Elves Books

This is not the typical SiFi/Fantasy nock off from someone else's over done adventure, and it's great for it! The Author introduces brilliant concepts and fun characters in a regular every day real world tone, leaving the reading pondering, "could this happen to me?!" With the unique concepts, worlds, and characters in this book, it's a must read original story. This book was so packed with action, emotion, adventure, and a subtle twist, that I couldn't put it down. Finally, a good ORIGIONAL fantasy read!

Marching with Elves: A Galactic Triumph in Marmellia

This an very well writen sourcebook that details Golarion elves, bringing to them back to a deep feling of fantasy that reminds me of Lord of the Ring Elves.
From the elven cultures to elven foods, feats of archery and the realm of Kyonin, this is a book that fans of Golarion(Pathfinder RPG Setting) and elves must have.

Since you're checking out the Amazon listing for the 3rd volume in the Poison Elves saga, I'll assume you're familiar with the series and the twisted genius that is Drew Hayes. If you're not familiar with Poison Elves, you're probably better off checking out Poison Elves Vol. 1 (Requiem for an Elf) (Poison Elves) or even Poison Elves, Volume Five: Sanctuary (Poison Elves), both of which are good jumping-on points for new readers. Though to be fair, I started the series with this particular volume.

Volume 3: Desert of the Third Sin is where the Poison Elves series really starts heating up. Up until now, you get the sense that Drew was experimenting with different styles of storytelling, fleshing out Lusiphur's character, and establishing the world in which the story takes place. Sure there was a continuity, and events in one issue built upon events in previous issues, but the series seemed more like a loose collection of adventures (adventures in this case being categorized as either (a) barroom brawls, or (b) blood-drenched encounters with demonlords, doppelgangers, or just plain psychos) than an actual saga.

In Desert of the Third Sin, things really start to happen. In a nutshell, Luse goes out into the desert to release a genie from a lamp. He gets the requisite three wishes, and in doing so drastically reshapes his future. This is where Luse acquires the magical sword Cinlach, battles an elvin Warduke, encounters the wizard Tenth for the first time, makes an enemy of the dimension-jumping assassin Widowmaker, and begins his partnership with Jace. In short, all of the major events in Lusiphur's future spring from what takes place in this book.

Hayes is really on top of his game here. Every aspect of his storytelling, from the plot to the razor-sharp dialogue to the artwork - is just fantastic. Drew Hayes is an unrecognized master storyteller, and this is one of his finest moments.

NOTE: The issues contained in this book are also available in Poison Elves: The Mulehide Years (Volume 1-4) (Poison Elves), which collects volumes 1-4 into one huge trade paperback. If you don't already own the individual books, that may be your best bet.

This is a wonderful fairy story and collectible, and it's not just for kids. Ms. Barker's artwork is best displayed on the cover illustration, so don't mistake this for the type of art in Barker fairy calendars. The illustrations inside the book are line drawings. While they perfectly fit the story and the old-fashioned feel of this fairy tale, they are not very detailed or in color. My daughter and I both love fairies and we liked the excitement and suspense of this book, even though it is very short. Rose has to find another home, might soon run out of fairy dust and be unable to make magic, runs into elves in the bramble who like to cause mischief, etc. The book was very exciting to read. What I particularly like about it is that it is not written in overly simple language. I like reading books with language that is like that in older storybooks and fairy tale books, and my daughter likes to be challenged. She wouldn't even read the I Can Read series books because she said they weren't real stories. I agree. Even though they are probably good for teaching reading, they mostly contain a list of simple sentences that sort of relate to each other, but sometimes don't because they don't flow very well. This book flows well and is written as it should be with words like "unexpectedly, lovliest, sympathetically, chaos, and undergrowth" that fit the story and probably won't give many young readers problems because it's obvious what's going on from the rest of the story. This is a good way for kids to learn things. In addition to being a fairy lover, I appreciate that this is well written and not purposely geared to five and six-year-old readers, because I think that tends to make some books less good than they could be.
Other fairy books and series we are also enjoying:
Mimosa and the River of Wisdom (The Fairy Chronicles)
Fairy Realm #10: The Rainbow Wand (Fairy Realm)

This is a wonderful Christmas story. My family has borrowed the tradition of putting an almond into the pot of cooked oatmeal on Christmas morning--whoever gets the almond will have luck in the upcoming year!

Santa Quits is a great book for all ages. Santa is asked by a young boy to give up smoking so that he can be healthy for years to come. Santa takes the request seriously and goes through all the same pitfalls that anyone trying to quit smoking goes through: he starts eating, gains weight, gets grouchy and finally can't even fit into his magical red suit. With the help of a small elf Santa begins to eat healthier, exercise, and get healthier. A truly heartwarming book, whether you're seven or seventy!

If you've ever wondered if the elves at the North Pole were hot, wonder no more. This book is a fantastic look at some sexy elves in the employ of Santa. It's about a half human, half elf family of six siblings each with their own special talents and problems. If you like elves, you will like this book!

'The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Faunes and Fairies' written in 1691 by the now near mythic Scottish, Christian minister Robert Kirk (1640-1692) is still the classic work in the genre of fairie folklore and a must read and own for anyone serious about the subject matter.

Written in the 17th century, it's an extremely difficult read due to differences in writing style, sentence structure and phrasing, spelling and divergent meanings to various words. Despite the difficulties involved this work is mandatory reading for any would be explorer into the world of the "Little People" so find yourself a comfortable chair in a quiet room and just put in the effort and read. No Pain, No Gain!

Anyone interested in folklore and forteana should seek out original source material whenever possible, and this is the real deal. Written by a Scottish clergyman who believed his status as a seventh son gave him special insight into the world of Celtic fairydom, this book is a fascinating account of 17th century folk belief, including eyewitness accounts and interesting interpretations of encounters. Andrew Lang's introduction, which is nearly as long as the book, is also well worth reading even if his personal opinions/prejudices overshadow his commentary. Whatever your view of the existence of Otherworld elves and fairies, this book is great food for thought.

Christmas is coming and Mrs. Claus is standing in Santa's workshop worried, because the Black Forest Elves are nowhere to be seen. Santa says he thinks they may have gone home for a vacation. Mrs. Claus says that there is so much work to be done and Santa says, not to worry, he's sure they'll be able to do the work he's assigned them.

In another workshop far from the North Pole a shoemaker named Heinrich and his wife are very worried, because they only have enough leather left for one pair of shoes and they have no money for more. When they wake the next morning, someone had snuck in and turned that leather into a fine pair of shoes which he sells for a nice price. Now Heinrich can afford enough leather for two pair of shoes and the next night someone again turns Heinrich's leather into fine shoes and so it goes, night after night someone sneaks into Heinrich's shoeshop and makes wonderful shoes that people come from far and wide to buy.

So one night Heinrich and his wife stay awake and hide, because they want to see who is helping them and to their surprise it's a gaggle of elves. They decide to make the elves some Christmas presents and they make them new shoes and new clothes, which they find on Christmas morning. Nobody had ever made the elves Christmas presents before.

Now the question is, who sent the elves to help out the shoemaker and his wife? Who do you think?