Faerie Tales [Paperback]

Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Russell Davis (Editor), Charles de Lint (Collaborator), Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Collaborator), Tanya Huff (Collaborator), Jane Lindskold (Collaborator), Wen Spencer (Collaborator), Elizabetn Ann Scarborough (Collaborator), Adam Stemple (Collaborator), Jim Fiscus (Collaborator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2004

12 all-new magical stories by Charles de Lint, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Tanya Huff, and more

Faerie folk have cast their magical spell over people the world around. Now some of today's most imaginative fantasists explore into the heart of this enchantment with twelve all-original stories that will bespell their spells on readers of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This anthology of stories based on British and Irish fairy lore proves that that well-mined trove of tales remains a reliable resource for writers. The contributors are all experienced fantasists, and some of them are highly accomplished amateur, or even professional, folklorists. The quality of writing and the handling of themes are both high, and the tonal variety within the whole collection ranges agreeably from grim to ghastly, light to playful, even to erotic, and the last without hitting the reader in the face or any other area. To name just four stories, Charles de Lint's "Sweet Forget Me Not," Tanya Huff's "He Said, Sidhe Said" (magical skateboards, anyone?), Jane Lindskold's "Witches'-broom, Apple Soon," and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's "The Filial Fiddler" are excellent, and the last, as might be expected, musical, too. An undeniable treat for fairy-fantasy fans. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: DAW (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756401828
• ISBN-13: 978-0756401825
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,085,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good retelling of old tales, August 15, 2004

By 

Barb Caffrey "writer-for-hire" (In a Midwest State (of mind), USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Faerie Tales (Paperback)

FAERIE TALES does the near-impossible; it retells old, shopworn tales, giving them life and up-to-the-minute relevancy in the process.

Sometimes, the oldest plotlines are the best. That surely is the case here; the absolute, #1, best story here, bar none, is John Helfers' "Changeling." This uses one of the oldest plotlines anywhere (that of an Elf baby being exchanged for a human baby) to explore the problems of adoption in a brand new light. The Elfling never quite "fits," and when he finds out the truth of his birth and adoption, goes to look for his birth parents. And what he finds . . . well, let's just say that I was reasonably sure how it'd end, but Mr. Helfers did an excellent job in keeping me riveted to the page until the story was complete.

Five stars plus with the highest recommendation possible for "Changeling."

Two other stories were very good, and nearly up to Mr. Helfers' in quality. These were the stories by Charles de Lint and Tim Waggoner. Both of these stories were interesting, well thought out, and I enjoyed them very much. Five stars for each of them.

I didn't really care for Ms. Huff's story or Ms. West's story, but other folks might like them. I'd give those stories a three rating (so-so), with the remaining stories all three and a half to four ratings. Which is why the anthology gets an overall four-star rating.

And while I'd recommend the anthology itself anyway, I highly recommend Mr. Helfers' exceptional story, "Changeling." Read it. It's very good, probably one of the best short stories I've read all year. (And I've read a whole lot of good ones.)

Barb Caffrey

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An eclectic mix of tales staring the Wee Folk, August 18, 2005

By 

Madelyn Pryor "Goblyn Queen" (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Faerie Tales (Paperback)

Faeries, the Fair Folk, the Old Ones: no matter what name they take, Fairies have long fascinated us, holding our collective imagination in their small, yet inescapable grasp. In this anthology DAW presents 12 original tales, some funny, some sad, all about fairies. They include:

***Sweet Forget-Me-Not by Charles de Lint
*** The September People by Tim Waggoner
*** Judgment by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
*** Changeling by John Helfers
*** Yellow Tide Foam by Sarah A. Hoyt
*** He Said, Sidhe Said by Tanya Huff
*** A Very Special Relativity by Jim Fiscus
*** Witches'-Broom, Apple Soon by Jane Lindskold
*** Wyvern by Wen Spencer
*** A Piece of Flesh by Adam Stemple
*** The Filial Fiddler by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
*** The Stolen Child by Michelle West

Really, this book gets 3.5 stars in my eyes. It is not the best DAW anthology out there. Many of the stories use repetitive themes. One third of the stories deal with changelings and stolen children. There's so many other things the fairies are known for, why dwell on this one point? Also, Stolen Child and Witches'-Broom, Apple Soon were both clinkers by usually good writers. However, to balance this, a Piece of Flesh and Sweet Forget-Me-Not are both bloody brilliant, the type of haunting story that sticks in your brain long after you're done reading the book.

This is more of a mixed bag than the usual DAW excellence, but it's still well worth buying in my opinion.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid stories all the way through, December 17, 2005

By 

Steven Saus (Dayton, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Faerie Tales (Paperback)

Faerie Tales is a volume of twelve short stories "about the folk of Faerie as they mix in mortal affairs". I love short stories, and am continually drawn to collections like this. It's hard to find a collection where all the stories are of good quality - this is one of them. An excellent read, with authors putting thier own spin on the old tales.