The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm

by Ellen Datlow (editor), Terri Windling (Editor), Holly Black (Contributor)

Faeries, or creatures like them, can be found in almost every culture the world over--benevolent and terrifying, charming and exasperating, shifting shape from country to country, story to story, and moment to moment. In The Faery Reel, acclaimed anthologists Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have asked some of today's finest writers of fantastic fiction for short stories and poems that draw on the great wealth of world faery lore and classic faery literature.

These authors, including Neil Gaiman (American Gods; Coraline), Gregory Maguire (Mirror Mirror), Patricia A. McKillip (Ombria in Shadow), Charles de Lint (The Blue Girl), Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles), and Kelly Link (Stranger Things Happen), have contributed stories and poems that are varied, unexpected, and wonderfully absorbing reading. Charles Vess's lovely decorations bring each piece to life; as an added bonus, Terri Windling provides a fascinating, thoughtful essay on the history of faery literature.

This companion to the World Fantasy Award-winner and Locus best-seller The Green Man is edgy, provocative, and thoroughly magical. Like the faeries themselves.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Young Adult, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Fairies

528 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 2004

About the author

Ellen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for forty years as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine and editor of Event Horizon and SCIFICTION. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com. In addition, she has edited about one hundred science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series, The Doll Collection, Mad Hatters and March Hares, The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea, Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, Edited By, and Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.

Reviews

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I skimmed the preface, intro. and the poem by Charles De Lint. Sorry, poetry just isn't for and because my reading time is so sparse and this book is such a tome I wanted to get straight to the stories.

Catnyp by Delia Sherman: I loved this one about a human child kidnapped by the faery, renamed Neef and raised as a changeling. On a whim, she makes a bet with a broken hearted swan maiden that humans know more about love than faeries do. Unfortunately, she knows nothing about love and ventures into the library to do some research and learns a heck of a lot more than she intended to. This story was light-hearted and so much fun, the world really came alive for me.

Elvenbrood by Tanith Lee was an okay read for me but just didn't grab me the way Catnyp did. Something about Lee's writing almost always manages to keep me from connecting to the stories she writes.

Your Garnet Eyes was a very enjoyable story of love, loss and the inability to move on.

Tengu Mountain, like the others before me have said, is a beautifully atmospheric and extremely creepy story. It would make a fantastic horror movie.

The Faery Handbag by Kelly Link This was an interesting story but it almost felt like I was reading an intro. to a much longer book and it didn't feel complete all by itself.

The Price of Glamour by Steve Burman: I couldn't get into this one at all.

The Night Market by Holly Black: I always enjoy Holly Black's writing and dark edged characters and this one didn't disappoint.

Never Never by Bruce Glassco: In all honesty, when I realized this was a story about Peter Pan I started to skim but just when I thought I'd dismiss it mostly unread something in the story hooked me and I went back and read it thoroughly. Nice to see a familiar cast of characters in a different light.

Screaming for Faires by Ellen Steiber: Is another one I enjoyed quite a bit. The fairies here are the cute little pixies you see in statuettes but they may have a sinister side. A young teen is unsure once they enter her life. Along with dealing with typical teen angst and a cute boyfriend who wants more than she's willing to give she's unsure whether to trust the fairies or fear them. There's a lot of sexual tension and frustration in this one and I think the author did a great job of recreating some issues teens struggle with on a daily basis.

Immersed in Matter by Nina Kiriki Hoffman: This story hooked me and started off well but came to a screeching halt at the end and felt irritatingly unfinished. The fact that the author, in her afterward, has to clean up two dangling items really annoyed me.

Undine by Patricia McKillip: This one was pretty good about mermaids, their quest for human men and the ruin of the environment.

Oakthing by Gregory Maguire: I wasn't a huge fan of Maguire's Wicked. It was too political and too all over the map for me as well as being way too hard to follow at times so I wasn't expecting to like Oakthing much. But I was surprised. I was very engrossed in this story of a strong willed old woman left behind when her family flees the German occupation, and the odd friend she acquires.

The Foxwife by Hiromi Goto: This was definitely one of my favorites. It had the whole J horror film feel that I enjoy so much and wasn't expecting in this book. It was creepy with disturbing imagery, haunted characters and an oddness I loved.

The Dream Eaters by A.M. Dellamonica: This one just didn't grab me. The fact that I was sitting in an emergency room stressed out and hungry may have been a factor as well but I skimmed and then quit it.

The Shooter at Heartrock Waterhole by Bill Congreve: There was a good use of landscape in this story but I didn't like the premise or the lead character and thus didn't enjoy the story much.

The Annals of Eelin Oak by Jeffrey Ford:
Meh, another I just couldn't get into. Read it in the ER as well and skimmed.

De La Teirra by Emma Bull: I enjoyed this one more than the previous few. The story was original and thought provoking.

This was a well balanced collection with only a few duds. I'll be looking for more from some of these authors.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's another good fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (known for their Adult Fairy Tales series of anthologies and many years of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror). It begins with a fine essay by Windling on the origins of faeries, from medieval times to today, and includes a list of recommended reading and even of faery-related music. The stories I particularly liked were: Bruce Glassko's "Never Never", a wry tale of Peter Pan -- from Captain Hook's point of view; Nina Kiriki Hoffman's "Immersed in Matter", about a half-elf who longs to speak with horses; Delia Sherman's "CATNYP", a story of the faery folk who live in New York Between; and especially Kelly Link's "The Faery Handbag", a striking tale of a magical handbag and the family who takes care of it. I was a little underwhelmed with The Green Man, the last anthology of Datlow and Windling's that I'd read, but I was very happy with The Faery Reel.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preface by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling - a nice reasoning for why they decided on faeries.
Introduction: The Faeries by Terri Windling - A lot of this I knew, and a lot I did not. I am not sure I was aware that the wee folk are found in every culture, I was primarily familiar with the UK faeries.
The Boys of Goose Hill by Charles de Lint - a nice little poem. I do like how the editors have decided to have a mini-biography for the author, and the author's thoughts at the end of their contribution. Mr. de Lint's thoughts on this poem were nice. He is a filker :-).
CATNYP by Delia Sherman - I loved this story. Partly because of the connection to the books (how can a bookcrosser not like a faery tale about the New York Public Library?) And it did make me want to read more stories about Neef.
Elvenbrood by Tanith Lee - A little spooky, a little revenge, a little luck, and you have this story. I liked it quite a lot.
Your Garnet Eyes by Katherine Vaz - A little disjointed. I liked the idea well enough, but I got lost in the telling.
Tengu Mountain by Gregory Frost - my favorite story of the collection thus far. Perhaps like the author I feel a connection to the Japanese? I don't know, but it was a well told tale of classic goblins.
The Faery Handbag by Kelly Link - another good one, and this one made me want to read more about Zofia and her granddaughter - what adventures they have to tell.
The Price of Glamour by Steve Berman - although I have not read Oliver Twist this seems like it a little bit. Berman even mentions that perhaps he has read too much Dickens and Doyle. in any case, a nice story.
The Night Market by Holly Black - The faeries in this tale are a bit darker, a bit more evil than in previous stories. I kind of liked the tale.
Never Never by Bruce Glassco - I really liked this tale about Peter Pan. I like the idea that the faeries guard the lost things (like the Lost Boys) and to have it told a bit from Hook's view was nice. Reminded me a little bit of the My Side of the Story books by Disney. Maybe the "villians" aren't as villianous as we think.
Screaming for Faeries by Ellen Steiber - I think I will just say..I was interested to see what the faeries would tell Cherry. another one I really liked.
Immersed in Matter by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - not one of my favorites of this little anthology, but it read quickly enough. I do wish I could know more about Owl and his siblings, but not enough to really be sad the story was over.
Undine by Patricia A. McKillip - A morality tale about how what we are doing to the Earth is affecting all her children -- faery and human alike. A good tale, a little sad.
The Oakthing by Gregory Maguire - okay, I will admit I am not a a Maguire fan. I have tried to read his books, but his writing and my understanding do not coincide. So, I thought about just skipping this tale, but that seemed to be cheating. So I forced my way through it, and well...yeah. His writing is not to my liking. I didn't like this story.
Foxwife by Hiromi Goto - A tale about the Kitsune. A friend of mine has named his mead that -- if he ever opens his meadery look for tasty honey wine labeled Kitsune. Ok, back to the story. I liked this story quite a lot. Has a hapless gal who ends up being a hero of sorts. Nice.
The Dream Eaters by A.M Dellamonica - I have a new favorite story. Loved this! I want to read more about Liz and Mo and Peg. Yes I do!
The Faery Reel by Neil Gaiman - quite a nice little poem. Read it aloud.
The Shooter at the Heartrock Waterhole - I admit to being a little confused at times with this story. It seemed to jump a little. I like the overall idea though.
The Annals of Eelin-Ok by Jeffrey Ford - Perhaps my second favorite story...I even cried a little, and it is a beautiful idea. I will look at sand castles as something even more special than I used to.
De la Tierra by Emma Bull - A statement on the United States. A bit on the immigration issues. And I like how it ends.
How to Find Faery by Nan Fry - Her idea is to remind us to find magic in the everyday. I like it. A nice end to the collection

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever the world starts to feel a little less magical, I just re-read this book.

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always on the hunt for new fantasy authors, and anthologies like this provide some useful introductions. Indeed, it was a previous anthology that led me to Charles de Lint, and a subsequent anthology of just his own works that introduced me to several of his literary stomping-grounds!! 3.6 stars

Introduction: The Faeries by Terri Windling * * *
An interesting little history of faery lore...


The Boys of Goose Hill by Charles de Lint * * * *
A lovely little poem!


Catnyp by Delia Sherman * * * *
A changeling discovers a fairy library.


Elvenbrood by Tanith Lee * * * * *
Can you unwind a deal with faeries or substitute the payment?


Your Garnet Eyes by Katherine Vaz * * *
A young girl tries to help her human father get over her faery mother.


Tengu Mountain by Gregory Frost * * *
A young artist is warned by a monk, and then by his aunt, of goblins lurking on the mountain.


The Faery Handbag by Kelly Link * * * *
Genevieve has a very unique grandmother with a very unique handbag.


The Price of Glamour by Steve Berman * * *
A fey fence sets out to track down a curios thief.


The Night Market by Holly Black * * * *
A girl tries to convince an elf to free her sister of his curse.


Never Never by Bruce Glassco * * * * *
I really enjoyed this tale of Neverland from Hook's perspective! The current brand of lost boys (and girls) were interesting, too. Glassco is an author I really must look into!!


Screaming for Fairies by Ellen Steiber * * * *
Odd. A couple of fairies teach a young girl about love & change.


Immersed in Matter by Nina Kiriki Hoffman * * *
A young faery learns about his human half...


Undine by Patricia M. McKillip * * *
A strange story about an Undine trying to snare her 1st husband.


The Oathking by Gregory Maguire * * *
An old woman is accidentally stranded by her son & his wife while they are fleeing the advancing German army. Left at their abandoned farm in France, she encounters an of sprite.

Foxwife by Hiromi Goto * * *
Yumeko meets some unusual foxes in the swamp.


The Dream Eaters by A. M. Dellamonica * * *
Apparently, fairies need to steal our dreams to furnish their world.


The Faery Reel by Neil Gaiman * * *
A short & pleasant poem.


The Shooter at the Heartrock Waterhole by Bill Congreve * * *
This somewhat rambling (and nearly incoherent) tale is set at a lonely, Australian watering-hole.


The Annals of Eelon-Ok by Jeffrey Ford * * * * *
An enchanting, poignant, and whimsical tale if a Twilimish, and his life in his sandcastle, While Away.

De La Tierra by Emma Bull * * *
A trippy story about a man who is sent by glamorous city fairies to hunt & kill their southern cousins.


How to Find Faery by Nan Fry * * * *
Pleasant little poem.

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better collections of modern faery tales, edited by the formidable team of Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. Windling wrote a particularly fine introduction to the collection, readable and even on it's own a worthy stand-alone essay on the world of faery. Artist Charles Vess contributed a beautiful cover and interior decoration pieces preceding each story/poem; they add a lot to the book without ever intruding into the decorations my own mind created as a reader.

There are a lot of Big Names in Faery Reel (Gaiman, deLint, Lee, McKillip, Dellamonica etc.) so I had high expectations of it and they were largely well met. In any anthology there's going to be that small percentage of works that aren't to our taste and this was true here as well, although I was pleasantly surprised to find only one story that didn't work for me and even that was well-written, just not my thing. Surprisingly, I read every page.

Out of the lot there is definitely something for everyone but easily my favorite on first read is The Annals of Eelon-Ok by Jeffrey Ford, a truly unusual take on 'faery' written from the point of view of a being who inhabits an abandoned sand castle and lives his life before the tide washes it away. Beautiful.

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice anthology with twenty good quality stories all about the Faerie folk, of which my favourites were "CATNYP" by Delia Sherman, about aa changeling human living in a shadow NYC inhabited by faeries and other beings; and "Undine" by Patricia A. McKillip, about a siren searching for a human prince with motives more sinister than you'd expect..

[Bronwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful collection of short stories.

[PurplyCookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the years, Datlow and Windling have established a reputation as editors of quality fantasy anthologies. This particular anthology contains various modern adult retellings of classic fairy tales which are essential reading for the fairy tale-addicted such as myself. Windling starts off with a fine introductory essay on the origins, varieties, and attitudes toward fairies in different cultures and, in particular, their treatment in English literature and art.

If you're expecting stories about quaint Victorian fairies with filmy wings, you're reading the wrong book. The short stories presented here are not the sugar-coated Disney version but rather are stories which hark back to earlier folklore about creatures who can be good or evil, dangerous or benign. Also, most of the stories bring magical elements into modern settings, including New York City, an English village, a Brazilian city, a Japanese mountainside, a French farm, and L.A. To entice your curiosity, many of the best known names of modern fantasy are represented in this volume: Charles de Lint, Delia Sherman, Tanith Lee, Katherine Vaz, Gregory Frost, Kelly Link, Steve Berman, Holly Black, Bruce Glassco, Ellen Steiber, Nini Kiriki Hoffman, Neil Gaiman, Patricia McKillip, Gregory Maguire, Hiromi Goto, A.M. Dellamonica, Bill Congreve, Jeffrey Ford, Emma Bull, and Nan Fry.

"The Boys of Goose Hill" by Charles de Lint >> An interesting poem about mischievous fairies

"Catnyp" by Delia Sherman >> A short story about a girl living in a fairy New York who tries to win a bet that humans know more than fairies about love. Throw in a personable library database, a boy searching to get to the human world, and fairy boons.

"Elvenbrood" by Tanith Lee >> A haunting modern-day story about fairies taking young children back to their land. They can't take the child unless one of the parents "sells" them for something better, whether or not the parents are aware of it.

"Your Garnet Eyes" by Katherine Vaz >> The story of a father and daughter abandoned by the faery wife. Involves the different strategies used by the daughter in order to make her father forget the fey.

"Tengu Mountain" by Gregory Frost >> An interesting story with an intriguing basis in legend and history. The story is about a Japanese boy visiting his aunt only to find himself in a precarious situation.

"The Faery Handbag" by Kelly Link >> A creative story about a handbag that contains a whole fairy world.

"The Price of Glamour" by Steve Berman >> Poor Tup is in charge of collecting stolen goods for his demanding boss. In order to disguise oneself as a human, the fey must either have glamour or the Sight because all the iron in the city destroys their natural ability to disguise themselves. Caught one day trying to steal glamour, Tup ends up being enslaved for 12 years.

"The Night Market" by Holly Black >> A fast paced Filipino tale about a girl trying to save her sister from an elf's curse. Tomasa, the main character, goes to the night market, the fairies' market, in order to break it. Soon the elf does not seem so bad after all.

"Never Never" by Bruce Glassco >> Tinkerbell, because of Peter's requests, brings in new amusements for him that never leave the enchanted land--such as Tiger Lily's village or Captain Hook's ship. Cursed to live there forever, or at least until madness takes over, Hook is miserable. Tinkerbell takes pity on him and grants him one wish.

"Screaming for Faeries" by Ellen Steiber >> The story is definitely a glorification of primal instincts--insisting we all have a connection with the earth and a beautiful chord of intense passion hidden within.

"Immersed in Matter" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman >> An interesting short story introducing the concept that the half faeries are also, deep down, related to animals. Owl, through his desire to meet horses, learns to notice others and learns about the world.

"Undine" by Patricia A. McKillip >> All undines capture mortal men and bring them back to their underwater homes. Eventually, if the men don't escape, they die and the undines find others to take their places. This short story tells of an undine trying to catch her first man but things don't go exactly as planned.

"The Oakthing" by Gregory Maguire >> When the Grandomtoher is left behind after her family abandons their farm due to war, she finds herself alone in a village with impending advance of enemy soldiers. She befriends an oakthing--a twiggy creature that inhabits the oak tree on the farm.

"Foxwife" by Hiromi Goto >> Yumeko seems to find bad luck wherever she goes and the day the story takes place is no exception. When her boat capsizes she soon finds herself in the midst of a wedding procession for kitsune and becomes their prisoner.

"The Dream Eaters" by A. M. Dellamonica >> Mo and Liz are both girls from a group home. Mo, through stealing some money, starts her own business which takes off. Now one of Mo's friends, a little girl named Peg, has disappeared, spirited off by fairies.

"The Faery Reel" by Neil Gaiman >> A poem about a man, when young, split his soul in two. While one part stayed in the human world the other lived in faerie.

"The Shooter at the Heartrock Waterhole" by Bill Congreve >> A young man is hired to stay at an oasis-like area in the Australian wilderness in order to shoot animals not native to Australia. And thus begins the young man's rigorous examination of death and life. I did not care to finish this story; it proved to be too long-winded for my taste.

"The Annals of Eelin-Ok" by Jeffrey Ford >> Easily the best story in this collection. A fascinating and creative story about fairies that inhabit sandcastles (Twilmish they are called). A Twilmish lives only as long as the castle exists so they must choose their castle wisely.

"De La Tierra" by Emma Bull >> The tale involves a modified human doing the "dirty work" for shape changing fairies. These fairies, in order to protect their way of life, hire hit men to take out fairies who do not blend in with the urban world. The plot is good, it's just the writing of it which really put me off.

"How to find Faery" by Nan Fry >> A poem not only describing how to find a fairy but also how to appreciate the magic found in nature and ourselves.


Book Details:

Title The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm
Author Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling
Reviewed By Purplycookie

[Ashlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very difficult to rate since it is an anthology of stories written by wildly different authors, but overall I feel pleased with the stories. Some pieces were skippable, but the great ones certainly make reading this collection worthwhile.

[Jeane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! This was collection of short fairy tales and poems that are all pretty modern, from many of the modern fairy tale authors, such as Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, Charles De Lint, Gregory Maguire, etc. What I liked most about this book was that, and I was presently surprised to find out after I started reading it, it is multicultural! Almost all of the fairy tales take place in a different part of the world, and include cultural references to how that cultural perceives fairies. “Elvenbrood” by Tanith Lee is set in eastern Great Britain, “Your Garnet Eyes” by Katherine Vaz, is in set in Brazil, “Tengu Mountain” by Gregory Frost is set in Japan, “The Night Market” by Holly Black is set in the Philippines, and on and on. What else I liked about this book was the 20 page introduction by Terri Windling, which was like a nice little nonfiction read on where the concept of fairies came from and about different culture’s take on fairies. I found this fascinating! I usually never find introductions fascinating. After each short story fairy tale was a little about the author, and why the author wrote this story or poem. I highly recommend this book, or even to take a few stories out of this book to share with a YA reader.

[Res · Rating 3 out of 5]

A better-than-average collection of YA short stories (and a few poems) with a faerie theme.

I rejected a fair number of stories for whiny protagonists with trivial problems, and a few for being basically incomprehensible -- a short story is, well, short, and I need to know the rules within a couple of pages. Also, I'm weirdly uncomfortable witih writers who are palpably WASPs writing stories in other folkloric traditions, but I don't know whether that makes sense or whether it's just a quirk.

Kelly Link's "The Faery Handbag" is here, but I didn't read it again; is it going to be in every anthology ever?

Gregory Maguire's "The Oakthing" (set in World War I France) is very fine. Jeffrey Ford's "The Annals of Eelin-Ok" (the life story of a creature who lives in a sand castle) and Emma Bull's "De La Tierra" (about a different kind of immigration control, and addressing social class in faerie in a fresh way) were quite good, and I also enjoyed Patricia McKillip's "Undine" (an environmentalist twist on the mermaid story) and the very original "The Dream Eaters" by A.M. Dellamonica (who I think is one of us!).

[Treece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthologies are hit or miss, win-win or lose-lose. This festive overladen work of fantastical tales written by amazing authors was mostly gold than dross. It took me a while to read through it because this book deserved my attention all the months I spent reading it. The nature of the writing styles and content make it difficult to sit through in a single reading and give these authors the respect their work deserves. I had no intention of disrespecting their efforts. The only reason it doesn't have five stars is because it was more or less 4 1/2 stars overall. I got to the end, and found myself skimming over the last three or four stories that didn't grab and keep me though they were, like the others, superbly written and quite imaginative. My personal taste was challenged by this awesome book, and afterwards, I was thrilled to find something new to enjoy. I recommend this collection to those who appreciate good anthologies of stories about the Fae and faeries. It was amazing and who knows? I may revisit this one for a re-read.

[Jan Chlapowski Söderlund · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have not finished the entire book "Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm". A splendid introduction, with a very interesting look at faeries from a comparative mythological perspective. Was followed by short-story upon short-story of generally bland, teenage-oriented stories. Filled with cheap, juvenile romantic titter-tatter and unsatisfactory eroticism. The stories that did not have this, felt shallow and without any edge to them. After getting through a few of these stories, I decided it was not worth my time to continue. Maybe they were meant for a younger audience (I'm 31 years old). But the introduction was definitely meant for me. A pity it did not continue in the same line.

[Nancy O'Toole · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing up Firebirds Rising, I was still hungry for fantasy short stories. When I was out at Borders, I came across The Faery Reel, an award winning anthology printed by Firebird Books, and edited by two women known for their talent as editors. When I looked at the list of authors who contributed and found Holly Black, Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Gregory Maguire AND Patricia A McKillip, I knew that I needed to pick this up right away.

The collection is based around the subject of faeries. It begins with an informative and interesting essay by Terri Windling about the history of faeries, staring from their roots and covering their development in over the years. From there, we get twenty short stories and poems that focus on humans and their interactions with faeries, or the faeries themselves. The stories cover quite a lot of territory globally, taking place in Brazil, London, Japan, The Philippians, France, Boston, Australia, New York City, and Never Never Land. Each story is accompanied by a lovely illustration by Charles Vess, and the collection ends with a list of other books to read bout faeries (as if I didn’t have enough on my wish list!). My favorite stories included here would be “CATNYP,” “Tengu Mountain,” “Never Never,” “Screaming for Faeries,” “Immersed in Matter,” and “The Annals of Eelin-Ok.” My favorite poem is Charles de Lint’s The Boys of Goose Hill. For a list and short review of each story, please continue.


The Boys of Goosehill by Charles De Lint. This is a playful poem about trickster faeries that sounds as if it should be sung. I don’t read as much poetry as I used to, but I found this one to be a lot of fun.

CATNYP by Delia Sherman. "CATNYP" tells of alternate New York City inhabited by faeries. Our protagonist, Neef, is spending time in the public library when she falls in love a young man who wants to escape back to the human world. The thing I liked the most about this story was how it gave a fantasy spin to a normal place. For example, the card catalog is a giant lion that sends out little furry mice to pick up books for the patrons. This story was a lot of fun and a great way to start out the collection.

Elvenbrood by Tanith Lee. This story tells about an English teenager who moves to the country with his family, only to discover that his younger sister has attracted the attention of faeries. There was a bit of a mystery aspect to this story which I really enjoyed, and the ending was quite exciting!

Your Garnet Eyes by Katherine Vaz. This is a story of a young woman in Brazil whose father is human but her mother is something else. The main character possesses a lot of hostility towards her mother, who left when she was young. This story was quite interesting because the focus is more on family ties. The faery aspect is really more secondary. The unique location was very enjoyable, and the author does a great job transporting us there.

Tengu Mountain by Gregory Frost. Taking place in ancient Japan, "Tengu Mountain" tells of a young man who goes to visit his aunt on a mountain, and his encounters with demons. I love how this read like a fairy tale, but with a Japanese setting. As someone with an interest in Japanese culture, I felt as if this story was perfect for me.

The Faery Handbag by Kelly Link. The eccentric grandparent is a popular trope in fiction, but Zofia is quite different than anyone I’ve ever encountered. She tells her granddaughter Genevieve stories about living in country that no one’s heard about, and a magic handbag that carries around a village worth of people. It all sounds crazy, but as Genevieve is about to find out, it’s absolutely true. The story has won quite a few awards since being published and it’s the first story I’ve read by Kelly Link. I look forward to reading more.

The Price of Glamour by Steve Berman. In London, 1844 Tup Smatterpit spends his days selling glamour to his fellow faeries. That is, until he hears about a thief that is stealing from the faey, a thief that turns out to be human! This is a fun little story that’s both fantasy and historical fiction. It feels like a part of a larger story. I’d be interested to see if author ever decides to go anywhere with it.

The Night Market by Holly Black. Out of all of the authors in this anthology, Holly Black is the one I’m the most familiar with. So I was surprised to see that "The Night Market" does not take place in New York City or New Jersey, like her other faerie fantasy novels, but instead in the Philippians. Beyond that it has everything you’d expect from her modern faerie tales: a likable heroine, dangerous faeries, and a bit of romance. Very enjoyable.

Never Never By Bruce Glassco. Never Never shows us a different side of Never, Never Land, where the Lost Boys do grow up, and Peter Pan has to bring in new groups as the old ones get older. Each time, they face down with the villainous Captain Hook, who is consequentially fed to a crocodile at the end of every encounter, and then resurrected when he’s needed again. I enjoyed the sympathetic portrait painted of Hook here, and found the ending to be really satisfying. One of my favorites in this collection.

Screaming for Faeries by Ellen Steiber. While babysitting, Cherry is shocked when her charges start screaming. She rushes to see what’s wrong and is surprised when young Annalise claims they are “screaming for faeries.” Cherry figures it to be harmless make-believe, until she receives a visit from two tiny faeries herself. Screaming for Faeries is a great story about magic, but also about a teenager’s budding sexuality. I flew right through this story.

Immersed in Matter by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. Most stories in this collection present faeries as tricksters or dangerous, but the protagonist here feels more human in some ways, wanting nothing more than to know about her human father, and be able to connect with animals, especially horses. "Immersed in Matter" was beautifully written, and the characters well drawn.

Undine by Patricia A McKillip- One of the more lighthearted stories in the collection, "Undine" tells the story about a mermaid who tries to seduce a human man, but gets caught in our modern world. The story was short, but very satisfying.

The Oakthing by Gregory Maguire. In France, the Gauthiers are forced to leave their farm as the Germans are invading. Unfortunately the elderly Mémé Gauthier is accidentally left behind. She discovers an “Oakthing”, a strange magical little creature who needs her help. Much like a recent Gregory Maguire book I’ve read, Son of a Witch, "The Oakthing" is written beautifully and has interesting characters. The story is a little uneven. It starts off well, but by the end, I was losing interest (it was the opposite with Son of a Witch). "The Oakthing" wasn’t a bad story of course, just a little uneven.

Foxwife by Hiromi Goto. Like "Tengu Mountain", "Foxwife" has a Japanese setting. In this story, our protagonist Yumeko stumbles upon a wedding ceremony led by kitsune (fox-faeries), and finds herself taken prisoner. The only way she can escape is with the help of Hotaru, a strange girl who may not even be human. Although I didn’t like this story as much as "Tengu Mountain", I enjoyed the Japanese setting and found it to be rather exciting.

The Dream Eaters by A.M. Dellamonica. This is probably my least favorite story in the book. “The Dream Eaters” starts out as a story of a hip teenager designing artsy fashions, moves into the world of faeries, and then ends with having to save a secondary character that I feel the reader doesn’t get enough face time to care about. "The Dream Eaters" seems like it would have worked great if it were a longer story. As a short story, it feels over stuffed. I had a very hard time connecting with the characters.

The Faery Reel by Neil Gaiman. Neil Gaiman is an author that I’ve been getting into over the last couple years. I’ve read Coraline, Stardust, American Gods, and Neverwhere, each which are unique stories in their own way. From what I’ve read and heard about Gaiman, I knew this guy had range, but I didn’t know that he wrote poetry too! The Feary Reel is much darker than Charles De Lint’s opening poem, and it was quite enjoyable to read.

The Shooter at the Heartrock Waterhold by Bill Congreve. The Australia setting of this short story makes it stand out among the rest. The protagonist is sent into the wilderness to shoot birds, only he ends up killing a girl, who turns out to be a faerie. Not being an outdoorsy person myself, I had a difficult time connecting with the story for a while, but as if developed into more of s story about family, I found myself enjoying it more.

The Annals of Eelin-Ok by Jeffrey Ford. A Twilmish is a tiny creature who lives in a sandcastle, only existing until the sand castle is washed away from the tide. The pacing for "The Annals of Eelin-Ok" is as calm as the incoming tide, but it never feels overly slow. I was surprised at how quickly I found myself falling in love with the Twilmish, as he goes about his life. Even though the story is not as suspenseful or exciting as some of the other ones found here, it’s very well written and was joy to read. (Side Note: I read this while my fiancé played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I cannot think of the story without the background music for The Lost Woods playing over and over in my head).

De La Tierra by Emma Bull. In this story, there are faeries that are able to adapt and live among humans in Los Angeles. For those that are deemed unable to adjust, they are killed by people like the protagonist of this story. "De La Tierra" has a lot going on here. The story has a touch of sci-fi to it, and has a message about immigration. Admittedly, I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as I could as I rushed a little bit, but I do like what I read.

How to Find Faery by Nan Fry. This poem (as you can tell from the title) contains instructions for finding faery. I found it to be rather charming, although I didn’t like it as much as the other poems in the book.


I highly recommend the Faery Reel for people that like to read about the dangerous creatures called Faeries. Although there were a handful of stories I didn’t enjoy as much as the rest, I found that it really succeeds on a whole. It looks like Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have edited two other collections in this series: The Green Man, which is about nature, and The Coyote Road, which is about tricksters.

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

· 1 • Preface • Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

· 5 Introduction: The Faeries • Terri Windling

· 33 • The Boys of Goose Hill • Charles de Lint - poem

· 37 • Catnyp • Delia Sherman
Entertaining but very YA story about a human changeling who lives in "New York Between" – the parallel, faery version of NYC. She meets a very attractive young man who wishes nothing more than to get to the "real" NYC – but, through an adventure at the midtown public library, has to make some decisions about what she herself wants.

· 68 • Elvenbrood • Tanith Lee
Another story, this one more traditional, yet contemporary, on the changeling theme. After a bad divorce, a British mother and her two children move to a rural town – but for some reason, the teenage son, Jack feels uncomfortable with the place. And he is strangely unnerved when a homeless-looking man starts giving his sister warnings. In tone, this reminded me a lot of Mary Gentle's "A Hawk in Silver."

· 97 • Your Garnet Eyes • Katherine Vaz
Although the author says she has never been to Brazil, I found the Brazilian atmosphere of this story very convincing. (Of course, I haven't been either). Either way, I really liked this story of a daughter who tries to use magic to help her father forget the fairy wife who left him, leaving him with no enthusiasm for life...

· 115 • Tengu Mountain • Gregory Frost
I liked this story, but it was so similar to the traditional Japanese stories that it was influenced by that I was like, hmm.. is this actually original at all? I kept feeling I'd read it before. A young man goes to visit his aunt in a remote mountain area. He meets a monk who warns him of tengu, or demons in the mountains – but his strangely alluring aunt convinces the young man that the monk himself is probably a demon in disguise...

· 146 • The Faery Handbag • Kelly Link
I loved this story. It's seemingly, at first, very light and contemporary, as a young woman talks about thrift shopping and reminisces about her eccentric, story-telling aunt.... But as we learn that not all the stories may have been only stories, the enormity of what has been lost hits us... Really great.

· 175 • The Price of Glamour • Steve Berman
This story definitely seems like the introduction to a novel or a series. Set in 19th century England, it sets up an intriguing situation where a human urchin and one of the Folk agree to become partners in crime.

· 198 • The Night Market • Holly Black
I just bet Holly Black at FaerieCon! She is awesome! And this story is very good too! Set in the Phillippine and drawing on local myth, this tells of a young woman who tries to protect her sister from the fae who has made her ill... folklore has it that such illness is caused by the love of such a magical being... but in this case, the truth may be more complicated...

· 219 • Never Never • Bruce Glassco
A new take on Peter Pan – and what exactly Captain Hook's place and role in this drama is.

· 249 • Screaming for Faeries • Ellen Steiber
Another very very YA story. I like the message, but it's a little bit TOO message-y, at the same time. A babysitter meets a couple of sensual faeries who basically tell her it's important to be honest, and OK to have sex with her boyfriend if she really wants to and they're really in love.

· 292 • Immersed in Matter • Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Set in your basic faux-medieval fantasy milieu. The court of the fae is rife with prejudice against mixed-blood and changelings – but yet, more Fae, at this point, have mixed blood. One such is a shapechanger who loves horses – and dares to change into human to be able to be around them. His experiences allow him to bring a bit of tolerance back with him...

· 329 • Undine • Patricia A. McKillip
Sirens usually entrap human men a drag them under the waves... but when this one encounters an environmentalist fisherman, somehow things don't go as planned... and next thing she knows, she's out of water, and somehow being dragged around to a series of rallies for clean water, unable to find the unsullied place she needs...

· 341 • The Oakthing • Gregory Maguire
In a wartorn French countryside, accidentally left behind by her fleeing family, an eldery grandmother finds herself in her cottage with a fey oakthing, whom she feels the need to help... and a wounded German soldier, whom she says she plans on killing... well done, complex and interesting...

· 367 • Foxwife • Hiromi Goto
A story of a poor fisherwoman, lost in the mists, who, unknowing, finds herself helping a kitsune, or fox spirit, against its vicious kin. Very atmospheric, very well done. I really liked this better than the book I read recently on the theme of the kitsune. (Kij Johnson's Fox Woman).

· 402 • The Dream Eaters • A. M. Dellamonica
Weird, sci-fi-esque story that's like an attempt to blend Faerie with Cyberpunk. Hallucinatory and nightmarish, I can't say I unreservedly loved this – but it was definitely interesting, with fairies that suck away people's dreams, and a mask invented by a cutting-edge fashion designer that can prevent this..

· 435 • The Faery Reel • Neil Gaiman
I think Neil Gaiman has some kind of rule that he will ONLY give poems to anthologies, never short stories.

· 439 • The Shooter at the Heartrock Waterhole • Bill Congreve
A young man in Australia has been hired by the government to shoot invasive species of birds to protect indigenous ones. But he accidentally shoots something ELSE altogether... and drives off with it- or her – in his trunk, distraught both about this and the recent death of his father...

· 471 • The Annals of Eelin-Ok • Jeffrey Ford
The diary of a tiny fairy whose life span is less than a day, who inhabits sand castles left on the beach for the tide to erode...

· 497 • De La Tierra • Emma Bull
Effective, well-done piece which gives us a hit man hired by faeries to kill other faeries... he's believed what he's been told, and think he's been doing the ‘right thing.' But even when doubts come into his mind – what choice does he have? Parallels currents arguments over illegal immigration, but not in an overly overt way.

· 521 • How to Find Faery • Nan Fyr
And one last poem, to conclude...

Really a great anthology!

[Michelle Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly delightful

[Adela Bezemer-Cleverley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't often read anthologies--or I haven't for quite a long time. I read this mainly because I couldn't find any of the books I wanted in the library and this one caught my eye as I was browsing the YA section. Because its an anthology and there were parts I liked far more than other parts, I feel I can't write a review the way I normally do. So, instead I will just list my favourite stories/poems from The Faery Reel and a little blurb telling you what each of them is about.

"The Boys of Goose Hill" by Charles de Lint is a poem right at the beginning of the book, and what I like about it is the creativity of the word placement and how well the whole thing flows. It's basically about a place called Goose Hill where a bunch of boy faeries live. They play tricks on people and sing about the moon, etc.

"CATNYP" by Delia Sherman is a story about a changeling girl named Neef who goes to the New York Public Library in order to do research to prove to her friends that human beings know more about love than faeries. I just love the fact that it's so modern and takes place in a library, and also I really like the character Byron.

"The Price of Glamour" by Steve Berman is about a faery named Tup who moved into London, where he got sort of forced into service for this cruel creature. He has to steal things from other faeries and trade and sell etc. and then he accidentally finds an assistant, a human boy named Lind, and together they kind of take down Bluebottle the evil spriggan. I just like the way the story is told.

"Never Never" by Bruce Glassco I love because it is from Hook's perspective and it's in the future of Neverland, long after Wendy and the others went home. I just like how Glassco introduces the idea that the Peter Pan story is a never ending repetition of the same things: he gathers lost children, finds them a "mother", raises the pirates from the grave so that they can be defeated again. And James Hook is tired of constantly being brought back to life and killed again; he's tired of being the bad guy. Also the fairies apparently have an island where they store all of the things that anyone has ever lost in the world.

"Immersed in Matter" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman I think might be my favourite out of all of them. It's about a faery named Owl, and in this story the faery world is underground, and all Owl has ever wanted is to have/ride/talk to a horse. And he is learning to shapeshift and realizes that the only way he can approach a horse without stinking of faery is by embracing his human form--oh yeah, all of the faery children have the same father, who is a human. Anyway, I just loved this story for some reason.

"The Faery Reel" by Neil Gaiman is just a fantastic poem. Can't really say anything else about it.

"The Annals of Eelin-Ok" by Jeffrey Ford is my second favourite story in this anthology, I think. It's about miniscule faeries who live in sandcastles and their lifespan completely depends on how long the sandcastle withstands nature. I thought it was a beautiful and quite a sad story, actually.

That's it. So I really liked some of the stories in this book, and others were a little bit ...boring... or maybe just not really my thing. However, I do think that if I had the opportunity, I would purchase it, because I think it is a good edition to any fantasy library.

[Ari · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a short story collection edited by acclaimed anthologists Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. Most of the stories have a modern twist, and most were mediocre or downright terrible.

I may also be a little biased because I went into the book not expecting almost every story to take place in modern America, my least favorite setting for fantasy novels.

The Boys of Goose Hill, Charles de Lint: ** dumb

Catnyp, Delia Sherman: *, stupid

Elvinbrood, Tanith Lee: **, only thing I enjoyed was the surprise at the end

Your Garnet Eyes, Katherine Vaz: ***** Loved the unique setting & colorful writing.

Tengu Mountain, Gregory Frost: *** I don't think the author has any real knowledge of this culture.

The Faery Handbag, Kelly Link: *** great concept, stupid characters

The Price of Glamour, Steve Berman: * Yawn

The Night Market, Holly Black: ***** And this is why we love her!

Never Never, Bruce Glassco: * Ugh... I just in general don't like ridiculous fanfics of Peter Pan, especially when you throw in Nazis and giant robots for the heck of it.

Screaming for Faeries, Ellen Steiber: * lasjdnflaskdfn

Immersed in Matter, Nina Kiriki Hoffman: * So lame.

Undine, Patricia A. Mckillip: **** Pretty good, actually humorous mermaid story

The Oakthing, Gregory Maguire: ***** Stunning

Foxwife, Hiromi Goto: ***** Hooray for beautiful, well-crafted Japanese folklore!

The Dream Eaters, A. M. Dellamonica: * Possibly worst story in collection, except for the next one

The Shooter and the Heartrock Waterhole, Bill Congreve: * You know a SHORT story must be pretty bad when I can't even get through 20 pages.

The Annals of Eilin-Oak: * booooooring

De la Tierra, Emma Bull: * I had high hopes for you, Emma Bull, after hearing such good things about War of the Oaks. Maybe I was just sick of reading terrible stories, but for some reason I couldn't take to your writing style....

How to Find Faery, Nina Fry: * Worst piece of poetry I've ever read, ever.

So while there were a few gems (The Oakthing, Foxwife), some of the other stories kind of ruined the anthology for me as a whole.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellen Datlow e Terry Windling estabeleceram ao longo dos anos uma reputação como editores de antologias de fantasia de qualidade. "The Feary Reel", uma antologia de histórias YA originais sobre fadas também mantém um bom padrão. Estas não são histórias vitorianas pitorescas sobre fadas com asas. Estas remetem antes ao folclore sobre as criaturas que podem ser boas ou más, perigosas ou bondosas.

Muitos dos nomes mais conhecidos da fantasia moderna estão representados neste volume: Charles de Lint, Delia Sherman, Tanith Lee, Katherine Vaz, Gregory Frost, Kelly Link, Steve Berman, Holly Black, Bruce Glassco, Ellen Steiber, Nini Kiriki Hoffman, Neil Gaiman, Patricia McKillip, Gregory Maguire, Hiromi Goto, AM Dellamonica, Bill Congreve, Jeffrey Ford, Emma Bull, e Fry Nan. As antologias são desiguais, sendo algumas histórias mais fortes do que outras.

Além disso, "The Reel do país das fadas" tem um bônus. Uma maravilhosa introdução ao Conto de Fadas e sua história na cultura popular. Creio que será uma pena não ler este maravilhoso prefácio.

As histórias refletem as diferentes formas em que as fadas são tradicionalmente encontradas e incluem localidades urbanas e rurais, familiares e exóticas. Muitas têm um toque de horror. "Mountain Tengu" de Gregory Frost, por exemplo, é um encontro entre um menino inocente japonês e goblins. "The Dream Eaters" de A.M. Dellamonica é igualmente frio, embora na sua configuração seja uma realidade alternativa urbana. Por outro lado, Patricia McKillip de "Undine", é uma história em que a femme fatale da lenda se encontra com o mundo moderno. Delia Sherman em "Catnyp" transforma o catálogo da Biblioteca Pública de Nova York num leão mágico e apresenta uma história sobre crescimento pessoal de um jovem. "Peter Pan" ganha um atualização adulta em Glassco de "Never Never".

Como muita da fantasia actual, "The Reel país das fadas" está a ser comercializado como um livro YA, mas é também muito satisfatório para leitores adultos. Seria uma vergonha se os potenciais leitores o perdessem por causa do rótulo. Recomendo este livro para qualquer amante de contos de fadas.

[Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Ah, anthologies: one of my more dreaded reading experience types. It's not as if I haven't found favor with them over the years, just that to do so requires a different kind of effort than what I'm used to exerting in the post-workday hours where the auto-didactic regimen typically encompasses two authors, each in their own carefully separated (if never completely distinct) spheres of influence. Here, I encounter long ago devotionals (Gaiman, Black), recent disappointments (de Lint), workplace recognitions (Link) and intermittent reunions (Lee, Bull), and I have to say, the quality of the vast majority of these pieces did not make me all that eager to revisit the authors whom I had left in a more or less positive light (McKillip, Maguire). It is probably for the best, then, that I had the best of luck with a handful of new to me names (Goto, Congreve, Ford), all clustered near the end of this work, Goto in particular inspiring me enough to commit to her The Kappa Child (what can I say: show rather than tell, the slightest edge of seductive cruelty, a healthy dose of queer, and I'm there). Still, 500 pages is quite a bit to go through for so few results, and the fact that this work is typically shelved in teen nonfiction only denotes a simpler reading time, not one free of wincing secondhand embarrassment. As such, if you're curious about any of these authors, I would highly recommend seeking out their works in and of themselves and resorting to this only as a backup. Variety is indeed the spice of life, but so is experiencing authors in their proper contexts, and there's a chance I waited ten years too long for the majority of those included.

So in time she straightened her shoulders and went to tend the fire, pour the milk, hector her granddaughter, confound the enemy, mop out the rain that seeped in under the door, and mourn, in a dry-eyed way, the living and the dead.

-Gregory Maguire, "The Oakthing"

[Maureen E · Rating 3 out of 5]

ed. by Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow

I finished this one in a hurry last night because it was due back at the library. So my thoughts on the last few stories are sketchier than for some of the earlier ones.

I liked "Catnyp" by Delia Sherman quite a bit. It had a fun twist on even the Beauty and the Beast, heroine saving the hero, theme. And I (naturally) loved the library setting.

"Your Garnet Eyes" by Katherine Vaz was gorgeous: beautifully written, with lovely characterization, and an unusual and interesting setting.

I found "The Faery Handbag" by Kelly Link to be unexpected and haunting. It was also a little bittersweet in the way some fairy tales are. It had a sense of hope, without tying things up too neatly.

I really, really liked "Immersed in Matter" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. I felt that it successfully managed to avoid the "I'm doing a fairy tale variation now" feeling. There was also a lovely use of first person, and I really enjoyed the world building, which felt unusually complete for a short story.

The major disappointment of the book was "Undine" by Patricia McKillip. The conflict felt out of place and forced, as well as very Message-y (I don't care what the message is, if I feel like the author is writing a story to make a point, I'm not going to like it).

I also liked A. M. Dellamonica's "Dream-eaters," which restored my faith in urban fantasy (I am not keen on that genre, for the most part. I may have read all the wrong books though).

Overall, I thought it was a strong anthology, certainly much stronger than the other Windling/Datlow anthologies I've read.

Book source: Western Oregon

[Kerry]

Book review of The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

This anthology begins with an excellent introduction into faery lore written by Terri Windling and moves on to include engaging stories by excellent authors.

Charles de Lint, Nan Fry, and Neil Gaiman offered poetry that begs to be read aloud. Short stories by Delia Sherman and Holly Black give insight into what might happen when the land of the fay infiltrates the modern world. Katherine Vaz, Emma Bull, Hiromi Goto, Bill Congreve, and Gregory Frost’s stories provided international flare.

The Annals of Eelin-Ok by Jeffrey Ford tells of charming, short-lived creatures whose existence is empowered by child-built sand castles. Patricia A. McKillip’s Undine weaves a bit of environmentalism into her fairy tale. Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s fair folk hero shape-shifts into a deeper understanding of self. Steve Berman’s The Price of Glamour brings the curious fey into the realm of Victorian London, and Kelly Link’s work landed them in The Garment District.

My daughter enjoyed The Dream Eaters by A.M. Dellamonica and Ellen Steiber’s Screaming for Faeries best, while Gregory Maguire’s The Oakthing and Bruce Glassco’s Never Never most appealed to my son. My absolute favorite was Tanith Lee’s Elvenbrood, with its sibling love and familial understanding.

Charles Vess provided black and white sketches to enrich the reading experience, and at the conclusion of the book is a list of recommended further reading.

This is a lovely collection of varied stories, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys the tradition that fairies are not all pixie dust and sugarplums. The varied glimpses of “beyond the veil” provided in this book is sure to leave an impression.

[Pepper Thorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the past I have not been a huge fan of short story collections but this book has changed my mind. I really enjoyed nearly every story in this anthology. The only story that sticks in my mind as less than satisfactory. It was a Peter Pan story from Captain Hook's point of view. I don't generally like this kind of story and even though this one had some interesting ideas it didn't manage to strike a chord with me. Neil Gaimen's poem was, on the other hand, brilliant. Another gem was "Screaming for Faeries" by Ellen Steiber. As I look back over the table of contents I find story after story that I would recommend to a friend or want to read again in the future.

One feature that I really appreciated was the extensive further reading list in the back. It is even broken down into sub-lists I also liked the author notes that went along with each story or poem. I always enjoy reading an author's thoughts about a particular work. Of course, the cover and interior art by Charles Vess is worth the price of admission alone. Overall this was an excellent anthology and based on it I will happily buy others from now on.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one took quite a while to finish, as it was very thick. I don't usually read too much fantasy, but I guess after reading The Green Man (a similar anthology I highly reccomend) and Wings (one of my most favorite books ever) I was interested in this collection of retellings and fairy stories from across the globe.

Stories/poems I liked: The Boys of Goose Hill, CATNYP, The Faery Handbag, The Price of Glamour, The Night Market, Never Never, Screaming for Faeries, Immersed in Matter, Undine, The Oakthing, The Faery Reel, The Annals of Eelin-Ok, How to Find Faery

Stories I just couldn't get into: Elvenbrood, Your Garnet Eyes, Tengu Mountain, Foxwife, The Dream Eaters, The Shooter at the Heatrock Waterhole, De La Tierra

As you can see, this was quite a mixed bag. But thankfully, the good ones are usually REALLY good. The Preface, Introduction, Author's Notes, and Further Reading supplement the anthology well.

[Americanogig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Named after a poem/song by Neil Gaiman, The Faery Reel is full of goodies about the fey. Although I cannot call myself a connoisseur of faery, I have read my fair share (the most notable being Susannah Clarke's work)and am compelled to recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested. What I love about this anthology is that it covers a very wide definition of "fairies" (selkies, mermaids, Tam Lin...). I loved the modern interpretations and was thrilled by those based in ancient folklore. For sure a "good read". My favorite would probably still be The Fairy Handbag, even though I had read it in another short story collection.

"If you don't hear the Fairy Reel,

they will not pause to steal your breath.

When I was young I was a fool.

So wrap me up in dreams and death."

[Janus the Erudite Artist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always been in love with fairytales so I just had to have this book. I practically heard it calling me from the bookshelf of one of my favorite bookstores. LOL.

I loved the variety of faerie culture that this book has offered and I enjoyed reading different tales about the Fair Folk.

I can’t say that I specifically had a favorite but there were stories that stood out to me more than the others, like Undine by Patricia McKillip and the Night Market by Holly Black. The latter was very significant to me because it had bits and pieces of our Filipino mythical creatures, the Enkanto to be specific.

Anyway, I really like this anthology and I’m very much pleased to have this on my bookshelf.

For more of my reviews, please visit my blog:
The Blair Book Project @ www.theblairbookproject.blogspot.com

[Tommy Demsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kinda wish I wasn't this brief, but I'm not in a mood for a longer review now, especially for a collection of short stories and not just one novel. So just a few words on this one:

I liked this collection of faerie stories because its target was to depict these magical beings as they were known before they became a safe creatures for children. The introduction is a well written background on the history of fairies in literature and myths, from the description of their Seelie and Unseelie Courts to... well, yes, even to Tinkerbell. But mostly, these are the faeries who are feared and distrusted, for their mischievous and often even cruel nature. But the stories themselves, although fun to read, don't stand out that much above the average. It was nonetheless a fun book and those who like fantasy tales will undoubtedly enjoy them as a fine recreational read.

[Lindsay Farassat · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been nearly seven years since I first read this and there are still several stories that stand out vividly in my mind. Chief among them is "The Annals of Eelin-Ok", which is a wonderfully imaginative story about a fairy that can only come to life inside sandcastles built by children, and its entire lifespan is the amount of time it takes the tide to come in and wash the sandcastle away. Then there is "Tengu Mountain", which takes place around (from what I can tell) near-ancient Japan and chronicles a young man's encounters with tengu, trickster creatures of Japanese mythology. Holly Black's "The Night Market" features a flirtatious being called an enkanto, a type of tree spirit. Then there's "Fox Wife", which has another familiar Japanese trickster, the kitsune. All in all, this is one of the better collections by Datlow and Windling that I have read. It was also my first.

[Barrita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uno de los primeros audiolibros que puedo escuchar de principio a fin. Confieso que llegué a él por ciertos autores, pero me llevé una grata sorpresa con el resto.

Lo mejorcito para mi fueron las historias de Gregory Maguire, Charles de Lint, Patricia A. McKillip, Jeffrey Ford y Tanith Lee, pero lo demás no tiene desperdicio.