This was a fun little read that strangely put me in a spring mood. When they say fairies they mean really all “supernatural” or “elemental” creatures you can think of in here including; elves, pixies, trolls, leprechauns and dwarves amongst other things.
The book is broken into areas and addresses the subject in that way for instance you get a section on European fairy lore, Asian and Australian, America and others. I did find it all interesting even the stuff you would have learned from the movies like Tinkerbell, Morgan Le Fey and anything Lord of the Rings.
So some things I learned that I didn’t know:
There is a theory that these beings are demoted Gods which would be kind of cool. I mean I don’t consider it a bad fall back job. But then again if I could chose a vocation elf would be high up on the list and I don’t discriminate between Middle Earth or North Pole elf.
People think of absinthe as a fairy or associated it with fairy magic which is totally reasonable in my opinion.
People believe in beings known as the Cyber-Jinn who effect computers. Which was especially relevant because I happened to catch a nasty little adware cold on my work computer a couple of days after reading this so I just blamed the Cyber-Jinn.
The author touches on some other interesting points that I would like to read more about but with some exceptions it’s very much a hodgepodge so a lot of it gets run through quickly and dropped just as quickly. However throughout the book websites and other reading material are mentioned that you could use to continue on your fairy studies.
Recommend: Yes. If you like this kind of thing but aren’t an expert I’d recommend it. I also think it’s a great little gift idea. I really am going to gift it to a friend for their birthday. As for kids I don’t think there’s anything in there that would be bad to read although depending on their level of interest it might be a little dry.