of Men" really qualify as Fantasy or Horror...? Seth Johnson's Year in Comic Books overview is very interesting, and considering how much Windling drones on, I don't think it would kill them to let Johnson have a few more pages than he does.

On to the stories themselves....There are a LOT of stories that are bad, if not downright AWFUL, in this book, and most of them go on MUCH too long. Among the Awful/Overlong are: The meandering, pointless "The Skull of Charlotte Corday", "It Had To Be You", which would have been cute if had been 20 pages shorter; Charles Grant's head-scratching yawn-a-thon "Riding the Black", ... "In the Fields" was so bad I actually had to skip to the next story; I also couldn't finish Peter S. Beagle's "The Last Song of Sirit Byar"- It seemed like the song had no end.....

It's not ALL bad, though. Standout stories include "Gulliver at Home", which tells of Lemuel Gulliver's time at home between voyages; "I Am Infinite; I Contain Multitudes" has one of the nastiest scenes I've ever read, and packs a hell of a punch; Nicholas Royle's "Mbo" delivers a nasty spin on the Dracula legend; Gary A. Braunbeck's "Safe" is a moving tale of the aftermath of a gruesome mass-murder; "El Castillo De La Perseverancia" is THE weirdest story I've ever read...Mexican Wrestlers vs. Aztec monsters! It's like a Santos movie in print! "Residuals" tells the hidden history of Alien-abduction in America, and Michael Chabon delivers a ripping good H. P. Lovecraft pastiche "In the Black Mill". Christopher Fowler's "Spanky's Back!" is good sick fun, and Stephen Laws' "The Crawl" presents a far-fetched tale of road-rage that still manages to evoke a chill.

While there ARE some worthwhile reads here, the book is more pain than pleasure to read. Proceed at your own risk! ... Read more

Product Description
Realms of Fantasy Magazine,Back Issue: February 1996. Includes: A New Tale of Paradis: Tanith Lee; New Fantasy Story from Silverberg; Terri Windling: Folkroots; Uncertain Oracle: Julie Stevens; Weapons of the Gods: Jack McDevitt; Return of the King: Susan Wade and Don Webb. Plus, The Art of Fantasy Gaming cards and more! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Bordertown:A Chronicle of the Borderlands
I read this book when it was new.I was twelve, and I loved it so much I never forgot it.Unfortunately, it was lost while moving, and I couldn't find another copy.I'm over thirty now, and I wondered if it was only good because I read it so young, or if it really was as good as I remember.It is every bit as good now as then, and well worth the price I paid for it.Now I'm trying to find more books in this series.

The story is basic modern fantasy.Where the Realm of Faerie and the World meet lies Bordertown.Magic is unpredictable there, and so is technology.Rock'n'roll has a power all its own.The local werewolf is friendly, but the people are not.It's a delightfully escapist mish-mash which has not lost its appeal in 24 years.

GREAT READ!!!!!!!!!!!!
The first book in the bordertown series I read was a travliers guide. I was hooked after that. This book is a great urban fantasy. I makes me want to run away and just be young and care free.The introduction by Farrel Din is perfect, He is a character I alaways want to know more about. Little glimpes of his charater in other books is like torture. Danceland is like a slice of pie with the charaters Tick-Tick and Orient, for the whole pie read Finder. Demon is about an elf brat who turnes the lead charater,Laura, into a demon. He underestimates her will and strength through the entire story. Exil is kinda about Dez who is so nieve but is strong enough to take care for herself and follow where her heart leads her. Mockery is one of the best stories in the borderlands. Its about a young painter and even younger love. If you ever had a crush in school you will love this story. ... Read more

Product Description
Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Annual Collections.Buy all three and save on shipping ... Read more

Product Description
It is an old, old tale, the German story of Briar Rose, the Sleeping Beauty. Now one of America's most celebrated writers tells it afresh, set this time in the forests patrolled by the German army during World War II. A tale of castles, of mists and thorns, of a beautiful sleeping princess, and an astonishing revelation of death and rebirth.

A tale that will leave you changed forever.

The tale of Briar Rose.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (190)

An intriguing reinterpretation of Sleeping Beauty
Briar Rose is a unique and inspired retelling of the story of Sleeping Beauty. It is part of the Fairy Tale series organized by Terri Windling, which features a number of classic tales retold by well-known fantasy authors.

In this version of the fairy tale, a young woman named Rebecca is very close to her grandmother Gemma. As children, Rebecca and her two older sisters loved to hear their grandmother tell them the story of Briar Rose. The older sisters outgrew their interest in the fairy tale, but even as an adult, Rebecca still likes to hear her grandmother tell it. On her deathbed, Gemma insists to Rebecca, "I am Briar Rose." The rest of the family thinks she's confused the fairy tale with reality, but Rebecca is determined to investigate her grandmother's past. When she starts asking questions, she realizes the family knows almost nothing about Gemma. When she came to the United States, where she came from, and even her real name are mysteries.

Rebecca's journey into her grandmother's past takes her deep into the horrors of the Holocaust. But amidst the violence and brutality, she finds humanity and hope. Yolen's prose is simple and lyrical, and the story moved me greatly. My only complaint is a subplot involving a potential romance for Rebecca. It felt tacked on, and it didn't really add anything to the story. This minor issue aside, I highly recommend this book.

One note of caution: although the book is classified as young adult, the violence and sexual themes in the book may not be appropriate for very young readers. It should be fine for teenagers however.

Review done for summer reading
A wonderfully chilling story that keeps the reader drawn to the mysteries and wondering what the answers to Rebecca's, the main character, questions about her grandmother, Gemma. As Rebecca digs deeper to know her grandmother's true identity and where she came from after her death and the discovery of a rosewood box that contained old clippings, photographs, and a ring amongst other things. Rebecca finds her lead in an old extermination camp the German Nazis called Klumhof, though people that tried to help Rebecca said that it was impossible to escape. But as Rebecca dug deeper into Poland and her grandmother's past, she found one common link from the rosewood box to the mystery. Josef Potocki.
With new found hope to finally knowing her Gemma's real life story, that Gemma told in the form of La Belle au Bois Dormant- Sleeping Beauty of the Woods. As Josef told his story, which was the prologue to Ksiniczka's- the young princess that was saved from the dead with the kiss of life, Josef told his story as if it wasn't as difficult as Rebecca's Gemma's.
Josef tells of his time in Sachenhausen, a labor camp. He was caught and brought in for being a homosexual. He spent a year in the camp before miraculously escaping and becoming a part of one partisan and then another when the first was killed. In his second partisan group was it that Josef found the Ksiniczka amongst the dead, or "sleeping" as Rebecca recalls from the tale her grandmother told continuously.
Overall, a horribly wonderful tale that twists the stories of La Belle au Bois Dormant and the Holocaust together so well, one can begin to wonder if such feats were ever accomplished during the terrible time of WWII

Good Idea, Yet Still Managed to Disappoint
I am still baffled by the amount of rave reviews Briar Rose received. Admittedly, the story is very unique. The idea of comparing the Holocaust to the Sleeping Beauty fairytale may seem a bit far-fetched initially, yet Yolen manages to bring the truth of this parallel to light. Unfortunately, it was executed in a way that really detracted from what was formerly an original idea. Instead we are left with a poorly written, confused, and mediocre young adult novel.

Many of the characters that populate this book are completely unconvincing. Beccah is a shallow protagonist with a boring personality and no flaws to speak of. Magda stuck out to me in particular. She was a nuisance to read with her broken English, and her benign comments seemed to only reinforce the stereotype of the "Stupid Polack." Stan was a useless plot device (Beccah's love interest) and should have been further developed or thrown out entirely, as the romance seemed to have no real purpose at all.

There also seems to be an issue in this book with age. Many of the adults act like children. Beccah is so immature I thought her to be 16 or 17 rather than 23. Her sisters were by far the worst though, with their constant bickering and melodramatics, spewing out comments that only a spiteful 10 year old would say. Every time I read their dialogue I would consider putting down the book permanently. Unfortunately this was required reading for a class, so on I read.

I would have much rather seen a novel based on the story Josef tells. The characters were much more human and the action much more real. But even this part of the novel was lacking It wasn't developed enough to be heart wrenching in the way it had the potential to be. It is not difficult to make stories about the Holocaust sad. However, to make it a truly emotional story, one must pay close attention to the characters and the pacing. Both of these are severely neglected. However, this isn't just an issue with the telling of Josef's story. There seems to be something missing throughout the entire book. It desperately needed to be further elaborated on and tied together more neatly.

Overall Briar Rose was a great idea that fell flat due to poor character development, writing, and (what seemed to me) laziness. The amount of complaints I have about this novel are innumerable. The only thing that really keeps me from calling it one of the most disappointing books I have ever read is the idea that underlies it. There is so much untapped potential here it is frustrating. I wish Yolen had taken better advantage of the opportunity she was given.

Beautiful Blend of Sleeping Beauty and the Holocaust
This book is probably one of the best retellings of Sleeping Beauty. Rebecca always loved hearing the story of Sleeping Beauty from her grandmother, but there was an interesting twist in the story the princess was put in her enchanted sleep by a poisonous mist instead of the spindle of the spinning wheel. Right before Rebecca's grandmother dies she tells her that she is Sleeping Beauty. Rebecca decides to find out what her grandmother meant by that and she ends up finding a tragic story about love and loss durring the Holocaust. I would reccomend the reader be at least 13, but I think that people would enjoy this unique retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

I couldn't stand this book
I don't think I had ever not finished a book before I read this. Seriously. I skipped almost half the book becasue of the boring story some old guy was telling.It bored me to tears, and it barely even talked about the whole Sleeping Beauty connection, just about being persecuted because the guy was gay. I dodn't want to know about how his lover killed himself or ANYTHING. And that is why I skipped most of it, and just read the last page. ... Read more

Product Description
An aspiring young rock-and-roll singer's life is astonishingly changed when she is drafted into the war of the faeries, where she is instructed to use her musical talents to defeat an evil enemy. Reissue.Amazon.com Review
Emma Bull's debut novel, War for the Oaks, placed her in the toptier of urban fantasists and established a new subgenre. Unlike most of therock & rollin' fantasies that have ripped off Ms. Bull's concept, Warfor the Oaks is well worth reading. Intelligent and skillfully written,with sharply drawn, sympathetic characters, War for the Oaks isabout love and loyalty, life and death, and creativity and sacrifice.

Eddi McCandry has just left her boyfriend and their band when she findsherself running through the Minneapolis night, pursued by a sinister manand a huge, terrifying dog. The two creatures are one and the same: aphouka, a faerie being who has chosen Eddi to be a mortal pawn in theage-old war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Eddi isn'tinterested--but she doesn't have a choice. Nowshe struggles to build a new life and new band when she might not evensurvive till the first rehearsal.

War for the Oaks won the Locus Magazine award for Best FirstNovel and was a finalist for the Mythopoeic Society Award. Other books byEmma Bull include the novels Falcon, Bone Dance (secondhonors, Philip K. Dick Award), Finder (a finalist for the MinnesotaBook Award), and (with Stephen Brust) Freedom and Necessity; thecollection Double Feature (with Will Shetterly); and the picturebook The Princess and the Lord of Night. --Cynthia Ward ... Read more

Customer Reviews (72)

Fairy wine
Sparkling, effervescent, and delightful, going down easy.

"What did they hit you with?"

"A big rock. Only the most sophisticated weaponry can prevail against me."

Emma Bull does a fantastic job at capturing the aliveness and vibrancy of her heroine's art-rock scene. She creates sharply-defined characters, each with their own voice. The trick of only ever showing the fey from Eddi's mortal, limited viewpoint keeps them mysterious and otherworldly; the phouka, with whom Eddi has the closest dealings, is wry, witty and a little bit alien. Bull's humor is dry and entertaining.

This book gave birth to the genre of urban fantasy. If its plot or elements seem a little stale, try and remember that perspective; when Bull first married together rock musicians living in Minneapolis with a fairy war, no one had done it before. Some respect for the grand dame, please.

War For The Oaks is a lot of fun.

Caused Sleep Deprivation!
I won't sum up the plot, because many other reviewers have already done that, but I will tell you what I thought of the book.I thought War for the Oaks was an excellent book.With my current schedule, working full time and going to school full time, I usually only have time to read for a few minutes before bed.I can barely keep my eyes open after a few pages, so it has been taking me quite a while as of late to get through a book.Not so with War for the Oaks; it kept me up well past my bedtime for several nights this past week.

War for the Oaks is written in the third person, but the entire book takes place in the point of view of the main character.This isn't like an epic fantasy novel with a huge cast of characters, a complex storyline, and alternating viewpoints and storylines.I greatly enjoy epic books like that, but I also enjoy books like this one which consist of a more straight-forward story where you're only focusing on one main storyline and following it through from the beginning to the end.The story kept moving at a fast pace, making it difficult to stop reading.Every time I reached a new chapter I couldn't resist reading the first paragraph or two to see what would happen next, and the next thing I knew I had finished reading the chapter.

The characters were likeable, especially the main ones, and I found them believable and realistic -- within the confines of the fantasy, of course!There was a fair amount of romance in the story.Romances in some stories feel forced, as if it's only there because it's expected.However, in War for the Oaks it was done well, woven in throughout the plot in a believable and appealing way.The dialogue had a lot of humor in it, which made the book even more pleasant to read.The plot was straight-forward and simple, nothing earth shattering, but it was engaging when combined with the interesting characters and the enjoyable writing style.I will definitely be reading other books by this author sometime in the future!

This is what Fantasy should be
Beautifully written.A fairy tale for today.Emma Bull's writing is almost lyrical.She sets the stage for this urban fantasy with descriptions so rich and vibrant I felt as if I was in the story, right next to the heroine Eddi McCandry as she battles for her friends and her world.The characters are multifaceted and surprising.I love the way Eddi and her friends are forced to become stronger than they ever dreamed possible to survive their encounters with the fae.

One of my favorite novels. Ever.
I bought my copy of Emma Bull's War for the Oaks in 1987, from the science fiction bookstore that used to be in Harvard Square. I had no idea what the book was about, but it had a staff tag marked "Recommended!!!" I think the three exclamation marks convinced me.

Twenty years later, my copy of the book has a broken spine, the cover image is worn, and my name is scribbled inside because I've loaned it to friends so often (always with dire warnings about the doom to befall if the book did not return). That's because this is among my favorite fantasy novels ever. I've no idea how often I've re-read the story; it simply doesn't get stale. It's like a favorite old movie, a comfy sweater, or comfort-food for the soul; I re-read War for the Oaks when I want to be reassured that the world really will be all right, that love is real, all that kind of stuff. And also, when I want to laugh.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed it before.

At its essence, the story is an oft-told one: a human who becomes a pawn in a war between supernatural factions. Only Emma Bull twisted the plot deliciously. Instead of a folk musician or some kind of back-to-the-land hippie, in WftO the protagonist is Eddi McCandry, a guitar-playing rock-and-roll musician in downtown Minneapolis, who is called upon to bring mortality to the Faerie battle. Her antagonist (or is he?) is the phouka, a man who can change into a dog. The story includes honor, and love, and music, and laughter, in equal measure... well, maybe with the balance tilted towards laughter.

But it'd be possible to tell that story cleverly in a "Nice, what's next?" way. Emma Bull carried this off to perfection. The people in the book are all, ALL, believable and utterly real to me, even the "fantasy" ones. The music references -- and there are many! -- are great. Eddi and her band play music through most of the book, and WftO's references caused me to explore all sorts of artists that I'd never heard of before (like Boiled in Lead and Kate Bush) who've since become part of the soundtrack of my life.

And mostly, the writing -- especially the repartee -- is wonderful. When the phouka dresses for battle -- he wears an olive drab high-necked sweater, with suede gun patches on the shoulders, with matching olive slacks tucked into high brown boots -- Eddi thinks, "He looked like a guerrilla outfitted by Ralph Lauren." And says, "Never dress better than your date." Well, maybe you need more context. But my point is that the dark fantasy -- it *is* about a war -- is considerably lightened by the smartass camaraderie of friendship.

I love this book. If you like fantasy, but not the icky-sweet kind, you'll love it too.

Battling the Unseelie
If you love urban fantasy...
dear faerie lovers,
... particularly elf/faerie otherkin folk in the modern world, if you love Charles DeLint's books or Holly Black's young adult novels such as Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, you'll love this book. It is truly among the best.
kyela,
the silver elves ... Read more