Reviews
“Wonderful.” —Fantasy & Science Fiction
“The finest fantasy writer of this or any decade.” —Marion Summer Bradley
“Ms. Springer’s work is outstanding in the field.” —Andrew Norton
“Nancy Springer writes like a dream.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Nancy Springer’s kind of writing is the kind that makes you want to run out, grab people on the street, and tell them to go find her book immediately and read them, all of them.” —The News (Salem, Ak)
Praise for GrandGhost
Publisher’s Weekly starred review GrandGhost
“At the start of this sprightly tale of longing and renewal from Edgar-winner Springer (Dark Lie), Beverly Vernon, a children’s books illustrator who has recently settled in a small Florida Panhandle town following her husband’s death, receives bad news from her literary agent in New York—her most recent book is unsalable. Depressed, she realizes that most of her contemporaries are filling their days by doting on grandchildren, something her two adult daughters are unlikely to provide. In this state of mind, she makes a start on a portrait of the ideal granddaughter: violet-eyed, golden-haired, and dressed for a party. That evening, while digging up some bricks in the backyard, she uncovers the skeleton of a small child. The following morning, Beverly notices that the portrait has been altered: the girl now has a grim expression. Is she going mad? So begins her quest to identify the buried child, whom the police believe to have been murdered. Beverly’s wit and humanity keep this highly readable novel grounded when it blossoms into fully fledged fantasy.” —Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Agency. (Aug.)
“Springer makes the most of Beverly as a lead character—an ordinary woman of a certain age thrust into an extraordinary situation and dealing with it effectively. Should find an audience with fans of supernatural mysteries and offbeat cozies.”—Booklist review June
“I just finished ‘GrandGhost’. You know how it is when you read a really good book that strikes at the heart of you, and you cry, not because its sad, or bittersweet, or joyful, just because it is that good, or that it is the end, or because is is sad, bittersweet and joyful. Well, for me, that is this book. Out of all the gazillion books I’ve read, this one has convinced me I now have a new favorite author! I’m eager for a little time to pass so I can enjoy reading it again…” —Barb Comstock
Praise for The Oddling Prince
“What a thrilling yarn! Fast-moving, full of surprises, and yet infinitely satisfying. Every time you think you know what’s going to happen Springer pulls a new but perfect rabbit out of the hat.The Oddling Prince is one of those great books that’ll be reread over and over again.” —Brenda W. Clough, author of How Like A God and A Most Dangerous Woman
“Lyrical and lovely, THE ODDLING PRINCE feels both fresh and like a classic ballad that’s been part of the English canon for centuries.” —Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of The Queens of Renthia series
“In The Oddling Prince, Nancy Springer has written a small, perfect epic, three words I did not think could ever live well together. And yet here it is: romantic, heroic, moving, satisfying–and not an overblown farrago of words. A small, perfect epic. Read it—and believe.”
—Jane Yolen, author of The Emerald Circus, Briar Rose, Sister Light/Sister Dark, Deveil’s Arithmetic, Mapping the Bones, and the upcoming Finding Baba Yaga.
“The Oddling Prince is fantasy at its best. Lyrical prose, memorable characters, and a haunting story bring to life the never-was worlds of Calidon and Otherland. Filled with magic, fabulous horses, swordplay, and treachery—at its core, The Oddling Prince is about the power of love. This skillfully wrought novel reminds readers of why Nancy Springer is one of our top fantasy writers. A must-read book!” —Vonnie Winslow Crist, author of The Enchanted Dagger
“In The Oddling Prince, Nancy Springer juggles the tropes of fantasy and folklore with skill and wit, exploring kingship, brotherhood, friendship and heroism of many kinds while telling a story that kept me up far too late finding out what was going to happen next to characters I really cared about.
I love Nancy’s work, and have since I was on the Tiptree Jury that honored Larque On The Wing. She’s a remarkable writer with a remarkable imagination and the ability to make books that are intensely political and philosophical pure fun to read. I love the Enola Holmes series (and am delighted to hear they might be getting turned into a movie), but I’m glad she’s writing fantasy again. She’s such a sensible fantasist. We can use more like her.” —Delia Sherman
“Nancy Springer is a treasure.” —Ellen Kushner, author of Swordpoint
“Nancy Springer’s The Oddling Prince is a lovely, mystical legend that explores different kinds of love—of parents, of brothers, of lovers, of friends, of king and of country. Her characters are both mythic and real, her vision magical. I read it all at a gulp and enjoyed every moment.” —Delia Sherman, author of Changling and The Evil Wizard Smallbone
“THE ODDLING PRINCE is Nancy Springer at her very best. If you don’t know her work – which seems most unlikely – THE ODDLING PRINCE is the perfect place to start!” —Peter S. Beagle, author of In Calabria and Summerlong
“Springer is the author of more than 50 books for children and adults; this one hits the sweet spot between them, a richly written story of two young men finding their true paths.” – Barnes & Noble sf picks for May
“What a wild ride I just took with this book!” —Suberbiareads.com
“It is an absolute delight to read. . . .The story flows steadily, like water in a stream, and although there are some heavy issues in the story there is an underlying optimism that carries the reader into the darker parts with a sense of hope.” —Toes Six Press
“Hold onto your bows and arrows Elflings, we might have an early contender for the best fantasy novel of 2018.” —Starburst Reviews
“…this very well could end up being my favorite book of the year. Rated 5/5 stars on Goodreads.” — WayTooFantasy
“The Oddling Prince is a wonderfully fantastic story of two brothers. One, Aric, has been raised as the king’s heir; the other, Albaric and son of the Queen of Elfland, has been lost to memory. The King of Calidon is cursed with a ring that he cannot remove that sickens him, and he’s unable to eat or drink. As he lies on his deathbed, Albaric appears to aid him. Aric and Albaric are immediately bonded, brothers inextricably drawn to each other, adoring each other. Yet the King has no memory of his time in Elfland or loving and teaching Albaric as he grew.
Wound through the story are songs and the myth of the White King. As the King recovers his health, his soul seems wounded as he changes from a kind and just king to a hateful, violent tyrant. As the violence escalates, the kingdom withers, and an old enemy resurfaces. Can Aric and Albaric save their father and the kingdom?
If you love fantasy and rich nuanced storytelling, you’ll love The Oddling Prince. The story is superb, the writing glorious, the world-building subtle and immersive, and the characters are complex. A very satisfying read and an instant reminder of why Nancy Springer is one of the best fantasy writers ever, up there with Diana Wynne Jones, Brandon Sanderson, and the other greats. So glad she came out of “retirement” to gift us another soul-searching read. Highly recommended.
If you haven’t read any other fantasy books by Nancy Springer, you owe it to yourself to grab some of her other series and start reading. You’ll be glad you did.”
I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the publisher through NetGalley. My opinions are my own. —Five Directions Press
“Lyrical and with a sense of melancholy, The Oddling Prince is a throwback to the days when high fantasy vibrated with idealism. True, the narrator, Prince Aric, has an increasingly disturbed king as a father. It’s probably not giving away too much to disclose that his father eventually confesses to some unsavory power struggles with relatives. However, Prince Aric, a young man of simple tastes and straight-forward allegiances, is a good-hearted type, patient with his irascible father and protective of his newly discovered brother, Albaric.
There’s an unexpected element to his new sibling: Albaric is part-elf, exiled forever from that ethereal world because of his quest to help their father, who has fallen under the spell of a ring. To the king the elf-son is an uncanny reminder of his time as a captive of the capricious elf queen. Aric, however, feels a deep bond to the lonely, loyal outcast.
Soon Aric is torn between his wish to please his father and his desire to help Albaric put down roots in this world. As various plans fail, he must find a way to protect his gifted but fragile brother and restore harmony to the kingdom.—GM
Confessions of a Serial reader (below)
This was a totally different take on the fae and I found it to be a beautiful story full of love and understanding. It is about two brothers who find each other and will do what ever it takes to keep each other alive. It is historical fiction with a touch of magical realism.
Aric is the prince and only child of Queen Evalin and King Bardaric. He is often described as young and unsure, and people worry that he will not be strong enough to be king. Albaric is the fae son that the king does not remember. Raised in Elfland, but not loved there, he comes to help the king recover from his illness. The king takes an instant dislike to Albaric and can not understand his son’s fascination with him. What unfolds is a wonderful story of loyalty, what it means to be brothers and doing everything with in your power to save the ones you love.
Aric was a fascinating character with a lot going for him. He was a young man on the brink of adulthood, but unsure of his place in life. He was devoted to his king and his people, but wasn’t sure he wanted to be king.
Albaric was also a great character. Half fae and half human and totally out of his element. He knew next to nothing of the human world when he arrived, but was determined to get the king to notice him and perhaps love him as he did in Elfland.
The story centers around Aric and Albaric’s relationship, and how they save the kingdom and the King and Queen from death and destruction. It is historical fiction set in Scotland and the setting is just beautiful. There is a small romance, although it is very period appropriate. Lady Marissa is the daughter of a rival kingdom, and a seer. She is a delight, and I loved see their relationship develop.
The writing is suburb and you really feel like you are there with all of the sights and sounds of medieval Scotland. The magical realism is not overpowering but adds a nice subtle touch to the story. The ending was not at all what I expected, but beautiful and perfect.
A beautiful and riveting story of loyalty and what it means to be brothers. Although slow at times, it is a truly magical story that should not be missed.
The story was entertaining, and I definitely want to own my own copy eventually, preferably in a nice hardback edition that will sit with the rest of my favored fantasies. It’s a beautiful, unique, and gorgeous story that should be read by all ages. Nancy Springer has shot up high onto my list of favorites, and I am determined to go out and find more of her books, and devour them.
Final rating is 5/5 stars.”—Pass Me That Book.
“Before I post the review, let me start by saying that I NEVER buy books brand new. Sure I get them as gifts, but it has to be an amazing, earth-shaking, unbelievably good book that I will read several times (which is also odd for me) for me to buy it brand new. This one is one of the ones that I did.
This review is really short because I choose not to regurgitate the synopsis, and I don’t post spoilers. This book was written in a style that I felt like I was reading some ancient fairy tale from long ago. It had a cozy, comforting feel about it. You actually felt the emotions that the characters felt whether it was the joy of long lost brothers or the heartbreak of a fathers unrequited love. At times, you can almost see the landscape experience the other senses of the characters. It was unique in the storyline, characters, conflicts and everything else. I can’t find one thing to compare this book against.
Five stars are not enough. This is storyline is like nothing I have ever read before. The characters are well written, I love the period-style language the author used to write the entire book. This book had me hooked within the first few pages and ended by leaving me smiling. This could easily be a modern classic.
Kat from Minas Morgul: “This was absolutely beautiful….solid gold.”
She’s Going Book Crazy:
I want to jump right in and say that I think this book has been (and will be) widely misunderstood. I’ve seen a lot of reviews already that are very misleading and don’t represent this book well at all. While it has been placed into the Young Adult fantasy genre, it doesn’t really fit in well with other current titles and trends. The Oddling Prince reads exactly like an old-time fairy tale, i.e. The Lily of Life: A Fairy Tale, and reflects little upon the mantras of the genre it has been categorized under. For these reasons, I would highly suggest going into this read with an open mind. There are some very valuable topics being explored, which could completely become overshadowed by preconceived notions. With that being said, I’m so glad that I picked up this book! If you are a fan of original fairy tales, this will be a read that you will want to give a shot at.
I want to jump right in and say that I think this book has been (and will be) widely misunderstood. I’m so glad that I picked up this book! If you are a fan of original fairy tales, this will be a read that you want. Five of five stars.” —Felicia Allen
“The whole time while reading The Oddling Prince, I felt like I was hearing a dream while underwater. In other words, it’s strange, but I liked it.” —Tales Untangled Reviews
Praise for Fair Peril
“Rollicking, outrageous…eccentric, charming…Springer has created a hilarious blend of feminism and fantasy in this heartfelt story of the power of a mother’s love.” —Publishers Weekly
“Witty, Whimsical, and enormously appealing.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A delightful romp of a book…an exuberant and funny feminist fairy tale.” —Lambda Book Report
“Moving, eloquent…often hilarious, but…beneath the laughter, Springer has utterly serious insights into life, and her own art…Fair Peril is modern/timeless storytelling at its best, both enchanting and very down-to-earth. Once again, brava!” —Locus
Praise for Larque On The Wing
“Satisfying and illuminating…scathing…nightmarish…uproariously funny…an off-the-wall contemporary fantasy that refuses to fit any of the normal boxes.” —Asimov’s Science Fiction
“Irresistible…charming, eccentric…thoughtful and significant…a winning, precisely rendered foray into magic realism.” —Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Chains of Gold
“Fantasy as its finest.” —Romantic Times
“Her fantastic images are telling, sharp and impressive; her poetic imagination unparalleled.” —Marion Zimmer Bradley
“Nancy Springer is a writer possessed of a uniquely individual vision. The story in Chains of Gold is borrowed from no one. It has a small, neat scope rare in a book of this genre, and it is a little jewel.” —News Journal (Mansfield, OH)
“Springer writes with depth and subtlety; her characters have failings as well as strengths, and the topography is as vivid as the lands of dreams and nightmares. Cerilla is a worth heroine, her story richly mythic.” —Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Hex Witch of Seldom
“Springer has turned her considerable talents to contemporary fantasy with a large degree of success.” —Booklist
“Nimble and quite charming…with lots of appeal.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Budgies and a midlife crisis catapult a sorrowful heroine into a magical world of self-discovery and love, as the prolific Springer (Fair Peril) continues her theme of feminist-inspired fantasy. The aptly named Sassy Hummel gains some much needed spunk when she learns to take a bird’s-eye view of life. Sassy’s husband of 27 years has just run off with a sweet young thing, her mother has Alzheimer’s, she’s lost her house, been forced to sell her jewelry, and now the only job she’s qualified for is maid at the posh Sylvan Tower Hotel. To make matters worse, a bird in the hotel atrium just pooped on her head. After the statuesque, brightly festooned Racquel (owner of the hotel’s upscale boutique, Plumage) cleans her up, Sassy takes a peek in the mirror to assess the damage. Instead of her own reflection, she sees a little blue budgie. As a matter of fact, Sassy begins seeing birds everywhere:”
And from Tallahassee Writer’s Association: “Dorrie and Sam White appear to have a normal if somewhat boring life, but (Dorrie) whose given name is Candor Verity, has a dark secret she has hidden for 16 years. At thirty-something her once lovely face has been scarred by lupus and her balletically slender body ravaged by the side effects of the steroid treatments for her condition, giving her “chipmunk cheeks and hippopotamus hips.”
Unable to have children with her husband Sam, she fantacizes about the baby girl taken from her at birth and of Blake Roman, the older boy with the romantic name, transfixing voice, and hypnotic eyes who called her “Candy.” In Dorrie’s memory he is her “miracle prince:” the one who turned her virginal self into “Cinderella and Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, all awakening as one” years before in the basement of her hometown school library.
A bureaucratic snafu reveals that, contrary to what her parents told her, the baby was not spirited away to California or beyond, by an adoption agency. Instead, Dorrie learns that the child was privately placed with the prominent District Attorney in Fulcrum, Ohio, the same town, where her Bible thumping parents moved after uncovering her shameful secret. After uncovering this information,”
“My 12-year-old daughter borrowed this book from her school library and she loved it so much, she asked me for her own copy. She loves to read, and she’s really into anything with a lot of drama, emotion, excitement, action or fantasy. She reads a lot of books, but she has only asked me to actually buy her a few: Harry Potter, Series of Unfortunate Events, and I Am Morgan le Fay. She was thrilled to open it on Christmas! I haven’t read this book myself yet, but I’m reviewing it based on my daughter’s high opinion of it. I’m sure she’ll enjoy the author’s other titles as well.” (From Amazon.com, click for review.)
“My laundry and dishes suffered because of this book. I really couldn’t wait to get back to it. I knew it would end tragically with Morgan le Fay as the protag., but I had to know what happened next! The writing style drew me in. I found myself re-reading sentences because they were so artfully written. This is a keeper. I will re-read it because it was such a beautiful, heartbreaking story.” (From Amazon.com, click here for permalink.)
Night Owl Reviews Jan, 2013 – “In this gripping psychological (Dark Lie) thriller–smart, chilling, and unrelenting–Nancy Springer establishes herself as an exciting new suspense writer with a distinctive voice and some surprises up her sleeve. To their neighbors, Dorrie and Sam Whiteare a contented couple in America’s heartland, with steady jobs, a suburban home, and plenty of community activities to keep them busy. But they’re not quite what they seem. For plain, hard-working Sam hides a depth of devotion for his wife that no one would suspect. And Dorrie is living a lie–beset by physical ailments, alone within herself…and secretly following the comings and goings of the sixteen-year-old daughter, Juliet, she gave up for adoption when she was hardly more than a child herself. Then one day at the mall, Dorrie watches horror-stricken as Juliet is abducted, forced into a van that drives away. Instinctively, Dorrie sends her own car speeding after it–an act of reckless courage that puts her on a collision course with a depraved killer…and draws Sam into a dogged, desperate search to save his wife. As mother and daughter unite in a terrifying struggle to survive, to what extremes will Dorrie go in overcoming her own limitations…and in confronting her dark, tormented past?”
“Nancy Springer’s first foray into suspense is a darkly riveting read, featuring a scarred heroine whose past is shrouded in a shameful secret she would kill–or die–to protect. The pages swiftly fall away, along with layers of secrets and lies to reveal the pulsing heart of this compelling thriller: the primal bonds between parent and child, between man and woman–and the fine line between love and hate.” ~Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times Bestselling Author