Faerie Tale

Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but...
Review: No, Faerie Tale is not a bad book. It's not a masterpiece either.

In essense, Feist has written the book that more or less every fantasy writer wants to write at some point: the book where fantasy and reality collide and the world (or some people's world) can never be the same. Many authors have tried it, and Feist's approach is not the worst but far from the best. Faerie Tale basically tells of a family plagued by the attentions of the Daoine Sidhe, the Fair Folk of Irish legend and how one man's courage, or one boy's, can make all the difference sometimes.

I liked it, it managed to wet my appetite for some real folklore or some real horror, but in doing so, the book brought its own failings into sharper relief.

But let me start with the good points,

1. the book leans on what is, as far as I am concerned, the most engagingly magical folklore of all. Feist's rendering of the Sidhe, for all its flaws which I will explain later on, got me hooked on this stuff for life. Feist has done a considerable bit of research, and even manages to tap into real-world theories to explain the supernatural; one star for that .

2. Faerie tale also provides an interesting background conspiracy theory, that of the Magi and the forgotten war etc. etc., which may not make you paranoid but will put a smug smirk on your face as you mumble "good, good"; the second star is for that.

3. Feist's writing is a pleasure to read, and he makes sure the book is over before his style becomes predictable; the last star is for that.

BUT:

1. Feist may have done some homework, but as I read the book I had the distinct feeling that he had flipped through the pages of some fairy dictionary looking for a villain and some good guys. Yes, mention of the Fool had me quite literally shivering even though, or perhaps exactly because, I had no idea what these people were up against, but the character was inexcusably lacking... I was hoping for an enemy with all the cunning and subtlety and mystical powers of an immortal creature of legend, but I didn't get any of that. The guy gets duped by two kids. His downfall comes about in a manner not just mundane but downright mechanical: he gets shoved into a land whence there is no escape. Big deal. The same goes for all of the Sidhe: They are fallen angels, Feist seems to suggest; well they didn't communicate the mystical feeling I was expecting... they were just weird. They were... Pointless. no personal agendas anywhere, not emotional interplay, no recognizable patterns of... weirdness. Not what I was hoping for.

2. Feist failed to focus his narration. I could not identify a hero until 3/4 of the book had gone by. The problem with this is that too many intriguing characters are wasted and too much of the narration is given over to things that sort of hang there, lacking any connection to the plot after a while.

3. Feist's final twist to the plot was rather too hackneyed for my taste. "Unlikely hero saves the day" may work for Disney Pictures, but Feist's audience has seen way too much of this, starting with Frodo Baggins. Moreover, the book was monolithically targeted at a single resolution (family gets the Sidhe off their cases; predictable) so no sub-plotting could survive for long, in spite of Feist's efforts.

4. The book is way too short; as a result, Feist had to rush some of the action, and he obviously couldn't afford that. He has written longer books, so he cannot be excused; had he taken the effort, he might have made something really special.

In short, this book was a brave effort, but it can't quite rival Darkness at Sethanon or indeed any other book of the Riftwar or Serpentwar sagas. Still, it's a nice read.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best, but not as popular as the rest.
Review: This book it truly one of Feist's best works. This stand-alone novel is well written with great characterization (a strong point of Feist) with a wonderful blend of Irish, German Folklore combined in today's world, make this book impossible to put down. If you are a fan of Feist and have not read this book yet then you should read it while waiting for his next book. If you have not read any of Feist's work, then this would be a good starting point. It will keep you reading well into the night if you don't get to scared.

Rating:
Summary: A little fright for the Halloween season
Review: Mr.Feist is quite a storyteller. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book, but I couldn't put it down. He definitely did extensive research on fairy lores and their history. The good fairies, the evil ones and a scary house make for a spooky little Faerie Tale.

Rating:
Summary: Call it whatever genre you want
Review: ..if it will make you happy, but I found this book to be creepy, mystical, and intriguing. I'm not a big fantasy reader, I stumbled upon this in the horror section and it is a truly satisfying blend of the two. If you like mythology and wonder where it fits in today's world, you'll have fun with this.

Rating:
Summary: A book unsure of which genre it belongs to
Review: Feist has created an odd little entry into the fantasy realm with Faerie Tale. This novel is at times a light romance, whimsical fantasy, historical fiction and soft porn - to name a few. However, none of these elements gel and one is left with a feeling by the end of the book that you don't really know the characters well, and for that matter don't really care what happens to them. There are an awful lot of characters introduced throughout the book, however the main action in the climax and conclusion involves only a handful - actually less - so all the "character development" that has been painstakingly undertaken previously is for nought. Personally, I would not recommend this book to fantasy or sci-fi enthusiasts.

Rating:
Summary: Not your Average Feist book
Review: And, as I'm sure you might guess by reading the generally good reviews for the books of Raymond E. Feist, his books are in fact pretty good. I certainly like them. And I loved this one.

It is not his typical fantasy book, though, so readers of his other works should keep that in mind. This book is more of a cross between modern suspense/horror and fantasy. It is a great read, one of those hard to put down kinda books. Mr. Feist weaves a delightful tale that will thrill you page after page.

He has a very interesting idea about how things might be with regards to the 'handling' of supernatural events, also. I won't say more, so as not to spoil anything, as this part of the tale comes at the end. But if you are intrigued by the concept, other writers such as Katherine Kurtz sort of work a similiar idea in some of their tales.

At any rate, this is one of my favorite books to recommend, so that is what I shall do. Recommend it to you!

Rating:
Summary: Great but superficially flawed story
Review: I thouroughly enjoyed this title, and the author's attention to detail is wonderful. However, I felt some of the nearly pornographic sequences could have been toned down. I know it's a matter of taste, but eroticism doesn't have to be so blunt. A more subtle approach would seem a more appropriate for ethereal creatures such as fairies. As well, there are times when the writing makes no sense, and I was forced to read over particular segments many times before understanding their content. Complaints aside however, it is a very interesting tale, and I thoroughly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book marred by a poor ending
Review: This is an excellent book - a combination of fantasy and horror, though leaning more towards the fantasy. The characters are well developed, and seem quite real. It is unusual to see a well written, non-dysfunctional, family. Family members get along well, love each other, and still can squabble or get upset and worried in realistic ways.

The high points of the book concern the interactions of the various people, family and friends, as they begin to interact with the faeries. Oddly, their interactions with the faeries themselves are not written quite as well - though the disjointed story telling in those places may be intended to show how otherworldly the faeries are. Still, that is actually a minor point of the book, keeping to the maxim that the best horror is left unstated.

The book's end was quite disappointing. After a marvellous build up, everything was put back to the way it was in the beginning by a mega-powerful secret organization. Deus ex machina writ large. Despite that minor flaw, though, I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent -- Feist really did his homework on Faerie lore.
Review: The plot moves along well, w/ good character development. The story includes a wealth of knowledge on basic Irish and a little Welsh Faerie lore, with of course some artistic license. It's overall well-written, well-thought out and has excellent vivid details.

Rating:
Summary: Loved every minute of this book!
Review: When I was 16 I read this book for the first time.. i am now 22 and I have read it about 30 times. I haven't found anything like it ever! It combines real life Irish forklore with conspiracy, sex, passion,humor... and the fantasy Whoa! He inspired me to do research on fairies and learn more, something some of my teachers in High school couldn't do. I recommend this book with high regards!