Fawcett, Heather:
1. Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies
2. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (2024)
Emily Wilde is a sober, sensible researcher of Dryadology and other types of faerie. Her colleagues at the university don't always agree with her theories, but her on-location fieldwork and documentation is impeccable. Like other researchers, she occasionally returns with scars, but so far she has always returned, and has even kept her wits. Many have not. Her goal is to be the best at organizing solid documented information that other researchers can use, and of course, like all academics, to be the first to publish. But to be sure of the data, she must observe it personally.
A complication is that so many humans have interbred with fae, and that it is very hard to tell when you are in the Borderlands. That helpful peasant could be part fae, or fully fae and playing tricks. The horse you bought might not always be a horse. And your colleagues might be hiding some family connections. So you "borrow" a faun's foot or a magic ring from the museum, buy good solid boots, pack notebooks and pencils, and set off to whatever mountain, valley, or glacier is rumored to connect to your topic. Be polite, set the right sort of food out at night, and whatever you do, don't stray from the path.
This magical series is a delight. There is humor in the characterizations, and those who know the lore and the tropes have a fair shot at trying to guess which elements are going to be important in some way.
Also, the physical books have beautiful covers, and are printed on acid-free paper.
Highly recommended.
1. Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies
2. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (2024)
Emily Wilde is a sober, sensible researcher of Dryadology and other types of faerie. Her colleagues at the university don't always agree with her theories, but her on-location fieldwork and documentation is impeccable. Like other researchers, she occasionally returns with scars, but so far she has always returned, and has even kept her wits. Many have not. Her goal is to be the best at organizing solid documented information that other researchers can use, and of course, like all academics, to be the first to publish. But to be sure of the data, she must observe it personally.
A complication is that so many humans have interbred with fae, and that it is very hard to tell when you are in the Borderlands. That helpful peasant could be part fae, or fully fae and playing tricks. The horse you bought might not always be a horse. And your colleagues might be hiding some family connections. So you "borrow" a faun's foot or a magic ring from the museum, buy good solid boots, pack notebooks and pencils, and set off to whatever mountain, valley, or glacier is rumored to connect to your topic. Be polite, set the right sort of food out at night, and whatever you do, don't stray from the path.
This magical series is a delight. There is humor in the characterizations, and those who know the lore and the tropes have a fair shot at trying to guess which elements are going to be important in some way.
Also, the physical books have beautiful covers, and are printed on acid-free paper.
Highly recommended.