'The Good Fairies of New York' by Martin MILLAR

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

Morag and Heather, two eighteen-inch fairies with swords, green kilts and badly dyed hair fly through the window of the worst violinist in New York, an overweight and antisocial type named Dinnie, and vomit on his carpet.

Who they are, how they came to New York and what this has to do with the lovely Kerry - who lives across the street, and has Crohn's Disease, and is making a flower alphabet - and what this has to do with the other fairies (of all nationalities) of New York, not to mention the poor repressed fairies of Britain, is the subject of this book.

It has a war in it, and a most unusual production of Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and Johnny Thunders' New York Dolls guitar solos. What more could anyone desire from a book?

‘The Good Fairies of New York’ tells the dreamy tale of a fairy troupe who converge on a terrible New York violinist named Dinnie. Heather and Morag, along with their winged-friends Brannoc, Maeve, Padraig, Petal and Tulip have a plan for Dinnie and his across-the-way neighbour, Kerry. These eighteen-inch fairies pack quite the punch and have a cunning strategy for war that would put Sun Tzu to shame . . .

‘The Good Fairies of New York’ was actually published in 1992, but has been re-released this year. Apparently Martin Millar was one impressive author who flew under the radar for a while, until his 2007 novel ‘Lonely Werewolf Girl’ put him on the map. He became a literary darling, and the novels of his backlist became rare and costly (people on Amazon forums talk about forking out upwards of $100 for battered copies!). So this new edition of ‘The Good Fairies of New York’, another Millar novel in the paranormal vain, is a fantastic re-release for new and old fans.

This edition comes with an introduction by Neil Gaiman, and his words very aptly applied to me. In this intro, Gaiman admits he had ‘Good Fairies’ sitting on his shelf for five years before he actually got around to reading and falling in love with it . . . I too have been remiss with the works of Martin Millar. I have had his ‘Lonely Werewolf Girl’ sitting on my shelf since 2007, and I've ever bought ‘Curse of the Werewolf’ girl . . . but I haven’t read either of them. And now I am truly ashamed, because Millar is an extraordinary voice in paranormal literature, and ‘The Good Fairies’ is an incredible feat of city fantasy.

New York City becomes an eclectic setting for these pint-sized fae. The city has always been touted as a cultural melting-pot, never more than when these faeries come to town. Reading about New York from an eighteen-inch high perspective is both grimy and brilliant, particularly when these faeries munch on magic mushrooms and swill whiskey with abandon.

“Right you two,” said Dinnie, stomping back into the room. “Get out of here immediately and don’t come back.”

“What is the matter with you?” demanded Heather, shaking her golden hair. “Humans are supposed to be pleased, delighted and honoured when they meet a fairy. They jump about going ‘A fairy, a fairy!’ and laugh with pleasure. They don’t demand they get out of their room immediately and don’t come back.”

“Well, welcome to New York,” snarled Dinnie. “Now beat it.”

The story has real heart, above all else. Dinnie is an atrocious violinist, and his neighbour, Kerry, suffers from Crohn’s disease and was recently dumped for having a colostomy bag. The story is all about how eighteen-inch fairy-cupids work to bring these two unlikely’s together, while also working to defeat the King of the Cornish Faeries.

Bibliophiles may scoff and scorn fantasy as being a ‘popular genre’ with no real substance. To those cynics, I would direct you to Martin Millar and his awesome blend of paranormal punk. He writes with unrepentant abandon and unsurpassed wit. His story is off-beat and quirky, but it’s also a tale with a beating pulse and moral warmth. Martin Millar is an incredible addition to the paranormal scene – he dirties the genre, roughs it up and screams a story that rings in your ears long after the last page.

5/5