Do you remember what reading was like when in high school? There was no particular pressure to be anywhere else than on the couch with a bowl of red apples in reach and an Anne McCaffrey in your hand. Chores, messy room, homework, baby brother… none of that bothered me. If I found a new fantasy novel, I would throw myself on the couch and not get up for hours. I used to sketch thin fairies with ragged wings on the margins of my math notes. Dragons with curly tails, breathing fire, on the cover of my social studies notebook. Back then, I had command of the fantasy market: an understanding of who the best writers were, and when their next books were coming out.
Then life intervened. I haven’t really read a fantasy novel in years, unless you count Terry Pratchett, and I think of him as more satirical than fantastical. By pure fantasy, I mean a novel featuring a world in which fairies and dragons live right alongside humans (or at least some version of humans).
Last week I was in a bookstore with Connie Brockway, mournfully looking at the place where Affair Before Christmas should have been (”What?” the teenage bookseller said. “What’ya call it? The Fair? I don’t see it anywhere.”). You have to understand that on the first day a book comes out, foolish authors take themselves off to stores hoping to see their novel, even when they are old enough to know better. Books often don’t get shelved on the first day they’re out… so there I was, with a drooping lower lip, and Connie instantly recognized that I needed to revert to comfort reading.
She dragged me into the sci fi section and gave me Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks. Wow. As Neil Gaimon says on the front, “Emma Bull is really good.” This is one of the most fascinating and grown up books of fantasy I’ve ever read. Let’s face it — most fantasy novels tend to be heavy on naked river nymphs with big breasts & foreign planets with weird inhabitants. In short: fantasy.
But Emma Bull takes the medium and turns it on its head. Eddi McCandry is a singer in a two-bit band that goes from bad to worse in the opening scene of the book. Her boyfriend is awful, and she dumps him five minutes too late. She’s a loser in life, if not in music.
I don’t even like alternative rock, and I was utterly fascinated by Eddi’s life, both in music and magic, especially after she finds herself caught between the world of faerie and the world of humans — crucial to a faerie war, and (therefore) accompanied by a couple of very different, and equally attractive, faerie “men.” She’s a feisty, funny heroine with a hilarious streak of common sense. When a huge black dog changes into a dark warrior before her eyes, and then back, she heads for the pound. But her scrappy, loyal self makes you love her and worry about her — especially once the war heats up and she’s in the line of fire. She and the gorgeous rock-n-roller who joined her band… and the equally beautiful man who happens to get shaggy once in a while… and the –
I don’t want to tell you about all the fascinating characters in the book because that’s part of the pleasure. I do want to mention one more thing, though: this book is set in Minneapolis. And when I mean “set in,” the city is not just a backdrop — it’s an integral part of the book. Emma Bull manages to give it a New York exotic tinge, a delicious, envy-making sense of a place alive with alternative music and wise-cracking funny people who you’d love to live next to.
And did I mention that there is a really lovely romance here? I didn’t want this book to end. I really really wanted it to be one of a series… which it isn’t. In fact, I believe Emma Bull only wrote one other book, which I haven’t been able to find yet. This is a book you really shouldn’t miss — a book that romance and fantasy readers will both love!
14 Comments
Hi Eloisa,
It sounds like a great book. You know Baby Girl is heavy into fairies, sprites, etc.. Maybe I’ll fly into that world for a while to see what all the fuss is about.
I am also so happy you got to hang out with Connie while you were searching for AABC.
I just think you’re site gets better and better much like your writing and ‘natch, you.
Hugs,
Santa
Hey Santa,
Thanks! And you should try out fantasy. It’s paranormal, without the blood drinking (which never works all that well for me). It’s like paranormal-light. Enchantment Inc was another great fairy romance.
And thanks for the website praise!!
Eloisa
Sounds like my kind of book. I like to mix my reads up…historical, paranormal, mystery, fantasy…you get the idea. Keeps me young.
Hi Eloisa,
When I looked this book up on my library’s website it said it was shelved in the Teen section. Is this a book my 12 year old could read? She is in advanced Language Arts and is reading at a HS level (and is eating up books quicker than we can get them for her). She just finished Twilight and loved it. I know, being a good mom, I should read everything she does beforehand. But I’m telling ya, with the books on my TBR pile and everything else I have going on right now adding her whole TBR pile on top of that is quite daunting!
Welcome to the very exclusive club of “People Who Adore Emma Bull”! Seriously, War for the Oaks was one of the very first books that I loved so much I started giving copies of it away. If you’re looking for something with the same urban fairy atmosphere, you might try the early books in Meredith Lackey’s “Bedlam’s Bard” series (don’t hit me!)
Hi Eloisa! This book sounds fantastic… I’m definitely going to be reading it. I love the description of the novel… plus I have a soft spot for heroines who appear to be losers in life but really aren’t.
There’s an enormous amount of good fantasy writing out there, free of overly endowed nymphs.
I don’t mean to be overly critical, but how startling to hear a genre writer paint another genre with such broad strokes.
“Most fantasy novels tend to be heavy on naked river nymphs” and yet I’ve read so very many that are full of wit and fully formed characters, strong heroines who dress appropriately for the weather included.
If readers blanketed entire genres in the overused stereotypes, how would any of us have found your writing?
Emma Bull has written a couple other books–her latest, Territory, is an alternative examination of the shootout at the OK corral. Sounds weird, but is excellently done and I think also has a planned sequel. She’s also written something else about fairies–Borderlands?? Also good, but read Territory first.
Irisheyes-thanks for pointing out that this is shelved in the teen section. It sounds right up my teen’s alley. Maybe Santa will have to slip it in his stocking.
I loved this book as well.
Please could you make a history of jemma and elijah soon is just that i can’t wait to see whta’s going to happed next.!!!!!!!
you write a wonderful story. The regency period with the morals, romance, scandels and the old morose family retainers is my favorite
I love the humor in your novels. please write more for you surely have a gift. Thank you for some delightful reads. sincerly, barbara
Point to Chris (10 Dec)! Emma Bull has written about half a dozen books, all that I’ve read outstanding and thought-provoking. Historical-political-fantasy-romance Freedom and Necessity bends a number of genres. Latest venture is an online screenplay, the Shadow Unit, with episodes written by a consort of urban fantasy writers. Fantastic!
I know this is old, just wanted to weigh in. I love this book - I’ve almost worn it out. I personally think the pooka (black dog) is sort of meant to be similar to Prince (from When Angels Cry days).
I also wanted to recommend that you read any book by R.A. MacAvoy (excluding her Lens of the World series). Tea with the Black Dragon,
Damiano, Raphael, The Book of Kells - I envy any one reading these for the first time. I can’t recommend her highly enough. As good as Emma Bull is, she can’t hold a candle to this lady at her best.
After that, if you are lucky enough to find any copies, try any of the three books written by the genius Barry Hughart. You can still sample them at Amazon, and I take my hat off to them for not letting them fade away (these books were published in the 1980’s). I just bought myself The Bridge of Birds for Christmas, and plan on buying the other two also. I can never forget the amazing characters Master Li (he has a slight flaw in his character) and his sidekick Number Ten Ox.
I cut and pasted this from a review of Damiano: “MacAvoy has a way of bringing me into every scene, using precise language and memorable detail:
“His mind was flooded with the memory of this very pasture in the green of summer, when his father would treat the sheep with tar poultices and incantation. Grass up to his half-grown knees, except where the flocks had cropped it. It had been cool then, in the mountains, but pleasant. Sheep’s milk. Napping at midday, surrounded by curious, odorous, half-grown lambs.” “