The Fair Folk

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.

"UOUS" by Tanith Lee. Unable to handle being the stepdaughter and stepsister since her dad died, she turns to a handsome fairy prince for solace; he grants her three wishes, but expects remittance. "Grace Notes" by Megan Lindholm. Bachelor Jeff enjoys his lifestyle until the anal brownie insists that cleanliness is Godliness. Needing help to rid himself of this cleaning freak, Jeff turns to Maisy to help him evict the nuisance. "The Gypsies of the Wood" by Kim Newman. In rural late Victorian England, two children disappear in the woods leading to a search for them. They are found, but the boy has aged into an old man while the girl behaves like a young child. "The Kelpie" by Patricia A. McKillip. The artists' colony contains talented individuals jealous of one another. Ned and Emma seem to desire each other, but both fears the ridicule of failure until the kelpie step in. "An Embarrassment of Elves" by Craig Shaw Gardner. Wuntvor, wizard sidekick, and his friends attend an elven party whereFritz and the dark riders crash the gala. "Except the Queen" by Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder. The fairy exiles the two sisters, Meteora and Serana, forcing the siblings to live in the human smog city. Though each swore not to intervene, they get involved with two teens under magical assault. THE FAIR FOLK is a fun fairy driven fantasy anthology containing six charming stories that sub-genre fans will enjoy, yet feel somewhat unsatisfied as if each entry fell a bit short. The contributions are suburb when the plot dwells on cross species miscommunication, but feels pressing at times to insure the inclusion in a significant way of the supernatural entities. Not the best work of these renowned authors, but readers will enjoy hobnobbing with the FAIR FOLK. Harriet Klausner

This is a really good collection of short stories that tie together the worlds of fantasy and reality. All the stories focus on a character, or characters, in the modern world, who come in contact with the realm of fairy. The stories also show a differnt side of "The Fair Folk." They are not always kind and benevolent, and can often be cruel and evil. Very well written.