Sorry for the delay, folks. Circumstances in real life have gotten beyond me, but I hope to be back on track for June’s selection. In the mean time, please feel free to discuss this month’s book!
Few books have been recommended to me as iconic or staples of any one genre. These are the influential novels—the kind that reverberate beyond their own pages and unintentionally inspire a myriad movement of successive novels yearning to dive into some unconsciousness first unlocked in these pioneering books. Whatever the reason for genre or subgenre movements (and they are many: homage, coincidence, timing, inspiration, to name a few), pinpointing where it all began, or where it became indelibly embedded in the popular consciousness, some novels are undeniably distinguished among their peers.
According to the jacket copy, Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks “defined modern urban fantasy.” My experience with Urban Fantasy is mostly limited to Seanan McGuire—at least Urban Fantasy as it’s become popularly known, and not as I used to imagine it (something more along the lines of Charles de Lint or Harry Potter). Still, I really love the Toby Daye series. But to say I chose this book because of Seanan McGuire wouldn’t be entirely truthful. I’d never presume to credit her series with an influence that may or may not be true. I am, however, interested in reading more Urban Fantasy. Why not try one the earliest and, if the quote is to be believed, one of the most influential books of the genre?
Certain tropes were recognizable from across several types of books, mostly those that deal with the mysterious world of Fairy (or any number of spelling variants). Glamour; Faerie Queens; two opposing and, according to our human standards, sometimes morally ambiguous courts; strange creatures; magic; a linguistic balancing act of semantics and deadly verbal contracts—things that are now commonplace I had to reassess in terms of historical context. It was not easy to do and unfortunately, I found myself wishing I had read this book earlier. I did not feel my familiarity with these ideas assembled so closely to what I have already read was fair to how I was receiving this novel.
Nevertheless, of these elements, I did enjoy how Bull arranged the fantastical around the mundane. Meg, in particular, was always a treat and Hedge, to a lesser extent. These are characters that arrive later in the narrative, after we meet protagonist Eddi McCandry. Her band has broken up, as has her relationship and she is left to pick up the pieces and start fresh with a new purpose. When she is unexpectedly attacked on her way home one evening, Eddi becomes part of a much larger world—one involving a man who can turn into a dog, a woman who appears to be part water fountain, and a dark war between supernatural forces determined to recruit Eddi whether she wants to join or not.
The narrative is swept up in Eddi’s confusion and frustrations as she tries to navigate her personal life and the intrusion of the phouka bodyguard who moves into her apartment, a constant reminder of the otherworldly war she has become a part of. The novel is very grounded and finds a good balance between Eddi’s normal life, assembling a new band and all of the people, instruments, and creative energy that goes into such an endeavor, and that of the magical world she is not nearly as familiar with. The phouka is a great example of this. He’s a strange mixture—both threatening and protective, but always utterly alien in his movements, speech, strange cryptic answers, and soldierly vigil. He’s an enigma, but one that Eddi, over time, learns to appreciate and even rely on.
Aside from the band and the war, most of the novel revolves around the relationships Eddi develops between various characters. In fact, the war would almost seem inconsequential for as prominently as it features in the novel, if it weren’t the catalyst thrusting Eddi and her new found friends together. The anticipation of that event looms heavily in the background and creates many shared experiences. Out of these are born friendship, romance, loyalty, and art. The war is, for the most part, merely an idea until those rare moments when it is all of Eddi’s frightening reality. The first battle scene was admittedly my favorite. Spurred on by the eldritch drone of bagpipes, that first charge is elegantly alien and wonderfully written. The rest of the novel, while well balanced and considerate of the characters, is also largely focused on the musical elements of Eddi’s band. While this is important, most of the strengths and potential beauty inherent in those scenes were lost on me.
Sometimes I feel tone deaf when reading a novel. Not literally, but sometimes my lack of exposure or experience or even interest in some things limits how well I receive certain novels. This is, of course, nothing to do with an author’s ability to make me believe in a world or things I’ve never been to or seen. War for the Oaks had this effect on me. Readers familiar with many artists, song titles, or certain lyrics will better appreciate the chapter headings and the covers Eddi’s band plays. Unfortunately, I felt as if I needed to hop onto iTunes every few chapters because otherwise I, uncultured louse that I am, would completely miss the extra layer and role music plays in this book. Without music, the lyrical edge is gone and the art that becomes so integral to the plot wouldn’t be nearly as significant.
Overall, I found myself interested in Bull’s writing, but was not as engaged as I could have been with War for the Oaks. Whether the deficiency was mine and the musical elements were intended for a better reader, or whether I could not connect well to the driving relationship between Eddi and the phouka, there was something here that I had trouble relating to. But, I do think Urban Fantasy fans will find enjoyment out of this one. And I definitely will be reading more Emma Bull in the future.
Release Date: July 6, 2001
Reviewed Format: Trade paperback
Discussion
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Links
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My review is up here: http://miss-scarlet-letter.tumblr.com/post/5569155639/war-for-the-oaks
Highlights:
I loved this book. As a stand alone, I think it’s my favorite so far. I loved the phouka, and Eddi, and that it was SO 80s. I didn’t have the same problem as you did – I knew so much of the music, and I loved that it was rock music. …I’m a rock music girl myself. But I could see how it’d be a bit tough to read if you didn’t know what it was referring to in terms of the songs.
I wish Bull had gone into some of the secondary characters further – particularly Hedge. He was really mysterious and interesting, and all he really got was that short part where you learned that the “bad” faeries were using him to spy. I also wish we’d seen a bit more of the motivations of the faeries, why they wanted Minneapolis, etc…they were sort of ill-defined? I don’t know if I’d go as far as ill-defined, but they were a little vague, I guess. The romance was a little predictable. When Willy arrived and the phouka was wary and all “lolWUT” about him, I figured Eddi would start out with Willy and end up with the phouka, but since I liked the phouka and was rooting for him, I was okay with the predictability.
The thing I found weird/a little off-putting about the book was the way we constantly knew what Eddi was wearing, in great detail, when it was completely inconsequential to the plot. When we read Prospero Lost, we knew that Miranda was wearing her tea dress because it was enchanted and protected her, and she was uncomfortable and felt vulnerable when she wasn’t wearing it. Here, it was like Eddi was putting on a fashion show.
But overall I really liked it. To me, it was a really fun book.
I also noticed how obsessed with fashion/looks the narrative was, and mentioned it in my review as well! I thought that was kind of annoying, too.
I’m glad it worked so well for you! I knew there’d be readers who really enjoyed this one.
It would have been nice to see more about secondary characters, but the focus of the story seemed to be Eddi and the phouka; I got just enough of what I needed from Meg and Hedge to appreciate them where I needed to for the sake of the plot. I think what jarred me out of Eddi and the phouka’s relationship was the phouka’s speech patterns combined with Eddi’s personality. They seemed so different I had a hard time seeing the chemistry, but there was chemistry! It was just difficult for me to focus on it at times.
This was a very 80s book. Then again, it was written in the 80s so that makes perfect sense.
The wardrobe descriptions didn’t bother me so much, but it was a little funny how dated some of the fashion was.
Back in the 80s, fashion materialism was IT, so those parts of the book didn’t bother me. Rather, they made me laugh, because it reminded me how obsessed the 80s were with hair/fashion/etc. Not to say that any decade is immune from such obsessions, but for some reason, the 80s obsession stands apart from the rest. Maybe because that’s when I grew up.
I grew up in the 80s, too, albeit I was a little kid. I’m more than willing to believe that’s what helped me see the fashion parts as charmingly quaint.
After all, I did suffer, err, participate gladly in stirrup leggings, sweaters down to my knees and at one time or another, gathered my hair into a sideways ponytail. 
After all, I did suffer, err, participate gladly in stirrup leggings, sweaters down to my knees and at one time or another, gathered my hair into a sideways ponytail.
Me too!
I wrote my review here: http://tethyanbooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-war-for-oaks-by-emma-bull.html
I enjoyed the musical aspects of the story, though I have read one review that referred to War for the Oaks as a ‘re-enactment of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”‘. It’s not completely the same of course, but I thought that was a funny description of the climax of the story.
I definitely agree with this: “In fact, the war would almost seem inconsequential for as prominently as it features in the novel, if it weren’t the catalyst thrusting Eddi and her new found friends together.”
I would have liked to get a little more information about the fairies and their motivations, instead of just having the war be something to hang over Eddi’s head and force her to hang out with the Phouka. The whole romance plot seemed really predictable, so it didn’t really interest me.
I completely take responsibility for being limited in my musical tastes.
I had no idea the book had as much music in it as it did, otherwise I would have known going in what to watch out for in order to focus on what I knew I could appreciate.
The fairy world was definitely one of those. It seemed to be just another turf war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. A scary turf war, but a turf war. Eddi and Minneapolis were just coincidences, but it would be that particular city since it’s where Eddi lives and the phouka happened to choose her.
Random: do you feel the romance was predictable because nowadays, we EXPECT to have a romantic subplot in urban fantasy, and therefore, we look for it? Just curious.
Hm, that is entirely possible! I think that this particular romance was a little more than that, though. In the beginning, the author seemed to go out of her way to show how Eddi and the Phouka didn’t get along, which generally happens between characters who will fall in love later. And then, the frequency with which Eddi noted his attractiveness kind of settled him in my mind as the love interest.
I read this book before I had a book blog, and quite a while ago. I think it may have been back in 1999 or 2000. It was my first taste of urban fantasy and it blew me away. Before then I had an aversion to the idea of fantasy worlds mixing with “real life” worlds in my stories – I was just a pure fantasy girl. So I guess my reaction to the book is more personal because it feels like a milestone in my reading life, but even then the music and fashion did seem sort of 80′s. When I flip through the book now, it feels a little dated in that aspect, and because I’ve read so much more urban fantasy since then, if I were to read it now, I doubt it would affect me the same way as it did then. It’s a classic and I feel like people should read it when first venturing into UF, but if you’ve read a decent amount of UF and then read this, it comes off as a little tame.
I didn’t think I’d read much Urban Fantasy, but I found many similarities here to other books that I suppose I’ve read more than I initially thought!
I agree with you, though. Had I read this first, I think it would have felt more like a classic. Not to mention, I would have appreciated it a bit more.
I found myself *really* liking this book. I think a big part of that is that this is only my third foray into urban fantasy (my first two being the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr, and Tithe and Valiant by Holly Black) and I found it to be superior to both of those other forays in the genre.
I think my favorite aspect of the novel was Eddi’s relationships with the characters. I loved loved loved that she had a female best friend (too many female characters have this aversion to befriending females and surround themselves with guys I find) and Carla was *awesome*. I also loved the developments between her and Will. Instead of being all ‘woe-is-me’ about Will more or less deceiving her, she tries to befriend him and learns to care about him. Their tentative steps in that direction were really well played-out and written I found. The chemistry between all the members of the band felt authentic to me too, even if we didn’t get to see the secondary characters interact much outside of Eddi’ perspective. I also really enjoyed Eddi’s relationship with the phouka, though for some reason I wasn’t totally sold on them being a romantic couple. I thought they made such an awesome platonic couple. It didn’t deter my enjoyment of the novel at all though, despite my small scruples with it.
So that’s what really sold the whole novel for me: the relationship between Eddi and the various characters. I also appreciated Bull’s handle on the fantasy aspects of the novel, how they’re slowly integrated into the narrative. At first, I was concerned at the lack of fantasy going on in the first 1/3 of the novel. But as soon as the first battle happened, things really picked up as Eddi becomes more immersed in the faerie world.
So, overall, I really liked this. I can’t wait to read more of Bull’s work.
How silly of me. I didn’t even think of Black’s trilogy as UF! It is, though and I read those a couple of years ago and really loved them. I suppose I’ve definitely read more UF than I thought when writing this review.
Carla was a sweetheart! And I see your point about Eddi and the phouka. Now that you mention it, I think that’s why I had a tough time focusing on them as a couple. They did have chemistry, but I found the romance slightly awkward.
May I mention how wonderful it is that you enjoyed the book so much you want to read another Bull novel?
My review of this book is here: http://christina-reads.livejournal.com/144720.html.
I agree with most of the other commenters in liking this book, especially the relationships between Eddi and her friends. I also loved how prevalent the musical aspects were; as I’m a former musician myself (though not a professional one), I found the band’s dynamic very believable. Additionally, I liked the atmosphere of the novel, and the way that Bull evokes the human world and the fey courts existing side by side. The first battle scene was definitely my favorite episode involving the fey.
My biggest quibble is that it’s really hard to write convincingly about how music sounds, and for me Bull never quite succeeded. The best example of this is the climactic scene where Eddi was able to defeat the Queen of Air and Darkness through the power of music; the descriptions of the music were so over-the-top that I just couldn’t buy it. Nonetheless, I definitely enjoyed this book overall, and I can see why it’s considered an urban fantasy classic.
I often felt the need to consult a musician when reading! I enjoyed the dynamic between the band members also. It helped that each was such an interesting character on their own, even if we didn’t find out much about them, that I really got the feeling of several people working together to make a cohesive whole. That’s important when reading about a group, especially a musical one.
This was my very first book club pick, back in September 2009. My review and LOTS of discussion (if you want more of that, that is!) can be found here: http://calico-reaction.livejournal.com/123331.html
Having read quite a BIT of urban fantasy, I have a great appreciation for this book and what current UF/Buffy-Lit authors owe to Emma Bull’s vision.
Do you plan on reading any of her other work? BONE DANCE is pretty fascinating, but my favorite is still TERRITORY, which is a fantasy western.
I have Territory here ready to read when I have the chance.
It has been awhile since I read War for the Oaks, but I remember enjoying it. The part that stuck with me was the details about Minneapolis. Was nice to have someone writing about Minneapolis that has actually lived in the Twin Cities. Realistic descriptions of the real world helped me buy Faerie aspects.
I get that feeling when I read about San Francisco and the Bay Area in Seanan McGuire’s Toby Daye books. It’s refreshing.
My review: http://mervih.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/emma-bull-war-for-the-oaks/
I liked this book a lot, too. I really liked the various friendships, especially Carla and Eddi, and even Eddi’s and Willy’s brief romance. I also liked the secondary characters so much that I would have liked to know more about them. But to me it was realistic that the faerie characters, who have been hiding from humans for their whole lives, wouldn’t just open up to Eddi. Oh, I really liked it that Eddi’s first instinct was to tell the whole faerie stuff to Carla rather than try to hide it.
Eddi and Carla had a very believable friendship. I really enjoyed how well Bull handled their relationship.
I had a lot of fun with War for the Oaks. I grew up in the Twin Cities area and was a teen running around Minneapolis in the mid 80s, so reading about the places that were the backdrop for my coming-of-age was delightful.
Eddi was a great point-of-view character, very accessible and realistically portrayed. I really loved the Phouka and was glad he featured so prominently. His sense of humor, thankfully, did not rely on fish-out-of-water dynamics and instead showed his dry, witty personality.
The balance between the fairy elements and modern urban setting blended wonderfully–I can see why this was so groundbreaking and influential for later works of the genre. I definitely plan to read more from Emma Bull.
My longer review: http://chaoticgood0405.livejournal.com/37212.html
Okay then, outlier here! I hated this book! It was written for somebody who is not me. Wouldn’t even finish it.
Robin, why do you think you got such a strong reaction right away?
Crap! I got completely fuddled; I was so sure this was the June book and feeling so pleased to be able to join in! Aaaaand I’ve missed it already. Well, I still hope to read it this month and come back and discuss, but my motivation’s less now
I don’t have the June book, but I’d like to get it – she’s popular back home and actually I haven’t heard anything bad about Marillier. 
Pffft. Join in whenever you can for this book. If no one else responds, I will at least.
I read Wildwood Dancing by Marillier recently (a YA fairy tale re-telling) and was pleasantly surprised. So I am looking forward to The Dark Mirror. If you find a copy, hopefully you can join us? It’s rather thick, so I’m planning on giving myself plenty of time to get it read.
Great!
I should be able to get The Dark Mirror quite easily. I’ve been reading pretty fast lately because I’m not working now, but I’m also trying to slow myself down until I catch up with reviews! I’ll see how I go. Need to do as much stuff for myself before the baby comes because I won’t get another chance like it for what a couple of decades?
I was quite interested to read this book since it was positioned as one of the earliest, defining novels of the urban fantasy genre. However, after reading it, I wish I had experienced it from the opposite direction, i.e. as a pathbreaking novel like no others before it. I think I would have better been able to appreciate all that was different about it. As it was, I kept drawing parallels to other things I’ve read where this element or that was more strongly developed – as followers in a new form inevitably do.
However, I definitely liked the book. I really enjoyed the specificity of Minneapolis (even though I’ve never been) and the fashion and music of the 80s. Once Bull made the Prince reference in comparison to the phouka, I couldn’t help but see Prince (fabulous, 80s Prince) in my head every time I read him. Also, did no one else take note of the interracial couples? Both Eddi and Carla ended up with black men. I thought that was pretty interesting, and not something I see that often even in contemporary UF.
I don’t know that much about Emma Bull, but after reading this I plan to take a look and check out some of her later novels. I don’t particularly feel amped to read any just yet, but I’m interested to see what direction she went in as an author.
I hadn’t even thought to point out the interracial aspect because I forgot for a moment how rare that tends to be in UF since it’s so commonplace where I am! Very good point, though.
I’m very interested in reading more Emma Bull and am glad someone else is as well, especially after participating here.
I’m late in linking this, but my review (which is sort of combined with talking about other UF/Emma Bull-related stuff) is here: http://dkwatson.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/heeding-the-call-to-bordertown/
As I say there, I really liked this book. I started reading urban fantasy in the early nineties, so reading this was a bit like visiting the books of my early teens, while still being entirely new to me. It’s dated, sure, but in a way that feels like going home. (And I love that line about how sometimes she dressed to look good, and sometimes she dressed to have armor, but sometimes she dressed just so she’d know that even if everything else went wrong, at least she liked her clothes. I may think the outfits she loves sound very silly now, but that sentiment transcends fashion trends.) Anyway, because I’d read so much De Lint before this, the music parts didn’t really distract me, even though I didn’t really know many of the songs/bands from personal experience.
I was another person who had to read more Bull after I finished this book, which in turn led me to the whole Bordertown series, just as the new book was coming out. So now I’ve read all the short stories they had on the Bordertown site from the original anthologies, all 3 of the novels set there, and have the only anthology left in print, plus the new one, yet to go. I’m interested to see if the new one seems more old-school or new-school UF to me. (My personal definition of old school/new school is in the blog post.)
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