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Faerie Tale
Phil Hastings was a lucky man—he had money, a growing reputation as a screenwriter, a happy, loving family with three kids, and he'd just moved into the house of his dreams in rural of magic-and about to be altered irrevocably by a magic more real than any he dared imagine.
For with the Magic came the Bad Thing, and the Faerie, and then the cool... and the resurrection of a primordial war with a forgotten people-a war that not only the Hastings but the whole human race could lose.
For with the Magic came the Bad Thing, and the Faerie, and then the cool... and the resurrection of a primordial war with a forgotten people-a war that not only the Hastings but the whole human race could lose.
490 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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About the author
Raymond E. Feist
283 books9,444 followersRaymond E. Feist was born Raymond E. Gonzales III, but took his adoptive step-father's surname when his mother remarried Felix E. Feist. He graduated with a B.A. in Communication Arts with Honors in 1977 from the University of California at San Diego. During that year Feist had some ideas for a novel about a boy who would be a magician. He wrote the novel two years later, and it was published in 1982 by Doubleday. Feist currently lives in San Diego with his children, where he collects fine wine, DVDs, and books on a variety of topics of personal interest: wine, biographies, history, and, especially, the history of American Professional Football.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 672 reviews
March 29, 2018
I read this book back in one weekend back in the 1983 it's real dark horror one of most creepy stories of its time if want a one of horror of outstanding performance in a book this is not just good it is fantastic
January 18, 2024
An interesting twist on possession horror stories replacing the usual Kentucky Fried Satanism with the ancient myths of faerie folklore and changelings.
Unfortunately the first two acts are too leisurely and the final act is way too rushed. The book keeps changing focus to the detriment of the pacing. We got the main characters (the parents who just moved to a new house in the country with their kids) a budding relationship (teenage daughter and a country cowboy writer), a conspiracy theorist hunting down links to the myths and twin boys caught in the sights of an evil dark lord. And then in the final act we're introduced to a magical new world, a giant conspiracy, a treasure of fae gold, and an adventure into a new world to save an innocent (and stop a possible revolution of dark fae).
A lot of the final act should have been established in the second act and spread out and then paid off in the last chapters. Because the driving action needed to give the bigger and more ethereal elements weight isn't there.
I was kinda shocked that the majority of the relationship arc between the teen daughter and the cowboy (which took up a big chunk of the novel) was not resolved. I don't mind focusing on characters over sensationalism and spectacle. Hey, go to town. But if that's your focus, make sure it's where the plot leads. And it doesn't. I kept having to go back to see if I missed chapters that handled these dangling relationships and plot threads. And then I would realise they were handled in summary.
But there is still a lot of things to enjoy in this book. The writing is really good during the big fantastic sequences. I read this book easily in a day. The mythology is really intriguing and vastly different from the norm. I loved how the author combined the dark and light elements of the fae and made them both mischievous and dangerous. The underlining threat of the dark fae and the nature of their magic is really handled well. A lot of this book reminded me of The Ceremonies by TED Klein. In a good way. But it just didn't have that same skill in plotting regarding pacing/theme/focus and character.
All in all: 6/10
Unfortunately the first two acts are too leisurely and the final act is way too rushed. The book keeps changing focus to the detriment of the pacing. We got the main characters (the parents who just moved to a new house in the country with their kids) a budding relationship (teenage daughter and a country cowboy writer), a conspiracy theorist hunting down links to the myths and twin boys caught in the sights of an evil dark lord. And then in the final act we're introduced to a magical new world, a giant conspiracy, a treasure of fae gold, and an adventure into a new world to save an innocent (and stop a possible revolution of dark fae).
A lot of the final act should have been established in the second act and spread out and then paid off in the last chapters. Because the driving action needed to give the bigger and more ethereal elements weight isn't there.
I was kinda shocked that the majority of the relationship arc between the teen daughter and the cowboy (which took up a big chunk of the novel) was not resolved. I don't mind focusing on characters over sensationalism and spectacle. Hey, go to town. But if that's your focus, make sure it's where the plot leads. And it doesn't. I kept having to go back to see if I missed chapters that handled these dangling relationships and plot threads. And then I would realise they were handled in summary.
But there is still a lot of things to enjoy in this book. The writing is really good during the big fantastic sequences. I read this book easily in a day. The mythology is really intriguing and vastly different from the norm. I loved how the author combined the dark and light elements of the fae and made them both mischievous and dangerous. The underlining threat of the dark fae and the nature of their magic is really handled well. A lot of this book reminded me of The Ceremonies by TED Klein. In a good way. But it just didn't have that same skill in plotting regarding pacing/theme/focus and character.
All in all: 6/10
June 22, 2019
I decided that it was time to re-read this one. Even though I've read this twice already, Feist is scaring the crap out of me, to the point that I have to set it aside sometimes. I will be with it for a few more days, I'm sure, even though I'm putting today's date on the review. I can do this because I know my rating won't change, esp. since GoodReads doesn't let a person give a book more than 5 stars. Damn, this is scary!
Feist is certainly one of the best in the genre. His descriptions of the worlds he visits are vivid; you not only see them, you feel them. His characters are absolutely real (including the fantasy & supernatural ones). This is the first of Feist's works that I read, and on re-reading, the magic holds. For my money, this is his best. Feist, like King and children themselves, knows that kids are often the targets of the Bad Things and that they must and do struggle with evil; he doesn't shy away from these truths. His magical beings live in a different, sometimes overlapping, reality, with it's own rules. The blurbs refer to the book as "harrowing" and "forboding." Both are true. This is one scary tale, on multiple levels. Enjoy! Just don't read it home alone, in the dark.
Feist is certainly one of the best in the genre. His descriptions of the worlds he visits are vivid; you not only see them, you feel them. His characters are absolutely real (including the fantasy & supernatural ones). This is the first of Feist's works that I read, and on re-reading, the magic holds. For my money, this is his best. Feist, like King and children themselves, knows that kids are often the targets of the Bad Things and that they must and do struggle with evil; he doesn't shy away from these truths. His magical beings live in a different, sometimes overlapping, reality, with it's own rules. The blurbs refer to the book as "harrowing" and "forboding." Both are true. This is one scary tale, on multiple levels. Enjoy! Just don't read it home alone, in the dark.
March 21, 2008
The first quarter of the book was slow and a little clunky; I felt it very contrived and awkward, almost like the author wasn't quite sure how to get all his characters in one place, or how to introduce them once he brought them to the same location. That said, the remaining 3/4 of the book is excellent. Feist doesn't exactly put a new "spin" on faeries, but his descriptions of them are marvelously complex. Faeries are not merely human with pointy ears and gem-colored eyes; they are hyper-sexual, capricious creatures that have few features of humanity about them at all. Even the "good" faeries have a streak of weirdness and cruel humor. The plot moves along fairly well after the initial slowness, and there are some interesting twists and developments with secret societies and ancient history. Worth a read if you are interested in the "modern faerie" type stories.
Read
October 6, 2025I’ve had this book in my tbr for what feels like a million years. I think I might finally try to read it.
Later: I’m calling it a day at 25%. It’s boring me to death. The characters are aggravating me, except for the two young boys - they seem ok so far and I hope they don’t end up like spoiled, rude older sister Gabby. But the annoying characters aren’t enough to put me off it’s the meandering plot and I just can’t do it any longer. I probably should’ve read it when I was a very young adult who had some patience for this kind of thing.
Later: I’m calling it a day at 25%. It’s boring me to death. The characters are aggravating me, except for the two young boys - they seem ok so far and I hope they don’t end up like spoiled, rude older sister Gabby. But the annoying characters aren’t enough to put me off it’s the meandering plot and I just can’t do it any longer. I probably should’ve read it when I was a very young adult who had some patience for this kind of thing.
February 10, 2017
I bought this book because I was a big fan of Raymond E. Feist's "Riftwar Saga", and was I ever super-glad I did! This book is better! This is urban fantasy that Charles De Lint would later make a full career out of. Only, it isn't really anything like Charle De Lint. It would be more accurate to describe this as an urban fantasy as if written by Stephen King at the top of his form. Not to say that the book doesn't have a few flaws that I've probably overlooked over the years, if it's true than I will just have to defend it and say that this book is flawsome! (flaws + awesome = flawsome!). It's about the Hastings, including their dog and cat, coming into contact with the world of Faerie which is practically in their back yard. Unforgettable situations. Unforgettable characters. For those of you who get mad at a lot of books because they don't have good endings, you have nothing to worry about here. I loved the ending. And I love this book which I've re-read several times and given it to my sister who loved it, who in turn let our younger sister read it, who loved it, and I also gave it to the wife of my old guitarist friend who is a fairy collector and a borderline lover / hater with everything she reads, annnnnnd..she LOVED it! So, there! If you are a book connoiseur like me, track down the 1989 Bantam Spectra 1st paperback edition with the gatefold cover art by Chris Hopkins, which is incredible. As a note, I read this back-to-back with Piers Anthony's "Shade Of The Tree" and have done so many times since. For some unknown reason, they go hand-in-hand for me. Maybe they would for you too. At the very least, they make for a great double-punch of dark fantasy / horror comparable to Stephen King.
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Read
October 12, 2010To give this book ANY stars would be giving it too many.
The concept is good, but the pacing is terrible (a slow, ponderous plot), there's a surplus of characters (none of them terribly engaging or real), and it takes seemingly-forever to get to the point.
Worst of all, this book seems to have heralded the start of what my friends and I (at the age of TWELVE) disgustedly referred to as Raymond E. Feist's "rape-fantasy period" in which he seems to relish explicitly describing the rape/abuse of his female characters. This book appears to have been the first and was easily the worst as the female character is actually described as WANTING it to take place for a portion of the rape. That scene alone told me more than I ever wanted to know about Raymond E. Feist's psyche, and when i realized that nearly every subsequent book he wrote up until 1995 (when I stopped giving him the benefit of the doubt) ALSO included a similar scene, I gave up on him as an author and literally threw all the Feist books I owned from that period in the garbage. He may have improved after that, I don't know and I haven't bothered to find out.
If you want a good take on a similar theme, I recommend just about anything by Charles De Lint or Holly Black -- steer clear of this one however.
The concept is good, but the pacing is terrible (a slow, ponderous plot), there's a surplus of characters (none of them terribly engaging or real), and it takes seemingly-forever to get to the point.
Worst of all, this book seems to have heralded the start of what my friends and I (at the age of TWELVE) disgustedly referred to as Raymond E. Feist's "rape-fantasy period" in which he seems to relish explicitly describing the rape/abuse of his female characters. This book appears to have been the first and was easily the worst as the female character is actually described as WANTING it to take place for a portion of the rape. That scene alone told me more than I ever wanted to know about Raymond E. Feist's psyche, and when i realized that nearly every subsequent book he wrote up until 1995 (when I stopped giving him the benefit of the doubt) ALSO included a similar scene, I gave up on him as an author and literally threw all the Feist books I owned from that period in the garbage. He may have improved after that, I don't know and I haven't bothered to find out.
If you want a good take on a similar theme, I recommend just about anything by Charles De Lint or Holly Black -- steer clear of this one however.
to-not-read-ever
January 26, 2011I am shelving this with my other facetious "to-not-read-ever" reviews, even though I have nothing against the book. My parents owned a copy of it when I was very young and I was always fascinated and creeped out by the evocative cover with the lost shoe and the smear of blood.
I spotted a used copy at a library sale a few weeks ago and debated buying it but I have too many books to read already. I contented myself with looking it up on Goodreads and I saw the alternate cover linked to this review. And suddenly I question. I question why my parents just left lying around what is obiously some sort of weird monkey insect pedophilia fetish book. I also question WTF was going on when this cover was illustrated.
Mostly that second part.
I spotted a used copy at a library sale a few weeks ago and debated buying it but I have too many books to read already. I contented myself with looking it up on Goodreads and I saw the alternate cover linked to this review. And suddenly I question. I question why my parents just left lying around what is obiously some sort of weird monkey insect pedophilia fetish book. I also question WTF was going on when this cover was illustrated.
Mostly that second part.
May 9, 2020
Raymond E. Feist (b. 1945) is one of the leading fantasy writers in the contemporary U.S. literary scene, best known for his massive Riftwar Saga series. Barb and I read the latter in the early 90s and liked it, although I've never reviewed it here and we never followed it up with any of the succeeding series. (I was inclined to think there was a limit to how many magical existential threats one kingdom in a fantasy world could realistically be expected to encounter in succession, and suspected that the severe case of "sequelitis" was mostly an attempt to milk the setting/characters for more cash.) That said, I did think the first series was involving and well-written, with lifelike characters who are engaging and a plot that's often emotionally compelling; it also didn't feel so dependent on Tolkien as Terry Brooks' Shannara series opener.
However, my first introduction to Feist's work was this stand-alone novel, read as a public library check-out a few years earlier, not long after it was published. I still consider it the best of his books that I've read, and it made a strong enough impression on my memory that I feel comfortable reviewing it, after more than 30 years, without having a copy in front of me. (Though it will necessarily be a shorter and less detailed review than some of mine are!)
In the author's present, a well-to-do family (very successful Hollywood scriptwriter, his second wife, roughly 20-year-old daughter from his first marriage, and a pair of boys on the cusp of their teens) move into a long-empty old country house, Erl King Hill, in the wilds of upstate New York. It doesn't take long --like, about the first page!-- for the reader to be made aware that this house and its environs are a habitat for the Fae, and a place where their reality intersects with ours; and it turns out that there's even much, much more and deeper significance to the connection than that. Feist will disclose all of his mysteries only in his own good time, and meanwhile all of the Hastings family members are in for a puzzling, stressful, and ultimately scary and potentially lethal adventure.
Interaction of the supernatural with the mundane world is a motif I really like in fiction, and it's here in spades. (A few scenes here take place in Faerie, so I've classified this as fantasy; but the bulk of the tale plays out in this world; I've recommended it for fans of supernatural fiction as well.) Much actual traditional lore about the Fae from European cultures (mostly Celtic and Germanic) is worked in here very nicely, such as the Wild Hunt, Wieland the smith, the Seelie and the Unseelie Courts; we even have a cameo appearance of Thomas the Rhymer. All of the Hastings family members are likable characters that you root for and wish well, and they all play significant roles in the story, including the boys (who get to show their mettle). The other characters are also vital and realistic. Feist does a great job with his plotting, and he provides some romance to add pleasant flavor to the stew; it has an insta-love quality, but despite that quibble (and despite some implied premarital sex) it comes across as genuine love. (This isn't a kid's book, despite the two younger characters, but there's no explicit sex and bad language is restrained --there are two f-words, but in perspective, it's a 420-page book). It's not a deep read that grapples much with profound spiritual or philosophical questions; but for me it was a really enjoyable, page-turning read. (If Goodreads used half stars in its rating system, I'd actually have given the book 4 and 1/2.)
However, my first introduction to Feist's work was this stand-alone novel, read as a public library check-out a few years earlier, not long after it was published. I still consider it the best of his books that I've read, and it made a strong enough impression on my memory that I feel comfortable reviewing it, after more than 30 years, without having a copy in front of me. (Though it will necessarily be a shorter and less detailed review than some of mine are!)
In the author's present, a well-to-do family (very successful Hollywood scriptwriter, his second wife, roughly 20-year-old daughter from his first marriage, and a pair of boys on the cusp of their teens) move into a long-empty old country house, Erl King Hill, in the wilds of upstate New York. It doesn't take long --like, about the first page!-- for the reader to be made aware that this house and its environs are a habitat for the Fae, and a place where their reality intersects with ours; and it turns out that there's even much, much more and deeper significance to the connection than that. Feist will disclose all of his mysteries only in his own good time, and meanwhile all of the Hastings family members are in for a puzzling, stressful, and ultimately scary and potentially lethal adventure.
Interaction of the supernatural with the mundane world is a motif I really like in fiction, and it's here in spades. (A few scenes here take place in Faerie, so I've classified this as fantasy; but the bulk of the tale plays out in this world; I've recommended it for fans of supernatural fiction as well.) Much actual traditional lore about the Fae from European cultures (mostly Celtic and Germanic) is worked in here very nicely, such as the Wild Hunt, Wieland the smith, the Seelie and the Unseelie Courts; we even have a cameo appearance of Thomas the Rhymer. All of the Hastings family members are likable characters that you root for and wish well, and they all play significant roles in the story, including the boys (who get to show their mettle). The other characters are also vital and realistic. Feist does a great job with his plotting, and he provides some romance to add pleasant flavor to the stew; it has an insta-love quality, but despite that quibble (and despite some implied premarital sex) it comes across as genuine love. (This isn't a kid's book, despite the two younger characters, but there's no explicit sex and bad language is restrained --there are two f-words, but in perspective, it's a 420-page book). It's not a deep read that grapples much with profound spiritual or philosophical questions; but for me it was a really enjoyable, page-turning read. (If Goodreads used half stars in its rating system, I'd actually have given the book 4 and 1/2.)
September 23, 2009
Just laughably awful. My husband and I still both joke about this one. The author is so obviously infatuated with his main female character it makes you feel dirty reading it. He has written way better stuff. I recommend you avoid this one.
January 7, 2010
This is one of my favorite stories of all time, and if I could would be the one book I would convert into a movie. It would definitely need modernising.
The story gets a little dark in places, but is otherwise a tottaly captivating read that blends real-life and faerie myth perfectly.
My female friend who doesn't read very often, couldn't put this down, but couldn't read it by herself at night.
The story gets a little dark in places, but is otherwise a tottaly captivating read that blends real-life and faerie myth perfectly.
My female friend who doesn't read very often, couldn't put this down, but couldn't read it by herself at night.
December 12, 2011
150 pages in and really enjoying the pacing of this story. I was a tad concerned after reading some of the comments but it's a gripping read.
There were several polarised opinions on this book and I ummed and ahhed for some time before making use of free ebook lending at my local library.
Raymond E Feist reads like an early Dan Brown, the characters are there primarily to move the action forward. The weaving of the tale is the star in this book, not individual characters. Basically, it's the equivalent of a big budget special effects film with a great plot, it's not a character study or deep drama.
The pace is cracking, it starts of fairly sedately, introducing us to the displaced family from California settling into a rural idyll. A minor grumble: they are a little too flush with fortune for my tastes, though this is used to great effect later on and actually makes sense by the finale.
Feist sets up some scenes to discombobulate the reader early on but it's well into the first third of the book before the plot kicks into high gear. It's probably disparaging the quality of the writing to compare him to Dan Brown but he is the first writer who popped into my mind as I became gripped in the tale.
Some points for readers of a delicate disposition: there are scenes concerning sexual assault on pre-teens. While I can understand the disgust this brings to some readers, I do strongly believe that was the intended reaction. We are meant to be disgusted, repelled and horrified, I don't think Feist adds these scenes gratuitously, however it may be a deal breaker for some.
4 instead of 5 stars as there were clunky scenes, some decisions made no sense at all for the characters involved. This was mostly towards the finale and I can't hold too much of a grudge against Feist for an otherwise compelling adventure.
~A special thinks to my "secretary" for typing up my review and to my Kindle for making reading possible with my arm in a sling!~
There were several polarised opinions on this book and I ummed and ahhed for some time before making use of free ebook lending at my local library.
Raymond E Feist reads like an early Dan Brown, the characters are there primarily to move the action forward. The weaving of the tale is the star in this book, not individual characters. Basically, it's the equivalent of a big budget special effects film with a great plot, it's not a character study or deep drama.
The pace is cracking, it starts of fairly sedately, introducing us to the displaced family from California settling into a rural idyll. A minor grumble: they are a little too flush with fortune for my tastes, though this is used to great effect later on and actually makes sense by the finale.
Feist sets up some scenes to discombobulate the reader early on but it's well into the first third of the book before the plot kicks into high gear. It's probably disparaging the quality of the writing to compare him to Dan Brown but he is the first writer who popped into my mind as I became gripped in the tale.
Some points for readers of a delicate disposition: there are scenes concerning sexual assault on pre-teens. While I can understand the disgust this brings to some readers, I do strongly believe that was the intended reaction. We are meant to be disgusted, repelled and horrified, I don't think Feist adds these scenes gratuitously, however it may be a deal breaker for some.
4 instead of 5 stars as there were clunky scenes, some decisions made no sense at all for the characters involved. This was mostly towards the finale and I can't hold too much of a grudge against Feist for an otherwise compelling adventure.
~A special thinks to my "secretary" for typing up my review and to my Kindle for making reading possible with my arm in a sling!~
June 8, 2014
Parts of this book were quite good. It had the makings of a fine story.
However, it was ruined by a few things.
1) Too many Mary-Sue characters. The father is an uber successful author/screenwriter that can afford anything. His wife is a semi-famous actress that could retire early due to husband's wealth. The daughter has a trust fund in the millions, and her boyfriend is somehow also a great screenwriter in the making. Everything about these characters is just too perfect, they have everything going for them.
2) A bit of SPOILER here. I do NOT like books that contain rape. I just don't feel like many authors get it right and it disturbs me. Feist doesn't do a very good job with it either. At one point the daughter is raped by... a bad faeirie. But it was sloppily and disturbingly written. Like it was just pushed into the book for effect. I DID like how the family reacted, it was a good concern for their daughter.
However, they didn't seem too worried that there might be a terrible rapist running around in the woods. They only change their routine by making their two sons stay near the house. That is it. The daughter has some reaction to being raped, but it is mostly her reaction to the strange faeirie happenings in the area, and NOT about her violation.
The last part of the book just spiraled downward and ended about how you might expect.
However, it was ruined by a few things.
1) Too many Mary-Sue characters. The father is an uber successful author/screenwriter that can afford anything. His wife is a semi-famous actress that could retire early due to husband's wealth. The daughter has a trust fund in the millions, and her boyfriend is somehow also a great screenwriter in the making. Everything about these characters is just too perfect, they have everything going for them.
2) A bit of SPOILER here. I do NOT like books that contain rape. I just don't feel like many authors get it right and it disturbs me. Feist doesn't do a very good job with it either. At one point the daughter is raped by... a bad faeirie. But it was sloppily and disturbingly written. Like it was just pushed into the book for effect. I DID like how the family reacted, it was a good concern for their daughter.
However, they didn't seem too worried that there might be a terrible rapist running around in the woods. They only change their routine by making their two sons stay near the house. That is it. The daughter has some reaction to being raped, but it is mostly her reaction to the strange faeirie happenings in the area, and NOT about her violation.
The last part of the book just spiraled downward and ended about how you might expect.
July 23, 2018
3.5 Stars
A solid read meshing horror with a fantasy tale about a family who discovers faerie legends are far more real than they ever imagined.
Despite loving the Riftwar books and all the subsequent sequels and series, I had never even heard of this book until a coworker told me about it. The setup sounds like it’s straight from a horror movie. A family moves to a rural area, settling in an older home. The family has young children and a mostly grown daughter (who is, of course, attractive). There are all kinds of local stories and legends about some woods nearby, including a few mysteries occurrences.
Where the book differed from so many horror movies is the faerie element. Instead of some demented killer in the woods, there are wonderful, terrifying, fantastic creatures from legend. As the story progresses, the family comes into contact with some of these creatures, slowly realizing that there is something in the woods, even if they don’t understand it.
This was an entertaining book, and I finished it in less than 2 days. One of the strengths was the portrayal of the various faeries. These are no simple, benign creatures. The faeries in this story are fantastic, beautiful, but utterly alien creatures. I liked how the author showed their allure as well as their danger.
I did have a few issues, though. The pace was a bit slow as the author built tension. However, instead of continuing to build and escalate, the tension plateaued and remained steady. My other main issue is that throughout the novel I was never emotionally engaged. I never connected to the characters, which meant that I was never as caught up with the events as I’d like.
Despite a couple small complaints, this was a solid, entertaining read.
A solid read meshing horror with a fantasy tale about a family who discovers faerie legends are far more real than they ever imagined.
Despite loving the Riftwar books and all the subsequent sequels and series, I had never even heard of this book until a coworker told me about it. The setup sounds like it’s straight from a horror movie. A family moves to a rural area, settling in an older home. The family has young children and a mostly grown daughter (who is, of course, attractive). There are all kinds of local stories and legends about some woods nearby, including a few mysteries occurrences.
Where the book differed from so many horror movies is the faerie element. Instead of some demented killer in the woods, there are wonderful, terrifying, fantastic creatures from legend. As the story progresses, the family comes into contact with some of these creatures, slowly realizing that there is something in the woods, even if they don’t understand it.
This was an entertaining book, and I finished it in less than 2 days. One of the strengths was the portrayal of the various faeries. These are no simple, benign creatures. The faeries in this story are fantastic, beautiful, but utterly alien creatures. I liked how the author showed their allure as well as their danger.
I did have a few issues, though. The pace was a bit slow as the author built tension. However, instead of continuing to build and escalate, the tension plateaued and remained steady. My other main issue is that throughout the novel I was never emotionally engaged. I never connected to the characters, which meant that I was never as caught up with the events as I’d like.
Despite a couple small complaints, this was a solid, entertaining read.
November 15, 2015
Ok, first let me go ahead and say that this is a true "GoodReads-2-star-rating", that is "it was ok" and nothing else. because it is really ok - if you are into fantasy and in particular faeries and the whole "Celtic" mythology I would certainly recommend it. It's well written and well thought out.
My own problems, however, were threefold; first, I really don't like fantasy and it's my firm belief that this will be my last book to fit into that category. I came to believe that this one would tilt more in the "horror"-direction and it did in parts and all should have been well with that if it wasn't for problem two; mythology and mythological creatures. Some are, when treated by a good writer, very good horror characters. Others,
not so much.
The narrative is really detailed and dense, if you are a very fast reader and/or love the subject matter, I'm sure you won't mind or be bothered, because the writing is good. If neither of those are true, you are in for a chore. The final 100 pages could have been 30 and none would have been lost. At times i thought I mistakenly started over on a page, because whole chunks of story are rehashed with very little variation. near the very end, we are treated to things such as two full pages of dialogue in between two chimes of a church bell.
Also (yes I know I said 3, but this is not a 'problem' I had, more of an annoyance) we are treated to the 'child hero', the one who has close to ruined some of Stephen King's and other great novels, not to mention a number of movies. It wasn't so bad in this book, but I never enjoy them.
My own problems, however, were threefold; first, I really don't like fantasy and it's my firm belief that this will be my last book to fit into that category. I came to believe that this one would tilt more in the "horror"-direction and it did in parts and all should have been well with that if it wasn't for problem two; mythology and mythological creatures. Some are, when treated by a good writer, very good horror characters. Others,
not so much.
The narrative is really detailed and dense, if you are a very fast reader and/or love the subject matter, I'm sure you won't mind or be bothered, because the writing is good. If neither of those are true, you are in for a chore. The final 100 pages could have been 30 and none would have been lost. At times i thought I mistakenly started over on a page, because whole chunks of story are rehashed with very little variation. near the very end, we are treated to things such as two full pages of dialogue in between two chimes of a church bell.
Also (yes I know I said 3, but this is not a 'problem' I had, more of an annoyance) we are treated to the 'child hero', the one who has close to ruined some of Stephen King's and other great novels, not to mention a number of movies. It wasn't so bad in this book, but I never enjoy them.
June 27, 2009
Faerie Tale is one of those books, for me at least, that does not get better with age. The first time I read it, I enjoyed it. The second time, I couldn't remember why I liked it to begin with. It's the only book that I've really had that type of reaction to. I've liked books less when I've gone back and re-read them, but not that much. It was like watching the old, original Battlestar Galactica as a child and then re-watching it as a college student- I guess I liked the Vipers, but gosh, I didn't realize how sexist it was, and where did a prostitute learn to sky dive?
My problem upon re-reading Faerie Tale was twofold. It isn't as "cool" as it thinks it is, and the female characters were off.
My problem upon re-reading Faerie Tale was twofold. It isn't as "cool" as it thinks it is, and the female characters were off.
July 11, 2022
This is the worst thing I've read in a long time. This book was a mess. First of all, no chapter should be 3 hours long. Pretty much every character in the book was a horndog, obsessed with boobs, nipples, and such. A lot of the annoying things are most likely to do with the editing, but quite often days passed and point of view characters changed between sentences with no indication whatsoever. Not confusing at all!
December 3, 2024
An exceptionally boring dark fantasy that did not age well. Characters stuck in stereotypes, dull thrills, hyper sexualization of young females, and the driest ending ever combine to form a waste-of-time tale.
January 27, 2024
I went through a lot of different feelings whilst reading this one. There were long sections that were very dense and exposition heavy and my mind just drifted away from concentrating. And at almost 500 pages I felt like I had to really fight to finish this one. That being said, the strengths in this book lie in Fiest's effective skills in describing horror. There were several visceral scenes of suspense that had me hooked. But they would then be followed by a long drawn out history lesson, with the same cycle repeating again and again. In summary, I don't think I'd recommend this, but I could definitely see why someone would love it.
Phil is a film director who moves his family to a quaint town to escape the pressures of Hollywood. He is warned by a local professor that the forest on his land is home to ancient celtic monsters of folkore. When they start to terrify his family, he turns to the professor to help discover the dark past tied to the former owners and the creatures that lurk in the woods.
Phil is a film director who moves his family to a quaint town to escape the pressures of Hollywood. He is warned by a local professor that the forest on his land is home to ancient celtic monsters of folkore. When they start to terrify his family, he turns to the professor to help discover the dark past tied to the former owners and the creatures that lurk in the woods.
August 10, 2007
FAERIE TALE (Suspense/Fantasy-Hasting Family-Pennsylvania-Cont) – VG
Feist, Raymond, E. –Standalone
Doubleday, 1988, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9780385236232
First Sentence: Barney Doyle sat at his cluttered workbench, attempting to fix Olaf Andersen’s ancient power mower for the fourth time in seven years.
*** Phil Hastings, his wife Gloria, his daughter Gabbie and their twin boys Patrick and Sean move from Sunny California to an old farmhouse in upstate New York whose land includes virgin forest. They soon find they have more to contend with than they expected. Unexpected, and unexplainable, encounters with strange creatures, the boy’s acknowledgement of “the Bad Thing” living under a bridge and Gabbie’s almost sexual encounter with a farrier who died over a hundred years ago are only some of the strange goings on which threaten the family.
*** I love this book and read it every year or so on Midsummer’s Day (June 24th). However, this is not your child’s faerie tale even though it involves brotherly love and courage. It is fantasy; it is horror. It is creepy, dark, at times violent, at times sexual and always a page-turner. Those who love Celtic myth and Shakespeare will recognize magical elements of The Fool, elf-shot, Trooping Faeires, and more. It is one of those rare books that makes you feel as though it “could” be possible and causes even non-Catholics to wish for a vial of holy water, a silver sword and a true faerie stone.. Each time I read it, I find myself researching the legends and faerie folk involved, looking for erl-king hills and avoiding faeire rings at midnight on Midsummer’s Night and All-Hallow’s Eve. Next year, I’ll remember to start earlier in the day so I’m not up until midnight finishing it. At least I wasn’t in the woods. It’s the blending of fantasy in contemporary life which, to me, makes this book so compelling, frightening and memorable.
Feist, Raymond, E. –Standalone
Doubleday, 1988, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9780385236232
First Sentence: Barney Doyle sat at his cluttered workbench, attempting to fix Olaf Andersen’s ancient power mower for the fourth time in seven years.
*** Phil Hastings, his wife Gloria, his daughter Gabbie and their twin boys Patrick and Sean move from Sunny California to an old farmhouse in upstate New York whose land includes virgin forest. They soon find they have more to contend with than they expected. Unexpected, and unexplainable, encounters with strange creatures, the boy’s acknowledgement of “the Bad Thing” living under a bridge and Gabbie’s almost sexual encounter with a farrier who died over a hundred years ago are only some of the strange goings on which threaten the family.
*** I love this book and read it every year or so on Midsummer’s Day (June 24th). However, this is not your child’s faerie tale even though it involves brotherly love and courage. It is fantasy; it is horror. It is creepy, dark, at times violent, at times sexual and always a page-turner. Those who love Celtic myth and Shakespeare will recognize magical elements of The Fool, elf-shot, Trooping Faeires, and more. It is one of those rare books that makes you feel as though it “could” be possible and causes even non-Catholics to wish for a vial of holy water, a silver sword and a true faerie stone.. Each time I read it, I find myself researching the legends and faerie folk involved, looking for erl-king hills and avoiding faeire rings at midnight on Midsummer’s Night and All-Hallow’s Eve. Next year, I’ll remember to start earlier in the day so I’m not up until midnight finishing it. At least I wasn’t in the woods. It’s the blending of fantasy in contemporary life which, to me, makes this book so compelling, frightening and memorable.
June 12, 2018
First, let me say that I love fantasy and don't need spectacular character development and I'm okay with less than average dialogue as long as the story pulls itself along. But this. This was a betrayal. I got halfway through before giving up entirely. It felt as though characters, straight out of the worst sitcom you could drum up, were dropped into a lousy, haphazard mystical world; with each turn devolving into the most courageously boring story ever told. The author was on a one-track mind and the book suffered greatly.
December 21, 2008
This book has been recommended to me by several people over the years. Ultimately, though, I was disappointed by it. I found the story dated and formulaic, and the ending a bit too pat and rushed.
Written before there was such a term as 'urban fantasy', this book would fall into that category: beings of myth interacting with the modern world. It's my favorite genre, but is much better served by authors such as Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, Emma Bull, and others of that ilk.
The author did his research, but in the end I didn't much like what he did with it. I'm something of a student of Faerie, and I found that the evil character didn't ring true to the lore I have read. I also found the father character to be a bit of a Mary-Sue, and the teenage daughter character to be unrealistic. I didn't like what he did with the mother character at all; she was not very well rounded, almost an afterthought in a lot of scenes.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who really loves urban or mythic fantasy.
Written before there was such a term as 'urban fantasy', this book would fall into that category: beings of myth interacting with the modern world. It's my favorite genre, but is much better served by authors such as Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, Emma Bull, and others of that ilk.
The author did his research, but in the end I didn't much like what he did with it. I'm something of a student of Faerie, and I found that the evil character didn't ring true to the lore I have read. I also found the father character to be a bit of a Mary-Sue, and the teenage daughter character to be unrealistic. I didn't like what he did with the mother character at all; she was not very well rounded, almost an afterthought in a lot of scenes.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who really loves urban or mythic fantasy.
February 18, 2010
An excellent read....very close to 5 stars, but I can't really put it among my top reads. In it's favor it's a book that everyone in my family liked, and that can be said about very few books.
The land of Faerie has intersected with the mundane world and the consequences can't be anything but frightening, amazing, fantastic, and at times slightly horrific.
The land of Faerie has intersected with the mundane world and the consequences can't be anything but frightening, amazing, fantastic, and at times slightly horrific.
May 15, 2011
I love everything about this that does not make it a fantasy. Plus I think this could be a great screeplay for a horror movie.
April 28, 2008
Raymond E Feist has built an impressive catalog, and even been likened to a modern day Tolkein. While I don't dispute that, I can say that I find Feist's work eminently more accessible, and therefor more enjoyable than a trip to Middle Earth. Typically, he sets his stories in the Realm he first began to create with "Magician: Apprentice". Faerie Tale, however, is set in a modern day home, inhabited by modern day people, in a modern day United States. But what the characters experience is anything but modern. Using well researched information about the "Little Folk", Feist weaves a spellbinding, and at times frightening, tale about what happens when folk lore and legends turn out to be real, and how it may be helpful to pay attention to the eccentric person down the street who can recount the fairy tales of his childhood with clarity. Feist somehow makes it all seem so plausible, that when a Troll begins to menace some children under a bridge, it can make you shiver. I won't go into detail, since the story begs to be read, but I will say that it is a gem that should not be missed. I wish a studio would option it for production.
June 30, 2015
This is the only stand alone novel that Feist has written. I read it many years ago and recently acquired it for my Kindle. When adding it to Goodreads I accidentally marked it as read, which led to a comment from a friend who shares my passion for Faerie. This exchange prompted me to start reading rather than just add to my very long TBR list.
I had forgotten the details of the plot so this was almost like a fresh read. I felt it held up well and overall certainly was an intelligent yet quite unsettling tale of the Fae. There are a few scenes worthy of The Exorcist in terms of disturbing horror involving children. Although set firmly in late 1980s New England, Feist draws upon various strands of faerie lore including Shakespeare, the tale of Thomas the Rhymer and Scottish and Irish folklore.
A terrific, chilling tale. I also loved the new cover art that was very reminiscent of Alan Lee's work.
I had forgotten the details of the plot so this was almost like a fresh read. I felt it held up well and overall certainly was an intelligent yet quite unsettling tale of the Fae. There are a few scenes worthy of The Exorcist in terms of disturbing horror involving children. Although set firmly in late 1980s New England, Feist draws upon various strands of faerie lore including Shakespeare, the tale of Thomas the Rhymer and Scottish and Irish folklore.
A terrific, chilling tale. I also loved the new cover art that was very reminiscent of Alan Lee's work.
February 28, 2010
Really a 4.5...a deliciously creepy tale of what happens when the Hastings family bump up against the local fairy population, with dark results.
As usual in this type of book, it's the kids who really see what's happening and have to take it upon themselves to do what the adults can't, which makes the story far more effective. The adults were a little two-dimensional, with the character of Mark Blackman in particular being there simply for exposition, but the fairy encounters more than made up for it.
A great read that draws upon those fabulous Celtic myths, letting the reader in on the dark side of the fae.
As usual in this type of book, it's the kids who really see what's happening and have to take it upon themselves to do what the adults can't, which makes the story far more effective. The adults were a little two-dimensional, with the character of Mark Blackman in particular being there simply for exposition, but the fairy encounters more than made up for it.
A great read that draws upon those fabulous Celtic myths, letting the reader in on the dark side of the fae.
April 4, 2012
This was a great book, full of lots of beautiful details and engaging characters. It was also downright scary, so I would reccomend it to anyone who enjoys Faerie mythology, particularly the dark kind.
August 20, 2021
It seems to me that a lot of fantasy authors, especially during the 80s and 90s, felt that in order to make their work "darker" and "more adult," they needed to fill their pages with graphic gore, violence, sex, and other shocking themes. Now these themes have their place in any fiction, fantasy included, but they need to be handled carefully. "Faerie Tale," sadly, uses these themes for shock value -- which wouldn't be enough to kill my interest entirely, but that piled onto glacial pacing, wish-fulfillment characters, and an unholy amount of padding make this book a chore to read.
The Hastings family -- successful novelist and screenwriter Phil, retired actress Gloria, feisty heiress Gabbie, and sports-loving twins Sean and Patrick -- has just moved to an old house in upstate New York. Said house has a mysterious past, and the family sets out to discover its secrets as they get settled in. But their efforts to uncover the house's history will end up disturbing dark forces that should never have been awakened... and soon the family finds themselves targeted by the creatures and entities of the Fae, and caught up in a battle that could decide the fate of humanity.
The concept sounds great, doesn't it? Too bad that it takes over half the book for the plot to actually get rolling. The first half of the book seems to be set up solely to establish how rich and successful Phil and his family are, how fantastic their house is, long conversations with other people that don't amount to a whole lot, etc. There are occasional fantastic bits that tease you into thinking that more is going to happen, but these end up being walked back with the ever-convenient amnesia treatment -- characters simply forget that they ever experienced something traumatic or supernatural. By the time the plot finally began to roll, I'd just about stopped caring.
The pacing in this book is terrible, the writing pedestrian, and the characters are all pure wish-fulfillment -- the wildly successful screenwriter husband sounds like Feist's personal fantasy, complete with attractive actress wife and heiress daughter. And large chunks of the writing are spent purely on mundane family stuff that doesn't actually further the plot or better establish the characters. And in the last quarter of the book the plot suddenly decides it wants to be The Da Vinci Code, throwing in an ancient secret society because of COURSE we need an ancient secret society. (Yes, I know this book was published before "The Da Vinci Code," but not every book needs a secret society...)
As I stated at the beginning of this book, however, this book's biggest problem is that it throws in some rather graphic and horrific content simply for shock value. There's a scene of graphic animal gore, an attempted assault scene, and a lot of sexual content that comes across as more creepy than titillating... the more so because some of it involves minor characters. Even if this book is billed as dark fantasy, I feel that it takes more to make a fantasy dark than to simply toss in some mutilation and sex.
This is the first book I've read by Feist, and sadly I think it will be the last. Perhaps it's not indicative of the rest of his work -- maybe his other books drop the cheap shocks and are well-paced -- but this sure was a bad first impression. And there are better dark fantasies and Fae-based novels out there than this.
The Hastings family -- successful novelist and screenwriter Phil, retired actress Gloria, feisty heiress Gabbie, and sports-loving twins Sean and Patrick -- has just moved to an old house in upstate New York. Said house has a mysterious past, and the family sets out to discover its secrets as they get settled in. But their efforts to uncover the house's history will end up disturbing dark forces that should never have been awakened... and soon the family finds themselves targeted by the creatures and entities of the Fae, and caught up in a battle that could decide the fate of humanity.
The concept sounds great, doesn't it? Too bad that it takes over half the book for the plot to actually get rolling. The first half of the book seems to be set up solely to establish how rich and successful Phil and his family are, how fantastic their house is, long conversations with other people that don't amount to a whole lot, etc. There are occasional fantastic bits that tease you into thinking that more is going to happen, but these end up being walked back with the ever-convenient amnesia treatment -- characters simply forget that they ever experienced something traumatic or supernatural. By the time the plot finally began to roll, I'd just about stopped caring.
The pacing in this book is terrible, the writing pedestrian, and the characters are all pure wish-fulfillment -- the wildly successful screenwriter husband sounds like Feist's personal fantasy, complete with attractive actress wife and heiress daughter. And large chunks of the writing are spent purely on mundane family stuff that doesn't actually further the plot or better establish the characters. And in the last quarter of the book the plot suddenly decides it wants to be The Da Vinci Code, throwing in an ancient secret society because of COURSE we need an ancient secret society. (Yes, I know this book was published before "The Da Vinci Code," but not every book needs a secret society...)
As I stated at the beginning of this book, however, this book's biggest problem is that it throws in some rather graphic and horrific content simply for shock value. There's a scene of graphic animal gore, an attempted assault scene, and a lot of sexual content that comes across as more creepy than titillating... the more so because some of it involves minor characters. Even if this book is billed as dark fantasy, I feel that it takes more to make a fantasy dark than to simply toss in some mutilation and sex.
This is the first book I've read by Feist, and sadly I think it will be the last. Perhaps it's not indicative of the rest of his work -- maybe his other books drop the cheap shocks and are well-paced -- but this sure was a bad first impression. And there are better dark fantasies and Fae-based novels out there than this.
September 21, 2010
This book had a great premise. That is the only nice thing I can say about it.
The pacing was slow. It took more than three quarters of the book to get to some action. The author kept returning to things that didn't seem to matter as much. Also, why did he bother writing that whole storyline with Gabbie that didn't go anywhere? Why did he spend so much time developing the story and then insert some undeveloped characters in the end to "fix" everything?
The characters were unbelievable. They said things and acted ways that were artificial. Some of the ways characters acted were creepy, like when Mark lied to Gabbie about being the next best thing to a psychiatrist. Nothing bad happened because of it, but the whole scene made me feel uncomfortable. This would have been okay if it had been an important part of the story, but it really wasn't.
The sexual themes were disturbing, but not in a subtle, well written, way. They were in-your-face disturbing, like the author was trying too hard.
The author seemed to be trying too hard throughout this book. Trying too hard with the overlarge amount of five dollar words. Trying too hard to be in everybody's head with the third person omniscient viewpoint. Trying to hard to make the weird stuff seem weird and the gross stuff seem gross. Trying too hard to make each of his characters into something that wasn't quite organic enough.
The pacing was slow. It took more than three quarters of the book to get to some action. The author kept returning to things that didn't seem to matter as much. Also, why did he bother writing that whole storyline with Gabbie that didn't go anywhere? Why did he spend so much time developing the story and then insert some undeveloped characters in the end to "fix" everything?
The characters were unbelievable. They said things and acted ways that were artificial. Some of the ways characters acted were creepy, like when Mark lied to Gabbie about being the next best thing to a psychiatrist. Nothing bad happened because of it, but the whole scene made me feel uncomfortable. This would have been okay if it had been an important part of the story, but it really wasn't.
The sexual themes were disturbing, but not in a subtle, well written, way. They were in-your-face disturbing, like the author was trying too hard.
The author seemed to be trying too hard throughout this book. Trying too hard with the overlarge amount of five dollar words. Trying too hard to be in everybody's head with the third person omniscient viewpoint. Trying to hard to make the weird stuff seem weird and the gross stuff seem gross. Trying too hard to make each of his characters into something that wasn't quite organic enough.
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