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The Woodcutter

by Kate Danley (Goodreads Author)

3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 · rating details · 1,025 ratings · 245 reviews

Cinderella is dead and one of Odin's hellhounds has gone rogue. The Woodcutter, protector of peace between the Twelve Kingdoms of Man and the Realm of Faerie, is charged with finding the beast and returning him to the Wild Hunt. Unfortunately, it seems the forces of evil have other plans. It is a race against time as the Woodcutter travels east of the sun and west of the m...more

Paperback, 344 pages

Published October 14th 2010 by Createspace (first published January 1st 2010)

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Feb 09, 2013 Mihir rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Full review originally at Fantasy Book Critic

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Woodcutter by Kate Danley is a book that slipped me by when it was originally self-published by the author in 2010. I happened across it recently when it was rereleased by 47North. I was very much intrigued by the storyline as it reminded me of The Book Of Lost Things by John Connolly which is one of my all time favorites.

The story is set in a realm wherein there are twelve kingdoms and all of them are either ruled by creature...more
Full review originally at Fantasy Book Critic

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Woodcutter by Kate Danley is a book that slipped me by when it was originally self-published by the author in 2010. I happened across it recently when it was rereleased by 47North. I was very much intrigued by the storyline as it reminded me of The Book Of Lost Things by John Connolly which is one of my all time favorites.

The story is set in a realm wherein there are twelve kingdoms and all of them are either ruled by creatures of Faerie and humans. Surrounding all these kingdoms is the woods area, which is overseen by the Woodcutter. The Woodcutter is in a long line of woodcutters who have been adjudged to be the men who oversee the woods. He’s also tasked with keeping the peace between the twelve kingdoms however recently he’s been finding that events are taking a turn beyond gruesome. He finds a dead body of a girl who will be well known to readers of fairy tales. Tasked with finding the murderer and to stop the further division of the twelve kingdoms, the woodcutter will have to dig deep to stop the anarchy that is unfolding.

This book is a clever mix of fairy tales, classical fantasy and mystery. I enjoyed the author’s take on this world wherein fairy tale characters mingle with those from European mythology. The story really begins with a twisted opening and from then on we are constantly shunted from chapter to chapter with a new revelation about the world as well as the characters. I think the pace of the story helps quite a bit as well as the extremely short chapters. The story constantly keeps the readers on their toes with oodles of mystery in regards to what is actually happening as well who or what is the main protagonist’s role in the world.

The characterization is done very cleverly and gives the main character enough of a mysterious edge to be believable. The main plot thread is a very mystery laced one and has a slight noir-ish quality to it. The world building is rather strange and what I mean by strange is that the author combines various different elements into her story to make it a very different world. Lastly with all these dark elements to the story, I must say the story is kept on a YA level consistently and has some rather sweet moments to it as well.

Combining a fascinating story within a hybrid world of mythology, fairy tales and fantasy, Kate Danley showcases her superb skills and its no wonder this book has won so many awards. I enjoyed the quirky storyline and thoroughly enjoyed the story all the way to its poignant end. Very much recommended for those who like Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book and John Connolly’s The Book Of Lost Things. The Woodcutter is an odd book but one that cherishes its oddness and makes you fall in love with it.(less)

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May 03, 2013 Fref rated it 2 of 5 stars

The writer mostly tries to evoke the simple evocative style of the Brothers Grimm, and sometimes attempts to portray the scarier, pagan aspects of the stories - as well as grittier elements of modern life. This is almost completely overwhelmed by the glowing tree spirits, cute pixies and true love at first sight. As fairy tale retellings go, its much more Disney than Angela Carter.

Fated love, true love, love at first sight is important to the story - and make me a bad fit as a reviewer, because...more The writer mostly tries to evoke the simple evocative style of the Brothers Grimm, and sometimes attempts to portray the scarier, pagan aspects of the stories - as well as grittier elements of modern life. This is almost completely overwhelmed by the glowing tree spirits, cute pixies and true love at first sight. As fairy tale retellings go, its much more Disney than Angela Carter.

Fated love, true love, love at first sight is important to the story - and make me a bad fit as a reviewer, because I find it so far removed from the way love works for normal humans that it disconcerts me in stories. The woodcutter and his wife seem to have a relationship based on avoiding talking to each other, including him omitting filling her in on some very important details before their marriage - but true love is true love and can't be threatened by such petty problems as poor communication skills. However the author does try to do some interesting things with the concept, including extending it beyond the romantic love of fairytales, to families, friendship - perhaps even communities.

The author also tries to weave in traditional fairy tale stylings with non-traditional heroines. Most of the heroines are explicitly described as not the conventionally beautiful princesses of fairy tales. Maid Maleen is solid and muscly from work, Rapunzel passes for a boy, Iron Shoes has been epically heroic for her love and worn her hair grey with worry in the process. But the telling doesn't quite match the showing - the Woodcutter is the hero and so may be expected to bear the brunt of the heroics, but most of the heroines are surprisingly passive in their bit of the story. Iron Shoes especially so, given what she has supposed to have done all on her own initiative before we meet her. The only other character than the Woodsman who endangers himself to help another is Jack - a boy.

Some of the weaving in of disparate fairy tales into an overarching modern narrative is hit and miss. The spare characterisation of the originals doesn't quite work - you never quite engage with anyone but the Woodcutter. And some of the odd magical elements that work in fairy tales, the revealing verses, the visits to the four winds, don't quite weave well into a modern mystery. But there is a lot of experiments and ideas. The Woodcutter himself is a great character and it was quite refreshing to have a middle aged person the central character in a YA novel.(less)

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Apr 25, 2013 Lynne Cantwell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked up The Woodcutter: a new kind of fairy tale, maybe; or maybe something more lyrical, similar to the work of Patricia McKillip or Robin McKinley. What I got was something else entirely -- a sort of private-eye noir tale, set in the world of make-believe.

The Woodcutter of the title is the main character. He is an enchanted being who is sort of the one-man detective force of fairyland. If bad stuff happens, he's called in -- and he must leave his mort...more I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked up The Woodcutter: a new kind of fairy tale, maybe; or maybe something more lyrical, similar to the work of Patricia McKillip or Robin McKinley. What I got was something else entirely -- a sort of private-eye noir tale, set in the world of make-believe.

The Woodcutter of the title is the main character. He is an enchanted being who is sort of the one-man detective force of fairyland. If bad stuff happens, he's called in -- and he must leave his mortal wife for however long it takes to solve the case. As the book opens, he hasn't been called into service for many years. But now a young woman is found dead in the forest, and a glass slipper nearby is a giveaway to her identity.

To help the Woodcutter find her killer, the River God gives him three magical axes, but he must complete the God's challenge in order to receive them. If he cannot solve the case before he has used up all the axes, he is doomed never to solve it. Eventually, he uncovers a surprisingly brisk trade in pixie dust (and the heartbreaking way it's being harvested), and it becomes clear that a power-mad faerie queen is at the heart of the trouble. What will put everything right at last? Oh, please; if you've seen "Sleeping Beauty," you know the answer.

I looked over some of this book's reviews here at Goodreads to refresh my memory before starting this post. Some of the critics didn't like the way Danley pulled so many fairy tales into the story. Having a history of creating mythological mashups myself, I wasn't bothered by that. No, what bothered me about the book was the voice. A book peopled with fairy tale characters requires a bit of whimsy, I think, but there was nothing whimsical in Danley's just-the-facts-ma'am narration. It seemed a little cold and off-putting for the setting.

Also, the scene with the River God wasn't set up at all. Typically in fairy tales, either the main character makes some sort of statement about why he's pursuing X, or another character advises him that he needs X in order to accomplish Y. Here, it became clear eventually that the Woodcutter needed the River God for something, but I had no idea what it was until after he obtained the axes. A little bit of explanation up front would have helped me enjoy the scene more.

One other thing: The chapters were exceedingly short. Chapter length is certainly the author's prerogative, but many of these chapters felt like scenes that could have been combined into a longer chapter. A chapter break interrupts the narrative flow, and I found that to be a bit of a problem here.

As a mystery, The Woodcutter was somewhat entertaining. Just don't expect a fairy tale.

(This review was first published as a Rursday Read: http://hearth-myth-rursday-read.blogs...)(less)

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Mar 14, 2013 Lucie P rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

What a lame attempt at adapting and re-telling fairytales. The Woodcutter is like a mumble-jumble of a multitude of fairytales of different origin – it’s like the author thought to herself “oh, let’s see how many of those I can stuff into one book!” The individual tales and characters are connected with a poor excuse for a plot, some things that are mentioned in the story don’t get wrapped up properly (which makes me wonder “why the hell include that?”), there’s characters whose only reason for...more

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Jan 27, 2013 C.L. Cloud rated it 1 of 5 stars

I don't understand why so many people were so taken by this book. I'm shocked this won awards and was very disappointed in the flow of her writing ability to tell the story with fluidity. I found it to be broken and rushed in areas and didn't give enough description of the characters as for who they were and what purpose they served in the story but rather was more concerned with the art of the sentence. Which is something that frustrates me when reading. I feel that some authors focus on how be...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fairy-tale-retellings

If you like fairy tales, then this will be a very interesting read for you! The Woodcutter is essentially the guardian of the magical forest. The 12 kingdoms are populated by mortals, some of whom (mostly rulers)have fairy blood. Some strange things are afoot in this magical land -- maidens murdered, pixies missing, and a mysterious house that appears and reappears at will. As the Woodcutter investigates, all the pieces begin to come into place and reveal a sinister plot.

I found this book to be...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Cindy Pierce rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, fairy-tales, kindle

I stumbled upon this book by accident. It was recommended after I read another book that I also stumbled upon by accident. Those tend to be the best books sometimes.

I am a fan of fairy tales in all their many different forms. I love the idea of a new author taking their turn at telling a centuries old story and making it interesting and engaging and relevant. It's the way the fairy tales of our childhood came into being in the first place; passed down from storyteller to storyteller and with eac...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reading-challenge

A thoroughly enjoyable retelling and combining of fairy tales from various sources.The message the same, even if the meaning is a little different: True love conquers all.
In this case however, true love is not the romantic, Disneyfied stuff. It is love that comes without enchantment or disguise. It is the love that contains a willingness for sacrifice and the quiet, comfortable warmth of true understanding and acceptance of another.

There is so much of this book that I want to quote, but I don'...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Lucinda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A dark magical tale of faerie, folklore, fable and fantasy that is truly spellbinding!

This beautiful book has such a striking, exquisite cover that it certainly stands out on the bookshelf as something unique and not of this world. As one opens the pages it feels like ‘The Neverending Story’ where dreams become reality as you are swept away into a world of myth and legend, of magic and the extraordinary. The twelve kingdoms is a place that you can escape to, reminiscent of Alice exploring Wonde...more A dark magical tale of faerie, folklore, fable and fantasy that is truly spellbinding!

This beautiful book has such a striking, exquisite cover that it certainly stands out on the bookshelf as something unique and not of this world. As one opens the pages it feels like ‘The Neverending Story’ where dreams become reality as you are swept away into a world of myth and legend, of magic and the extraordinary. The twelve kingdoms is a place that you can escape to, reminiscent of Alice exploring Wonderland, and which brings the classic fairytales to the modern age. Current, contemporary and fresh ‘The Woodcutter’ is a delightful story containing everything that one would expect within a traditional fairytale, such as romance, magic and an evil enemy.

Deep within a Wood, a young woman lies dead. Not a mark on her body. No trace of her murderer. Only her chipped glass slippers hint at her identity…

The Woodcutter, keeper of the peace between the Twelve Kingdoms of Man and the Realm of the Faerie, must find the maiden’s killer before others share her fate. Guided by the wind and aided by three charmed axes won from the River God, the Woodcutter begins his hunt, searching for clues in the whispering dominions of the enchanted unknown. But quickly he finds that one murdered maiden is not the only nefarious mystery afoot: one of Odin’s hellhounds has escaped, a sinister mansion appears where it shouldn’t, a pixie dust drug trade runs rampant, and more young girls go missing. Looming in the shadows is the malevolent, power-hungry queen, and she will stop at nothing to destroy the Twelve Kingdoms and annihilate the Royal Fae…unless the Woodcutter can outmanoeuvre her and save the gentle souls of the Wood.

Blending magic, heart-pounding suspense, and a dash of folklore, The Woodcutter is an extraordinary retelling of the realm of fairy tales.

This wonderfully absorbing and darkly thrilling read is just breathtaking, as you follow the Woodcutter in his endeavors to overcome the wicked Queen. His enduring love for his wife is admirable as too is his determination to defend the twelve kingdoms, whatever the cost may be. Kate Danley gives classic fairytales a fresh, contemporary twist which will appeal to a wide readership including readers both young and old. Fans of Phillip Pullman’s Grimm Tales or Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter, will love this take on classics with a twist that is totally inspired and cleverly crafted. The compelling narrative is so readable that you will find it hard to put this down, and so as a consequence I read this book in a single sitting; which I certainly feel is a great testimony to the author’s writing. Good VS evil is a theme that flows through all memorable fairytales, with this book being no exception, and which I can compare to television drama ‘Once Upon A Time’.

Complete with Norse mythology, legends of old, magic and warmongering this book is an exciting read that is very enjoyable hence I would highly recommend it. If you love Fae, Myths & legends, magic and YA fantasy then this is something to add to your to-read list!
(less)

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Dec 20, 2012 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book...thought it would be like murder mystery book with some magical stuff thrown in. The book far exceeded my initial expectations!

The Woodcutter is like a tapestry of fairy tales all woven together and given a common thread or storyline to connect them all. I can't explain all of the story in this review, but the Cliff Note's version is that the Woodcutter is an anointed protector of the 12 Kingdoms, so chosen to keep the peace between all the kingdoms....more

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Oct 02, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this book by chance whilst delving through books to go on my kindle whilst I went travelling. I was intrigued by the promise of a modern tale unlike those that we would have read when we were younger. I wasn't sure what I was getting into but it soon became apparent that I was involved in adventure, fantasy, mystery and most of all suspense. It was a quick read with short - very short chapters but I would recommend this to anybody who enjoys reading myths, fables and fairy tales.
The sto...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Rosanne Lortz rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I was little, my favorite part of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show was always the “Fractured Fairytales” segment. I loved how they took classic fairy tales and gave them a humorous twist. Lately, this same idea has become increasingly popular as TV shows like Once upon a Time and movies like Shrek put their own spin on the folk stories of long ago.

The Woodcutter, by Kate Danley is a novel that draws from a wealth of fairy tale lore. A horrifying beast has been prowling the forest, terrifying i...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Shannon Mawhiney rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’m not into stories about fairies, but this was actually a really good read and one of the most unique books I’ve read. The story is written as if it were a fable passed down through the centuries, and the style is pulled off very well. Nothing is overdramatic and some things just “are,” without need of explanation, the way a fairy tale is told to a child. And in spite of not being written in an overly dramatic fashion, the reader becomes very attached to the Woodcutter, and the author includes...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Lee Razer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This was a fun and zippy weekend read, meant for people who enjoy fairy tales and fantasy. Following two wars between power seeking humanity and the fae, the fae set up 12 human kingdoms to be ruled by those with a mix of faery blood. As long as 6 kingdoms are ruled peaceably, the fae agree not to destroy humanity. Watching over this arrangement is the Woodcutter, who lives in the neutral Wood, naturally enough, and is one with the trees. Mixed blood humans/fae continually wander into his Wood,...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Julie Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was interested in this book after reading a few reviews that said the author told a story referencing fairy tales, but in a way that made the tale itself something brand new ... yet faithful to fairy tales.

And this review pulled me in.

A thoroughly enjoyable retelling and combining of fairy tales from various sources.The message the same, even if the meaning is a little different: True love conquers all.

In this case however, true love is not the romantic, Disneyfied stuff. It is love that come

...more

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May 24, 2013 Fantasy Literature rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-by-kat

The Woodcutter lives in an enchanted wood. His job, which he inherited from his ancestors, is to maintain peace and the delicate balance of good and evil in the neighboring realms of humans and fairies. One day when he discovers Cinderella lying dead on the forest floor, he knows that something has gone wrong. Further investigation shows other fairytale characters are in danger, one of Odin’s hellhounds has escaped, and someone is murdering pixies so they can sell pixie dust on the black market....more

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Jan 08, 2013 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, written-review

It as been some time since a book was able to so utterly transport me to a different world. This was an absolutely enthralling read that I was scarcely able to put down. Kate Danley has a very interesting writing style that works for this type of genre. The Woodcutter's multi-dimensional character contrasts well with the decidedly one-dimensional evil of the Queen and the Gentleman. The emotions that run through this book made me cry with joy and sadness, made me angry, upset, and frustrated, an...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Jesse rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Woodcutter is a wonderful, magical swirling mix of many of the fairy tale characters we know--Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, Red Riding Hood (as well as a less well-known one, at least to American audiences, but one of my personal favorites: Baba Yaga, also known in some circles as Bony Legs)--and a lot of the scenarios weave themselves together into a great tapestry of stories we grew up with. People falling under enchantments and sleeping...wicked queens, hungry for power and driven by...more The Woodcutter is a wonderful, magical swirling mix of many of the fairy tale characters we know--Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, Red Riding Hood (as well as a less well-known one, at least to American audiences, but one of my personal favorites: Baba Yaga, also known in some circles as Bony Legs)--and a lot of the scenarios weave themselves together into a great tapestry of stories we grew up with. People falling under enchantments and sleeping...wicked queens, hungry for power and driven by jealousy...people whose true natures are hidden behind spells to cover their identity...and so on.

Then, there are some other elements that are decidedly more grown-up and not something you'd remember from any fairy tale. A brothel. Drug addicts (addicted to fairy dust). Nothing too graphic, nothing even R-rated, but vague hints nonetheless that add an interesting spin on things. And some of the story elements that we knew from stories of old are switched around a bit, to interesting effect.

This was a very entertaining read, and though there were a lot of characters, it didn't feel too overwhelming, because a great many of the secondary characters are ones who we've known for years, harkening back to the fairy tales of old. There are some pleasant surprises and unexpected twists, and enough new material mixed in with the old (more of the former, than the latter, really...this isn't a retelling of the traditional fairy tales but rather a wild and sometimes psychadelic extension of them).

It took me a little while to get used to the cadence of the book. Very short chapters--some only a few sentences long!--but once I got into it, I realized that it worked. Each chapter, however long or short, was basically a mini-story in itself. Dialogue is spare, especially at the beginning, with characters saying only that what needed to be said in order to progress the story. And, with some reflection after having read the entire book, that, too, works. It was a bit difficult to follow in places (plot devices or ideas from one section of the story would suddenly pop up elsewhere, in the midst of a bunch of other things going on, and sometimes that was a little hard to keep straight...) and sometimes the action was a bit muddled, making me need to read entire paragraphs a few times in order to figure out what was happening. But it didn't really detract from the story.

Each scene or idea or quest in the story (I love quests, and there were so many of them here that it was a wonderful smorgasbord of quests!) could have been made into an entire novel itself. Very memorable, and an enjoyable read.(less)

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Jan 23, 2013 Kate Laws rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Woodcutter is a magical being who protects the wood and the 12 kingdoms that surround it. He’s kind of an intermediary between the blue blooded fae and the red blooded denizens of the kingdoms. There is a lot in this story that is very familiar, so many recognizable bits and pieces of classic fairy tales are woven together, but it’s more than that. The author really tapped into the feel and tone of the classic fairy tale, this story could easily sit beside them and not be at all out of place...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Fiona Leonard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm still not sure if I liked this book or not. I liked it enough to read it in a couple of sittings. I liked it enough to want to know what was going to happen and to care about some of the characters. But ultimately I came away feeling a bit cheated; as if I'd been given an old pair of shoes in a sparkly box and for a second I'd actually believed they were new.

The Woodcutter is a retelling of not just one fairy tale, but pretty much every fairy tale you can possibly imagine. All the standards...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I'm struggling to think of how to describe THE WOODCUTTER; it is a fantastical, unguessable read. The Woodcutter [kind of a protector in The Magical Woods] discovers the dead body of a girl wearing glass slippers and tries to find her family to inform them - and to discover the killer.

From that point on, things really start to become wild; more murders, more cameos from fairytale characters, messed up fairytales, a Viking God with a missing Hellhound and the magical world mixing with the human o...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

I enjoyed this book. Like many other reviewers, I had to get over the writing style but it eventually stopped bothering me (for the most part). I do understand what she was going for, she wanted that fairy tale feel, but it was a bit over the top and dramatic at times.

It was a really quick read, both because it's relatively short and the chapters go by quickly so it's easy to just read a chapter here and there -- many chapters are only one page long. The world she created by interweaving fairy t...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nerdy-and-delicious, favorites

I read through this book in two days which is pretty remarkable so it is easy to say that I did really enjoy it. The truth is, when I first started it, I wasn't sure if I would. It often felt like the author's descriptions were overly so leaving little room for imagination. I would have liked to see a bit more space for anticipation in the writing of the story instead of laying everything out so blatantly. This said, recently I've become a huge fan of fairy tales. I absolutely love the comic Fab...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Marguerite rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Woodcutter took a lot of my favorite fairy tale characters and up-ended them. They're definitely no longer my childhood bedtime stories--and that's a good thing since children's fairy tales wouldn't hold my attention anymore. Near the beginning, Cinderella is being chased through the forest and succumbs to an unknown force. The Woodcutter, protector of the realm, finds her body and begins his quest to determine who/what has invaded the woods and is killing people he is sworn to protect. Afte...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2013

Well first off what the hell was this doing in the graphic novel section? Graphic novels do need t have pictures right?!

So the story itself. It was a pretty good premise. A blending of different fairytales gone wrong with the woodcutter (you know, the one who saved Red Riding Hood, because Princes aren’t always all that) having the job of fixing everything.

I’m not sure I can really say that the premise met up to its promises however. The beginning was rather good and got me interested but the fu...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Liriel27 rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fairy-tale enthusiasts

Shelves: fairy-tale-retellings, fantasy, first-reads, myth-retellings-and-criticism, odd, supernatural-mysteries

Full disclosure: I won this book from First Reads.

I liked this book. A lot. I didn't think I was going to at first - the premise took a while to grow on me, and the short chapters initially felt too abrupt. I'm not generally a big fan of 2-5 page chapters, but they worked for the episodic nature of this as it got further into the story, making it feel more dream-like and (for lack of a clearer term) story-shaped, like the in-drawn breath of someone answering "And then what happened?"

I would hav...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fairy tale fans

Recommended to Julie by: Amazon, basically

Shelves: 2013, borrowed, ebook, fairy-tales, fantasy, kindle-lending-library, read-on-kindle

This book was a lot of fun. I found it because it was a Kindle Daily Deal, then discovered that I could sign it out of the Kindle Lending Library (the last one before my Amazon Prime trial expired).

The prose is sparse but descriptive enough. There is enough information given out that it keeps the story from getting confusing - which is saying something, because there are a LOT of characters floating around this book. Almost any fairy tale character you can think of is in here somewhere. I really...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Isalina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Part of the reason I love GoodReads is that it can connect you to your friends' opinions of books so that you can get anther opinion before beginning to read it - if they rate and review, that is. (Thanks Kristina!) I borrowed this from the Kindle Lending Library and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery and adventure mixed with fantasy.

It is true that Danley has a a different writing style that works very well for this genre. It is the writing style of many classic children's stori...more Part of the reason I love GoodReads is that it can connect you to your friends' opinions of books so that you can get anther opinion before beginning to read it - if they rate and review, that is. (Thanks Kristina!) I borrowed this from the Kindle Lending Library and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery and adventure mixed with fantasy.

It is true that Danley has a a different writing style that works very well for this genre. It is the writing style of many classic children's stories that holds it's story in short and sweet and dangerously scant and sometimes scary descriptions of things. Some chapters seem to be of average length and some are just a few sentences. We only follow the Woodcutter in this story and when he knows no more, we know no more. It's typically short sentences are not an indication of lack of description. In fact, some of the most beautiful and terrifying descriptions are held in these short sentences. I figured a pixie wouldn't want to fall to the ground, but after reading this book, I never want to hear the horrible sound of a pixie touching the earth.

It is one of those books that I start to like on principle because they do not fit only in one section of the library or the other. They could an should be in both. Were it up to me, this book would be in the fantasy section as well as the children's section (okay maybe young adult, simply because it is not a short book).

Danley did not take herself too seriously in writing this story and why should she? She was writing a fairy tale! It seems to be a combination of every classical fairy tale you have ever read, learned about, or heard about from western civilization. And then she goes on and includes a new one I've never heard of - a Woodcutter who does not cut wood and understands the balance between the fae and mortals. This is a fairy tale for people of all ages. It has the classic fairy tale characters, kingdoms, princes and princesses, the classic evils of greed and power, mixed with the new evil of mass produced drugs, and of course - the power of true love. Being that it is a fairy tale, the characters are pretty flat. Please don't be expecting character development and layers upon layers like A Song of Ice and Fire.

It's a great bed time story. (less)

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Jan 19, 2013 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Woodcutter suffers from Trying Too Hard to be Very Magical. It mashes, without prejudice, several fairy tales together and ties them to a central magical figure charged with maintaining the balance between humans and fae. In some ways, it's interesting. I liked the idea of a drug trade in fairy dust. In other ways it's too ephemeral, like wandering high through a dream, with images and messages flashed in the corners of your eyes, but without having any real meaning. There's nothing to dig i...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Tanya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: underwhelmed, unfinished

I'm trying to accentuate the positive as much as possible in the media I consume. In this instance, I really do appreciate Danley's somewhat fresh approach to reimagining fairy tales by weaving characters into a unified world, as well as introducing a crime thriller element, with the Woodcutter being a detective. However, I couldn't finish the book because I felt that majority of the narrative and the elements of the magic of the story were very much forced. Too many neat little solutions to all...more

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Other Editions (12)

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Fantasy

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Fantasy > Fairy Tales

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Mystery

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Fairy Tales > Fairy Tale Retellings

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Paranormal > Fairies

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Fantasy > Mythology

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Young Adult

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Fantasy > Magic

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Science Fiction Fantasy

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Retellings

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About Kate Danley

Kate Danley is twenty year veteran of stage and screen with a B.S. in theatre from Towson University. She was one of four students to be named a Maryland Distinguished Scholar in the Arts in the annual competition.

Her debut novel, The Woodcutter, was honored with the Garcia Award for the Best Fiction Book of the Year, is the 1st Place Fantasy Book in the Reader Views Literary Awards, and the winne...more

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Books by Kate Danley

Maggie for Hire (Maggie MacKay, Magical Tracker, #1)

Maggie Get Your Gun (Maggie MacKay, Magical Tracker, #2)

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