Faerie Tale, by Raymond E. Feist

(pb; 1988)

From the back flap:

"Phil Hastings was a lucky man -- he had money, a growing reputation as a screenwriter, a happy, loving family with three kids, and he'd just moved into the house of his dreams in rural upstate New York. Life was wonderful, full of magic -- and about to altered irrevocably by a Magic more real than any dared imagine.

"For with the Magic came the Bad Thing, and the Faerie, and then the Fool.. and the resurrection of a primordial war with a forgotten People -- a war that not only the Hastings but the whole human race could lose."

Review:

This is a solid read, its characters fully-fleshed and its prose imbued with the very Magic it purports to detail. I agree with Bryan, who suggested (in a long-ago book review of this book) that one should read Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream beforehand, as it's an acknowledged influence/source of Feist's book. (It should be noted, however, that anyone who hasn't read the play can also enjoy the novel.)

The build-up is ably paced, the plot is an equal balance of drama, fantasy and horror; perfect for anyone who doesn't mind their fantasy dark, while maintaining that almost-antiseptic mainstream cleanliness that Stephen King's writing embodies. The Jungian overtones are wonderful, as well.

Highly recommended, this.