War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
319 pages
Published 1987
Read from October 21 to October 24
Rating: ★★★½ out of 5
This most closely reminds me of Nalo Hopkinson's Brown Girl in the Ring, another debut novel that mixes signs of great promise with a sort of gawky earnestness that no one could mistake for anything but the handiwork of a beginner. Similar to Brown Girl, Oaks makes a character out of the author's city, reading in places as much like a guide to late night eateries and local landmarks as a novel. Characters debate the merits of restaurants; climactic battles between the armies of Faery occur in parks and conservatories; a textbook example of a Fantasy Novel Prologue takes pains to establish the Nicollet Mall and the cascade of Peavey Plaza, locations scarcely referred to after the first chapter. Unlike Brown Girl, Oaks initially must struggle against the awkwardness of transcribing music and attempting to bring to life a local music scene on the page, and even after the novel finds its footing and emotional heart, the inevitable recurring concert and practice session descriptions tend to slow everything down. It's all worthwhile in the end, though, with a predictable but satisfying musical climax that made me want to get up out of my chair in spite of myself.
This is one of the seminal texts of urban fantasy, I'm told, and it's funny to see such future staples as the supernatural love triangle and the heroine donning black leather, though here there's a springtime freshness that brings sweet life to later cliches. And for what it's worth, this is the only book I've read that involves a local band covering "The Safety Dance" while performing for the dignitaries of Faery.
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