Elves Books

The Barrel in the Basement is the greatest!!! Two little elves, also called Furkens, are looking for a new place to live. One of them is Pudding, and one of them is Muttle. On their way they bump into a cat, who wants to eat them. A long time ago, the Furkins looked very different, they didn't have all the hair that covered their whole bodies except their faces, they wern't scared, rather they were very brave, and most of all, they lost their ability to vanish. Now they looked almost exactly like one of their greatest enemies: Mice. But they smelled like warm apricot jam. By telling this to the cat, the cat finnaly let them go. Then they came across a beautiul house. In the basement they found a barrel. It looked just like a Furkin's house should look. Inside they found an old Furkin. His house is filled with funiture made from wood, and eats only Furkin food. The big questions that Pudding and Muttle are wondering are: How does the old Furkin keep himself from being noticed by the human who lives in the house? And where did he get all the furniture?

I found this a great book. It had adventure, lessons, and even funny parts!!! I recomend tjhis book for everyone to read. Enjoy!!!

Meet the world of Furkens - the race of Elves that has forgotten how to turn invisible. This book is like "The Hobbit" for kids. It is well written, imaginative and fun. The book left my child and I wanting to know more. We're eager to read the next book about their adventures.

This is an extremely readable selection of 26, out of about 156, of Hans Andersen tales. As the brief but very fine and helpful introduction by Naomi Lewis points out, these tales are perhaps more for adults than children, as Andersen himself wanted them to be. Most of them have a darker side. I also believe that the eminent literary critic, Harold Bloom, includes Andersen in his select list of short story writers qualified to be part of the Western canon. I did prefer some of the collection's early and middle tales, such as "Little Claus and Big Claus," "The Travelling-Companion," and "The Little Mermaid" to a handful of the later ones like "She was Good for Nothing," or "The Family and the Gardener." It seems that Andersen's true imaginary gifts shine best where his writing is least in step with the real world.

The very short 1981 edition currently before me features black and white illustrations by Philip Gough, and was translated by Naomi Lewis.

There's been a trend lately for fantasy authors to take traditional fairy tales and retell them, either as novels (as in Mercedes Lackey's case, or Peggy Kerr's _The Wild Swans_) or short stories (Tanith Lee did this even before Terri Windling came along). Hans Christian Andersen's little gems *aren't* traditional folk tales - he did the work - but quite often serve to fuel such fires anyway.

The translator, Naomi Lewis, has included a brief introduction discussing Andersen's life and career, and a few pages of notes at the end of the book discussing the original publication and origins of each story herein.

"The Princess and the Pea", "Thumbelina", "The Emperor's New Clothes"

"The Little Mermaid" - If you're only familiar with the Disney version, I warn you that they discarded much of what makes this story truly great. When evaluating a translation of this story, a quick test is to check the last scene between the mermaid and her prince to see how well the translator captures the actions and feelings of the characters.

The youngest of the seven mer-princesses has always been more fascinated by her grandmother's tales of the world above than any of her sisters, but she has the longest to wait for her first trip to the surface on her fifteenth birthday. Since mer-folk turn into seafoam at the end of their 300 years of life and have no immortal souls, she is especially curious about her grandmother's tales of how humans, when they die, can rise into a higher world just as the merfolk rise to the ocean surface, but one the merfolk can never reach, save through a human's love. (Oscar Wilde once turned this upside-down in "The Fisherman and the Soul", a very good story in which a fisherman fell in love with a mermaid and magically cut himself free of his soul to join her in the sea.)

As each of the sisters in turn makes her first journey, we see the world through their eyes, and since each has a different temperament and their birthdays fall at different times of the year, each sees and seeks out different sights. But when the youngest princess' turn finally comes (her name is never given), she has experiences that even the 3rd sister (the most adventurous of the lot) never had: a prince's birthday celebration at sea is struck by a great storm, foundering his ship before her eyes.

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" - A toy story.

"The Nightingale" - Try Lackey's _The Eagle and the Nightingales_.

"The Ugly Duckling"

"The Snow Queen" - Check out Joan D. Vinge's novel of the same name.

"The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep" - They're porcelain figures who have fallen in love, but when her grandfather arranges a marriage for her with a mahogany carving instead, they decide to run away together.

"The Happy Family" - One of Andersen's lesser-known stories, of a little family of snails who know that they're the most important people in the world. :)

"The Goblin at the Grocer's" - The poet rescued an old book of poetry from the grocer who was using it as scrap paper, and the household goblin took offense at what was said. But when he entered the poet's room to play him a spiteful trick, he got more than he bargained for.

"Dance, Dolly, Dance" - Very short story about a poem written for little Amalie and her dolls.

This is another book a collector of Faerie art books will want to have. Pleasantly put together, it's art for the eye to relish in. There are many unique Fae inspired images to behold; ones I haven't seen in any other books I have listed in my Book List on Amazon. It's out of print so good luck finding a nice copy.

This is truly the most amazing art book on fae I have seen, aside from Brian Froud. The pictures take me to fantasy land on a regular basis. The colors couldn't be any better. Its the perfect gift for the faerie collecter, including yourself. I give it only 4 stars because it could have used more script and more pictures, although they were beautiful, I wish this book was bigger!

This is indeed a work oriented toward children, and it is a treasure. I first read it to my 5 year-old daughter. It was a bit above her head, but now that she is 7 she is asking to read it again. It is beautifully illustrated (many full color plates). Keary does not "write down" to children. This is myth at its best. I told my daughter just this week that I ranked this and George MacDonald's The Golden Key as my two favorite children's books.

I had thought when buying this book that it was a factual recollection of Norse mythology. However, I was soon to realise that in fact it was more of a childrens story book, complete with spectacular full colour illustrations. Despite this, I would not recommend this to any "hardcore" fan of the myth surrounding Odin, Thor, Loki, Frigga et al, as the author Keary has watered down the content so as to be more easily readable for children. Despite this, I still think its worth a read for all beginners and/or children!

I should have stopped reading Young Adult fiction a lifetime ago yet "Little Fur: The Legend Begins" jumped out at me from the shelf and I'm glad it did! The ecological truths it contains make it a valuable read for all ages. Following the quest and adventures of the charming heroine is a delight. Also, Little Fur has all the attributes of the Divine Feminine that are important to the cultural shift currently going on, away from patriarchal thinking and the wholesale depletion of nature's resources. Little Fur is a tiny "wise woman"; a reader of auras (by olfactory means!), a nurturer and healer of all green growing things and the woodland birds and animals. Part elf and part troll, she is a loving embodiment of sacred earth energy, a protector of the giant trees or "Old Ones" in the sacred grove, and a dweller of the "greenplace". If her feet were to touch anything not of the wild (ie. concrete) she would immediately be cast out of the wilderness and separated from the currents of earth magic forever. This powerful metaphor may point to how the collective soul of humanity (earth-dwellers all) may have been better off if the intrinsic principle of being in close proximity to the earth had been honored throughout the ages. Little Fur and her companions and allies (flora or fauna) are continually shocked by the stupidity and selfishness of the humans' activities. Most of the humans act as if they are NOT a part of the circle of earth energy. The zenith of this philosophy of separation from the natural world is represented by "rogue humans" responsible for crimes against the environment. Carrying her petition to stop them deep into a chasm underground, the beauty and spiritual truth at the heart of Little Fur's story culminates with a powerful "message to humanity" from the mystical Tree Guardian. Highly recommended.

Isobelle Carmody's LITTLE FUR: THE LEGEND BEGINS provides grades 4-6 with a cute story of a half-elf, half-troll girl who cares for a magical grove of trees in the middle of a big city. Evil forces are out to destroy them - and it's up to Little Fur to journey into the human world to save them in this engaging tale of courage and fantasy.

By all means, buy this book for a younger sibling who thinks he/she is too small to do anything. The story is about the littlest elf in a town who is selected to be sent to Santa's workshop since he was so talented. However, when little Allistar arrives, all the other elves laugh at him when he finds that he is too small to do even the smallest chores like sweeping the floor.

Then, Allistar runs out of the workshop crying and guess who finds him? Nicholas, the big elf who befriends little Allistar. He then goes with Nicholas to feed and take care of the reindeer. The little elf is so afraid that Santa will send him home that he fears to go to Santa's house to see his friend Nicholas when he learns that he wsa taken there. It is then that he learns that Nicholas is Santa and the little guy even gets to go help deliver presents on Christmas Eve.

What a great story for a little one who is always feeling left out. Little guys can do big things too and that's the moral of this story. Great story, well loved in our house. Highly recommend!

In this little story an elf named Allistar gets to travel to the North Pole. He is so excited as he arrives, but soon finds he is too little to do any of the jobs that are assigned to him.
Saddened, he is befriended by Nicholas, who doesn't mind that he is little and likes the way he does the jobs he gives him.
To the delight of Allistar, he finds out his new friend is non other than Santa himself. A really sweet tale to share at the Christmas season, showing little ones how important they are.
Shirley Johnson

Princess Ricole helps enemy Prince Blaise escape her father's castle believing he is helping her escape an arranged marriage and is taken hostage instead. They fall in love with each other but honour prevents their acknowledging of that love for the enemy. A quest for a legendary weapon, a quick battle and the expected happy ending follows.

Characters and dialogs are quite simplistic and the storyline doesn't present much of a story twist. It does resemble Chretien's Arthurian stories with a touch of the innocence lost in modern historical romances. There is but one love scene which is not 'steamy' at all (I do hate gratuitous 12-pages sex narratives).

All in all it is a surprisingly nice read for true medieval romance fans.

Quelling a disturbance between the feuding kingdoms of Mercia and Powys is no easy task when the blood lust is high. With his sword swinging in a deadly arc, Blaise ap Elisedd, prince of Powys, has joined the fury of battle, shedding the blood of many a Saxon cur before blessed reason can reassert itself, and halt his blade. God's teeth, but he should have dampened the villagers hostilities, and put an end to the bloodshed as his father bade him to do, instead of inciting a greater fury. Injured and quickly losing strength, Blaise stumbles badly, falls to his knees, and is overpowered by King Aethelbald of Mercia's men.

'Tis a fate worthy of a hotheaded fool, surely. Chained to Aethalbald's hearth like a lowly animal for the purpose of ransoming, he has time aplenty to regret his actions -- and to plot a likely escape. Ricole, the Mercian princess ministering to his wounds, could very well aid him in such an endeavor, but Blaise is yet unclear of the details. Her big, blue eyes are strikingly beautiful, and her blond hair is a perfect halo of ringlets. He really shouldn't be admiring the beauty of his enemy, however, or even acknowledging the heated flicker of attraction her comeliness inspires.

Betrothed to the King of Wessex, Ricole is desperate to foil her planned wedding a sennight hence. Persuading her father to cancel the proposed alliance is nigh impossible, as she has unwisely tipped her hand to Aethelbald, revealing her defiance and the utter contempt she feels for Cuthred of Wessex. So it's a happy quirk of fate to stumble upon her father's hostage while in the process of escaping. Blaise reluctantly agrees to escort Ricole to her sister in Caledonia if she'll agree not to raise the alarm. Any chance to escape from the clutches of Cuthred is better than no chance at all -- but is it foolhardy to trust her enemy to deliver on his promise?

Aye, Ricole admits, but what choice has she?

One Heart, One Way is a light and airy romantic adventure that will raise a reader's spirits with its gentle exploration of external pressures on a star-crossed love affair. Cornelia Amiri has an unembellished writing style and a simplistic approach to conflict development. Instead of focusing on Blaise and Ricole's inner turmoil, Ms. Amiri utilizes the conflict brewing between England and Wales to establish relationship parameters.

With their kingdoms at war, Ricole and Blaise are victims of prejudice, forced to maintain an emotional distance when their hearts are already engaged. Exactly when and how they fall in love is something of a mystery because there is little build-up towards it. Nonetheless, a sweet, sinuous chemistry adds believability and heartfelt sincerity to their quickly blossoming relationship. If Ms. Amiri's characterizations lack depth and dimension, at least they're honest and likeable and satisfy a reader's needs for peripheral plot development.

In other words, Blaise and Ricole are fully fleshed out characters from the very beginning, and require little padding or extrapolation to add weight to the storyline: a fairly cut and dried example of "what you see is you what you get." The odd reference to modern day lingo in the narrative is a little off-putting, and the dialogue is simplistic at times, but overall Ms. Amiri has captured the essence of the era, and its majestic, mystical, ballad-worthy mystique quite nicely.

It's easy to become lost in Ms. Amiri's prose, and the subtle, understated grandeur of One Heart, One Way. Aching innocence and ancient knowledge underscore this story of a spoiled princess eager to carve her own destiny, and her duty-bound prince, torn between loyalty and love. If you're looking for a sweeping, involved epic, however, I recommend you look elsewhere, as Ms. Amiri's novel is on the fast track for a happy ending (which suited my mood perfectly).

Reviewed by C.L. Jeffries

Poison Elves Volume 7: Salvation collects issues 26-39 of the Sirius-published Poison Elves series, and concludes the long running Sanctuary storyline.

For those of you unfamiliar with this excellent (and criminally underrated) series, Poison Elves is the story of an elf named Lusiphur. Now, before you get visions in your head of pretty-boy elves like Legolas or those Elfquest characters, you should know that Lusiphur (Luse, as he's known to the few people he likes well enough not to have killed) is not that kind of elf. He's a street fighting, hard drinking, mercenary/assassin described by his creator as (and I'm paraphrasing here) "having the temperament of a rattlesnake and the ability to deliver sarcasm faster than lightning hits the ground." Sound intriguing? Drew Hayes is a master storyteller, and besides getting a great non-traditional fantasy story, there is plenty of social commentary and very relevant, very cutting observations. Drew was doing this kind of thing long before Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, et al made it commonplace. And his artwork is terrific too.

Salvation wraps up the (very) long-running Sanctuary saga. In Poison Elves, Volume Five: Sanctuary (Poison Elves), Luse joins Sanctuary, a secret guild of assassins and thieves, and finds true love. You know how rare that is for someone like Lusiphur, so you can tell this means something. At the same time, Luse's pal Jace joins the Blood Guard, an elite police task force assigned to bring down Sanctuary.

Poison Elves, Volume Six: Guild War (Poison Elves) finds Luse captured by a rival guild, and the subsequent war between guilds. Not to mention the first conflict between Sanctuary and the Blood Guard. This volume also sees the involvement of the Elven High Wizard known as Tenth, Luse's ex-wife (and a powerful sorceress in her own right) Hyena, and the return of Widowmaker.

Oh, and Jace inadvertently causes Luse's new love to die.

In Salvation, Luse blasts his way out of Sanctuary and begins hunting down any member of the Blood Guard he can find, working his way up to a confrontation with Jace. In some ways, the Sanctuary saga ended with Cassie's death. This is really just the aftermath. It's a tale of bloody revenge, love, loss, and friendship...with the occasional Purple Marauder appearance and a temporary (but hysterical) sex change for the main character. You have to read it to believe it.

I can't recommend this series highly enough. When you're ready to take a break from "comics as usual", you owe it to yourself to check this series out. My recommendation is to pick up volume 5 first, as it provides an excellent introduction to the series. When you finish that one, you'll no doubt want to go back and read volumes 1-4.

NOTE: This book has a cover price of less than twenty bucks, and shouldn't be that hard to find. You may want to keep that in mind when you see people selling it for some ungodly amount.

This dramatic conclusion of the Sanctuary Tale was a great suprise! It threw everything you were expecting out of the window. Learn what Tenth has up his sleeve for Luse, and learn what happens to the rest of the Sanctuary gang. I stand behind this choice 100%.

Poison Elves Volume 8: Rogues collects issues 40-47 of the Sirius-published Poison Elves series, and serves as a transition between the Sanctuary and Elvin Fire storylines.

For those of you unfamiliar with this excellent (and criminally underrated) series, Poison Elves is the story of an elf named Lusiphur. Now, before you get visions in your head of pretty-boy elves like Legolas or those Elfquest characters, you should know that Lusiphur (Luse, as he's known to the few people he likes well enough not to have killed) is not that kind of elf. He's a street fighting, hard drinking, mercenary/assassin described by his creator as (and I'm paraphrasing here) "having the temperament of a rattlesnake and the ability to deliver sarcasm faster than lightning hits the ground." Sound intriguing? Drew Hayes is a master storyteller, and besides getting a great non-traditional fantasy story, there is plenty of social commentary and very relevant, very cutting observations. Drew was doing this kind of thing long before Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, et al made it commonplace. And his artwork is terrific too.

In Rogues, Lusiphur and Jace hit the road after the disastrous events of the Sanctuary saga. Just like in Poison Elves, Vol. 4 (Patrons) (Poison Elves), there's no such thing as a normal road trip with these two. First they encounter Cleah, an Elvin hunter who decides to harvest the boys' ears. Following that encounter, the guys hire on as werewolf hunters with another femme fatale, this one a fellow hunter named Winston. Finally, the guys come to the rescue of a tiny (and absolutely deadly) little sprite named Petunia, who decides to protect Luse as a reward for his assistance. These meetings may seem random, but all three ladies will play an important part in our heroes life in the coming issues.

While the issues collected in Rogues are a bit lighter than the Sanctuary storyline, they are still an important chapter in the Poison Elves saga. Besides, they're hysterical and absolutely fun to read.

I can't recommend this series highly enough. When you're ready to take a break from "comics as usual", you owe it to yourself to check this series out.

Great book, short but still holds a link to the next couple of graphic novels. Imensly enjoyed the penning, story and drew's mighty wit.

Poison Elves Volume 5: Sanctuary is my favorite chapter (to date) in the Poison Elves saga. This hefty trade paperback collects issues 1-12 of the Sirius-published Poison Elves series, and begins the long running Sanctuary storyline.

For those of you unfamiliar with this excellent (and criminally underrated) series, Poison Elves is the story of an elf named Lusiphur. Now, before you get visions in your head of pretty-boy elves like Legolas or those Elfquest characters, you should know that Lusiphur (Luse, as he's known to the few people he likes well enough not to have killed) is not that kind of elf. He's a street fighting, hard drinking, mercenary/assassin described by his creator as (and I'm paraphrasing here) "having the temperament of a rattlesnake and the ability to deliver sarcasm faster than lightning hits the ground." Sound intriguing? Drew Hayes is a master storyteller, and besides getting a great non-traditional fantasy story, there is plenty of social commentary and very relevant, very cutting observations. Drew was doing this kind of thing long before Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, et al made it commonplace. And his artwork is terrific too.

Besides being my favorite PE volume, I also think Sanctuary is the perfect jumping-on point for new readers. While it does make sense to start with Volume 1 (Requiem for an Elf), the early PE books are a bit rough around the edges, so to speak, and might not capture the reader as completely as this book no doubt will. Because a lot of new readers came on board with the first Sirius issue, this book serves as an excellent reintroduction to the cast of Poison Elves. You get a good idea of what makes Luse tick (and what mayhem he is capable of), you meet his friend Jace, and the first big PE epic kicks off. Essentially, Luse joins a secret guild of assassins and thieves, makes peace with what he does for a living, and finds love. All the while, an elite task force - which Jace is a member of - is relentlessly trying to bring down the guild. You just know all hell is going to break loose in volume 6!

I can't recommend this series, or this particular book, highly enough. When you're ready to take a break from "comics as usual", you owe it to yourself to check this series out.

Drew Hayes has created an intricate whirlwind of action in his fifth trade paperback. Even though this graphic novel is for mature readers only and contains scenes of graphic violence, there is more to this book than outraging parents or conservative relatives. The artwork is clean and usually simple, if the story line will allow and Hayes is a master at mixing both prose and artwork to the fullest effect. The story line is fast but engaging, and the dark, gritty tale is punctuated with moments of unexpected humor. The main character is the epitome of an antihero, and yet, he is still vulnerable and ultimately likeable. The characters react to each other in ways that seem utterly realistic and none of the characters are truly 2 dimensional. There are no flat inhabitants of Drew's strange wild world....