REVIEWS
FAIRIES IN AMERICA: Keeping the tradition of the Sidhe alive is a sacred calling. Winding the spirit of the sidhe into a community of fellow seekers is a great task, and it is not for everyone. Shannon Avery, author of The Queen’s Rune and Other Tales of the Sidhe, published by Vulgar Marsala Press and available on Amazon.com, is capable of these and other feats — and she does it so well. Not only is she a storyteller, poet, and a a magician, she’s also a weaver of the web, and she has started and contributed to magical communities in many places. Originally from New Orleans, where much of her childhood was spent, Avery learned about the sidhe and magic by listening to stories a family cook told her at an early age. As an adult, she studied Anthropology and visited the holy places of many of the tribes, spread across the earth. These imprints of stories remain in her consciousness and have grown into larger epics, tales accompanied by original music, and smatterings of counsel and advice for those who may be bold enough to step upon the path.
VM PRESS: Redemption is a recurring theme in Avery’s new book of poems and stories: The Queen’s Rune and Other Tales of the Sidhe. The “Dirty Little Secret” of Sidhedom is hinted at throughout the book and readers who take the time to explore Avery’s masterful rendering of Sidhe language and culture into a form relatable to humans may just decrypt the puzzle. But even for the Uninitiated, Avery performs a remarkable feat of linguistic and cultural detective work, not to mention a literary high-wire act, as she virtually channels the Fair Folk, balancing razor-sharp analysis with rich imagery.
AMAZON: Not since Simon Wagstaff, known to many as the Space Wanderer, first tripped to the planet Shaltoon to confront his mortality has a more gripping and concise tale defining the fall of humanity been penned. No surprise that this modern day Iliad is presented by Shannon Avery, now unchallenged as the only legitimate scribe of the Sidhe Universe. From the mystery of the Garden of Eden to the battle chronicles of the war for decency, the poetry flows forth in a hypnotic, noir dream daring the reader to try and put this one down for even a minute.