I love fairy tales and fairy stories but being something of a traditionalist, I prefer pixies (or pictsies) who know their own mind, rather than those that seem to exist simply to add dew drops to spider webs and grant wishes when caught. When I wrote Domnall and the Borrowed Child, I went back to the Scottish myths. The fae were to be placated, not courted, and no one in their right mind would call them by name. Within the story, the humans are just not all that important to the Seelie court near Aberdeen, except when the Fair Folk want something of us.
To back up my viewpoint, I’ve collected five modern books, where modern is defined as post-Disney. All of them are books I love but, not coincidentally, they also include fairies that would rather steal your soul than sprinkle you with fairy dust.
Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
Marie Brennan is best known for A Natural History of Dragons but I first discovered her when a good friend read my drafts and told me I needed to read Brennan’s faerie world. I have good friends! The faeries in the Onyx Court series aren’t bit characters in a larger plot: they are the story, living their lives while being fully three-dimensional and bad-ass without even trying. No sparkles here! Funnily enough, it was Brennan who made me aware that it was possible to descend into the London sewers as a guest of Thames water, an amazing experience that formed the core of my novel-in-progress (not faeries).
The Onyx Court series takes place beneath London: a subterranean faerie realm full of politics and drama. The series is historical, running from 1499 to 1884. The first novel, Midnight Never Come, connects the dark Faerie court’s Machiavellian scheming to the reign of Queen Elisabeth the Virgin Queen. If you are interested in terrifying and captivating faeries with their own fully thought-out world, then I heavily recommended you start here.
The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint
The Wild Wood tells the story of Eithnie, a young artist who has retreated to her family’s cabin in the wood to work on her illustrations. One of the charming things about de Lint’s portrayal of the fae in the story is that they never take centre stage. The strange and ugly stickmen are on the periphery of the novel, pushing at the boundaries, just as his fairy world interacts with the real one. The world of Faerie is asking Eithnie to help but they won’t or can’t explain to her how. The faerie world of de Lint isn’t comprehensible to us, doesn’t rely on us, and doesn’t actually care about us. As a result, their attempts at communication are confusing and poor Eithnie starts to wonder if she might be losing her mind.
The silvery threads of the faerie sparkle in the shadows as Eithnie tries to work out how to save the grove. In the end, the answer is in her dreams and never really reconcilable with the modern world. This is possibly not the most comforting of fairy tales but feels more real than many more specific portrayals.
Tithe by Holly Black
Tithe was Holly Black’s first novel and the first of her modern faerie tale series. The story follows sixteen-year-old Kaye’s descent into the faerie world that lives alongside ours. The protaganist is a strong character who happens to things, as opposed to things happening to her. Teenagers may not come out of this looking very good but Black does an amazing job of showing the darker side of faerie.
The Unseelie Court is, of course, visibly depraved but the Seelie court has its own politics and dark secrets. The solitary fae have always been a part of Kaye’s life, her childhood “invisible” friends, but they are also savage and selfish. Lutie-Loo may look like Tinkerbell but she spends her time tangling knots into the hair of everyone she loves. Black’s faeries are cruel, self-centred and just on the edge of sane—just the way they should be.
Ironskin by Tina Connolly
Described as “Steampunk Jane Eyre,” Ironskin tells the story of Jane Eliot, a young woman wounded in the Great Battle with the Fey. We never see the fey in Ironskin, which makes them all the more disturbing. Instead, we see the damage they left behind. Jane Eliot has to wear an iron mask to control the rage bubbling under the surface of her face where she was struck by shrapnel.
The result is a dark and brooding feeling of danger as we see the direct effects of the Great War on the general populace and the resulting fear and protections required to keep safe from the deadly Fey. The novel leaves you wanting more – which is good, as the series continues with Copperhead and Silverblind.
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
It would be impossible to discuss modern faeries without a nod to Sir Pratchett. In The Wee Free Men, Tiffany Aching is forced into Fairyland to rescue her little brother with little more to defend herself with than an iron frying pan. This is no place of fairy dances and fine feasts but an ever-shifting landscape of confusion and terror, guarded by wolves and dromes. The Queen of the Elves is a cruel mistress of the shadow world and will stop at nothing to trap Tiffany within her own nightmares. But Tiffany also has fairy allies: the Nac Mac Feegle. The picties are the most feared of all the fairy races, “even the trolls run away from the Wee Free Men,” Miss Tick tells Tiffany.
Pratchett’s faeries of all stripes are perfectly frightful and utterly bad-ass.
Top image from the Norwegian edition of The Wee Free Men.
Sylvia Spruck Wrigley is an American/German writer of science fiction, fantasy and aviation non-fiction. Her upcoming novella, Domnall and the Borrowed Child, publishes November 10th from Tor.com. Read an excerpt from this fairy-story here.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell features the ominous gentleman with thistle-down hair, as another good example.
you call the nac mac feegle “fairies” on your peril. yah’ll be gettin’ a bootin’!
The ones from the Harry Dresden series. Those faeries range from the super-powerful bad-asses to the super-powerful psychopaths and killers.
There’s also Tad Williams’ “War of the Flowers”.
Wow, an article about books with bad-ass faeries that doesn’t mention the Bad-Ass Faeries anthology series? :)
Also it should be mentioned that The Wild Wood was originally written as part of a series called “Brian Froud’s Faerielands.” There were four novels commissioned by Byron Preiss Visual Publications that were all inspired by Froud’s artwork. Only two of the novels were published under the series title, The Wild Wood and Patricia McKillip’s Something Rich and Strange. The other two were Hannah’s Garden by Midori Snyder and The Wood Wife by Terri Windling. All four books were eventually published without the series title — Snyder rewrote hers as YA and it was published by Viking, while Tor published The Wood Wife, and Charles and Pat put out new editions of the first two — but all four were originally inspired by Froud’s magnificent artwork.
—Keith R.A. DeCandido
Sir Terry, not “Sir Pratchett”.
I’m not sure if you only mean books written in the last decade as “post disney”. If we can look at some 80s works then:
Greg Bear has the Sidhe in The Infinity Concerto and The Serpent Mage, combining the Fair Folk with music, curses, alternate realms and Coleridge.
Emma Bull in War for the Oaks has an innocent singer dragged into the middle of the war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts.
Both have significantly BadAss faeries – Tonn/Adonna created worlds, while I’d not mess with a phouka.
The faeries in Artemis Fowl are pretty menacing.
Also take a look at The House Across the Way by Brian McNaughton from 2002. It is a complex and darkly magnificent book.
Ceder Sanderson’s “Pixie for Hire”, Lom, in Pixie Noir and its sequels is about as bad ass as it gets.
Hah, there goes my book budget. Some great looking recommends here!
Great list. l would add The Fairy’s Tale by F D Lee. It’s funny, deep and has some memorable characters.
The faeries in The Moorchild are not exceptionally badass, but I recommend it — a beautiful, nuanced tale of a half-faerie changeling girl.
I second Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell, I’d also add C.J. Cherryh’s The Dreamstone and The Tree of Swords and Jewels.
The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar? Neil Gaiman is a fan.
I enjoyed Alex Bledsoe’s The Hum and the Shiver, about fairies in modern day East Tennessee.
What about L K Hamiltons “Merry Gentry” Series?
Nice cache. I’ve not heard of any of these. Ironskin would be my first pick.
Almost 20 posts in and no one has yet mentioned Seanan McGuire’s “Toby Daye” series? I am shocked, shocked I tell you. :-)
Individual characters from those books worth labeling as “bad-ass” arguably include October Daye herself, the Luidaeg (oh, especially the Luidaeg), and Tybalt, King of Cats. Not to mention most of the villains, whom I will not name here as that would constitute spoilage for several of the books.
I’ve always loved Raymond E. Feist’s “Faerie Tale” as a very dark, but also very true to the original lore, story. Changelings and UnderHill and all.
Elizabeth Bear’s Promethean Age novels. Blood and Iron / Whiskey and Water. Excellence!
The Perilous Gard, by Elizabeth Marie Pope, is one of the best depictions of truly alien, terrifying Fair Folk, and it astonishes me how few people have heard of it (especially since it won a Newbery!) It’s officially young adult, but certainly complex and dark enough for adults.
It begins almost like a Gothic novel, except it’s set in Tudor England– Kate, a lady in waiting, gets exiled to a castle owned by Lord Geoffrey, whose daughter has mysteriously vanished and may have been murdered by his brother Christopher. Kate discovers she was actually kidnapped by the Fair Folk, and then ends up going to the fairy realm to save the daughter and Christopher. The fairies are not benevolent or kind, and while not actively malicious, their outlook is so different that they become terrifying in what they do to humans in their cold, unemotional way.
Kate is a delight– stubborn, intelligent, and very difficult, my favorite sort of person– and Christopher is a sarcastic mess, so their interactions are such fun to read. I think I may need to reread this book again right now, in fact…
As well as Butcher’s Dresden Files that have already been mentioned Patricia Brigg’s Mercy Thompson series, and to a lesser extent it’s spin off series frequently include bad-ass fae.
How about Felurian and Bast from the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss? They’re about as bad-ass as they come, and none of the fae are to be underestimated.
I have been meaning to read De Lint … and now there are a couple more on the wish list.
…But it doesn’t matter how many times I look down this page,
my own novel ‘Forgotten Things’ just isn’t there !!
I would be doing myself an injustice if I did not mention it… as it was released last year and is a spiritual coming of age tale with the real faery lore of Cornwall as its setting… less ‘fantasy’ I feel, than a lot of these books… as folklore is a real passion of mine.
A Facebook friend- Nils Visser, also writes about the woods and Fae world.
I Loved this article so much, I signed up for a membership to be able to comment!
I guess I’m resurrecting this thread as I now see it’s from 2015! I already wrote it- so what the hell!!
I’m a Huge fantasy/sci-fi lover- of books, movies, TV- All mediums! I’ve Always been drawn to and had a special love for the Fae, Faerie, Seelie/Unseelie, The Tuath Dé Danann. I found some new recommendations here that I hadn’t come across before so thanks! Thanks to the original writer and all the commenters…I have a lot to look into!
I don’t know the median age of Tor subscribers, but I’m throwing this book series into the mix for Bas-Ass Fae! The “Fever Series” by author Karen Marie Moning. The first book in the series is called Darkfever. Currently there are 10 books in the Fever Series World…which is mostly set in Dublin, Ireland, (but also many Fae Realms) It’s shelved under “Romance” which to this day I cannot figure out Why someone hasn’t changed this Major Error…but I digress. It’s one of the Best Fiction Fantasy Worlds I’ve ever read! I want to Live in these books!! (*but with some kind of Fae talisman/protection that keeps me safe, alive etc.) I literally could write a book about this series. So Many Amazing, Unique characters, if I tried to start listing them and Why they’re so awesome & Bad Ass I’d be here all night!
If you like Rich, detailed World building, that engages your imagination, sweeps you away and takes you on an utterly engrossing ride- read this series. But be prepared, It’s Not a “case of the week solved & resolved see ya next book” kind of book- it’s an Ongoing page-burning Story that continues to build with each chapter, that follows thru the first Five books. The next 2 are in the Fever Universe- they center around other main characters, and then the last 3 books bring everyone in. I know I’m being kind of vague and not giving much info about the actual storyline, but I personally Love going into a story with as little info as possible, hoping to avoid pre-conceived ideas or opinions and just let the story take you away to a world that has Everything a Fae/Faery lover will fall into and not want to leave. I’m so envious of people that get to read this series for the First time and get to experience all the unbelievable characters, the dynamic Story… twists, turns, magic & Every kind of Fae you could ever imagine.
Like many good series, The beginning of the first book might have you sighing and wondering WTH?! Just give it a little bit of time to get past the initial laying of the foundation for the main character- Who Drastically changes- so don’t be put off by the good girl from Georgia- or the suggested “murder investigation” it’s Anything But a detective crime solving novel. It’s Pure delicious fantasy and one of the Best series I’ve ever read! (several times)
One thing to note- This is an Adult Series. There is quite a bit of sex….the 2 main characters have a very intense chemistry between them- but no insta-love Lol!! This is Not YA. It’s Not Romance. But as the story progresses there is some very steamy relations going down…and at one point it gets very graphic- but with a Purpose. Really- there’s an actual serious purpose for this particularly -I don’t even have a word for it- sex between 2 characters.
There aren’t a lot of gratuitous sex scenes just thrown in- but there is a lot of it! Just an FYI for younger readers. As much as I LOVE this series (and have been reading it since discovering FaeFever in the grocery store- and had to immediately hit the bookstore to find the prior 2 and read them All in a weekend…..) I wouldn’t recommend or encourage my 19 yr old daughter to read this series. She knows it’s my favorite- knows the basic storyline and she knows there’s a lot of sex….which is why I suggested she wait and read it when the entire series is completed!! That way she won’t have to wait that agonizing year + for the next novel in the series to come out!!
If if you’re looking for a fun, fantastical, Fae-filled frolick- I highly recommend this wonderfully written, intense. Page-burner!!
The FEVER SERIES
Thanks again for the awesome recommendations I’m off to check ’em out!