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Throne
An ancient war is set to begin anew
With talking foxes and golden owls, with paths that lead into the land of the dead and impossible labyrinths hidden within the depths of New York City, THRONE is as much a tale of wonder and dread as it is of the trials of the heart.
Maya and Maribel have never met, but their fates become inextricably intertwined when they each attract the attention of an opposing Fae Court. Thrust into the magical world hidden beneath the grim facade of the city, each woman will have to how far are they willing to go to attain their desires, and at what terrible cost?
With talking foxes and golden owls, with paths that lead into the land of the dead and impossible labyrinths hidden within the depths of New York City, THRONE is as much a tale of wonder and dread as it is of the trials of the heart.
Maya and Maribel have never met, but their fates become inextricably intertwined when they each attract the attention of an opposing Fae Court. Thrust into the magical world hidden beneath the grim facade of the city, each woman will have to how far are they willing to go to attain their desires, and at what terrible cost?
244 pages, Paperback
First published May 25, 2011
28 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Phil Tucker
49 books1,290 followersThanks for visiting my page! I'm Phil Tucker, a Brazilian/Brit who currently resides in Asheville, NC, where I resist the siren call of the forests and mountains to sit inside and hammer away on my laptop.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 20, 2011
I don't read a lot of fantasy, unless Clive Barker's or Neil Gaiman's names are prominently displayed on the cover; too often, it's the same old dragons-and-sorcery borefest. Maybe I'm too snobby, and maybe I'm missing out on some great books because of this. I certainly greatly enjoyed Philip Tucker's dark urban fantasy novella Throne.
I was impressed right away with the fact that the two main characters are women; both are fully fleshed-out, sympathetic, and feel like real people, not the fantasy projections of a lesser male writer. The setting is an actually racially diverse and dangerous New York City, not the whitewashed film set seen on network television. The characters' lives, feelings, reactions, and dialogue all feel authentic, and Tucker's prose and turns of phrase are very often impressive and beautiful. He has a grasp of language and simile that left me thinking more than once "Damn... wish I'd written that."
I absolutely look forward to reading more of Phil Tucker's work, which is criminally underpriced at Amazon. He or a major publishing house will realize his worth soon enough.
I was impressed right away with the fact that the two main characters are women; both are fully fleshed-out, sympathetic, and feel like real people, not the fantasy projections of a lesser male writer. The setting is an actually racially diverse and dangerous New York City, not the whitewashed film set seen on network television. The characters' lives, feelings, reactions, and dialogue all feel authentic, and Tucker's prose and turns of phrase are very often impressive and beautiful. He has a grasp of language and simile that left me thinking more than once "Damn... wish I'd written that."
I absolutely look forward to reading more of Phil Tucker's work, which is criminally underpriced at Amazon. He or a major publishing house will realize his worth soon enough.
Read
July 27, 2017I originally intended for this novel to be entitled MOTHER MAIDEN CRONE (which I still feel is a kick-ass title), and for it to follow three women as they grew entangled with the world of the fae. It started well with the Mother and Maiden (Maribel and Maya) sections flowing easily, but the Crone part limped and straggled along until I finally cut it out altogether. The Crone had discovered the secret to eternal life by sacrificing her relatives to a banshee that haunted her family, but upon hearing its wail in 2010 she realizes that her last living blood relative resides in NYC, and so she crosses the Atlantic to hunt him down.
Which was a great idea and all, but somehow didn't gel with the rest of the novel. So I took an axe to it, and suddenly I was left with MOTHER MAIDEN, which wasn't nearly as cool a title.
I sat back, eyed the manuscript (I had about 30k words at that point), and tried to figure out where it was going to go. Two characters a dichotomy make, and somehow it made sense to have Maribel and Maya fall into opposition. Two characters, two fairy courts, and before I knew it all the pieces had realigned themselves and I had the Seelie and Unseelie Courts struggling to acquire their Queen before the other, and in so doing attain supremacy over the Isle of Apples.
The Isle of Apples? Yes. What first started as a pun on the Big Apple (get it?) quickly grew into something more, as I realized that coincidentally it was also the name of the fabled island where Excalibur was forged and King Arthur taken to heal from his wounds. Said realization led me to examine the myth of Excalibur, and discover Caladbolg/Caladcholg, its Irish predecessor and analog whose own duality further deepened the Seelie/Unseelie theme.
From there I ran with it, wrote the whole 90k in a torrent, and in the process followed the tale into the lands of the dead as Maribel sought to confront Kubu (a real Sumerian demon whose role in killing babes dovetailed with the Irish myth of changelings) and into the world of the fae. I drew (as most do) a vast amount of inspiration from Brian Froud (look up his picture of a phooka), and from a number of texts on the fae that helped me delve past the gilded depictions of Tinkerbell and into the darker, more troublesome nature of the old school fae (check out the Nuckalevee to get a sense of how awful they used to be).
Much has changed since the first draft. Maya was originally Sita, a refugee from Bombay, and most of the characters have been reworked, deepened and strengthened in some manner. Yet at its heart it's still a story of two women driven by desire, by passion and despair, both fighting to survive in a cruel world as they transition from one stage of their lives to the next. It's a story I'm immensely proud of, and I can only hope that others enjoy reading it as much as I did researching and writing it.
Which was a great idea and all, but somehow didn't gel with the rest of the novel. So I took an axe to it, and suddenly I was left with MOTHER MAIDEN, which wasn't nearly as cool a title.
I sat back, eyed the manuscript (I had about 30k words at that point), and tried to figure out where it was going to go. Two characters a dichotomy make, and somehow it made sense to have Maribel and Maya fall into opposition. Two characters, two fairy courts, and before I knew it all the pieces had realigned themselves and I had the Seelie and Unseelie Courts struggling to acquire their Queen before the other, and in so doing attain supremacy over the Isle of Apples.
The Isle of Apples? Yes. What first started as a pun on the Big Apple (get it?) quickly grew into something more, as I realized that coincidentally it was also the name of the fabled island where Excalibur was forged and King Arthur taken to heal from his wounds. Said realization led me to examine the myth of Excalibur, and discover Caladbolg/Caladcholg, its Irish predecessor and analog whose own duality further deepened the Seelie/Unseelie theme.
From there I ran with it, wrote the whole 90k in a torrent, and in the process followed the tale into the lands of the dead as Maribel sought to confront Kubu (a real Sumerian demon whose role in killing babes dovetailed with the Irish myth of changelings) and into the world of the fae. I drew (as most do) a vast amount of inspiration from Brian Froud (look up his picture of a phooka), and from a number of texts on the fae that helped me delve past the gilded depictions of Tinkerbell and into the darker, more troublesome nature of the old school fae (check out the Nuckalevee to get a sense of how awful they used to be).
Much has changed since the first draft. Maya was originally Sita, a refugee from Bombay, and most of the characters have been reworked, deepened and strengthened in some manner. Yet at its heart it's still a story of two women driven by desire, by passion and despair, both fighting to survive in a cruel world as they transition from one stage of their lives to the next. It's a story I'm immensely proud of, and I can only hope that others enjoy reading it as much as I did researching and writing it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2011
4.5/5
This is a fairy tale the way I like them, dark, disturbing, ancient in its battle between Good and Evil and gripping. This is also not a YA to my relief despite one of the characters being a 16-year old girl. I am tired of Holly Black and Julie Kagawa, give me War for the Oaks and Pan's Labyrinth, pretty please.
If you like the latter, this book is for you.
Both the main protagonists, or shall I say, antagonists? are women forged in tragedy and pain.
Maribel is a model and a talented photographer who followed her diplomat husband around the war conflicts of the world taking beautiful pictures of women and children caught in the conflict. Heavily pregnant she flies to a gallery in New York only to give birth to her daughter and see a weird transparent figure take her daughter away and replace her with a husk which everyone thinks is the dead baby.
Crazed with grief Maribel employs help of a psychic and a phooka to find her baby and bring her back. Only the creature leading her on her quest has other much darker goal in mind, - the Unseelie Court is ready for a new Queen of Air and Darkness.
Maya is a 16-year old illegal immigrant working her butt off for miserly $2 an hour in a Chinese restaurant during the day and crafting fake brand belts in a crowded factory during the night. Fighting her way through sexual harassment and prejudice she is determined to save enough money to find a lawyer and get her parents out of prison, while one evening kiss from a beautiful man with fiery green eyes renders her mute and able to see through fae Glamour on the streets of New York.
Maya is asked by Seelie Court to try and stop the Unseelie Queen ascension and with nothing to lose, led by her courage and determination, Maya can only go forward.
This is a fast read, beautifully structured and written. The language describes the fae world as wise, ancient, dark and very much unhinged.
"Maya, look. I understand your frustration. But you’re asking me questions akin to what is love, or heart break. I can describe them as simply as I can, and still not convey their essence to you. They need to be experienced. No matter what I tell you about Jack, or this land, or myself, you will still not understand. Perhaps you might delude yourself into believing you do, but that would be even more dangerous than ignorance. So please. Pick up your left foot, and step forward. Repeat with your right, and let’s keep going until we reach whatever place is invoked by your heart’s desire.”
Fans of War for The Oaks and Pan's Labyrinth will certainly love this story just as much as I did.
This is a fairy tale the way I like them, dark, disturbing, ancient in its battle between Good and Evil and gripping. This is also not a YA to my relief despite one of the characters being a 16-year old girl. I am tired of Holly Black and Julie Kagawa, give me War for the Oaks and Pan's Labyrinth, pretty please.
If you like the latter, this book is for you.
Both the main protagonists, or shall I say, antagonists? are women forged in tragedy and pain.
Maribel is a model and a talented photographer who followed her diplomat husband around the war conflicts of the world taking beautiful pictures of women and children caught in the conflict. Heavily pregnant she flies to a gallery in New York only to give birth to her daughter and see a weird transparent figure take her daughter away and replace her with a husk which everyone thinks is the dead baby.
Crazed with grief Maribel employs help of a psychic and a phooka to find her baby and bring her back. Only the creature leading her on her quest has other much darker goal in mind, - the Unseelie Court is ready for a new Queen of Air and Darkness.
Maya is a 16-year old illegal immigrant working her butt off for miserly $2 an hour in a Chinese restaurant during the day and crafting fake brand belts in a crowded factory during the night. Fighting her way through sexual harassment and prejudice she is determined to save enough money to find a lawyer and get her parents out of prison, while one evening kiss from a beautiful man with fiery green eyes renders her mute and able to see through fae Glamour on the streets of New York.
Maya is asked by Seelie Court to try and stop the Unseelie Queen ascension and with nothing to lose, led by her courage and determination, Maya can only go forward.
This is a fast read, beautifully structured and written. The language describes the fae world as wise, ancient, dark and very much unhinged.
"Maya, look. I understand your frustration. But you’re asking me questions akin to what is love, or heart break. I can describe them as simply as I can, and still not convey their essence to you. They need to be experienced. No matter what I tell you about Jack, or this land, or myself, you will still not understand. Perhaps you might delude yourself into believing you do, but that would be even more dangerous than ignorance. So please. Pick up your left foot, and step forward. Repeat with your right, and let’s keep going until we reach whatever place is invoked by your heart’s desire.”
Fans of War for The Oaks and Pan's Labyrinth will certainly love this story just as much as I did.
June 15, 2012
A nice departure from the canned "tough girl with a chip on her shoulder" version of urban fantasy being flogged to death by publishers. I could live a looong happy life and NEVER read another Anita Blake clone.
The story follows two women: Maya, a teenager and recent immigrant (Brazil), and Mirabel, a former model turned photographer. Each woman's life is changed when she discovers the magical world hidden right beneath/next to our own and is recruited into an ancient, recurring battle between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. One woman is to become the menacing Queen of Air and Darkness; the other, the Lady of Light and Laughter.
Mirabel, having descended into grief after a miscarriage late in her pregnancy, is vulnerable and ripe for the picking, an easy recruit into the Unseelie machinations. When she is approached by the goatlike phooka who offers the opportunity to wreck revenge on Kubu, the dark incarnation of miscarried pregnancies, she's eager for vengeance, even if it means becoming an agent of death and cruelty.
Maya is living a life typical of many immigrants: she has two jobs, one as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant, where she is sexually harassed by the staff; another in a garment factory, stitching designer belts together. One night, after a particularly bad day at work, she encounter a beautiful and mysterious man as she leaves the restaurant. The man kisses her and leaves her unable to speak to anyone in the "real" world. Soon after, she is approached by a talking fox, Guillaume, who takes her into the world of the Seelie and Unseelie. Maya, it seems, is to be the Seelie's Lady of Light and Laughter.
Of course, this is the fey, who can't give a straight answer if their lives depended on it. And Maya and Mirabel are left to fumble their way into their roles, "Whee, look Ma, no script!" Mirabel is at the distinct advantage, as Evil often is, in that she's given infinite power to kill and destroy and stripped of a conscience. Poor Maya...not so much. It's sort of like if The Avengers were ordinary humans with slingshots and Loki...was still Loki, the motherf*cking God of Mischief.
Aided and abetted by a kind-of street hustler named Kevin, Maya gamely attempts to save New York from a whole bunch of things that go bump in the night. Because, of course, it's New York. As I noted in the review of The Avengers on my blog, whether it's aliens or ultimate evil, New York is always in jeopardy.
The strength of this novel is its descriptive passages. I'm a sucker for great metaphors/similes, lovely evocative turns of phrase that paint a vivid picture of the world. Throne is chuck full of great descriptive writing. This is, to some extent, the novel's weakness, as it spends too much time on transitions, lavishing detail on scenes and scenery that should have been deleted in revision.
Maya is the most interesting of the two women. This is because Mirabel is a being of grief and overriding despair. It consumes her, drives her mad, and renders her rather one-dimensional. Not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but it doesn't leave a lot of room for a character arc.
Maya, however, is just a teenage kid struggling with the pressures of surviving in a strange country and now, coping with her role as avatar of good in the Seelie/Unseelie's battle. I guess I'm saying she's the most approachable and relatable. My main quibble with Maya is that her dialogue doesn't sound like that of a non-native speaker. I grew up in a Texas border town (myself Hispanic), and even immigrants who picked up English quickly, still retained speech patterns and syntax that identified them as non-native English speakers. Maya's speech feels off, which is weird, because, by and large the author seems to have a good ear for all things cultural.
The author, who gave me a free copy of the book*, referenced War for the Oaks as a similar novel. I disagree, largely because Emma Bull's novel is actually a gentler tale, a romance really. Throne harkens more to Charles De Lint's darker titles. Either way, Throne is in the milieu of Bull and De Lint.
A dark and edgy alternative to same-old-same-old urban fantasy.
*I don't know the author from Adam, so this is an unbiased review.
The story follows two women: Maya, a teenager and recent immigrant (Brazil), and Mirabel, a former model turned photographer. Each woman's life is changed when she discovers the magical world hidden right beneath/next to our own and is recruited into an ancient, recurring battle between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. One woman is to become the menacing Queen of Air and Darkness; the other, the Lady of Light and Laughter.
Mirabel, having descended into grief after a miscarriage late in her pregnancy, is vulnerable and ripe for the picking, an easy recruit into the Unseelie machinations. When she is approached by the goatlike phooka who offers the opportunity to wreck revenge on Kubu, the dark incarnation of miscarried pregnancies, she's eager for vengeance, even if it means becoming an agent of death and cruelty.
Maya is living a life typical of many immigrants: she has two jobs, one as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant, where she is sexually harassed by the staff; another in a garment factory, stitching designer belts together. One night, after a particularly bad day at work, she encounter a beautiful and mysterious man as she leaves the restaurant. The man kisses her and leaves her unable to speak to anyone in the "real" world. Soon after, she is approached by a talking fox, Guillaume, who takes her into the world of the Seelie and Unseelie. Maya, it seems, is to be the Seelie's Lady of Light and Laughter.
Of course, this is the fey, who can't give a straight answer if their lives depended on it. And Maya and Mirabel are left to fumble their way into their roles, "Whee, look Ma, no script!" Mirabel is at the distinct advantage, as Evil often is, in that she's given infinite power to kill and destroy and stripped of a conscience. Poor Maya...not so much. It's sort of like if The Avengers were ordinary humans with slingshots and Loki...was still Loki, the motherf*cking God of Mischief.
Aided and abetted by a kind-of street hustler named Kevin, Maya gamely attempts to save New York from a whole bunch of things that go bump in the night. Because, of course, it's New York. As I noted in the review of The Avengers on my blog, whether it's aliens or ultimate evil, New York is always in jeopardy.
The strength of this novel is its descriptive passages. I'm a sucker for great metaphors/similes, lovely evocative turns of phrase that paint a vivid picture of the world. Throne is chuck full of great descriptive writing. This is, to some extent, the novel's weakness, as it spends too much time on transitions, lavishing detail on scenes and scenery that should have been deleted in revision.
Maya is the most interesting of the two women. This is because Mirabel is a being of grief and overriding despair. It consumes her, drives her mad, and renders her rather one-dimensional. Not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but it doesn't leave a lot of room for a character arc.
Maya, however, is just a teenage kid struggling with the pressures of surviving in a strange country and now, coping with her role as avatar of good in the Seelie/Unseelie's battle. I guess I'm saying she's the most approachable and relatable. My main quibble with Maya is that her dialogue doesn't sound like that of a non-native speaker. I grew up in a Texas border town (myself Hispanic), and even immigrants who picked up English quickly, still retained speech patterns and syntax that identified them as non-native English speakers. Maya's speech feels off, which is weird, because, by and large the author seems to have a good ear for all things cultural.
The author, who gave me a free copy of the book*, referenced War for the Oaks as a similar novel. I disagree, largely because Emma Bull's novel is actually a gentler tale, a romance really. Throne harkens more to Charles De Lint's darker titles. Either way, Throne is in the milieu of Bull and De Lint.
A dark and edgy alternative to same-old-same-old urban fantasy.
*I don't know the author from Adam, so this is an unbiased review.
August 17, 2015
Disclosure: The author of this book sent me a free kindle edition.
Urban fantasy is extremely popular. You even have an HBO series. Of course, most Urban Fantasy is interchangeable. Get a pretty girl, add werewolf with a side of vampire. If you feel like spicy things up, add various weres (is there a were-camel yet?) with a side order of fairy or witch.
There is some missing though. All these creatures have gone though the neutering process. Werewolves are just big fuzzy dogs, vampires lack canines, and fairies are cute lovable pixies. Even Tinkerbelle. At least, this is the way most creatures are in the modern urban fantasy novel.
Earlier urban fantasy wasn’t as kissy-poo. Things had bite. I wouldn’t want to meet Dracula in a dark alley, (but sparkly vampire dude I can take in a fight). Emma Bull, Charles de Lint, and Tanya Huff wrote fantasy were even if the vampire, werewolf, fairy or whatever was the protagonist, the creature had a dark side.
Philip Tucker writes in this older tradition, and this is a good thing.
Tucker’s Throne is a story about two women involved in a conflict between the Seelie and UnSeelie fairy courts. Strongly reminiscent of War of the Oaks (perhaps the book is homage), Tucker’s book keeps the essence of folklore and fairy tales, and mixes it with spice of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Is it a perfect novel? No, but the book is better than some Urban Fantasy that is released by big publishing houses and established writers. Throne alternates between the viewpoints of Maribel and Maya, two women in the city of New York who attract the attention of the courts. In fairness, the book does start slow, and the first chapter, at least in Kindle format, is slightly confusing because of the setting shifts (greater spacing or a font change would fix this problem). Once the characters start to really interact with the realm of fairy, the book takes off. In part, this is due to the well crafted supporting characters. This is particularly true, though is not confined to, Guillaume, who should have his own television series. The second reason why the book takes off is because both Maribel and Maya come more into their own, as if Tucker has realized that he has truly created “real” characters. So if you started reading this and gave up, give the book another chance.
Here’s why. In the characters of the two women, Maya and Maribel, Tucker gives the dichotomy that exists in many fairy tales, most notably the characters of the step-mother and the witch in “Hansel and Gretel”. It makes more than a question of right and wrong, but of aspects of the soul and of humanity – the other, darker selves that fairy and folktales deal with. This is also evident in Tucker’s use of the stories- brownies are brownies here, with all the attached folklore. Fairy battles are battles with the blood and death. Rawhead and Bloody Bones is Raw and Bloody.
And fairy gifts have drawbacks, especially when you work in a sweatshop.
And that’s another thing I loved about this novel. It takes place in New York, and it is NOT the white New York of Friends. It is not the various cities of other urban fantasy novels where any minority is loosely termed exotic. This always bugged me. If you live in a big city in America, especially someplace like New York, L.A., wherever, odds are, you are use to a large variety of culture. The Urban Fantasy novels by and large seem to forget this. Tucker doesn’t. I enjoyed that. I enjoyed the fact that the leads are two women who fight their battles in different ways, with different outcomes, and have understandable and very real motives.
For those interested in romance, there is a romantic sub-plot or two, but this book is not an Urban Fantasy romance. It is a book about loss, choice, and life. All things that fairies were about back in the Old Country, back in the Old Days.
Honestly, this book is underpriced at Amazon.
Urban fantasy is extremely popular. You even have an HBO series. Of course, most Urban Fantasy is interchangeable. Get a pretty girl, add werewolf with a side of vampire. If you feel like spicy things up, add various weres (is there a were-camel yet?) with a side order of fairy or witch.
There is some missing though. All these creatures have gone though the neutering process. Werewolves are just big fuzzy dogs, vampires lack canines, and fairies are cute lovable pixies. Even Tinkerbelle. At least, this is the way most creatures are in the modern urban fantasy novel.
Earlier urban fantasy wasn’t as kissy-poo. Things had bite. I wouldn’t want to meet Dracula in a dark alley, (but sparkly vampire dude I can take in a fight). Emma Bull, Charles de Lint, and Tanya Huff wrote fantasy were even if the vampire, werewolf, fairy or whatever was the protagonist, the creature had a dark side.
Philip Tucker writes in this older tradition, and this is a good thing.
Tucker’s Throne is a story about two women involved in a conflict between the Seelie and UnSeelie fairy courts. Strongly reminiscent of War of the Oaks (perhaps the book is homage), Tucker’s book keeps the essence of folklore and fairy tales, and mixes it with spice of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Is it a perfect novel? No, but the book is better than some Urban Fantasy that is released by big publishing houses and established writers. Throne alternates between the viewpoints of Maribel and Maya, two women in the city of New York who attract the attention of the courts. In fairness, the book does start slow, and the first chapter, at least in Kindle format, is slightly confusing because of the setting shifts (greater spacing or a font change would fix this problem). Once the characters start to really interact with the realm of fairy, the book takes off. In part, this is due to the well crafted supporting characters. This is particularly true, though is not confined to, Guillaume, who should have his own television series. The second reason why the book takes off is because both Maribel and Maya come more into their own, as if Tucker has realized that he has truly created “real” characters. So if you started reading this and gave up, give the book another chance.
Here’s why. In the characters of the two women, Maya and Maribel, Tucker gives the dichotomy that exists in many fairy tales, most notably the characters of the step-mother and the witch in “Hansel and Gretel”. It makes more than a question of right and wrong, but of aspects of the soul and of humanity – the other, darker selves that fairy and folktales deal with. This is also evident in Tucker’s use of the stories- brownies are brownies here, with all the attached folklore. Fairy battles are battles with the blood and death. Rawhead and Bloody Bones is Raw and Bloody.
And fairy gifts have drawbacks, especially when you work in a sweatshop.
And that’s another thing I loved about this novel. It takes place in New York, and it is NOT the white New York of Friends. It is not the various cities of other urban fantasy novels where any minority is loosely termed exotic. This always bugged me. If you live in a big city in America, especially someplace like New York, L.A., wherever, odds are, you are use to a large variety of culture. The Urban Fantasy novels by and large seem to forget this. Tucker doesn’t. I enjoyed that. I enjoyed the fact that the leads are two women who fight their battles in different ways, with different outcomes, and have understandable and very real motives.
For those interested in romance, there is a romantic sub-plot or two, but this book is not an Urban Fantasy romance. It is a book about loss, choice, and life. All things that fairies were about back in the Old Country, back in the Old Days.
Honestly, this book is underpriced at Amazon.
October 11, 2013
A fairy story worthy of mention perhaps in league with the works Laini Black, Holly Block and Melissa Marr. While I would not put these fairy writer on par with Stephen King or Edgar Allan Poe it does make for some exciting reading. The fairy world here is filled with both light and dark. The fae here are very believable and for all those Pagans out there the phooka is a bad guy.
There are two tales that run independently then intersect at the end. The story starts of with Maribel coming to a hospital in Barcelona totally hysterical. She has miscarried in the hospital and she cannot come to terms with her loss. She believes her baby Sofia is alive somewhere. She even sees a dark shape abduct the daughter. While in the park she comes into contact with the horned phooka who tells her the one who abducted her child is named Kubu. The phooka is a trickster. The phooka and a trister aid her in finding her child
Maya is an immigrant from Brazil forced to work in sweatshops, and as underpaid work in restaurants. Harassed in many ways when she decides to fight back she find herself unemployed and things are going down hill. She dances with the Greenman in the park and end up with some pretty cool abilities. When she is locked away she escapes into fairy land . Guided by the Old Oak and Guillame the fox she is pursued by a knife wielding psycho fairy.
In the end it is a battle between the Seelie and the Unseelie court. Mourning and loss can bring out our darker aspects. Just when it seems evil is about to win , the reclamation of humanity and love ultimately win out. Both Maribel and Maya have a part to play.
There are two tales that run independently then intersect at the end. The story starts of with Maribel coming to a hospital in Barcelona totally hysterical. She has miscarried in the hospital and she cannot come to terms with her loss. She believes her baby Sofia is alive somewhere. She even sees a dark shape abduct the daughter. While in the park she comes into contact with the horned phooka who tells her the one who abducted her child is named Kubu. The phooka is a trickster. The phooka and a trister aid her in finding her child
Maya is an immigrant from Brazil forced to work in sweatshops, and as underpaid work in restaurants. Harassed in many ways when she decides to fight back she find herself unemployed and things are going down hill. She dances with the Greenman in the park and end up with some pretty cool abilities. When she is locked away she escapes into fairy land . Guided by the Old Oak and Guillame the fox she is pursued by a knife wielding psycho fairy.
In the end it is a battle between the Seelie and the Unseelie court. Mourning and loss can bring out our darker aspects. Just when it seems evil is about to win , the reclamation of humanity and love ultimately win out. Both Maribel and Maya have a part to play.
August 14, 2019
I first read this book about 7 years ago and loved it. I re-visited it just recently and perhaps loved it even more this time around. It’s brilliantly written. It’s a dark and twisted urban fantasy that draws heavily from fae mythology but pieces it together in a way that feels completely original. In a grimdark fashion all main characters, good and evil, are given consideration as people who are inherently imperfect. Even Maya, the book’s hero, isn’t perfect all the time. Maribel, the book’s evil antagonist, has been through such a tragedy one can only be compassionate towards her and see how she fell down the slippery slope of manipulation into being the dark and depraved Unseelie Queen. This book is really a tale about staying grounded in reality when hardships try to carry us away. 5 stars!
July 31, 2025
DNF… It had a weird start. I got 40% in and the stories weren’t connecting to and it was a bit all over the place.
March 8, 2021
Disclaimer*
A vivid, deliciously dark old school urban fantasy, Philip Tucker's novel “Throne” is a gripping (if slightly disjointed) intertwining and tragic tale of two women who find themselves drawn into the otherworldly conflict between the Seelie and the Unseelie courts. The age old conflict of the dark and light fey folk find our immigrant heroines Maya and Mirabel unconsciously slipping closer to either side of the dualistic conflict. Such distinctly folkloric tales drawing deeply from the world's myths and legends (as well as pop culture) have become a bit of a rarity in urban fantasy, which has been focusing more on pop cultural “reinterpretations” of vampires and werewolves.
Throne's best aspect is Tucker's intensely drawn descriptions of the gritty reality of New York City bumping up against his vision of the unspeakable beauty and horror of the creatures of fantasy that exist just outside of most people's perceptions, making the heady mix of great urban fantasy. The beings and beasts of the courts are masterfully described. The gut wrenching terror and disgust of the baby thief Kubu being most notable. In addition, Maya, Mirabel, and their human friends and allies are all well drawn and realistic people, providing great contrast to the bizarre and magical events that surround them. I especially appreciated the diversity of the cast, reflecting the cultural patchwork of New York City. However, these two elements (the dark fantasy and the gritty reality) are not always blended seamlessly; on occasion, one or the other dominates or clashes (particularly during the battles and chases through the crowded Manhattan streets and parks), which made a few sections a bit hard for me to follow.
In the end, “Throne” is a very worthy urban fantasy and I am greatly interested to see where Philip Tucker goes next in the genre.
*I received a complimentary PDF copy for review from the author.
A vivid, deliciously dark old school urban fantasy, Philip Tucker's novel “Throne” is a gripping (if slightly disjointed) intertwining and tragic tale of two women who find themselves drawn into the otherworldly conflict between the Seelie and the Unseelie courts. The age old conflict of the dark and light fey folk find our immigrant heroines Maya and Mirabel unconsciously slipping closer to either side of the dualistic conflict. Such distinctly folkloric tales drawing deeply from the world's myths and legends (as well as pop culture) have become a bit of a rarity in urban fantasy, which has been focusing more on pop cultural “reinterpretations” of vampires and werewolves.
Throne's best aspect is Tucker's intensely drawn descriptions of the gritty reality of New York City bumping up against his vision of the unspeakable beauty and horror of the creatures of fantasy that exist just outside of most people's perceptions, making the heady mix of great urban fantasy. The beings and beasts of the courts are masterfully described. The gut wrenching terror and disgust of the baby thief Kubu being most notable. In addition, Maya, Mirabel, and their human friends and allies are all well drawn and realistic people, providing great contrast to the bizarre and magical events that surround them. I especially appreciated the diversity of the cast, reflecting the cultural patchwork of New York City. However, these two elements (the dark fantasy and the gritty reality) are not always blended seamlessly; on occasion, one or the other dominates or clashes (particularly during the battles and chases through the crowded Manhattan streets and parks), which made a few sections a bit hard for me to follow.
In the end, “Throne” is a very worthy urban fantasy and I am greatly interested to see where Philip Tucker goes next in the genre.
*I received a complimentary PDF copy for review from the author.
December 23, 2011
This book is self published and 2.99 on Amazon.com. Just wanted to put that up there first.
The author gave me a complimentary copy of the book to read and enjoy, given my previous enjoyment of Charles de Lint's Moonheart. Throne, like Moonheart, straddles two worlds, and falls into the "urban fantasy" genre.
What I loved:
The book is rich with imagery. He did a beautiful job of taking the reader into a surreal underworld and combining reality with faerie. The Unseelie were wonderfully creepy and dark, the Seelie vibrant and colorful.
The story is set in NYC, which gives it a flavor all its own right there. Great choice of city for such a story.
I love the author's attitude, willingness to share his work with people he thinks will enjoy it, and his easiness in communicating and wanting to give his readers the best experience possible. He's friendly, and seems to be very open - which makes for some great PR. Thank you again for sharing your book!
What knocked it down from 5 stars to 4:
I do feel it needs a little more fine tuning and polish from an editor. I was enjoying the beautiful imagery, but stumbling on some sentence fragments/incomplete sentences. I wrote the author about it and his response was very accommodating.
All in all a nice addition to the urban fantasy collection. Might be well suited to fans of de Lint and Gaiman, as the urban setting reminds me of both Moonheart, Newford and Gaiman's London; the darkness and strong focus on imagery/setting reminds me of the "almost too creative" visual punch of some of Gaiman's movies.
The author gave me a complimentary copy of the book to read and enjoy, given my previous enjoyment of Charles de Lint's Moonheart. Throne, like Moonheart, straddles two worlds, and falls into the "urban fantasy" genre.
What I loved:
The book is rich with imagery. He did a beautiful job of taking the reader into a surreal underworld and combining reality with faerie. The Unseelie were wonderfully creepy and dark, the Seelie vibrant and colorful.
The story is set in NYC, which gives it a flavor all its own right there. Great choice of city for such a story.
I love the author's attitude, willingness to share his work with people he thinks will enjoy it, and his easiness in communicating and wanting to give his readers the best experience possible. He's friendly, and seems to be very open - which makes for some great PR. Thank you again for sharing your book!
What knocked it down from 5 stars to 4:
I do feel it needs a little more fine tuning and polish from an editor. I was enjoying the beautiful imagery, but stumbling on some sentence fragments/incomplete sentences. I wrote the author about it and his response was very accommodating.
All in all a nice addition to the urban fantasy collection. Might be well suited to fans of de Lint and Gaiman, as the urban setting reminds me of both Moonheart, Newford and Gaiman's London; the darkness and strong focus on imagery/setting reminds me of the "almost too creative" visual punch of some of Gaiman's movies.
January 19, 2012
So much is forgiven of good characters. There are some huge structural and pacing problems with this book, and some more minor problems with language. I can forgive a lot of them because of half a dozen of the characters. There are some places things are forced where they should have been let loose, and one place, the first encounter between the Queen and Lady, where the energy just drops dead as a stone. When your protagonist wonders out loud why she's fluttering around doing nothing, the reader is wondering the same thing. It took a long time to get the energy back after that.
Minor things break the continuity. When Maya is held captive by her employer, she laments to herself that they've taken away her cell phone. Later on, after she's escaped, she's checking her cell and finding no reception. Meanwhile, as the reader, I'm wondering how she got her cell phone back. Little things like this break the suspension of disbelief.
Little things like this can be fixed by an editor. This book was good, but it could have been fantastic with a little help.
Minor things break the continuity. When Maya is held captive by her employer, she laments to herself that they've taken away her cell phone. Later on, after she's escaped, she's checking her cell and finding no reception. Meanwhile, as the reader, I'm wondering how she got her cell phone back. Little things like this break the suspension of disbelief.
Little things like this can be fixed by an editor. This book was good, but it could have been fantastic with a little help.
October 10, 2016
Tucker brings urban fantasy back to its roots with this dark and gritty story of humans who become unwitting pawns in the struggle between the two Sidhe courts.
The writing is fabulous. I wish the characters had been fleshed out more, because no matter how much time I spent with them I still never felt like I knew them, especially Maribel. The pacing also felt like it needed to be tightened up a bit; much of the book were Maribel and Maya stumbling blindly through the plot, and neither they nor the reader really know why, and then the epic battle took over.
This book isn't perfect but for a self-published book it is pretty damn good. It could be fantastic with some more editing and polishing, and I highly advocate for a professional publishing house to sign him up immediately.
Unfortunately, I think the sub-genre of urban fantasy has forgotten the days of War for the Oaks, and has instead turned towards Anita Blake and her clones.
Review copy courtesy of the author.
The writing is fabulous. I wish the characters had been fleshed out more, because no matter how much time I spent with them I still never felt like I knew them, especially Maribel. The pacing also felt like it needed to be tightened up a bit; much of the book were Maribel and Maya stumbling blindly through the plot, and neither they nor the reader really know why, and then the epic battle took over.
This book isn't perfect but for a self-published book it is pretty damn good. It could be fantastic with some more editing and polishing, and I highly advocate for a professional publishing house to sign him up immediately.
Unfortunately, I think the sub-genre of urban fantasy has forgotten the days of War for the Oaks, and has instead turned towards Anita Blake and her clones.
Review copy courtesy of the author.
March 26, 2013
Great story, very different view of the Seelie/Unseelie court. I got this book as a free read through an Amazon Prime trial. I was ambivalent about what I was currently rereading and wanted something dark and intriguing, this book is definitely that. I loved the setting of New York for a crossroads between the Fae and humans, something I have not seen anywhere else before. I was pulled right in after the first few chapters by the lives of the main characters. I couldn't wait to see how Maribel and Maya's paths would intersect. The character development is excellent, you can definitely see why they act the way they do and what has brought them to this place. The battle between good and evil was incredibly detailed and destructive. Definitely a must read. I'd love to hear what everybody else thought about the ending!
March 31, 2014
The writing, in the sense of putting words in a line, is competent enough, but to my taste, the author is too in love with his descriptions and similes. The end result is boring and a chore to wade through. There is one nice bit tying Faerie and the Matter of Britain to Greek mythology, but by itself it wasn't enough to sustain my interest. The novel isn't wretched, but I didn't like it.
April 16, 2016
I typically don't read much fantasy but this was one I enjoyed. Having downloaded it free from Amazon I figured it wouldn't be that great but I was surprised by how much I liked it. I loved how it was set in New York City and how the faery world was entwined. I couldn't wait to see what happened next so it was a very fast read for me.
February 6, 2017
Ok
I enjoyed throne but the writing lacked discipline
Not as good as his epic or empire
Need to realise less is more
As usual his characters are real and you feel empathy with them
I enjoyed throne but the writing lacked discipline
Not as good as his epic or empire
Need to realise less is more
As usual his characters are real and you feel empathy with them
January 26, 2012
This book was not that good. It seemed to jump back and forth and it wasn't until halfway through that you finally had a little idea of what the book was about. Then it would switch and I was confused again.
January 10, 2012
Action packed but more like reading a comic book without pictures. The sentences are weird and chop and fragmented.
January 26, 2012
A great read. I loved the light and the darkness both.
The only thing i wished was different and many people will disagree is the decision made at the end of the book.
The only thing i wished was different and many people will disagree is the decision made at the end of the book.
January 9, 2012
A fairly quick read with some slow parts. Started off slow, but then picked up. A good interesting story, with some familiar ideas. Still a lot of fun.
March 19, 2016
Not your usual urban fantasy. Not bad, just disjointed at this stage.
May 26, 2012
A new way of looking at mythologies and how they survive when people forget to look and believe.
May 31, 2012
I got this when the Kindle edition was free and Im very glad I did. It wasnt exactly intellectually challenging, but it was really entertaining and a pleasure to read.
December 7, 2012
At first I was getting a little bored with this book, until I got about half way in. Then it turned into a tragic, well written fairy tale.
Read
September 20, 2015did nit ginidh.
December 30, 2016
A good story, could have been great but fizzles at the end. Love the writing style - kinda early 1900s
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