War for the Oaks

War for the Oaks (1987) Emma Bull

Wow. I’ve been bypassing this book for years. Initially, because wasn’t on the shelves. Then when the reprint came out, because the cover made it look like something I wouldn’t like.

Boy was I wrong.

And I shouldn’t have been, because I liked Freedom & Necessity, which she co-wrote with Steven Brust, and I’ve liked all her short stories I’ve come across in various anthologies. But I never picked up War for the Oaks. (Okay, there’s also the fact that I’ve never come across it used. I’m much more likely to pick up books when I’m uncertain about the cover, if I can find the book used.)

In tone, War for the Oaks reminds me of a cross between Charles de Lint –there’s a magical world that’s just out of reach for most of us, and the people most likely to slip over to that world are musicians and artists. That’s what happens to Eddi McCandry. Faerie needs a mortal for their wars, and the phouka has selected her for the task. All he has to do is make Eddi come to terms with the idea.

What I love best about this book is the characters. Especially the phouka. Although I can see that he might be annoying as all getout, I think he would also be a lot of fun in person.

I also loved the fact that it was set in the mid 80s, so I got all kinds of musical references to 80s music PLUS lots of mention of Prince. (Yes, I was a huge Prince fan in the 80s and early 90s.)

There were two things that I didn’t like as well. The first few chapters struck me as overwritten, however, once the book got going, that feeling disappeared, and I was sucked in, especially to the dialog. The other thing that bothered me, was that Stuart seemed to get off scott-free. Of course he might have been dealt with by the Unseelie Court, but I had a hard time believing that Eddi was just willing to let things go so easily.

But those were two small details in an otherwise fantastic story. The writing was good, I loved the characters, I loved the dialog, and I was pulled into the story by the second chapter, and didn’t want to put the book down if I didn’t have to.

If you love Charles de Lint, or Neil Gaiman’s American Gods or Anansi Boys, then you should enjoy Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks.
Rating: 9/10

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