A Practical Guide to Faeries

Practical Guide Family of Fantasy Essentials #2

by Susan J. Morris, Emily Fiegenshuh (Illustrator)

Peek inside the secret world of faeries in the next book of the The New York Times best-selling Practical Guide family!

What's the difference between a pixie and a nixie? What happens if you nibble on a bite of faerie food? How do you say "good night" in the language of faeries? In this fully-illustrated guide, a mischievous pixie named Pip invites readers on an insider's tour of the wonders of the feywild. Discover the secret entrance of a real faerie home, step inside the workshop of a toy-tinkering brownie, and play a game of stickyball with your newfound faerie friends.

Once you've entered faerie land, you may never want to go home again!

Genres: Fantasy, Fairies, Childrens, Magic, Picture Books

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 13, 2009

About the author

Susan J. Morris is a fantasy author best known for her Harker & Moriarty novels, including Strange Beasts and its sequel, Wayward Souls. Before succumbing to books entirely, Susan worked as a novels editor at Wizards of the Coast, ran workshops for Clarion West, and penned a popular writing-advice column—all of which, she is coming to realize, are more or less books. Susan makes her home in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her partner, her cats, and entirely too many plants. Find her online at susanjmorris.com.

Content warnings available on her website.

Reviews

[TQPS]

Very impractical actually as you have to bring about a thousand things to faerie with you if you’re looking to survive. Even so, really amazing art in this- it spooked and intrigued me as a kid and I so badly wanted to be a part of this. I remember too many of the ideas present here. Crazy learning that this is a dungeons and dragons thing

[Iman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It amazing

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cute little introduction to the world of the fae

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a cute book about fairies, kind of generic, but I think I would have really loved it as a child. I was reading it for DND research and it did give me some ideas.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, so practical. Ugh. I love these books deeply.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Practical Guide to Faeries is filled with all the information you will ever need to know about faeries and the Fewywild, the place where faeries live. This instructional book is stuffed with gorgeous pictures and helpful information you will need to know about should you ever want to visit the land of the fairies. You wouldn't want to visit the Feywild without having read this book, as it can be a very dangerous place. There are a lot of mischievous creatures that live in the Feywild and if you are unprepared, you may find yourself in a situation that there is no returning from . . . ever.

Susan J. Morris has once again sat down and created another of the Practical Guide books that the writers as Wizards of the Coast do so well. I must admit, most of my knowledge of faeries comes from watching Disney movies, like Peter Pan, or from reading the books in the Disney Faeries series. So, finding out more about the Dungeons & Dragons version of faeries was something that really interested me. Whereas Pixie Hollow in Never Land is a magical and enchanted place, as with most Disney locales, it isn't a very dangerous place and is filled with happy and go-lucky creatures. The Feywild, on the other hand, can be a deadly place with both cheerful and scary creatures. You need to be very careful with whom you talk to or places you visit in the Feywild or you may end up dead. That would probably never happen in Pixie Hollow.

All of the artists that contribute to the Practical Guides book really make these books special. Their artwork really stands out and convinces the reader that these creatures are as real as you and I. Having grown up reading Fantasy books, and having Fantasy as my favorite genre, I truly want to believe that all of the creatures in the D&D books are real. And every time I read one of the Practical Guides books, my belief in the all of the creatures in these books becomes more solidified. I absolutely love these books and the world of Dungeons & Dragons.

Overall, A Practical Guide to Faeries is another excellent addition to the best instructional series about a fantasy world out there. So, if you are looking for a book about faeries, this book is a necessity. I have all of the Practical Guides books now and will treasure them always. As I read the companion novels to these guides, I find myself pulling the appropriate guide off the shelf to look up something that is mentioned in the novel. After all, isn't that what these books are for in the first place?

I rated this book a 9 out of 10.

[Monster]

A lush, nearly decadent book, A Practical Guide to Faeries is exactly what it advertises, a guide to finding, dealing with and surviving faeries. With beautiful art on every page, along with textured spots and even recipes, it teases every sense, pulling children (and adults) into the world of the Feywild. This book is high fantasy, but doesn't forget the darker side of fae, profiling fae who drink blood and try to drown adventurers and realms where you age a year a day. The fae's trickiness and love of jokes (some of which can be harmful to humans) are also mentioned often, lending a tone of adventure and danger to the fairy tales.

This book is actually part of a series based on the world and mythos of the role playing game Dungeons & Dragons, giving fans a rules free, child-friendly way to share their fun with their kids, but readers don’t have to be familiar with Dungeons & Dragons to enjoy this book. With its vivid art and fun "guided" style it's a great addition to fantasy collections whether library or public. Recommended.

Reviewed by Michele Lee

[Go · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a playful whimsical book. It was not on the same level as the dragon books but it was still done well. Faeries are mischievous and beautiful creatures, most of them anyway. Some were actually scary and rather smelly. It depicts the different types of faeries and where they can be found in the “Feywild.” For various reasons they use a variety of spells: illusions, charm, inspire fear, cause confusion, sleep, hypnotism and so forth. I loved the map to the Feywild, the illustration showing the inside of a faerie home, and the typical day-in-the-life of a faerie which involved a lot of eating and playing pranks. I particularly liked the unusual “Pool of Keys.” One would go fishing for a key and it would open a lone tree which was a doorway to a specific part of the Feywild. My daughter was excited about this book and sat with me to see all the different faeries.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great book - jam packed with fairy lore, how to's and other fun stuff. It covers a wide range of fairies and fairy culture. My only complaint is that some of the illustrations border on cartoony and odd - rather than pretty or whimsical.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book for Bethy but I loved it more than her I think. It was a fun read. I love any thing that has to do with faeries. I hope some day I can go and visit the place this book talk about.wink wink

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I love this book. We are learning fairy dialects and cultural mores. Not the Disney nonsense.

[Evangeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book for learning about different kinds of faeries and how to catch one.

[Mahdieh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book involved faeries. It was kind of creepy how they gathered information about faeries and what they can do but i liked it. It was very entertaining to read.