Customer Reviews

The Books of Faerie

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I've been reading through the Books of Magic series of graphic-novel compilations, and getting them in an odd order occasionally (based on what I can find when). Reading this volume made much of one particular volume of the Books of Magic make incredible amounts of sense - it's the backstory, the story that happens between the volumes. It also, however, stands on its own quite well. If you like Neil Gaiman, Emma Bull, or modern fantasy and fairy tales at all, I highly recommend this. A lovely fey tale, full of magic, betrayal, and secrets.

This book is the prequal to the Books of Magic, a series about Tim Hunter, and his journey to become the greatest wizard alive. However, this novel is about Tim's Mother, Titania, the fairy queen from Shakespeares Midsummer Night's Dream, on how she became a sorceress capable of hiding the fact that she is a human being, and becomes the mother of the greatest mage of our time.

The books of Magic and now this Book of Faerie are by far my favorite fantasy series of all time.

Beautiful Comic book format packed with enough magic/mythology to make even large text based fantasy books feel shallow. Have read whole series countless times and I keep finding new surprises each and every time arround.

The best part is that the setting is so believable, the stories so tied in to the history we all know, and the characters so well drawn that you would not be too surprised if you found out you were living in John Ney Rieber's world all along.

I highly encourage you to travel to this land of magic.

I picked this up out of curiosity, without reading the "Books of Magic" first (I am doing so now) as I don't normally read comic books. I found the initial first pages confusing, but the pages following that caught me up.

The story begins amid the ending panels of "Summonings", then proceeds back in time several centuries to a tiny girl named Rose, who stumbles into the Queen of the Faerie. Rosebud quickly becomes a favorite of the Queen - and as she grows into adulthood, is also a "favorite" of the King (if you take my meaning). When Queen Dymphna mysteriously vanishes, the King marries Rosebud - who takes on the name of Titania. (Starting to sound familiar?) The new queen also sort of morphs into a fairy.

More familiar characters resurface as the king dies, and his nephew Auberon takes over the throne and marries the queen. But during a venture to Earth, Titania meets and falls in love with a man named Tam Lin. Her love affair with him is cut short when she becomes pregnant and gives birth to an apparently-human baby, who vanishes along with a nursemaid. Thus starts the life of Timothy Hunter...

Even if you're not familiar with the Books of Magic, this is diverting and entertaining, especially if you know about the legend of Tam Lin. The artwork is so so--often it looks like the artist put a sketch instead of a finished panel (like when Dymphna cries out "My torque!") and Titania's facial shape sometimes looks plain silly.

Overall, a very enjoyable comic. I also recommend the sequel, "Auberon's Tale" (tell me, am I alone in finding him VERY sexy?)

I've read these books slightly out of order, so getting to know the woman whom Molly O'Reilly referred to as "the green bitch" was a rare treat. This lovely, touching collection shows the origins of the girl who would become Titania, as well as introducing Tamlin the falconer at his first appearance in Faerie. Titania and Auberon meet for the first time, and we gain an understanding of their complex and difficult relationship. This book also sheds some light on the birth of Timothy Hunter. Really, I can't recommend this series highly enough.

Bronwyn Carlton, The Books of Faerie (DC Comics, 1998)

Having made it roughly halfway through the Sandman series, I figured it was high time to start checking out the spinoffs, The Books of Magic and The Books of Faerie. Turned out to be a good idea, on both counts.

The Books of Faerie, at least this volume, comprises two tales-- that of how Titania came to be Queen of Faerie, and another regarding a quest to go find Tim Hunter and bring him to Faerie originally published as Arcana Annual #1. While those who haven't yet picked up the Sandman or Books of Magic series are urged to read at least a way into those first, The Books of Faerie are quite a treat for those who have wandered off into the thick layers of mythology and symbolism Neil Gaiman imbued both series with.

As with the whole extended series of graphic novels of which this is but a part, The Books of Faerie is a treat well worth savoring. *** ½

after reading shakespeare's midsummer night's dream,and visiting his beutiful realm of fairyland,i wanted more of these wonderful creatures.this is the place to look for them,where depth is added to believable shakespeare characters. i like the fact that vertigo is linked with an enchanting fantasy realm of shakespeare,that titania is tim's mother.