I am interested in finding more books about the land of faerie. By this, I mean books that take place on the border between the human world and the faerie world, or about people who end up in the faerie world. I can't really think of a good example of what I am looking for, but any recommendations would be appreciated. Sorry I am so vague. My fantasy is limited and I have focused a lot on fairy tale retellings. Thanks in advance.

Considering Faerie as primarily Celtic/British, my 1st thoughts are the novelizations of the Irish and Welsh tales. Evangeline Walton for the Welsh and Morgan Llywelyn for the Irish and some continental tales. I would also check out works of Juliet Marillier whose Seven Waters series is a reimagination of the Irish tale "The Children of Lyr" and Stephen Grundy who novelized the Nibelungenlied.

Kernos wrote: "Considering Faerie as primarily Celtic/British, my 1st thoughts are the novelizations of the Irish and Welsh tales. Evangeline Walton for the Welsh and Morgan Llywelyn..."

Thanks so much. :)

The Paradise War and its sequels are an extended trip into the Otherworld. The first one is not as good as the others, but I liked the other two very much.

Also, Welsh Legendary Tales includes several fairy stories, mermaid stories, and the like. I think it's meant for kids, and you will probably find some of the stories familiar.

If you accept the fairies=jinn theory of Azur and Asmar, there are some pretty good fairy stories in Thousand and One Nights

Wall of text, incoming ... the ones marked with * are the ones I think are not to be missed. Some of these I only included for completion. Some have more adult content than others.

Re-told fairy tales or ballads

*Tam Lin - a retelling of the ballad Tam Lin, by Pamela Dean (part of a series of retold fairy tales)

Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner, a retelling of the ballad of the same name

Wildwood Dancing - Juliet Marillier; incorporates aspects of several fairy tales

Someone goes to Faerie

Porcelain Dove - Delia Sherman (actually sort of a mix with the next category)

*Goblin Market, poem, Christina Rossetti (Try to avoid adaptions, and to read a copy with the Rackham illustrations, if you can.)

The Faerie Queene, poetry, political allegory

*Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees (also sort of a mix with the next category)

Blood and Iron, Elizabeth Bear (start of a series)

A Kiss of Shadows (Meredith Gentry 1) (also fits with the next category, start of a series)

Knight of Ghosts & Shadows and Born to Run - the start of two series in the same setting, but concerning different sets of characters

Witch World 1 - not exactly going to Faerie, but leaving Earth and ending up in a different world where magic exists

Elfland - new, and I haven't read it myself yet, so I can't say much about it.

Faerie coexists (openly or not) with the non-magical world

*Borderlands - This is a series of anthologies set in Bordertown, which is on the border between Faerie and the human world. But there are also several novels set there, namely
Elsewhere, Nevernever, and Finder. I recommend the novels over the anthologies, for the most part; the quality of the short stories is a bit hit or miss. The official series page is here. A new anthology is in the works.

Mark del Franco's Connor Grey series, starts with Unquiet Dreams

Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan/The Hollows series, starts with Dead Witch Walking

*Dreams Underfoot (Newford Book 1) by Charles de Lint

*War for the Oaks by Emma Bull

Judith Tarr wrote Alamut and The Dagger and the Cross, which are set in the time of the Crusades. The Isle of Glass is the start of a trilogy in the same setting, but I prefer Alamut and its sequel.

The Magicians - new, and I haven't read the whole thing, but the excerpt I read was intriguing. I can't say that it's going to Faerie exactly, but it is going to a secret part of the world where magic works.

How could I forget about Alamut? Kick, kick.
That's an impressive catalogue of fairy books, Nikki.

Thanks. :) I thought of two more this morning - The King of Elfland's Daughter and Stealing the Elf-King's Roses. The first incorporates several fairy-tale elements, and the second is a science-fictional take on the idea of going to Faerie.

I think Nikki got most the titles I could think of. I would add Stardust by Neil Gaiman as well. Most of that story takes place in Faerie or right on the outskirts in the town of Wall.

I would also recommend (if you like children's books) Mopsa the Fairy and of course Peter Pan (the new "sequel" Peter Pan in Scarlet is charming as well.) Other YA titles: The Owl Service, The Hounds of the Morrigan, Tithe by Holly Black, The Dark is Rising series.

I'm sure there are more I will remember later.

I just remembered a few more:

the Faerielands series --

Something Rich and Strange by Patricia McKillip
The Wood Wife by Terri Windling
The Wild Woods by Charles de Lint
Hannah's Garden by Midori Snyder

To be honest I don't like the Wild Woods by de Lint as much as his Newford short story collections like The Gates of Ivory and Horn, for example, or his Jack books (both collected together in Jack of Kinrowan.)

Hope these help.

I keep thinking of more of these. Probably not surprising since going to Faerie (or having it come to you) is not exactly uncommon in the fantasy genre.

The Magic and the Healing - veterinary students go to a different world to treat magical and legendary creatures. Has several sequels.

The Secret Country - beginning of a trilogy. Five cousins find out that the imaginary land where they've been (essentially) playing a role-playing game might not be as imaginary as they thought.

Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold - I was reminded of this one when I saw its latest sequel in a bookstore. I can't speak for the sequels, but I remember enjoying the first one.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in which the Fey live in a beautiful land, though not one altogether fit for humans.

Little, Big in which Fairie is a place which gets bigger the further you go in.

And, though non-fiction, The Secret Commonwealth Of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies is a beautiful compendium.

Thank you everyone! I can't wait to get started on these!

Kernos wrote: "Considering Faerie as primarily Celtic/British, my 1st thoughts are the novelizations of the Irish and Welsh tales. Evangeline Walton for the Welsh and Morgan Llywelyn..."

I read the first of the Seven Waters Series yesterday and loved it. Thank you so much