Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Amazon Prime includes:
Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
OK
Image Unavailable
Color:
-
-
-
- To view this video download Flash Player
Audible sample Sample
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries Hardcover – January 10, 2023
Purchase options and add-ons
“A darkly gorgeous fantasy that sparkles with snow and magic.”—Sangu Mandanna, author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, PopSugar, Polygon, The Globe and Mail, She Reads
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party—or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, muddle Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.
But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones—the most elusive of all faeries—lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all—her own heart.
Book One of the Emily Wilde Series
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDel Rey
- Publication dateJanuary 10, 2023
- Dimensions5.8 x 1.09 x 8.51 inches
- ISBN-10059350013X
- ISBN-13978-0593500132
"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more
Frequently bought together
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
- The Folk were of another world, with its own rules and customs—and to a child who always felt ill-suited to her own world, the lure was irresistible.Highlighted by 1,116 Kindle readers
- It sounds odd to admit that I find the company of such a boisterous person restful, but perhaps it is always restful to be around someone who does not expect anything from you beyond what is in your nature.Highlighted by 1,104 Kindle readers
- “Shall I make an appointment?” he said, then laughed. “Yes, I believe you would like that. Well, name the time when it would be convenient for you to receive a declaration of love.”Highlighted by 819 Kindle readers
From the Publisher
|
|
|
---|---|---|
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews
Review
“A heartwarming spin on fantasy lore”—POPSUGAR
“The world-building here is exquisite . . . and the characters are just as textured and richly drawn. This is the kind of forlorn, folkloric fantasy that remembers the old, blood-ribboned source material about sacrifices and stolen children, but adds a modern gloss.”—“Sizzling Hot Books for Cold Winter Days,” The New York Times Book Review
“Emily herself is delightful, brilliant but flawed, and often darkly funny. Her frustration with her feckless but charming colleague Wendell Bambleby is the perfect spark, and the romance is light but hits surprisingly hard when it chooses to.”—The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)
“A book so vividly, endlessly enchanting . . . It pushed the real world aside in the way of all truly great fantasy novels, and I'm jealous of everyone who gets to read it for the first time.”—Melissa Albert, The New York Times bestselling author of the Hazel Wood series
“Forget dark academia: Give me instead this kind of winter-sunshined, sharp-tongued, and footnoted academia, full of field trips and grumpy romance and malevolent faeries. Emily Wilde is a narrator I won’t forget in a hurry, and this book was an invigorating balm for my heart and mind.”—Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light
“A whimsical and enchanting romp that had me quite literally laughing out loud on every page. I enjoyed every word of this gorgeously written fairy tale featuring a grumpy heroine and an utterly charming love interest who constantly surprised me. A new favorite!”—Isabel Ibañez, author of Woven in Moonlight
“Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries charmed me more than any faerie king ever could . . . This book is an absolute delight.”—Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
“Enchanting in every sense of the word, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a delight of snow-laden forests and changelings, folklore and faerie kings, meticulous footnotes and academic rivalry and adventure. This book is real magic.”—H. G. Parry, author of The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep
“Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a charmingly whimsical delight, saturated with faerie magic and the equally wonderful magic of humanity. This is going to be one of my regular rereads. Five dazzling, gladdening stars.”—India Holton, author of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
“Fawcett grabs readers’ attention by drawing them into the folklore as well as the surrounding world. A great read for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Erin Morgenstern.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“The full cast of characters, well-developed faerie lore, and pervasive sense of cold add depth to the delightful proceedings, which include scholarship, yes, but also danger and a hint of romance.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Follow the lights into the woods and dance with the fae under Emily’s careful guidance—just be sure not to get carried away.”—BookPage
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Hrafnsvik, Ljosland
Shadow is not at all happy with me. He lies by the fire while the chill wind rattles the door, tail inert, staring out from beneath that shaggy forelock of his with the sort of accusatory resignation peculiar to dogs, as if to say: Of all the stupid adventures you’ve dragged me on, this will surely be the death of us. I fear I have to agree, though this makes me no less eager to begin my research.
Herein I intend to provide an honest account of my day-to-day activities in the field as I document an enigmatic species of faerie called “Hidden Ones.” This journal serves two purposes: to aid my recollection when it comes time to formally compile my field notes, and to provide a record for those scholars who come after me should I be captured by the Folk. Verba volant, scripta manent. As with previous journals, I will presume a basic understanding of dryadology in the reader, though I will gloss certain references that may be unfamiliar to those new to the field.
I have not had reason to visit Ljosland before, and would be lying if I said my first sighting this morning didn’t temper my enthusiasm. The journey takes five days from London, and the only vessel to get you there is a weekly freighter carrying a great variety of goods and a much smaller variety of passengers. We ventured steadily north, dodging icebergs, whilst I paced the deck to keep my seasickness at bay. I was among the first to sight the snowbound mountains rising out of the sea, the little red-roofed village of Hrafnsvik huddled below them like Red Riding Hood as the wolf loomed behind her.
We inched carefully up to the dock, striking it hard once, for the grey waves were fierce. The gangway was lowered by means of a winch operated by an old man with a cigarette clamped nonchalantly between his teeth—how he kept it lit in that wind was a feat so impressive that hours later I found myself thinking back to the glowing ember darting through the sea spray.
I came to the realization that I was the only one disembarking. The captain set my trunk down upon the frosty dock with a thunk, giving me his usual bemused smile, as if I were a joke he only half understood. My fellow passengers, it seemed, few that there were, were headed for the only city in Ljosland—Loabær, the ship’s next port of call. I would not be visiting Loabær, for one does not find the Folk in cities, but in the remote, forgotten corners of the world.
I could see the cottage I had rented from the harbour, which astonished me. The farmer who owned the land, one Krystjan Egilson, had described it to me in our correspondence—a little stone thing with a roof of vivid green turf just outside the village, perched upon the slope of the mountain near the edge of the forest of Karrðarskogur. It was such stark country—every detail, from the jumble of brightly painted cottages to the vivid greenery of the coast to the glaciers lurking on the peaks, was so sharp and solitary, like embroidered threads, that I suspect I could have counted the ravens in their mountain burrows.
The sailors gave Shadow a wide berth as we made our way up the dock. The old boarhound is blind in one eye and lacks the energy for any exercise beyond an ambling walk, let alone tearing out the throats of ill-mannered sailors, but his appearance belies him; he is an enormous creature, black as pitch with bearish paws and very white teeth. Perhaps I should have left him in the care of my brother back in London, but I could not bear to, particularly as he is given to fits of despondency when I am away.
I managed to drag my trunk up the dock and through the village—few were about, being most likely in their fields or fishing boats, but those few stared at me as only rural villagers at the edge of the known world can stare at a stranger. None of my admirers offered help. Shadow, padding along at my side, glanced at them with mild interest, and only then did they look away.
I have seen communities far more rustic than Hrafnsvik, for my career has taken me across Europe and Russia, to villages large and small and wilderness fair and foul. I am used to humble accommodations and humble folk—I once slept in a farmer’s cheese shed in Andalusia—but I have never been this far north. The wind had tasted snow, and recently; it pulled at my scarf and cloak. It took some time to haul my trunk up the road, but I am nothing if not persevering.
The landscape surrounding the village was given over to fields. These were not the tidy hillsides I was used to, but riddled with lumps, volcanic rock in haphazard garments of moss. And if that wasn’t enough to disorient the eye, the sea kept sending waves of mist over the coastland.
I reached the edge of the village and found the little footpath up to the cottage—the terrain was so steep that the path was a series of switchbacks. The cottage itself rested precariously upon a little alcove in the mountainside. It was only about ten minutes beyond the village, but that was ten minutes of sweaty inclines, and I was panting by the time I reached the door. It was not only unlocked, but contained no lock at all, and when I pushed it open, I found a sheep.
It stared at me a moment, chewing at something, then sauntered off to rejoin its fellows as I politely held the door. Shadow gave a huff but was otherwise unmoved—he’s seen plenty of sheep in our rambles in the countryside around Cambridge, and looks upon them with the gentlemanly disinterest of an aging dog.
Somehow the place felt even colder than the outdoors. It was as simple as I had imagined, with walls of hearteningly solid stone and the smell of something I guessed to be puffin dung, though it could also have been the sheep. A table and chairs, dusty, a little kitchen at the back with a number of pots dangling from the wall, very dusty. By the hearth with its woodstove was an ancient armchair that smelled of must.
I was shivering, in spite of the uphill trunk-dragging, and I realized I had neither wood nor matches to warm that dingy place, and perhaps more alarmingly, that I might not know how to light a fire if I did—I had never done so before. Unfortunately, I happened to glance out the window at that moment and found that it had begun to snow.
It was then, as I stared at the empty hearth, hungry and cold, that I began to wonder if I would die here.
Lest you think me a newcomer to foreign fieldwork, let me assure you this is not the case. I spent a period of months in a part of Provence so rural that the villagers had never seen a camera, studying a river-dwelling species of Folk, les lutins des rivières. And before that there was a lengthy sojourn in the forests of the Apennines with some deer-faced fate and half a year in the Croatian wilderness as an assistant to a professor who spent his career analysing the music of mountain Folk. But in each case, I had known what I was getting into, and had a student or two to take care of logistics.
And there had been no snow.
Ljosland is the most isolated of the Scandinavian countries, an island situated in the wild seas off the Norwegian mainland, its northern coastline brushing the Arctic Circle. I had accounted for the awkwardness of reaching such a place—the long and uncomfortable voyage north—yet I was realizing that I had given little consideration to the difficulties I might face in leaving it if something went wrong, particularly once the sea ice closed in.
A knock upon the door launched me to my feet. But the visitor was already entering without bothering about my permission, stamping his boots with the air of a man entering his own abode after a long day.
“Professor Wilde,” he said, holding out a hand. It was a large hand, for he was a large man, both in height and around the shoulders and midsection. His hair was a shaggy black, his face square with a broken nose that came together in a way that was surprisingly becoming, though in an entirely uninviting way. “Brought your dog, I see. Fine beast.”
“Mr. Egilson?” I said politely, shaking the hand.
“Well, who else would I be?” my host replied. I wasn’t sure if this was meant to be unfriendly or if the baseline of his demeanour was mild hostility. I should mention here that I am terrible at reading people, a failing that has landed me in my fair share of inconveniences. Bambleby would have known exactly what to make of this bear of a man, would probably already have him laughing at some charmingly self-effacing joke.
Bloody Bambleby, I thought. I haven’t much of a sense of humour myself, something I dearly wish I could call upon in such situations.
“Quite a journey you’ve had,” Egilson said, staring at me disconcertingly. “All the way from London. Get seasick?”
“Cambridge, actually. The ship was quite—”
“Villagers stared as you came up the road, I bet? ‘Who’s that little mouse of a thing, coming up the road?’ they were thinking. ‘She can’t be that fancy scholar we’ve been hearing about, come all the way from London. Looks like she’d never survive the journey.’ ”
Product details
- Publisher : Del Rey (January 10, 2023)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 059350013X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0593500132
- Item Weight : 14.1 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.8 x 1.09 x 8.51 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #98 in Folklore (Books)
- #273 in Fantasy Action & Adventure
- #385 in Romantic Fantasy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
The book follows the efforts of Emily Wilde to complete her Encyclopedia of Fairies, and the story unfolds in prose that rings of journal entries, complete with footnotes. She references her travels through Europe with her longtime finicky university associate, Wendell (who is far more than he seems). There’s a nice undercurrent of attraction, friction, friendship, and banter between these two that’s endearing and totally enjoyable to read.
The book references quite a few kinds of fairy folk, with a focus on their general bad behavior and how to prevent succumbing to their intrigues. In this case, Emily and Wendell travel north in search of the fairies of Ljosland, Norway. The villagers are a hoot. And rather fearlessly, Emily gets herself into trouble more than once with the magical Folk.
The writing is wonderful, full of beautiful if somewhat erudite, turn-of-the-century language, lovely imagery, and clever dialog. Emily, the POV character, has a very distinct and witty “voice” which I loved. She and Wendell are thoroughly engaging, (more so than the plot). And they’re the main reason that I continued with the duology. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy great characters, beautiful writing, and witty dialog, and who don’t mind a slow pace.
And then there's Wendell Bambleby. What a character! He is also a researcher but either makes up his findings or steals from others. He is very precious and cannot deal with even the smallest inconvenience or difficulty. Emily drags him along as he sniffles and pouts. He is wonderful (although I hope to never meet him).
I think the aspect of this book that pulls me in the most is how committed the author (Heather Fawcett) is to making this seem like a real scientific diary that Emily is keeping. Emily is always looking for reliable information on faeries, which is very difficult because they live far away from humans and are able to seamlessly camouflage themselves in nature. And they love to cause problems for humans. This ain't Tinkerbell!
So the book is written day-by-day as Emily learns more and more. There are even numerous footnotes that go into detail about certain fictional terms that the author has created, and referencing other (fictional) researchers' work, as you would expect from a scientist but seldom from a fictional story. As I said, it is a commitment.
This has been a book for me to enjoy and sit with. I can relate to Emily's desire for isolation and her dedication to her friendly oafish dog, who accompanies her everywhere, but is also annoyingly loyal to the insufferable Bambleby. In fact, I really hope that every fiction book I read (or write!) from now on has at least one insufferable character!
In summary, this is a lovely book. I felt like I had to write this review even though I'm not done the book (70% thru) because I appreciate it so much. Thanks to the author!
1- I despise main characters who are the problem. And boy, oh boy, Emily is the problem. She is the bane of her own existence. I get main characters have to be exposed to danger or something outrageous sometimes to save themselves, loved ones, the village, the city, the world. But Emily does things not even for science. Just put herself in danger and worry everyone around her. She purposely goes to places without "help" just to be rescued by the same people she refused to get help from multiple times. And she doesn't thank people people who save her, and somehow, that's okay.
2- I hate fantasy that lacks world building. I was left in the dark. The book took place in the 20th century! A scientist studying the fae in the early 20th century!! Let that sink in. I read fantasy to immerse in a different world. The author did no world building and skipped out on descriptions. So many things were missing. I felt like it I had to re read to see if I missed something.
3- Last but not least, I hate unlikable main characters. I feel like the author thought Emily was cute and innocent and clumsy and nerdy in her head, which at times she was sort of, but I couldn't like Emily. I rooted for serial killers more than I rooted for her. I wanted her to be unhappy and learn a lesson. I didn't even feel bad when she got hurt ( I don't wanna SP) . I feel like a bad person because I wish all people and sentient beings even fictional ones the very best, but Emily put me in a moral dilemma. I was wishing her the worst. I don't like feeling that way about the main characters, and that's not good.
Yep, I'm not sure if I will read the second book coming next year.
Top reviews from other countries
Si te gustan los cuentos de hadas modernos y la mitología este libro es para ti. Es una divertida historia, recientemente leí varios libros de la autora Heather Fawcett y hasta el momento este y la secuela son mis favoritos.
All in all, I can say that I can't wait for the second book and that I can totally recommend this read.