War for the Oaks
War for the Oaks is an important fantasy novel by Emma Bull. This early work of urban fantasy helped kick off the subgenre of rock'n'roll faery stories.
The novel tells the story of Eddi McCandry, a rock musician struggling to keep her band together in Minneapolis. She is selected by some members of the Seelie Court to be their champion, and saddled with a phouka, shape-changer, as a companion, much against her will. Eddi's interactions with the phouka, and later with the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, intersect with her band's musical development, including many descriptions of real Minneapolis folk/rock clubs of the late 1980s. Aside from Eddie, the band's drummer, Carla, is another strong woman character. The depictions of the Queen of the Seelie Court and the Queen of Air and Darkness of the Unseelie Court are also of interest.
Further reading
- Book discussion group on feministSF mailing list (Dec. 2001)
Editions
- 1987: Ace Books, New York
- 2001: Orb Books, New York