Queen
Morgana and the Renfaries
Rating
8.2/10
Shakespeare
with a contemporary feel, injected with detective noir and strictly for adults.
Review by Floresiensis
It has been a few years since I last reviewed
Teel James Glenn but I still remember both author and work fondly. And so I was
pleased when he made contact regarding a new book that had recently been
published, Queen Morgana and the Renfaires. Glenn’s latest work is a
collection of interweaving stories with the titular Queen Morgana being the
major connection between them. I think the best way of describing this work is
as Shakespeare meets pulp fiction meets film noir. Does that sound like a
lot of fun? I hope it does because that is certainly what I found it
to be.
To summarise events… Queen Morgana will
not allow free passage between the realms of the Fae and of humans. Because of
this, both realms are dying and the only bridge between the worlds is the place
where dreams live in the daylight – Renaissance Faires. As the book progresses
a group of humans stumbles through the portal (a movie make-up man, a
Vietnam vet, a private detective and a crippled cop to name a few) and one must
show the Queen of the Fae what true love is or they will perish in the greater
darkness that is growing day by day.
The old adage urges an author to “write about
what they know” and Glenn certainly takes this advice on-board. His colourful
and impressive curriculum vitae lists stuntman, fight
choreographer, sword-master, jouster, book illustrator, bodyguard and
actor and almost all of the humans that cross the portal between realms are
creations that owe much to his experience within these professions and this
lends an air of authenticity to all his human characters. He is also a veteran
of nearly fifty Renaissance Faires and this knowledge is used extensively
within the story.
Glenn’s work is thoroughly likeable and he
pours of himself into the stories with an obvious joy that passes on to the
reader. I enjoyed each and every story – the way they were told, the plot
arcs and the characters and it was also fun for there to be such an adult,
sexual edge to proceedings, which that came as as welcome change having read
so much young adult fiction recently.
So, if you are looking for Shakespeare with a
contemporary feel, injected with detective noir and strictly for adults then
look no further. Queen Morgana and the Renfairies was a breeze to read and
that main feelings I take away from it is of the passion and wry sense of
humour that was prevalent throughout. If Willie S was asked to write
pulp fiction this could well have been the result. I recommend this book with a
large and genuine smile.
The most fitting way to end to this review is
with a quote from Melchett in Blackadder II, which perfectly sums up the
happenings in Queen Morgana and the Renfairies: “Like private parts to the Gods
are we, they play with us for their sport.”
