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Can anyone suggest any good novels that capture the feeling of the Feywild? I'm thinking about the uncaring fey, the aloof Eladrin, etc. Specifically, I am not looking to collect Tolkienish fantasy like Feist and Brooks.
I'll start with a good one: A Prince Among Men . A mid-21st century dystopian fantasy, it tells the story of King Arthur reborn. The elves and goblins are particularly fey.
__________________ I don't "tell stories" when I play D&D. I adventure. Afterward, when the gold is counted and the bodies piled high, we may tell stories about how it all went down. Or not.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel captures the mood of the alien mind set of fey. Gaimen's stardust is very good too, and don't forget Lord Dunsany who's works inspired both the above works. I would also heavily recomend changling the lost.
A second for Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell, Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series has him dealing with fey quite a bit. If you are over 18 you might find some inspiration in Laurell K Hamilton's Merry Gentry series.
The Sandman comics and related novels by Neil Gaiman feature several crossovers to Faerie. The Fair Folk are not always so fair, and there are frequently (obscure) rules by which one can interact with them. Accept an innocent-looking gift and you may unwittingly enter a bargain. A lot of this runs through the rest of Gaiman's novels even if they're not specifically about the fey.
As for non-novel sources, there's White Wolf's Changeling game. I'd also recommend watching Hellboy II and Pan's Labyrinth until your eyes bleed.
__________________ "Things are in the saddle and ride mankind." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Agreed, Susannah Clarke's Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell is virtually a blueprint for the Feywild.
Also, see Elizabeth Bear's Blood and Iron and sequels (Whiskey and Water, Ink and Steel, Hell and Earth) for some astonishing writing and truly ruthless fey.
__________________ Michele Carter, RPG Senior Editor, Wizards of the Coast
Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
Nobody said elves were nice.
Elves are bad.
Stardust, by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess.
Books of Magic #3, by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess.
Sandman #19, by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess (noticing a theme?).
In fact, here's Charles Vess' piece "Companions of the Moon":
I also recommend Changeling: The Lost. I browsed it in my local bookstore over coffee (a cliché true but one of my few rpg pleasures lacking much money or a FLGS) and it inspired me to run a Feywild-heavy campaign.
It's also worth noting that IIRC it includes a recommended reading list somewhere, though I may be confusing it with something else.
Actually talking about it makes me want to take another look..
What I've read of Gaiman I've enjoyed very much also.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roguerouge
It's only a cliche if it doesn't work. If it works, it's archetypal.
It's also worth noting that IIRC it includes a recommended reading list somewhere, though I may be confusing it with something else.
It does, the list for fictional is:
-Something Wicked This Way Comes
-Johnathon Strange & Mr. Norrel
-The Stolen Child
-The King Elfland's Daughter
-Neverwhere, Anasi Boys, American Gods, Stardust and other works by
Neil Gaiman
-Gormenghast and Titus Groan
-Fables
Funny you should mention Feist, since the only book of his I've bothered to read was called Faerie Tale. It's about a contemporary family that moves onto an estate with a tie to faerieland.
These fae are definately not nice. They draw on darker celtic and germanic legends- think Erl King, Wild Hunt, unseelie court, etc.
I liked Jack Vance's interpretation of faeries in the Lyonesse series. Perhaps a little comical in parts but heh... the Lyonesse series is close to my favourite.
Best Regards
Herremann the Wise
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He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder. Tad Williams
Also check out the works of Brian Froud, although they do relate more to the boggart-y, pexyish, mischievous side of fae than the more aloof and mysterious elements. They are great to drop in though!
Funny you should mention Feist, since the only book of his I've bothered to read was called Faerie Tale. It's about a contemporary family that moves onto an estate with a tie to faerieland.
These fae are definately not nice. They draw on darker celtic and germanic legends- think Erl King, Wild Hunt, unseelie court, etc.
Huh. I remember trying to read Faerie Tale a long time ago and putting it down after just a couple chapters because I didn't like it.
I may have to give it another shot though, as my tastes have changed just a wee bit since 7th grade.
And thank you everyone for all of your suggests. I hope more come.
__________________ I don't "tell stories" when I play D&D. I adventure. Afterward, when the gold is counted and the bodies piled high, we may tell stories about how it all went down. Or not.
A Prince Among Men 
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