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Sep 13, 2009

Sandi rated it:

I didn't know what to expect when I ordered a copy of War for the Oaks for one of my GoodReads group. Right now, I have way too many books to read and not enough time to read them. I certainly didn't expect that I'd find a book that I had a hard time putting down and ended up finishing in two days.

As I understand it, War for the Oaks is an early example of urban fantasy. What wonderful urban fantasy it was. I loved the adventure and romanticism, the music and the fairies (don't More...

8 comments like (18 people liked it)

Dec 12, 2010

Richard rated it:

It is astonishing to think that Minneapolis was the center of the Faerie world in 1987. Who would of thought?!?

And yet, Emma Bull’s absorbing novel provides eloquent testimony to the centrality of the City of Lakes to the Fey World.

Undoubtedly there is some important event that transpired in the next decade, since by 2000 the Dresden Files are evidence that Chicago is the place to be.

• • •

I didn’t realize for a while tha More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Dec 18, 2007

Jarrah rated it:

Adult fey urban fantasy. Eddi, a singer/electric guitarist living in Minneapolis, finds herself chosen by the Seelie Court for a job nobody would be especially keen on: the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, whose queens are resident in Minneapolis for reasons that are never quite addressed, but hey, we'll go with it, are declaring a war for the city. They need a mortal to make the stakes mortal ones.

This is a classic of the genre. I read it immediately after Robin McKinley's Sunshine, whic More...

0 comments like (8 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Trisha rated it:

In my opinion, you really can't call yourself an Urban fantasy fan if you haven't read this book. This is one of, if not THE book that started it all.

There are fairies (but don't call them that if you know what's good for you) of every shape and size, lust, love, rock n' roll and a war between Seelie and Unseelie courts- what more could you want?

How about characters you care for almost instantly, magic that somehow makes sense even when it doesn't, and don't forget- the More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Peter rated it:

In my mind, this novel is the forerunner to a variety of urban fantasy ventures that have been written since and gotten more attention (e.g. "American Gods"). It's the Led Zeppelin to Gaiman's AC/DC. Or something like that that makes more sense. As might be expected from a book that drips hip despite its pop culture references now being 20 years old, an allusion to Homestar Runner is one of my favorite ways to summarize it:

"Faeries are dragging us into their bloody More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 26, 2008

Debbie rated it:

A book that has been on my 'to-be-read' list for a very long time. I honestly don't know why I haven't read it before because it was very good. Extremely good. I wish I had read it earlier - it would have raised my standards for urban fantasy.

War for the Oaks is said to be the book that defined the entire genre of urban fantasy and I can definitely see why and how. This raises the 'elves in the city' concept to a whole new level for me. Every other urban fantasy I've read got blown a More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 20, 2011

Minli rated it:

I have a friend from Minnesota, about 4 years younger than me, who complained, "nothing ever happens here. Can't wait to join you in New York for college." After reading Tam Lin and other works by The Scribblies, and now War for the Oaks, I've got to say, "No, no. Actually, I think Minnesota is where it's at."

There are many shades of myself. One is a girl who likes to walk barefoot through the forest and climb up treehouses, who picks daisies and makes snow angels More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 01, 2011

The Flooze (Michelle M.) rated it:

War for the Oaks has the distinction of helping mold the subgenre of urban fantasy. Since I’ve already tackled many (many) UF titles, that particular context is lost on me. What can’t be denied, however, is Emma Bull’s talent. War for the Oaks is an excellent example of everything I’ve come to love about the fusion of modernity and magic.

The main character, Eddi McCandry, is a blend of all we hope for in a heroine. In the beginning she exhibits a bit of poor judgment and has a tende More...

3 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jul 21, 2008

Stephanie rated it:

If I could I'd give it 2 1/2 stars.

The story of an ordinary girl(or guy)becoming extraordinary is common and essentially this is the formula used by War For The Oaks. Eddi is your regular old rock musician living and playing music in the Twin Cities. Until one day when things are really bad, she is against-her-will recruited into a war between the Seelie Court of Faerie and the Unseelie Court. These immortal creatures want to be able to really kill each other and for that they nee More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Bardi rated it:

Some years ago in Minneapolis there was a very strange but quite good rock group called Eddi and the Fey. I know this for a fact because I own the tour shirt. Now granted the group, with its mix of human and nonhuman members may not have quite existed in the literal sense. Nor may there have been the battle for Minneapolis. But Emma writes the characters and the plot well enough that they do exist in the mind long after the last page. And isn't that good enough sometimes?

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Randall rated it:

It gets a star because I finished it. Don't read this book. A mix between fantasy and a rock novel incorporating the worst aspects of both genres with an inability to compose a coherent action sequence.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Erika rated it:

I wish I understood the hype this book has commanded for over twenty years, but I can't. I also wish I'd heard of at least half of the songs mentioned (stuffed, more like) in it. Unfortunately, Emma Bull was under the impression that the more contemporary hip iconic culture she shoved down the throats of her readers, the better it would be. In doing this, and shamelessly using her own (poor) lyrics as filler, she managed to completely neglect her writing.

I can't even recall how many t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

FunkyPlaid rated it:

As for some of us who feel that the themes and writing of Lord of the Rings is a bit plodding and obvious only after being inundated by so many fantasy stories since it started the genre, so too does War of the Oaks brown upon the branch in the wake of the Urban Fantastic eloquence and creativity of de Lint, et al. Emma Bull may have launched the popular concept of UF, but her writing feels outdated only due to the leaps that have been made in the genre since 1987.

Bull is crafty, cle More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 01, 2008

Ann rated it:

Much to my surprise, my husband has lately embraced his inner geek, using my Amazon account to scoop up every sci-fi dragon book ever penned. And when I out him in front of family members and friends, I discover that many of them are secret dragon geeks, too. Perhaps there's something to this fantasy lit. It has at the very least piqued my curiosity. Hence, I have been in search of sci-fi/fantasy that meets my special requirements. I seek stand-alone, sequel-less novels, preferably with fairies More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 23, 2008

Cassie rated it:

One of my favorite books when I'm in the mood for fantasy. It's hip, playful, and romantic without beating you over the head with it. The Phouka is my favorite character, Edi herself being annoying at times. Being a costume designer, I would read this just for the awful 80's fashions over and over again. Her descriptions of the Seelie and Unseelie courts are fantastic, and done with a much lighter hand than other authors. If I catch anyone reading Laurel K. Hamilton, I give them this as another More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

A. rated it:

Borrowed this from Keri -- I think I might have read it before but I don't really remember it, so it was almost entirely new to me, and it was a delight. I adore the faerie world/real world intersection genre -- which is part of why I wish I enjoyed Holly Black more; her books, genre-wise, are right up my alley -- and this is an exquisite example of those sort of fantasy stories. Pulls no punches, features a version of the Twin Cities that is true and accurate and fantastical all at once, and More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 09, 2012

Josie rated it:

War for the Oaks is a great urban fantasy set in Minnesota, of all places. Eddi is the leader of a band who is unwillingly drafted into a Faerie war, but ends up bending the rules of engagement. I really appreciated the presence of characters of color (though one never tells his name--but I guess that's to be expected with Fey) and women who talk about more than just their men.

The narrative of the formation of the band is pretty great, too; I feel like I could really rock out with thei More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 28, 2011

Winslow rated it:

Ok, I'm gonna have to say this one might just be a new addition to my top books list of all time. I finished it about a week ago several days after I picked it up from the library. The greatest thing about getting stuff from the library is that you can take risks on the books and not feel guilty when they suck.
I picked up War for the Oaks by Emma Bull on a whim, barely looking at the back of the book and burying it into a pile of other risky titles from the youth section. The first chapter More...

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Apr 11, 2011

Scarlett.speaks rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Mar 23, 2011

Mariel rated it:

Neil Gaiman's quote on the book jacket for The War for the Oaks reads: "Emma Bull is really good."

I'm with Mr. Gaiman. Good, but not great.

I'm not in one of my miserly moods, I swear. The heroine, Eddi, has her own kind of magic that comes from her stage prescence when she's playing with her band. Shouldn't she have been more, well, charismatic? I liked a lot all of the parts when they are putting together their new band. Those were really good (again!) life st More...

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Nov 01, 2010

Katie rated it:

This was one of my all time BEST reads! I cannot praise Emma Bull enough for her fantastic writing(or Mrs. Kress for recomending this to me)! This book was absolutly loaded with imagry! Even though I have never been to Minneapolis, I feel as though I have because the way Emma just put everything perfectly into your mind's eye without letting you miss a single detail was absolutly breathtaking. Also I love the story line. This isn't just one of those way out there Scifi novels, it was a novel tha More...

1 comment like

Aug 15, 2010

Avrelia rated it:

I liked it a lot, but I expected to like it much more. Unreasonable expectations? May be.

It is strange – reading a book everyone around read long ago and loves. Well, it is never every one really, but enough to pick up the general attitude.

War for the Oaks is a wonderful book and I thoroughly enjoyed it, plus it is the urban fantasy, which at this point is my favorite subgenre.

But there were “buts”. ;)

The heroine is a great fun. It is hard not t More...

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Apr 04, 2010

Jason rated it:

At its essence, the story is an oft-told one: a human who becomes a pawn in a war between supernatural factions. Only Emma Bull twisted the plot deliciously. Instead of a folk musician or some kind of back-to-the-land hippie, in WftO the protagonist is Eddi McCandry, a guitar-playing rock-and-roll musician in downtown Minneapolis, who is called upon to bring mortality to the Faerie battle. Her antagonist (or is he?) is the phouka, a man who can change into a dog. The story includes honor, and lo More...

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Jan 10, 2010

Jean rated it:

The book got me from the start. The mysterious fey in the opening scene and the beautiful language gripped me. I felt like I was about to be transported to another world.

And then it turned into a book about a rock band.

I think the only thing I didn't like about the book is the one thing I feel bad holding against it: that it's set (blatantly) in the 80s. It's about a rocker chick and her band and about a fairy war and the whole thing turns into this metaphysical Batt More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 23, 2009

Krystle rated it:

This book was described as the foundation for urban fantasy-ish, so I just had to read it. Right off the bat I could tell where Holly Black got her inspiration from for her Tithe series as it was glaringly obvious (even if I had only read the first few pages of that book). Let me tell you, after reading poor novels from this genre I didn't have high expectations for it. Well, this book completely blew the others out of the water and has definitely set the mark for others to meet.

The More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jun 23, 2009

Samee rated it:

I picked this up at the library because it's considered a "classic" of the urban fantasy genre, which I love. I wasn't disappointed, genre-wise; although it lacks a lot of the depth that de Lint can (but doesn't always) bring to his books, it still has charming characters, a heartthrobby yet mischievous leading man, a plucky heroine, and some rockin' guitar solos. My main beef with this book was the pacing; the whole thing took place in the space of about a month, and as a result, a lo More...

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May 09, 2009

Daniel rated it:

I discovered this book after attending Odyssey Con where Emma Bull was one of the Guests of Honor. It's an enjoyable book, and holds the position of being one of the first books of what we now refer to urban fantasy genre. It's a fun book, dealing with a young mortal musician who gets caught up in a war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts of Faerie.

It's a quick and fun read, and the characters are enjoyable, although in some cases perhaps too broadly drawn, and in some ways I fe More...

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Jun 12, 2010

Charlene rated it:

The book that started it all. Well, maybe not entirely, but when urban fantasy wasn't a genre, Emma Bull wrote War for the Oaks. IMO, this book has stood the test of time. Sure, some contemporary references are dated; that's always the case with a contemporary setting a few years down the road. But the story itself possibly stands out even more strongly after the urban fantasy explosion than it did in the beginning. Eddi's strength isn't the typical (of today's) UF heroine's strength. She doesn' More...

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Jan 17, 2012

Indiana rated it:

Enjoyed! I read an article on Urban Fantasy which cited this book as the book that kicked off the modern Urban Fantasy novel so I decided to check it out. And since I was coming off my Fever high and noted this book dealt with a battle between the Seelie and Unseelie courts, I decided to check it out.

In reality, there isn't a lot about the Seelie/Unseelie in this book. You get some bits and pieces and there is a fairly awesome Unseelie Queen of Air and Darkness that I would have like More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 28, 2011

Sherri rated it:

I just changed my rating to 5 stars after some thought. I really liked this book. The fae elements were not cutesy, there was no long exposition explaining everything fey, some things were left unexplained, as in life. I also liked the way she utilized music as a form of magic. Most of all I loved the Phouka, he embodied a strength and purity rarely seen in male characters. His wardrobe made great reading too.

This is considered an early example of "urban fantasy," a genre I' More...

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