Lord what fools these mortals be!
11 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Fae, Fantasy Review Barn, Tough Travelling
This week over at the Fantasy Review Barn we are once again tough travelling with our trusty guide Nathan. This week our topic for discussion is FAE
Surprisingly not in the Tough Guide. How can this be? Fairies are a constant in the fantasy world and it is time they get their own week. Give us your Fae, be they sweet or nasty.
- The Rebel Angel series by Gillian Philip – sithe – some of these are nice (Seth) – some not so much (Kate McNiven)
- Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier – good old fashioned style fae, tricky, beautiful, ethereal – be careful what you agree to.
- Tithe/Valiant and Ironside by Holly Black – I loved this series and it’s the first I read that portrayed the fae as maybe not always so nice!
- The Tiffany Aching Series by Terry Pratchett – first the Wee Free Men, a type of fae (pictsies??) and then in the Wintersmith Tiffany gets embroiled with fae – if I remember correctly?? Maybe it wasn’t this book – doh – Nathan, chuck me a bone??
- Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – ‘methought I was enamoured of an ass!’ Full of Fairies – The King and Queen of the fae no less not to mention pesky Puck.
- Alex Bledsoe’s The Hum and the Shiver – appalachian fae – a unique read. Very good.
- The Blue Girl by Charles deLint – ghosts and fae in Newford Town – I’ve only read the one from Newford but I do intend to return.
- Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series – great books
Can I say the elves from LotR – and perhaps somebody can help me out here – are elves sort of related, in a far removed kind of way, to fae?? Or no????
Books and travelling with Lynn 
We’ve got some good overlap between our lists this week, I’m liking it! Holly Black is the YA queen of Faerie, bar none – but Melissa Marr is a close second. The Blue Girl is one of my favourite books by Charles De Lint; I first read it when I was a young teen, and I wanted to be like Imogen. I thought she was so cool! Now I realize that while cool, she’s probably not the best role model. 😉
Can’t wait to see your list! Holly Black’s fae series is just – well, brilliant!
Lynn 😀
Interesting choices, I love reading about Fae. I would pick The Unfinished Song series by Tara Maya which is full of powerful, dancing Fae which reminds me I really want the next book to come out! I’m not sure Tolkien wrote his Elves to be Fae but I can see what you mean they are called the Fair Folk, are immortal and have a natural magic 🙂
I have a Tara Maya on my kindle which I should definitely bump up the list – pretty sure the recommendation was from you and it’s not a massive book so I should just hurry up and get to it!
Lynn 😀
I’m so out of the loop this week – the only one off your list I’ve ever read is the Shakespeare! Great picks, I’ve seen Holly Black on a lot of people’s lists and might have to add her to my wishlist. 🙂
I really liked the Holly Black books – they were really one of my first introductions to fae as something other than ‘nice’!
Lynn 😀
Shakespeare! How could I forget about Shakespeare?
Great call on that one! **thumbs up**
That is, to be honest, the only one of Shakespeare’s that I’ve read – but it’s so good.
Lynn 😀
I had trouble classifying Elves as well. Since they’re all probably “descended” from the same folklore beings, I guess Tolkien’s Elves count as well. Plus they have pretty hair, so there’s that.
And high five for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it’s my favourite Shakespeare’s play (I’ve had to read a bunch of them for my studies)!
I’m useless with Shakespeare – I’ve literally read one! I will eventually read more but I think I’ve probably chosen my favourite read already.
Lynn 😀
I’m so pleased you liked Dreamer’s Pool. And yes, if you want to read Daughter of the Forest, I found it just as spellbinding and amazing, you definitely should check it out. And it also has fae 🙂
I bought it a while ago – picked up the name from Danya and I’m looking forward to it. Glad you thought it was good.
Lynn 😀
I see you there Wee Boy Willie! Making a face hiding in the cover. I love the Aching series.
The Aching series is just so good! If all the rest of Discworld is anything like that then I am seriously missing out and need to get my act together. So very sad about Pratchett.
Lynn 😀
I just read The Wee Free Men a few weeks ago – it’s my first Terry Pratchett – and I absolutely ADORED it! I’m glad to see Terry Pratchett on so many lists this week! It’s fitting 🙂
I mentioned on my post that Tithe is pretty much the be all and end all of fae for me, and I had a Marillier as well – but I forgot to put A Midsummer Night’s Dream! Which is about as faerie as you can get haha.
You have to hand it to Shakespeare for writing fantasy all those years ago! I mean, okay, they were plays, but even so.
Lynn 😀
I was confused about Fae/Elves too. I left them away though, because I think there is a difference between them, because Fae are more universal, while Elves are especially related to Nordic Mythology.
I simply had to have a mention of LotR! Even it’s wrong. I can’t help myself. But, yes, elves always confuse me a bit. Nice to know I’m in good company 😀
Lynn
I also had to mention them no matter what I think about that it’s wrong :’D
Well, Fae are confusing too, just once in while 😀
There are so many deviations. They’re so good to read though.
Lynn 😀