Review: Emma Bull’s “War for the Oaks”
Science fiction, as you may have noticed, is my first love. Once in a while, however, I’ll stray from the path and venture into the land of fantasy. The works of Terry Goodkind and Robert Jordan top the list of fantasy books I’ve read in recent years, but quite by chance I found a book by Emma Bull on my “read these next” stack. Perfect! I was hoping for something new and exciting to read.
But wait! Check out the publishing date: “War for the Oaks” was first published in 1987. Guess I’m a little late to the party.
Emma Bull’s “War for the Oaks” is a modern fairy tale. Eddi McCandry is a struggling Minneapolis musician who, right after dumping her boyfriend and leaving his band, gets drafted into a centuries-old civil war between two faerie factions. Yeah, she doesn’t buy it either, but the weird guy who keeps turning into a dog convinces her.
McCandry is mortal, but the “good” faeries need her mortality to give them the edge in their war. Like many books that venture into the paranormal - Laurel K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series comes to mind - “War for the Oaks” treats otherwordly things as if they happen every day. The Phouka, the aforementioned shapeshifter, has picked Eddi (for reasons unknown to her) to aid the Seelie Court, the highest faerie court in the land. He is both jailer and protector to Eddi, and when he opens her eyes to the “other” world around her, the supernatural becomes commonplace. The plot thickens when she finds out the Phouka isn’t the only faerie being close to her.
“War for the Oaks” has a witty and wry tone, one that suits its characters well, particularly Eddi. I like Eddi McCandry. Now, I realize I’m *supposed* to like her, what with Eddi being the protagonist and all, but Bull wrote her in a way that makes me think liking her is my own idea. She is gutsy and stubborn, and always seems to know what is the “right thing to do”, even if she doesn’t choose to do it. And she doesn’t balk when it becomes apparent that the faeries could use a little human guidance when it comes to love.
What’s good: At times, I felt as if I was as much in the dark as Eddi, but Bull does a great job of revealing just a few details at a time. The result is a swift-moving story with just the right amount of revelation. The magical imagery isn’t over the top, the dialogue flows beautifully back and forth between everyday chatter and fanciful faerie tongue and never once seems contrived. Minneapolis natives (and “Purple Rain” fans) will recognize the landmarks and street names that set the stage of the story and keep part of it firmly planted in reality. The character interaction between Eddi and the Phouka is crisp and direct - these two make it very clear to each other what their roles are, even when those roles change.
What’s bad: ah, the sign of a good novel - it was too short. The final good vs. evil confrontation made perfect sense, but seemed to arrive too quickly, and I still can’t believe the bad guys agreed to the terms. The characterizations are shallow, but this doesn’t exactly hurt the story and actually keeps things moving along nicely.
I highly recommend “War for the Oaks”, not just for fantasy fans, but also for folks who want something a little different that doesn’t require a ten-novel commitment. Check it out!
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- Review: Elizabeth Moon’s “Marque And Reprisal”
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