Rating: 
Summary: Urban Fantasy that reaches your imaginataion
Review: Eddi McCandry's boyfriend--an unrepentantly immature creep--ruined their band and drove her to walk out. Disgusted and needing something new and exciting, Eddi makes the mistake of walking home alone in Minneapolis on a dark night. The world changes dramatically for Eddi who discovers she is gifted and Sighted -- and that the Faerie need her to give a tangible mortality to the war between the Seelie and Unseelie. What ensues is a whirlwind mix of laughter, fear, rage, jealousy, regret, romance and courage in which Eddi discovers how to truly Make Music, faces the Queen of Faerie and the Dark Mistress of the Unseelie, and, finally finds herself.
Foremost among an engaging cast of characters is The Phouka, Eddi's bodyguard, pain-in-the-neck and defender; he dances the spectrum from childish to philosophical and back again, alternately infuriating and charming his charge.
The book is so vividly written it takes the reader almost no effort to envision the scenes; don't be surprised if you catch yourself laughing out loud, wiping away tears, or feeling your pulse race. Bull is a talespinner of great skill and leads the reader in and out of the worlds of Man and Faerie as some faerie piper might lead children in dance.
This one belongs on your "Read this Now!" list. War for the Oaks is the cream of the Urban Fantasy crop
Rating:
Summary: Was this the book that started the rot?
Review: There's any number of dreadful modern 'faerie' stories kicking around and generally getting underfoot at the moment, but this was one of the first. And it's brilliant.
I read this book and I wanted to go to Minneapolis (not a particularly easy ambition, I live in Chelmsford, England) -- Bull's book is as much a hymn to Minneapolis as it is a modern fairy story. And what a story it is, Eddi McCandry is a Musician. A musician of the kind that once upon a long time ago would have been stolen away under the hill by the Fairys, but things like that don't happen any more do they? Well, yes, sort of -- in the book Eddi is `adopted' by the Seelie Court to be used as their talisman in their war with the Unseelie court for the soul of Minneapolis.
Meanwhile, Eddi is trying to get a band together...
It's hard to describe the story without it sounding slightly ludicrous. Hell, it is slightly ludicrous, but Bull's writing makes it work, her characters are fascinating and well fleshed out, the plot rocks, she writes about the sensation of making music like nobody else and the whole thing just works.
It's a real shame about the dross that came after as others tried to dance to her tune.
Rating:
Summary: A favorite for many years
Review: Back when I was in high school I received "War for the Oaks" by Emma Bull as a santa gift Christmas morning. I remember reading in between family events during the day, and by the end of the night had finished it. After almost 8 years I still have the original book with the cover hanging on by a thread. I plan on having this book in my library for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Deal
Review: I have been a sci-fi/fantasy reader for over 30 years. This book blew me away. The characters were "fully fleshed out." The plot, which would have come off as inane in less capable hands, resonates with, well, reality. That's it! Emma Bull got me to buy in to this story line - with all the "diversity" in the fey - and yes! it works. I enjoyed it. I loved the love story of Eddi and the phouka. All in all, a great, fun read. What more can you ask for?
Rating: 
Summary: Well written, a little bit dated.
Review: I have been hearing about this book for years. Somehow I never managed to find it. I had nearly forgotten about it when I ran across the new edition-- an impressive-looking trade paperback with glowing Neil Gaimon blurb on the cover. I picked it up with a great deal of enthusiasm.
War for the Oaks belongs to the Urban Fey fantasy subgenre. Think Tom Deitz or Charles de Lint. The not-conventionally-pretty heroine is recognized for her true talent by the Seelie Court, and along the way finds magic, true love, and extreme danger.
Sound familiar? It should. The War for the Oaks suffers at least a bit from its status as a forerunner. Since publication the theme has been picked up, copied, made more complex and generally just evolved. What must have seemed revolutionary in 1987 loses a lot of its gloss and charm for a first-time reader in 2004.
This is not to say that War For the Oaks is without its own merits. Bull is a skilled writer. Eddi is an endearing character. The ups and downs of band dynamics and bad boyfriends are extremely well done. The problem with the book is largely that the Fairy part lacks depth-- the plot feels too simple and too easily resolved. Many of the resolution plot points were predictable more or less from the beginning.
The strong ugly duckling wish fulfilment element of the novel will most likely make it a satisfying read for younger fantasy readers or readers who like their Fairy Tales unmixed with heavy politics. Readers with a taste for darker or more complex fantasy world may well find this book just a little bit lacking.
Rating: 
Summary: Could Barely Finish It
Review: I had to force myself to finish this book. The inane plot couldn't keep my attention at all. The few characters that I liked didn't even survive the whole book. Typically I love this genre and this is the first book of the genre that I really couldn't appreciate.
Rating:
Summary: This is the real deal
Review: People go on and on about "urban fantasy" and the deserved popularity of the Borderlands shared universe has essentially created a new genre space for heroic fantasy in an urban setting.
But War for the Oaks is the real deal. Bull has taken a solid foundation of traditional fairy folklore and made it new. Eddi McCandry isn't another calque on Janet from Tam Lin; she's Eddi McCandry. Bull has also captured the essence of Fey game-playing and ethics here, with fabulous dialog. I just wish she'd recorded the songs.
Rating: 
Summary: So so
Review: This was not such a great book for me. Granted it was not bad but it did not hold my attention. I found I did not care so much for the characters especially the protagonist. Also I found all the music and band jargon tedious.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous Fantasy
Review: I picked this book up on a reccomendation and I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was! An urban fatasy that is well writen and a truly enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Book
Review: In 'War for the Oaks' Emma Bull wrote about many of the same issues as Tom Wolfe did in 'Bonfire of the Vanities.' Yes, I mean it. But Emma does a better job, getting to the heart of the matter without adding on all the pretentious goop. Style vs. substance. Selfishness vs. altruism. And all in a book you really can't put down!
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