Faeries's mischievous denizens

I’ve written about fantasy novels before but, as with any genre, there’s considerable variation within this type of story. Today, I’d like to take a closer look at the set of fantasy works that deal with the mythical “world” of Faerie and it’s magical inhabitants.

I’m discussing Faerie in hopes of expanding the “muggle’s” perception of what fantasy is all about. When people picture fantasy literature, they often see nothing but magical swords and gray bearded magicians in the admittedly distinguished tradition of “Lord of The Rings” and it’s antecedents in Norse mythology. In a fictional genre where every wizard looks like Gandalf and every hero-king smells faintly of Numenor, Faerie and it’s mischievous, punky denizens offer ongoing potential for fresh approaches to storytelling and unexpected reinterpretations of myth.

The characteristics of Faerie can vary according to the cultural context or whims of the author, but it owes a lot to folklore of the British Isles. The name is derived from the word fae or fey (spelling varies) which is an overarching term for the fair folk or little people: elemental sprites, sentient plant/animal spirits, various mythical beasts, and the occasional charmed or cursed human.

The population of faerie is frequently divided into two courts: Seelie and Unseelie which are variously associated with good and evil or sometimes simply night and day. Finally, Faerie is clearly separated from the mortal world. Sometimes the separation is physical: a fence or border or barrier, either natural or “manmade.” More often, though, Faerie simply exists as a sort of extra layer in the normal world, but can’t be seen under ordinary circumstances.

There are plenty of amazing novels and stories featuring human interaction with the magical realm and I’ve put together a list of a few I’ve read recently.

First is the “Essential Bordertown,” a collection of short fiction by a diverse group of fantasy writers. It’s a good introductory course and, since it’s all short stories, should be easy to take or leave.

Two more recent offerings are Holly Black’s “Tithe” and Elizabeth Bear’s “Blood and Iron.” “Tithe” is on the gritty end of what I’d safely consider to be young adult fantasy, but it wins points for originality and engaging style. The protagonists are teen runaways who wind up working as couriers of a faerie drug that allows them to temporarily adopt magical powers. I just started “Blood and Iron” so I can’t offer much of a review or synopsis, but it’s looking good so far.

Also worth mentioning is Cassandra Clare’s in-progress “Mortal Instruments” trilogy. I get teased for loving these books because they’re not tremendously original, but they make for easy reading and I maintain a soft spot for the author because she’s an old-school fanfic writer turned successful pro. 

This is far from being a comprehensive (or even exhaustively researched) list of recommendations, but that’s fine by me. After all, it just means I still have plenty of literary magic left to discover.