War for the Oaks: A Novel

Eddi McCandry dumps her self-centered lead-singer boyfriend and quits his band. On her way home from their last gig she is kidnapped by two fey: a phouka and a glaistig. They inform her that the fairy world is in the middle of a civil war (Seelie Court vs. Unseelie Court). Because fey are immortal, the only way they can actually have a war is if a mortal is on the battlefield with them like a mascot. Eddi has been chosen to be this pawn, though she knows not why, and after an attempt is made on her life by the Unseelie Court she agrees to allow the phouka to be her round-the-clock bodyguard. She eventually starts her own band with her best friend Carla, learns why she was chosen for the Seelie war, and becomes more emotionally invested show more in the war's outcome than she had ever expected.

War for the Oaks is arguably the pioneer of the urban fantasy genre (fantasy that takes place in a real-world setting). The plot might sound a little cliche, but this is the original. Emma Bull wrote the cliches. I can tell that Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Neverwhere, especially, were directly influenced. The story is a little dated (mid-1980s), as any book involving so much music will be, but it is more classic than anachronism, likely due to the excellent writing (and 3rd-person narration!). I loved that the book was set in Minneapolis; it was a nice change from New York or London, where it seems all urban fantasy takes place.

I'm going to go beyond "recommended" and call this a must read for anyone who enjoys urban fantasy. show less

In my opinion, you really can't call yourself an Urban fantasy fan if you haven't read this book. This is one of, if not THE book that started it all.

There are fairies (but don't call them that if you know what's good for you) of every shape and size, lust, love, rock n' roll and a war between Seelie and Unseelie courts- what more could you want?

How about characters you care for almost instantly, magic that somehow makes sense even when it doesn't, and don't forget- the magic of music.

This is no cut and dry good vs. evil tale either, like all great urban fantasies it's a whole palette of shades of grey, although you do know who's side you come down on- it's not entirely ambivalent, like some of Caitlin R, Kiernan's work- but you show more definitely see the beauty in the darkness.

And woven through it all is an honest to goodness amazing love story.
So very highly recommended. show less

In some ways, this is not like any book I've every read of this sort. But others, it is quite derivative, especially of Charles DeLint.

The writing in this book is the best I've read in a very long time - every sentence continues the story, and in some places it reads a bit like poetry. Where it fails, is in the world of fairy - it seems very simplified. Also, Eddi McCandry while likable and real, accepts her situation too quickly. And, I really can't see her loving somebody like the Phouka - he's both too sarcastic but to gentlmanly for her. The secondary character are quite wonderful and fully fleshed out - From Willy Silver to Eddi's Best friend, Carla. I liked that Eddi was not isolated as in many other stories of this sort. She has show more friends, a social life, a career.

As somebody from Minnesota, I was tickled at reading references to Uptown, Loring Park, and Prince. Emma Bull knows the Minneapolis Area, and especially loved that the final showdown was at the Como Zoo Conservatory. I love that place! show less

Eddi McCandry is a guitar-playing rocker chick whose band and boyfriend both just broke up with her. Just when it seems as though things can’t get any worse, she encounters two mysterious creatures: a woman made out of water and a man who can shape-shift into a dog. These creatures are Fey members of the Seelie Court, and they’ve just recruited Eddi as an important element of their war against the Unseelie Court. The man-dog, called Phouka, becomes Eddi’s bodyguard, annoyance, and eventual friend. Meanwhile, Eddi also pursues her love of music by forming a new band – but some of her fellow musicians are not what they seem.

There are a lot of things to like about this book, and overall I found it quite deserving of its high show more reputation as an urban fantasy classic. I loved that the protagonist was a female rock musician, and that music played such an important role in the story. I also thought that the romance was pretty well done, despite some predictability and an almost-too-perfect hero. Finally, the descriptions of fey creatures and the first battle scene were extremely riveting, and I completely believed in the world that they conjured. However, I was a little disappointed in the quality of the writing – it’s good, but there’s something lacking in the scenes where Bull is trying to describe how the music sounds. Granted, this is a very hard thing to do, so I can’t be too tough on the book. All in all, I would definitely recommend it to fans of urban fantasy, especially those who also love music. show less

Bull's book is great because she uses the Faerie, like Shakespeare before her, for an extended metaphor on art and imagination. Lesser authors get snagged on the boring surface details of the genre -- inscrutable Court politics and elvish surprise at the high price of eggs -- but Bull never gets distracted from the human element. Eddi's music is fundamentally more interesting than the brownie cleaning her kitchen, and Bull keeps these elements in proper proportion.

It's not a perfect book. It tends to dramatically compress long stretches of time, which distorts the way certain characters are growing and changing. In particular, the phouka -- Eddi's crafty dog/man bodyguard -- goes from seeing Eddi as a convenient tool to "My God! HU-MANS show more HAVE FEELINGS TOO!" In about thirty pages. His new-found empathy comes off as a little abrupt.

On the other hand, it's hard for me to be harsh on the phouka as the phouka is such a brilliant character. The phouka refers to Eddi as his "primrose." The phouka makes puns. The phouka is the best character in the book. To be honest, the phouka was the source of my squealing. My inner eight-year-old loved the phouka and his verbosely uncomfortable relationship with Eddi. I liked the psychological insights of the text, but my inner eight-year-old gives the phouka two thumbs up. And a hug. show less

Wow. What an intense ride, a gentle slow beginning that just picks up pace and drama before the climatic end. Superb. So much worth waiting for, I'd been recommended this years ago, and failed to find a copy, it wasn't out in ebook, and 2nd hand copies were ruinous. But bless penguin who've released a new ebook version, finally. It is every bit as good as promised.

Before there was 'urban fantasy' before HP and before Twilight, the fantasy genre was almost exclusively 'other world' and occasionally 'portal'. The concept of having magic within our contemporary lives didn't sit well with the psyche and it was rarely, if ever, done. Emma Bull did it. Her debuet novel is powerful tour-de-force of things we take for granted in writing these show more days: Kick-ass women, mysterious creatures, battles of will, wits and illusion all submerged into and around a normal life.

Eddi is singer musician and guitarist in 70s Minneapolis, making a living, just about, in the days before mobiles (and Aids?) when you only heard about bands by seeing them live, and adverts for musicians went in the paper. She's just dumped a band and boyfriend and is not in the mood for shit from strange men lurking by fountains in the dark. But she doesn't get much choice, as the Poucha and the Glastag from Celtic faerie traditions cast glamours and beguiling words, although to their surprise she's almost able to shake them off. They inform her, that she has been chosen by the Seelie court of the Fey, to be their mortal token in their upcoming battle with the Unseelie, and that she has to be present on the battlefield for them to triumph. The price of their failing is the loss of all that makes Minneapolis bright and fun. The Phouka is to guard her night and day from the Unseelie who will seek to remove her from contention. Eddi is utterly nonplussed by such talk but has little choice than to accept. Her immediate attempts to lose the Phouka come to no fruition, and he is as annoying as the faerie sprite who leads travellers astray can be. Her biggest problem is the sudden realisation that it's impossible to find a job with a phouka (even if he's in an attractive human form) literally around you 24/7. Her friend to whom she's perhaps unwisely confided, urges her to start her own band, and they're surprisingly successful. But the Fey have not forgotten her, and battle's await.

There are, if you're picky, some problems with the plot and even the writing occasionally. All the characters are far too accepting of the supernatural; friends' with money and contacts are a lazy get-out for an 'ordinary girl' and not enough is made of the interactions with her ex-Stuart. I'm sure some people will object to the inclusion of song lyrics within prose - but they work far better than many poems that get introduced to other works. I found some of the intricacies of musical descriptions hard to follow, but the intensity and passion of the writing leaves so little room for such trifles.

This should only really get 4.5* for the minor niggles, and that it hasn't aged magnificently well, given how much society has changed since it was written. But it's so powerfully written and engages so deeply with that crossover between music, art , words and magic that it gets a full 5*.

Go and read it! show less

Eddi McCandry is in a band that’s going nowhere and in a relationship with the band’s leader that’s heading the same way when after their latest gig ends badly is accosted on her way home after quitting from both. There’s a war brewing between the Seelie and Unseelie courts of Faerie that would lack meaning without a mortal’s involvement and it appears Eddi has just been drafted. Until the conflict begins in earnest she is assigned a protector in the shape of a phouka and despite Eddi’s best efforts won’t leave her side. Needing something to occupy her time and take her mind off upcoming events Eddi, at the urging of Carla (best friend and drummer from the band she just quit), starts a new band and sets about recruiting show more members. The phouka will act as roadie. Can she live to see the end of the conflict and even make a success of both sides of her new life?

This accomplished debut novel is regarded as a forerunner for the urban fantasy genre that blends the world of magic with the one we know as real. It also deals heavily with the life of a musician and all that that entails with occasional song lyrics being inserted into the story. It’s very firmly set within the time period it was written with the culture, music and fashion all being late 80’s. There’s a good sense of place with the Minneapolis backdrop to the story featuring prominently. My copy of the book includes a couple of scenes from a screenplay written by the author and her husband and a few notes about why and how they wrote it. An enjoyable early work of the genre. show less