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Emma Bull

War for the Oaks: A Novel Paperback – July 6, 2001

by Emma Bull (Author)

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Acclaimed by critics and readers on its first publication in 1987, winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel, Emma Bull's War for the Oaks is one of the novels that has defined modern urban fantasy.

Eddi McCandry sings rock and roll. But her boyfriend just dumped her, her band just broke up, and life could hardly be worse. Then, walking home through downtown Minneapolis on a dark night, she finds herself drafted into an invisible war between the faerie folk. Now, more than her own survival is at risk―and her own preferences, musical and personal, are very much beside the point.

By turns tough and lyrical, fabulous and down-to-earth, War for the Oaks is a fantasy novel that's as much about this world as about the other one. It's about real love and loyalty, about real music and musicians, about false glamour and true art. It will change the way you hear and see your own daily life.

Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Publication date

July 6, 2001
Grade level

7 - 9
Reading age

13 years and up
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

0765300346
ISBN-13

978-0765300348
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orb Books (July 6, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0765300346
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0765300348
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #457,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19,520 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Books)

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367 ratings

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Emma Bull

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I write science fiction and fantasy, both novels and... Well, I'd say short stories, but they often wind up as novelettes. Or novellas. Usually novellas. My parents observed early on that I was a yakky kid.

I was born in Torrance, California. After that, my family moved to Houston, Texas; Beloit, Wisconsin; South Plainfield, New Jersey; and Rockton, Illinois. Since I was still short a few states at that point, I moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota after graduating from Beloit College. From there, I moved to Los Angeles, California; Bisbee, Arizona; and Tucson, Arizona. At last I came back to Minneapolis, because, it seems, that's where I belong.

Hmm. Still short a few states.

I'm married to author Will Shetterly. We live with our cat, Barnabas, who keeps the household day planner and expects the residents to stick to a strict schedule.

In addition to my solo writing, I'm the Executive Producer of Shadow Unit, the best science fiction thriller TV show in prose form ever. So far, at least. My Co-Producer is Elizabeth Bear. Writing staff includes Will Shetterly, Sarah Monette, Amanda Downum, Leah Bobet, Chelsea Polk, Holly Black, and Steven Brust. We've finished our five-season run. Check it out at www.shadowunit.org.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

367 global ratings

5 star		69%
4 star		20%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Mainer

Wonderful story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 3, 2022

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Eddi McCandry breaks up with her boyfriend and leaves his band only to become involved with the Seelie Court. She is chosen as their mortal representative in their war with the Unseelie Court over turf in Minneapolis. At the same time, she's putting together a new band while guarded by a phouka who helps her navigate her new world.
This is one of the first books in the Urban Fantasy genre and the winner of a Locus Award. The story relies heavily on Celtic folklore for the creatures of the Courts while set in an urban real world. While the music references are slightly dated (more for younger readers than me), the story also incorporates music as a type of magic. Speaking of Eddi:
“She has her own glamour, Willy lad. All poets do, all the bards and artists, all the musicians who truly take the music into their own hearts. They all straddle the border of Faerie, and they see into both worlds. Not dependably into either, perhaps, but that uncertainty keeps them honest and at a distance.”
The characters, both human and magical, are intriguing and interesting. The humans are rock glam musicians for the most part and I love how they contribute to the music and the band. The magical characters rely on tradition like the works of Lord Dunsany or Tam Lin, a solid foundation for fantasy writing. My special favorite is Hairy Meg, a brownie who becomes friends with Eddi.
If you like urban fantasy writers like Charles de Lint or Patricia McKillip, this is definitely a book you should read.

Helpful

A Thoroughly Enjoyable Debut Novel

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 28, 2020

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Eddi McCandry's life is in turmoil. She has just broken up with her boyfriend, Stuart. That also means the band in which they both played has also broken up. She and her best friend who plays the drums in the band, agree to meet tomorrow to discuss what to do going forward and whether they should start their own band. But before tomorrow, Eddi's life will change forever in a way she could never have predicted.

As she goes home, she encounters a large black dog near a fountain. It seems to be herding her toward the water and as she nears, she sees a woman emerging from the water. She is a beautiful woman but unearthly. When she looks around, the dog has changed into a man. Together, they tell Eddi that she has been chosen as the champion of the fae and that a war is about to occur. It is unbelievable but watching the dog change back and forth to man and the cold beauty of the woman makes it conceivable.

Eddi goes home with her head reeling. Not the least of her consternation comes from the fact that the man/dog whose name is Phouka will now be her bodyguard and living in her apartment. When the next day comes, she and her friend, Carla, start discussions about their new band. Carla knows a keyboard player and they post notices and get a lead guitarist and a bass player. But a new band is not all that Eddi is facing.

The Seelie Court of the Fae and the Unseelie Court are warring for dominance. Eddi is shocked and changed forever when she witnesses the first battle and realizes that her new band members are also Fae. She is pushed and pulled between the two sides with the Unseelie Dark Queen singling her out for manipulation. Which side will win and will Eddi's life ever be the same?

This is a debut novel and thoroughly enjoyable. It won the Locust Award for Best First Novel. The book is filled with music and love and a sense that there is more to the world than what we see. Eddi is an interesting heroine who defies the world to live life on her own terms and who is unstoppable in attaining her goals. This book is recommended for fantasy readers.

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Waites Family

*Review from The Illustrated Page*

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 11, 2016

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First published in 1987, War for the Oaks is one of the pioneers of the urban fantasy genre. On the night that Eddi McCandry breaks up with her boyfriend and leaves his band, she has a run in with the fey. Turns out, she’s been chosen as a pawn in the war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts.

War for the Oaks draws upon what’s nowadays fairly familiar aspects of fairy folklore. The Seelie and Unseelie courts, the fey’s love of mortal musicians, creatures such as brownies and phoukas, and so on. However, the story focuses just as much on Eddie forming a new band as it does on her role in the fairy war.

Music plays a huge role in War for the Oaks. Eddi’s life revolves around music and creating music. I’m not much of a music person (to the point where I rarely listen to it on my own), so I think it’s a testament to the strength of Bull’s writing that I enjoyed these sections as much as I did. Let me be clear – I found War for the Oaks excellently written. The descriptions were lush and vibrant, and the dialog snappy.

I’m the wrong generation to have eighties nostalgia, but War for the Oaks did remind me of the eighties movies I’ve seen. Obviously, none of the musical references outdated 1987, but there were also a lot of descriptions of clothes that seem specific to the era. It’s not exactly specific to the time period, but there was also a bit of casual background racism, and Eddie just accepted that Stuart would react violently to the breakup.

My favorite character by far is the phouka, a shapeshifter who turns from man to dog. He’s exuberant and flamboyant, and his dialog for some reason reminds me of a Shakespearean play. I realize only now that I never became strongly attached to Eddie herself, although I did like her friendship with Carla, the drummer in her band. Maybe it’s because so much of Eddie’s life revolves around her music that it’s hard to get a sense of her outside of that?

The climax of the book felt like it was over with very quickly. It was also a lot more vaguely mystical than the rest of the book, in a way that reminds me of Robin McKinley’s writing.

I’d really like to know more about the influence War for the Oaks had on the genre. I know it was one of the very first urban fantasy novels, and I can clearly see it’s touch in books like Holly Black’s Tithe. If anyone ever comes across some sort of essay on the subject, I would love to read it.

I don’t think War for the Oaks will feel particularly novel to anyone familiar with fairies in today’s urban fantasy. However, I’d still suggest it as a well written example of the genre and to anyone interested in a fantasy book centering on music.

6 people found this helpful

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E. Nicholson

A truly memorable urban fantasy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 17, 2021

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A brilliantly imaginative book with plenty of magic, beauty, romance and angst. I understand this was one of the first urban fantasies and has in some ways influenced the genre. Certainly one can glimpse its legacy in the works of e.g. Laurell Hamilton, Seanan McGuire, Tanya Huff and Ben Aaronovitch. The magic of 'fairyland' bleeds over into Minneapolis, and the music created by Eddi's band. That music is eventually a catalyst in the faerie war, and Eddi is at the heart of it despite her reservations. It was one of those books where I couldn't wait to find out what happened next but at the same time wanted to slow down to put off the end. Definitely one for re-reading and for recommending to others.

Ms G Tea

Best fantasy book I've read in years

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 14, 2017

Verified Purchase

A friend recommended this book to me and it’s a sign of how much I trust her taste in books that I ordered a second hand paperback version which had to be shipped from America. But I’m so glad I did. War for the Oaks is one of the first urban fantasy novels. People far more knowledgeable than me about the history of fantasy, credit it and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman as the books which started the genre. For that reason there’s much that’s familiar about the book because more recent authors have borrowed and built on what Emma Bull created. I wish I could have read it in 1984 when it was new and incredibly different from what had gone before.
The book starts quite slowly but please don’t let that put you off. The prologue sets the scene in Minneapolis which, in true urban fantasy fashion, almost becomes another character in the book. It also introduces the magic of the Fae that infiltrates our world. When we meet Eddi McCandry she’s just dumped her lousy boyfriend and left the rock band he runs. Then she meets the phouka and things get much more complicated as Eddi gets recruited into the war between the Fae. Her mortal blood ups the stakes and means even the immortal Fae can die in battle. It also lands her with the phouka as houseguest and bodyguard which she’s completely unimpressed by. But Eddi’s not the kind of girl to let the intrusion of the Fae in her life get her down for long. Determined to start a new band with best friend, Carla, she meets the very gorgeous Willie Silver who plays lead guitar and Hedge who’s a bass player. With the new band rehearsing and getting ready for their first few gigs, Eddi is completely unprepared when the war with the Fae spills out into her world and has a devastating impact on her life.
There’s so many things that I loved about this book that it’s hard to know where to start. Eddi’s a kickass, smart, sassy heroine. The dialogue is sharp and witty. There’s lines like, “Who writes your dialogue? Lewis Carole?” which reminded me of the kind of beyond good dialogue you get in Buffy. The Fae, both good and bad, are believably otherworldly creatures and yet with an edge of reality that made me care whether they lived or died. Eddi’s life in the band and the ups and downs of being a professional musician are brilliantly described (probably because Emma Bull was a professional musician) and I love the way the music is woven through the story. And, more than anything, it’s a great page turning read with a wonderfully satisfying ending.
In Emma Bull’s introduction to the 2001 version, she says “A book makes intimate friends with people its author will never meet.” I felt like I met a new friend when I read War for the Oaks, that it is a novel that I will read again and again. And that’s the best compliment I can give any book.

2 people found this helpful

Chullster

Rollocking bacchanalia.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 17, 2022

Verified Purchase

I searched for a book of faerie, and I couldn’t be more pleased. Kind of High Fidelity meets the Seelie Court.

Ahriman

A true classic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 9, 2019

Verified Purchase

The story begins very boring but as the story progress it becomes more compelling and "addictive". A must read for any serious scifi/fantasy lover.

WindingWay

I had a great time reading it

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 14, 2017

Verified Purchase

I'd heard a lot about this classic urban fantasy story and wasn't disappointed. Great characters and really fun magic. The ending felt a little rushed and anticlimactic. But other than that I had a great time reading it.

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