Williams, Tad: War of the Flowers

ISBN: 075640181X

From the Publisher:

Returning to the fantasy genre that made him a coast-to-coast best-selling phenomenon, Tad Williams has written a new stand-alone contemporary novel set in Northern California—and also in the strange parallel world that coexists in the farthest reaches of the imagination.

Theo Vilmos is a thirty-year-old lead singer in a not terribly successful rock band. Once, he had enormous, almost magical, charisma both onstage and off—but now, life has taken its toll on Theo. Hitting an all-time low, he seeks refuge in a isolated cabin in the woods—and reads an odd memoir written by a dead relative who believed he had visited the magical world of Faerie. And before Theo can disregard the account as the writings of a madman, he, too, is drawn to a place beyond his wildest dreams...a place filled with be, and has always been, his destiny.

The War of the Flowers came as a recommendation from Hanna. We were out shopping for used books, and I came across a pristine copy of this book for $5 and bought it.

Due to the fact that I never really read the back of the book or anything, I had the idea that it was a modern faerie tale, but I didn't expect what I got. War of the Flowers is a fantastic modern tale of Faerie. The difference being that it isn't a modern fairy tale... it's not about Snow White, or anything like that. It actually takes the protagonist into Faerie and shows what happens to him there.

I must congradulate Mr. Williams for his excellent imagination and story-telling. I found this book to be creative, and out-of-the-box. I have never read a book like this before. Most tales of Faerie include medieval times with some modern conveniences, if any. I loved that Mr. Williams made everything modern, even though some of it had different names, or even the old fashioned named (ie. Coach instead of car).

I found his character development to be strong, and well planned out. I appreciated the different races, and found that quite interesting and imaginative as well. I like the fact that different races in Faerie had different job (Ferishers were cleaners/grunts, Doonies drove cars, Ogres were body guards etc.). All of the characters, main and secondary, had something interesting to say, and a story to tell, no matter their position. I enjoyed the different stories and backgrounds and cultural differences.

The most interesting/thought provoking parts of the book were the different themes. One can see a parallel to the 9/11 attacks (the author addresses this in the forward), and a general parallel to our world (in Faerie). The interesting thing to me was their desire for plastic surgery. The upper class Faeries all had their wings removed, to look more... humanoid, I guess. Most of the lower class Faeries didn't have them chopped off, whether it was a money or a social thing, I do not know. I just found it interesting that even in a fictional culture, there is a general desire to be someone/something that you are not. I also loved the interracial relationships, and problems they posed (you will have to read it to understand this part! Tee hee hee!).

All in all, War of the Flowers is a fantastic book full of growth, humour, strife, and war. There is a strong romance theme that runs throughout as well. I would recommend this book with a rating of Mature, for readers who like to escape every day life without departing too far.