The Fair Folk (original 2005; edition 2007)

This themed collection of short stories is a good, light reading. Some of the stories are decidedly mediocre. One in particular, "Except the Queen" by Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder, is exceptioonal and I will watch for other work by these writers. If you like anthologies in this genre, the book is worth reading. ( )

This collection of novellas has some brilliant writers in it, including my personal favorite, Patricia A. McKillip. There are only six pieces here, which means there is greater depth than one finds in the usual themed collection, though of course the disadvantage is that less variety means you may not find what you like. Luckily, McKillip is brilliant, so one can pretty much count on her to deliver and she does here. I quite enjoyed 5 of the 6 stories, but I might be biased in my favorites. :)

This book was a collection of short stories from some well-known authors, all centered around the fay: Patricia McKillip, Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder, Tanith Lee, Megan Lindholm, Kim Newman, and Craig Shaw Gardner all contributed. Sound like a winning combination? Actually... it was! A few of the stories were difficult to start - as in the first 3 pages or so were slow going and in some cases, hard to follow as the narrative was rather vague, but that's the way it is with the fay. In all, I thought all the stories were well done, none of them sagged or seemed to cause a 'weak spot' in the collection. ( )

A collection of six novellas featuring faeries.

For the most part, this is a strong collection featuring some talented authors. I particularly enjoyed the tales by Megan Lindholm and Patricia A. McKillip. I found both stories readable and engaging, written in a pleasing style that invited me in and made me feel right at home. I can't believe I hadn't discovered McKillip yet; I'll certainly be seeking out more of her work.

The collection did have a few hiccups, however. I had a tough time with Tanith Lee's story. While I appreciated the idea behind it, I found her style dense and difficult. Sometimes I delight in unconventional syntax and twisting, turning prose; sometimes I don't. This time, I definitely didn't. I felt like her writing shut me out of the story and kept me from becoming fully involved. I recognize, however, that this is entirely a matter of taste. I'm sure others will find the style absolutely wonderful. Ditto for Craig Shaw Gardener's humorous fantasy.

For the most part, though, I really recommend this collection. There's some beautiful writing and some wonderful, memorable stories. If you're at all interested in even one of the contributing authors or in the whole idea of the fair folk, I urge you to check it out. ( )

Excellent so far. I got the first three stories in last night and had to put it down. Farie tales are so much better when the risk of crossing the line of our reality is emphasized. The ending of Tanith Lee's piece left me somewhat flat but the balance was great. Ms Lindhold's piece was a good turn on the "helpful" Brownie, and I will now buy some more Kim Newman. I hardly even look at Book Club stuff anymore although I read a lot of them when I was younger and had "no" money to spare. I was recently reminded that the SFBC put out some fine anthologies - this is looking like one of them. ( )