Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries
I am impressed by the breadth of research and creativity that went into this adventurous fantasy. There is so much information about faeries from all over, and some of it is provided almost as an aside, like a mention that Maltese fae are “more troublesome than average, having an unfortunate habit of creeping into houses at night to feast upon slumberers’ vital organs.” This kind of knowledge being tossed off in such an offhand way fits with the main character of Emily and the style in which the book is written. Emily Wilde is a brilliant professor and researcher into faeries (brilliant as in she was hired by Cambridge at age 22). The novel is written as diary entries during Emily’s trip to learn more about the Hidden Ones of Ljosland. There were times this conceit didn’t work quite so well, places where information was included that I wouldn’t have expected someone to write, even (or especially) knowing that someone else might read it, but I was generally able to let go of that.
Emily is an interesting character. She’s written with features that imply she is neurodivergent. As a neurotypical reader, this sometimes made it hard to relate to her motivations, but it also provides a way to understand why she does what she does. Her colleague Wendell Bambleby unexpectedly joins her, uninvited, shortly after she arrives in Ljosland. He is her only friend but also an academic rival, and on top of that Emily is fairly certain that he is at least part fae himself. This creates an interesting dynamic between them, and I really enjoyed how much Wendell not only accepts but truly appreciates who Emily is, quirks and all.
This book has been described as cozy, and I’m not sure I agree with that, although perhaps I don’t fully understand what makes a fantasy a cozy one. Faeries are capricious and sometimes cruel just for the sake of being cruel, and they have caused some tragedies for some of the residents of Hrafnsvik (the little town in Ljosland where Emily is staying). There is adventure and danger as Emily learns more about the fae of this land – danger both for herself and for others. But there is also a lot of warmth and welcome from the community of Hrafnsvik, allowing Emily to form connections that would typically be a struggle for her to do. Perhaps I’ll call the book “cozy adjacent.”
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands
I didn’t mind that the first book started off slow. It gave me time to get to know Emily and start learning about random bits of faerie lore, which was cool. That said, I also appreciate how quickly this sequel gets to the action. Wendell is poisoned in an assassination attempt by his stepmother – on his birthday, a fact which he bemoans more than the actual poisoning itself. They head to the Austrian Alps, accompanied by Emily’s niece Ariadne, who is now attending Cambridge, and the Dryadology department head, Farris Rose, to locate a door to Wendell’s Faerie home.
There’s a part in the first book where Wendell kills a bunch of faeries that were attacking Emily. In this book we continue to see more of Wendell’s fae side coming out, once in a violent way (similar to the first book) that he seems to have no reaction to, but also in subtler ways, like how he thinks about things, resulting at one point in Emily’s frustrated exclamation of “Oh, damn your faerie logic to hell.” Rose tells her that she doesn’t really know Wendell any more than she can know the wind, and she finally admits to herself that Wendell ultimately isn’t kinder or more human that other Folk but that she loves him anyway. It’s a notable point of character growth.
Emily continues to have difficulty connecting with others socially, but in spite of saying she doesn’t read social cues well, she has some interesting insights into others, which Fawcett describes with impressive writing:
- “Another characteristic of Ariadne’s, I’ve noticed, is that her good humour is so complete that if often forms a kind of armour, off which the foul moods of others ricochet without leaving so much as a dent.”
- “Her gaze is unnerving, as there is no sense of reciprocity about it — she simply stares at you until she has drawn her conclusions, regardless of any discomfort this produces.”
I think I liked this book even more than the first one. The ending sets up what will presumably be the events of the last book in the trilogy, and I can’t wait for it to come out next year.
