The Fair Folk
by Marvin Kaye
Book Summary Information
Author: Marvin KayeEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-12-18
ISBN: 0441015573
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Ace
Book Reviews of The Fair Folk
Book Review: stories about fairies by fantasy greats
Summary: 4 Stars
The Fair Folk is a collection of six short stories / novellas about otherworldly beings (e.g. fairies or elves). It won the World Fantasy Award for best anthology in 2006.
The stories are:
"UOUS" - Tanith Lee
This story about a modern-day Cinderella who accidentally makes a deal with an elf in which SHE has to give HIM three wishes, thereby also escaping her oppressive step-family, is definitely interesting and novel, but I really disliked the colloquial first-person writing; it made me feel like the narrator was so unreliable that I couldn't care about her story.
"Grace Notes" - Megan Lindholm
Another "contemporary fantasy" (present-day ordinary setting in which something fantastic enters), Grace Notes is about a blue-collar worker whose home attracts a brownie - a creature bound to clean houses. When the brownie's help becomes unwanted, the worker seeks help from his waitress neighbor; they get rid of the brownie and in the process forge a friendship together. It's a simple story - short and sweet.
"The Gypsies of the Wood" - Kim Newman
Gypsies of the Wood is a longer story set in Victorian England. A detective from a secret organization in charge of the supernatural investigates the disappearance of a young brother and sister; one is returned abnormally aged and also deranged, the other is clearly a changeling. The event comes back to haunt him years later when the changeling threatens another child. The detective and his journalist friend must solve the puzzle and save the child. I liked this one - it had a complex and mysterious feel, but it wasn't hard to follow.
"The Kelpie" - Patricia McKillip
A gentle bohemian artist falls in love with a beautiful female artist and model, but must compete with another artist who is a handsome manipulative jerk. The character development is subtle and interesting throughout, but the ending (a kelpie - a dangerous water spirit - appears and kidnaps the girl, forcing the two artists to face their real feelings) seemed kind of out of nowhere.
"An Embarrassment of Elves" - Craig Shaw Gardner
Fantasy humor about a wizard's apprentice and his gaggle of unusual friends. They get invited to an Elvin party and havoc ensues. It wasn't a bad story, silly and light-hearted, but even in such a short form, I thought the humor was tired and repetitive.
"Except the Queen" - Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder
A long story about two elven sisters exiled from their homeland by the elf queen and forced to live in a present-day city. The story is told in the form of letters between the two sisters. They each find a human youth that they feel drawn to take in, and in caring for them, find magic in humanity. When the two youths turn out to be much more than they appear, the sisters must defend both their adopted charges and themselves against the dark forces. I liked this story too, the correspondence format really worked here. It allowed for a lot interesting between-the-lines activity.
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