I had a bit of a struggle getting into this book due to the slightly antiquated narrative style (which I used to read a lot of, but less so lately), but I'm glad that I stuck with it. Kushner's re-telling of this classic legend, of the harper who disappears into Faerieland for seven years, is one which is very traditional in its keeping with the original events, but is made accessible to modern audiences through its characterization. The story is told in four parts, each of which is told from the point of view of one of the four protagonists. Instead of choosing a single omniscient narrator, as would have mimiced the bardic tellings of the tale, Kushner gives us more insight into the story, and especially into the emotional quandries of Thomas the Rhymer. Instead of being just another pawn for the Faerie Queen (even though he is), weare given the chance to explore the growth of a reckless young man into a very grown-up harper-seer. Kushner makes it very clear by doing this that Thomas' time in Faerieland was as much a trial by fire as an adventure - which rings very true in the larger scheme of the fairytale genre, which warns children to be wary of their dealings with the Fey. ( )

I loved this book so much! the characters are all great. I loved Meg a lot and Thomas, of course. I even liked the fairy queen with her strange fae-ness.

Ellen Kushner writes like a dream. I love the Riverside series and I had been meaning to read this book for a long time. Likely, it was in the library. I am so happy I picked it up because it really was so beautiful. A tale from old songs come to life, beautifully.

Really do read it. It's a wonderful tale. And it very much is a tale. It's not one of those intense universe books, but it's still something great. ( )

There's a lot to be said about a fantasy that is written WELL. In fact, one can argue that it is the only thing worth aiming for.

With tons of writers touching on this and that in the realm of the Fae, of wandering minstrels, of friendship, love, and loss, you'd think there would never be a way to STAND OUT from that crowd.

And then, this late in my career of hunting down all the best books on the Fae, I run across Thomas the Rhymer. There are no tricks in this telling.

It is, above all, a crisp, clear story about a minstrel who gets spirited away to the land of the Sidhe to live and love for the Queen, only to find the world changed when he returns.

I've read really great books about the fae, before, of course, but most of them are rich with side stories or buried within much bigger tellings. This book is ONLY about this one thing. And Kushner dives deep into these clear waters, only to bring back up one of the most beautiful, clear pearls of a story.


If I had to recommend just one perfect example of a man getting kidnapped by fairies, then this would have to be it. It's as shiny and beautiful as a crystal goblet. Or the plucking of a genius upon her harp. :) ( )

How did I miss this book, and then leave it unread on my shelf for so long? I absolutely loved it. If I had read the Acknowledgements right away, I would have been on it in a flash for I have loved everything Terri Windling has written and edited. And, yes, I know the ballad this is based on.
The first section of the book is written from the point of view of one of the elder couple who take Thomas in. I thought that would make a curious approach to a story--seeing a life through a minor character's eyes--but Gavin & Meg were such great characters: grumpy and wise, and their bedtime talk made me grin.
Turns out, Thomas gets his own section to tell the continuing story, as does Elspeth, and we get a full view of the consequences of one's actions. ( )

This idea for a re-read came about on a drive, when DH revealed that a niece loved the Tam Lin story. It's been a while since I read any of these books, and Wikipedia does mention Winter Rose as Patricia McKillip's re-telling of that story. And when we began to discuss the storylines of Thomas the Rhymer and Tam (Thomas) Lin, they seemed to be similar in origin and the distance in clans and distance and an oral tradition could so to have made Tam Lin a derivative of Thomas the Rhymer. But that is a subject for a dissertation and would involve much academic argument.

So Thomas the Rhymer. It becomes an amazing story as told by this masterful storyteller. There is more than just Tam Lin being taken by The Queen of the Fairies: there are Gavin and Meg, an older farm couple who keep sheep and chickens and bake oat cakes for a weary wanderer who comes in rain sodden one night. Oh, and he plays the harp, and he is trying to get into the King's court, or at least an Earl's, as that is the "career path" of itinerant harpers.

While he lives with Gavin and Meg, he meets young Elspeth who has turned into a lively young woman, and their teasing and insults form into young love over the course of years while the initial part of the book takes place. And this look at real people with Kushner's pen makes Thomas the Rhymer less a figment of mythology and more a person who might have lived, when times were less technology-driven and more magical.

Thomas has his own section when he takes a moment of repose under the Eildon Tree, when he and Elspeth have become closer than friends, and Thomas has had his enjoyments of the Court and several ladies have become entranced by him. The Queen of the Elves finds him, offers him a choice, and he chooses to be her lover for the next seven years. And she lays an aegis on him that colors his time in Elfland. It is a very sensuous, sensual, and definitely not a YA level novel with its descriptions of the bedroom. But it is not only the bedroom: it is the Court of Elfland, it is an invisible servant, it is a dove who cries blood tears, and it is ever-changing.

And then we get to Elspeth's story, who has languished for seven years without her love, married out of necessity, and retained her spirit. And yes, she does find herself re-united with her love, and the necessity of time passing, in all its poignancy, becomes the final phase of this book. And brings love and life to what is a simple Scottish Ballad re-told in Tor's Fairytale series. ( )