''Faerie Tale'' is a
supernatural
Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
thriller, falling within the subgenre of
contemporary fantasy
Contemporary fantasy is a genre, subgenre of fantasy set in the present day. It is perhaps most popular for its subgenres, occult detective fiction, urban fantasy, low fantasy, supernatural fiction and paranormal fiction. Several authors note that ...
, by American writer
Raymond E. Feist,
first published in 1988.
It was translated and published in
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
as ''Een Boosaardig Sprookje'' in 1989.
Plot synopsis
Phil Hastings and his family have just moved back to his hometown for some much-needed peace and quiet from the Hollywood scene. As Phil's twin sons, Sean and Patrick, soon discover, there is more to their new home than was expected. Gloria, their mother, senses something, but simply dismisses her concern as stress from their recent move. Gabbie, their older half-sister, meets the man of her dreams, but is also tempted by other men.
Deep in the woods, the Bad Thing and his Master are ready to break free of the centuries-old compact made to keep the Faerie world and the human world at peace. Only through believing the insane and impossible can Sean and Patrick save both worlds from colliding again.
Critical views
The story was reviewed in the ''Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts'' and the subject of a
master thesis
A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...
. Professor
Jack Zipes
Jack David Zipes (born June 7, 1937) is a literary scholar and author. He is a professor emeritus in the Department of German, Nordic, Slavic and Dutch at the University of Minnesota.
Zipes is known for his work on fairy tales, folklore, crit ...
at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
, who has published and lectured on the subject of
fairy tales
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the Folklore, folklore genre. Such stories typically feature Magic (supernatural), magic, Incantation, e ...
, wrote "This message is at the heart of a recent bestseller entitled simply ''Faerie Tale'' by Raymond E. Feist. The plot concerns a successful screenwriter by the name of Phil Hasting, who moves into a huge house in rural upstate New York with his wife and three children." Zipes goes on to say: "Feist's novel contains long-winded expositions about magic, Celtic tradition, and fairies and has a secondary plot concerned with Hastings teenage princess daughter, a rich heiress, who falls in love with an all-American graduate student writing his dissertation on a topic related to the occult and magic".
Romance novel
A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed ...
author Shona Husk wrote "However, the scary book that has really stayed with me is ''Faerie Tale'' by Raymond E. Feist which I also read as a teenager. Some of the images stayed with me for years. I reread it as an adult not that long ago and it is still really creepy."
References
External links
* {{ISFDB title, 1974
Faerie Taleon
Goodreads
Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and readi ...
1988 American novels
American fantasy novels
Novels about fairies
Doubleday (publisher) books
Novels by Raymond E. Feist