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Elfhome #4.5
Project Elfhome
Stories exploring the fascinating realm of Elfhome, a world where modern day Pittsburgh has collided with the kingdom of the Elves. A special entry in the the best-selling Romantic Times Sapphire award winning Elfhome series. Contains some of Wen Spencer's best shorter works including gems "Bare Snow Falling on Fairywood," "Pittsburgh Backyard and Garden," "Peace Offering,” and more tales set in the world of best-selling Elfhome series entries Tinker, Wolf Who Rules, Elfhome, and Wood Sprites!
Pittsburgh: a sprawling modern Earth city stranded in the heart of a virgin forest on Elfhome. Sixty thousand humans, twenty thousand black-winged tengu, ten thousand elves, an unknown number of invading oni, four unborn siblings of an elf princess, three dragons, and a pair of nine-year olds geniuses.
For every story written, there's a thousand others not told. Lives interweave. Fates intersect. People change one another, often without realizing the impact they've made on others. They come together like a mosaic, little pieces creating a greater picture.
Project Elfhome tells the stories of those impacted by Tinker and Windwolf as they struggle to make Pittsburgh a safe haven. Some of the characters are familiar: Stormsong, Pony, Blue Sky, and Lain. Others are new to readers.
Law forages for wild plants and fish to sell to elf enclaves. A social misfit, she drives a hundred year old Dodge, has a pet porcupine, and saves damsels in distress in her spare time. A mysterious phone call sets her on a collision course with danger as she races to save a young female elf.
Jane Kryskill is the producer for the popular TV series Pittsburgh Backyard and Garden. She spends her days keeping her host, Hal Rogers, from getting himself killed as he takes on man eating plants. She's not happy when the network drops famed naturalist Nigel Reid and his cameraman in her lap to film Chased by Monsters.
Olivia is sixteen, a runaway wife of a religious cultist, illegal immigrant, and soon to be mother. As Pittsburgh plunges into war, she makes a desperate bargain with the mad elf lord, Forest Moss.
As the war between the elves and the oni builds to a head, these three women struggle with their own problems, supported by a circle of unique friends, yet entangled with each other.
The Elfhome Series
Tinker
Wolf Who Rules
Elfhome
Wood Sprites
Pittsburgh: a sprawling modern Earth city stranded in the heart of a virgin forest on Elfhome. Sixty thousand humans, twenty thousand black-winged tengu, ten thousand elves, an unknown number of invading oni, four unborn siblings of an elf princess, three dragons, and a pair of nine-year olds geniuses.
For every story written, there's a thousand others not told. Lives interweave. Fates intersect. People change one another, often without realizing the impact they've made on others. They come together like a mosaic, little pieces creating a greater picture.
Project Elfhome tells the stories of those impacted by Tinker and Windwolf as they struggle to make Pittsburgh a safe haven. Some of the characters are familiar: Stormsong, Pony, Blue Sky, and Lain. Others are new to readers.
Law forages for wild plants and fish to sell to elf enclaves. A social misfit, she drives a hundred year old Dodge, has a pet porcupine, and saves damsels in distress in her spare time. A mysterious phone call sets her on a collision course with danger as she races to save a young female elf.
Jane Kryskill is the producer for the popular TV series Pittsburgh Backyard and Garden. She spends her days keeping her host, Hal Rogers, from getting himself killed as he takes on man eating plants. She's not happy when the network drops famed naturalist Nigel Reid and his cameraman in her lap to film Chased by Monsters.
Olivia is sixteen, a runaway wife of a religious cultist, illegal immigrant, and soon to be mother. As Pittsburgh plunges into war, she makes a desperate bargain with the mad elf lord, Forest Moss.
As the war between the elves and the oni builds to a head, these three women struggle with their own problems, supported by a circle of unique friends, yet entangled with each other.
The Elfhome Series
Tinker
Wolf Who Rules
Elfhome
Wood Sprites
480 pages, Hardcover
First published September 6, 2016
80 people are currently reading
565 people want to read
About the author
Wen Spencer
41 books894 followersJohn W. Campbell Award Winner Wen Spencer resides in paradise in Hilo, Hawaii with two volcanoes overlooking her home. Spencer says that she often wakes up and exclaims "Oh my god, I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific!" This, says Spencer, is a far cry from her twenty years of living in land-locked Pittsburgh.
The Elfhome series opener, Tinker, won the 2003 Sapphire Award for Best Science Fiction Romance and was a finalist for the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Fantasy Novel. Wolf Who Rules, the sequel to Tinker, was chosen as a Top Pick by Romantic Times and given their top rating of four and a half stars. Other Baen books include space opera thriller Endless Blue and Eight Million Gods.
The Elfhome series opener, Tinker, won the 2003 Sapphire Award for Best Science Fiction Romance and was a finalist for the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Fantasy Novel. Wolf Who Rules, the sequel to Tinker, was chosen as a Top Pick by Romantic Times and given their top rating of four and a half stars. Other Baen books include space opera thriller Endless Blue and Eight Million Gods.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
June 29, 2020
Hardcover read September 10, 2016
1st Read June 16 , 2016
So nice to have all the shorts I knew previously combined into one book! Then getting the sequel to PB&G and Peace Offering then the first chapter of Harbinger? Wow.
Only problem is I want Harbinger ASAP.
Re-read:
1st Read June 16 , 2016
So nice to have all the shorts I knew previously combined into one book! Then getting the sequel to PB&G and Peace Offering then the first chapter of Harbinger? Wow.
Only problem is I want Harbinger ASAP.
Re-read:
February 10, 2017
Read the eArc.
Its a nice collection of short stories. I believe it does include all prior short storys, so you dont have to go search for them, but there are also a lot of new ones.
There are some storys about the childhoods of some the elfs (Windwolf,....) which were quite interesting and we finally have a continuation of the older ones like PB&G. It gets the different side storylines up to date.
You will defenetly enjoy this one if you like any of books.
Its a nice collection of short stories. I believe it does include all prior short storys, so you dont have to go search for them, but there are also a lot of new ones.
There are some storys about the childhoods of some the elfs (Windwolf,....) which were quite interesting and we finally have a continuation of the older ones like PB&G. It gets the different side storylines up to date.
You will defenetly enjoy this one if you like any of books.
February 10, 2017
Wen Spencer is one of my favorite fantasy writers. Her Elfhome series, which started with Tinker, resonates deep inside me. I love her multifaceted characters. I love her original world building. And this book fits into my love like chocolate fits a cake. Sweet and satisfying.
The book is a collection of shorter works from the author’s Elfhome universe. Some of those works are short stories. Others longer novellas. Still others are as brief as flash fiction or even drabbles. It is like the author wrote fan fiction to her own novels.
Some of them deal with the characters from the novels – their past, their side stories that didn’t line up with the main plots of the novels, and even their character studies. The author’s creative closet, so to speak, which is a rare treat for a reader. As I love most of those characters, my curiosity about them was insatiable, and the book fed it.
Other stories introduce new characters, but their tales are just as fascinating. Most stories in the collection happen in Pittsburgh, an American city stranded by a quantum physics accident in the parallel universe of Elfhome, the planet of the elves. That is where the bulk of the novels take place too.
Pittsburgh is a microcosm, a cauldron of the world’s conflicts and tensions and friendships. Its citizens come from all walks of life, from a hunter to a TV producer. Some are elves. Most are human. All of them are trying to create something better out of the haphazard maze of their lives in the war zone. Because there is a war going on the periphery of all the stories, a war between elves and their ancient enemies, a war everyone knows about, even though they try to live their lives as normally as possible.
However, the main theme of all the stories is not that war but the characters’ identities. Staying true to who you are often takes courage. Sometimes people who love us most are trying to change us, for our own good, of course, and many heroes in this collection grapple with relevant problems. Staying true to yourself, not conforming, takes them along the unexplored paths, the hard paths of being different. I enjoyed reading their stories and, as always happens between me and Spencer’s writing, I want more, even though the book is by no means perfect. It has its small share of glitches, and the writing is not as smooth or as polished as it should’ve been, but overall, it made me happy.
The cover is horrible though, no connection to any of the characters in the book at all.
The book is a collection of shorter works from the author’s Elfhome universe. Some of those works are short stories. Others longer novellas. Still others are as brief as flash fiction or even drabbles. It is like the author wrote fan fiction to her own novels.
Some of them deal with the characters from the novels – their past, their side stories that didn’t line up with the main plots of the novels, and even their character studies. The author’s creative closet, so to speak, which is a rare treat for a reader. As I love most of those characters, my curiosity about them was insatiable, and the book fed it.
Other stories introduce new characters, but their tales are just as fascinating. Most stories in the collection happen in Pittsburgh, an American city stranded by a quantum physics accident in the parallel universe of Elfhome, the planet of the elves. That is where the bulk of the novels take place too.
Pittsburgh is a microcosm, a cauldron of the world’s conflicts and tensions and friendships. Its citizens come from all walks of life, from a hunter to a TV producer. Some are elves. Most are human. All of them are trying to create something better out of the haphazard maze of their lives in the war zone. Because there is a war going on the periphery of all the stories, a war between elves and their ancient enemies, a war everyone knows about, even though they try to live their lives as normally as possible.
However, the main theme of all the stories is not that war but the characters’ identities. Staying true to who you are often takes courage. Sometimes people who love us most are trying to change us, for our own good, of course, and many heroes in this collection grapple with relevant problems. Staying true to yourself, not conforming, takes them along the unexplored paths, the hard paths of being different. I enjoyed reading their stories and, as always happens between me and Spencer’s writing, I want more, even though the book is by no means perfect. It has its small share of glitches, and the writing is not as smooth or as polished as it should’ve been, but overall, it made me happy.
The cover is horrible though, no connection to any of the characters in the book at all.
March 30, 2019
Better than I had expected, generally collections of short stories never seem to approach the quality of a dedicated novel. These almost did. 4.5 stars!
May 26, 2017
Have loved this world since Tinker and Wolf Who Rules met
Confession, I enjoy Wen's stories so much that I bought the eARC so I can read them asap, then the ebook since it's portable, the paper version so I have backup and the audio version because it never fails to surprise me to hear something that I don't remember reading.
This is a very nice compilation of Elfhome stories ranging the time line from past to current with a hint of the potential future. Some of the stories have been previously released and others are new material.
Wen has also included several scenes, drabble, that popped into her head while writing that are just for fun. These were previously mentioned on Wen's social media sites, nice that they are collected in one spot now.
For those new to Elfhome who would like to visit, the Jane, Law and Olivia stories show Wen's style and the craziness that is Pittsburgh transferred to another world. Few of the major characters are involved directly in these stories so reading of the previous books is not required.
For those addicted to this universe these stories flesh out events ongoing before and during the core novels - Tinker, Wolf Who Rules, Elfhome and Woodsprites. And the drabble, especially Oilcan and the quads, makes you hope it becomes part of the canon of Elfhome.
Looking forward to more Elfhome stories as well as other releases from Wen.
Confession, I enjoy Wen's stories so much that I bought the eARC so I can read them asap, then the ebook since it's portable, the paper version so I have backup and the audio version because it never fails to surprise me to hear something that I don't remember reading.
This is a very nice compilation of Elfhome stories ranging the time line from past to current with a hint of the potential future. Some of the stories have been previously released and others are new material.
Wen has also included several scenes, drabble, that popped into her head while writing that are just for fun. These were previously mentioned on Wen's social media sites, nice that they are collected in one spot now.
For those new to Elfhome who would like to visit, the Jane, Law and Olivia stories show Wen's style and the craziness that is Pittsburgh transferred to another world. Few of the major characters are involved directly in these stories so reading of the previous books is not required.
For those addicted to this universe these stories flesh out events ongoing before and during the core novels - Tinker, Wolf Who Rules, Elfhome and Woodsprites. And the drabble, especially Oilcan and the quads, makes you hope it becomes part of the canon of Elfhome.
Looking forward to more Elfhome stories as well as other releases from Wen.
June 14, 2024
I discovered Wen Spencer's Elfhome series through a recommendation in one of the comments on Ilona Andrew's blog. The mix of fantasy (think graceful, long-lived and long-haired elves), urban fantasy (the series takes place in our near future) and science fiction (think space ships) sounded intriguing, so I decided to try the sample chapter on Amazon. I got sucked in the story - even though the beginning of Tinker seemed a little bit strange - and immediately bought the first three novels. I'm happy I didn't judge these books by their cover (I personally don't like the cover art of the second and third novel), since I absolutly loved them.
I reread the first three novels a few times while waiting for the fourth one, but still couldn't get enough of this series. I tried other books, but that didn't help, since I wanted to return to the wonderful world of the Elfhome books. (Later I learned that this feeling is sometimes described as a book hangover.) So I started looking online for more and discovered the publisher's website. On Baen's website I found a few free novellas. On their forum, called Baen's Bar, I was treated on some drabbles and snippets from future stories. All those - and so much more - are collected in the 'Project Elfhome' anthology.
The stories in this anthology are ordered chronologically, starting several years before Tinker was even born and before Pittsburgh ended up on Elfhome for the first time. 'Project Elfhome' ends a few hours after the end of 'Elfhome', the third novel in this series, and 'Wood Sprites', the fourth one, with the addition of the (possible) start of 'Harbinger', the fifth book in the series.
The drabbles and short stories feature pivotal moments of the lives of secondary characters, like Lain, Stormsong or Pony, for example, or less important characters, like Wojo. I usually prefer that extra stories are situated in the series' present, but I didn't mind reading about the past this time. Maybe because these stories provided me with extra insight, like the significance of Pony and Stormsong's names?
The novellas are told from the point of view of three strong females. I liked that they really felt like three different characters, different from each other, but also different from established characters, like Tinker or Stormsong. Each one clearly has her own voice, background, strenghts etc. It was also wonderful to read more about what happened in Pittsburgh during those months described in the first three books. Tinker is a fascinating main character, but she can be rather focused to the exclusion of everything else going on around her. Through Law, Jane and Olivia we get to see more of life in Pittsburgh on Elfhome. Their stories also answered some of the questions I had, 'Project Elfhome' also contains a lot of humor, just like the rest of this series, even though Pittsburgh is actually at war. I especially smiled a lot while reading Jane's stories. Working with Hal sounds rather difficult, but it is fun to read about it. I'm only afraid that Wen Spencer made it rather difficult for herself by adding these three characters and their storylines to the Elfhome series, since I would like to read more about them, too, and it can't be easy to juggle all those different storylines in one story.
My last remark brings me to the third type of stories included in this anthology: drabbles whetting my desire for the fifth book in this series, even though I know I won't read it for several years. Included is a sort of fanfiction from Wen Spencer herself, in which she describes how certain characters won't meet each other. She also gifts us with the making of this anthology and a stab at the beginning of 'Harbinger'. I read an earlier version of this on Baen's Bar and rather liked the changes and additions, . It's only a few pages long, but it contains both the humor I've come to expect and rather clearly shows some of the things at stake. (And this is only Tinker's story line, there're also the stories of Law, Jane, Olivia etc.)
To summarize my rather long post: This anthology contains all the previously published Elfhome short stories and novellas, plus a lot of new material. I really loved 'Project Elfhome', I recommend it to everyone who likes the Elfhome series and I can't wait for the next book.
(This review is based on the eARC I bought on Baen's website.)
I reread the first three novels a few times while waiting for the fourth one, but still couldn't get enough of this series. I tried other books, but that didn't help, since I wanted to return to the wonderful world of the Elfhome books. (Later I learned that this feeling is sometimes described as a book hangover.) So I started looking online for more and discovered the publisher's website. On Baen's website I found a few free novellas. On their forum, called Baen's Bar, I was treated on some drabbles and snippets from future stories. All those - and so much more - are collected in the 'Project Elfhome' anthology.
The stories in this anthology are ordered chronologically, starting several years before Tinker was even born and before Pittsburgh ended up on Elfhome for the first time. 'Project Elfhome' ends a few hours after the end of 'Elfhome', the third novel in this series, and 'Wood Sprites', the fourth one, with the addition of the (possible) start of 'Harbinger', the fifth book in the series.
The drabbles and short stories feature pivotal moments of the lives of secondary characters, like Lain, Stormsong or Pony, for example, or less important characters, like Wojo. I usually prefer that extra stories are situated in the series' present, but I didn't mind reading about the past this time. Maybe because these stories provided me with extra insight, like the significance of Pony and Stormsong's names?
The novellas are told from the point of view of three strong females. I liked that they really felt like three different characters, different from each other, but also different from established characters, like Tinker or Stormsong. Each one clearly has her own voice, background, strenghts etc. It was also wonderful to read more about what happened in Pittsburgh during those months described in the first three books. Tinker is a fascinating main character, but she can be rather focused to the exclusion of everything else going on around her. Through Law, Jane and Olivia we get to see more of life in Pittsburgh on Elfhome. Their stories also answered some of the questions I had, 'Project Elfhome' also contains a lot of humor, just like the rest of this series, even though Pittsburgh is actually at war. I especially smiled a lot while reading Jane's stories. Working with Hal sounds rather difficult, but it is fun to read about it. I'm only afraid that Wen Spencer made it rather difficult for herself by adding these three characters and their storylines to the Elfhome series, since I would like to read more about them, too, and it can't be easy to juggle all those different storylines in one story.
My last remark brings me to the third type of stories included in this anthology: drabbles whetting my desire for the fifth book in this series, even though I know I won't read it for several years. Included is a sort of fanfiction from Wen Spencer herself, in which she describes how certain characters won't meet each other. She also gifts us with the making of this anthology and a stab at the beginning of 'Harbinger'. I read an earlier version of this on Baen's Bar and rather liked the changes and additions, . It's only a few pages long, but it contains both the humor I've come to expect and rather clearly shows some of the things at stake. (And this is only Tinker's story line, there're also the stories of Law, Jane, Olivia etc.)
To summarize my rather long post: This anthology contains all the previously published Elfhome short stories and novellas, plus a lot of new material. I really loved 'Project Elfhome', I recommend it to everyone who likes the Elfhome series and I can't wait for the next book.
(This review is based on the eARC I bought on Baen's website.)
January 12, 2017
Very entertaining collection of shorts and drabbles that expand on and tie up some loose ends from the four (so far) main books.
August 5, 2019
A great addition to the Elfhome series. it expands several previous short stories and adds much new material to the series featuring characters outside the main plotline.
November 26, 2024
This is a fun collection of short stories in the Tinker / Elfhome series. We get glimpses of Stormsong and Pony's lives before coming to the Westernlands, which I really loved. We also get a fun Lain short that takes place the first time Pittsburg disappears (she's the only xenobiologist on the planet, and so the military drags her there to help understand what is going on).
But most of the book was featuring secondary characters that are trying to live their lives in all the turbulence of Pittsburg and Elfhome. My favorite of those was the stories featuring Jane, Taggert, Hal, and Nigel - the PB&G team. They are great characters, and Jane's whole family is just really wonderful to read about. It was so much fun to see them work, and to see the first steps of the militia. Law and Bare Snow's stories were also really wonderful.
The downside is Olivia. I can't stand her. I found her annoying when she first showed up in Harbinger, and she gets more annoying with ever page of her short stories. She's an awful combination of judgey and entitled that I seriously can't stand. It's some kind of weird Pretty Woman story (the hooker gets the rich guy), but it falls flat because the rich guy - Forest Moss - is this broken, tortured guy who is so desperately alone. He's been shunned by his people because of his struggle to live and be "normal" after he and his people were caught and brutally tortured by the oni. He was the only survivor, so not only does he blame himself for that, but also there is literally no one who can understand what he went through. He's so desperate for contact with a person that the poor man literally was playing with dolls. In comes Olivia - 16 year old supposedly abused girl who fled to Elfhome (I am saying supposedly abused because nothing about her character seems like an abused person, which makes it just feel like convenient backstory). She's broke, desperate, and pregnant, and hears about the mad elf who is looking for a wife. She offers, and he's so painfully grateful that my heart breaks for him. She then proceeds to act like she owns the universe, bullying her way into the front of lines everywhere, squatting in buildings that she has no right to (with elf marines all around her, making the threat clear - do what I say or die, something the people of Pittsburg have seen play out repeatedly in the war), acting like she's on some morally righteous "Christian" woman as she expresses constant disdain for the elves, Tinker, pretty much everyone. We get several "no one would question Tinker this way" whines in her narrative (in the main books), that pissed me off from the outset, because she's happily ignoring the fact that by the time Olivia's entitled ass strolled in, Tinker had saved everyone repeatedly, and so has more than proven herself. Meanwhile this bitch is actually, in these shorts, hoping the war goes on for awhile because Wind Clan will keep paying for her food and housing as long as it does (she thinks this while considering a penthouse suite she wants to commandeer, spoiled asshole). Never mind all the PEOPLE that will die in the war, as long as she's well taken care of they can all fuck off and die. And this bitch wonders why she isn't given the same respect Tinker is. LOL! I was hoping, constantly, that someone kills her. And I will continue to hope it. I know she's going to keep showing up in the main series, and it is damn irritating. I expect I'll be skimming her chapters for key info and otherwise doing my best to ignore the asshole.
But most of the book was featuring secondary characters that are trying to live their lives in all the turbulence of Pittsburg and Elfhome. My favorite of those was the stories featuring Jane, Taggert, Hal, and Nigel - the PB&G team. They are great characters, and Jane's whole family is just really wonderful to read about. It was so much fun to see them work, and to see the first steps of the militia. Law and Bare Snow's stories were also really wonderful.
The downside is Olivia. I can't stand her. I found her annoying when she first showed up in Harbinger, and she gets more annoying with ever page of her short stories. She's an awful combination of judgey and entitled that I seriously can't stand. It's some kind of weird Pretty Woman story (the hooker gets the rich guy), but it falls flat because the rich guy - Forest Moss - is this broken, tortured guy who is so desperately alone. He's been shunned by his people because of his struggle to live and be "normal" after he and his people were caught and brutally tortured by the oni. He was the only survivor, so not only does he blame himself for that, but also there is literally no one who can understand what he went through. He's so desperate for contact with a person that the poor man literally was playing with dolls. In comes Olivia - 16 year old supposedly abused girl who fled to Elfhome (I am saying supposedly abused because nothing about her character seems like an abused person, which makes it just feel like convenient backstory). She's broke, desperate, and pregnant, and hears about the mad elf who is looking for a wife. She offers, and he's so painfully grateful that my heart breaks for him. She then proceeds to act like she owns the universe, bullying her way into the front of lines everywhere, squatting in buildings that she has no right to (with elf marines all around her, making the threat clear - do what I say or die, something the people of Pittsburg have seen play out repeatedly in the war), acting like she's on some morally righteous "Christian" woman as she expresses constant disdain for the elves, Tinker, pretty much everyone. We get several "no one would question Tinker this way" whines in her narrative (in the main books), that pissed me off from the outset, because she's happily ignoring the fact that by the time Olivia's entitled ass strolled in, Tinker had saved everyone repeatedly, and so has more than proven herself. Meanwhile this bitch is actually, in these shorts, hoping the war goes on for awhile because Wind Clan will keep paying for her food and housing as long as it does (she thinks this while considering a penthouse suite she wants to commandeer, spoiled asshole). Never mind all the PEOPLE that will die in the war, as long as she's well taken care of they can all fuck off and die. And this bitch wonders why she isn't given the same respect Tinker is. LOL! I was hoping, constantly, that someone kills her. And I will continue to hope it. I know she's going to keep showing up in the main series, and it is damn irritating. I expect I'll be skimming her chapters for key info and otherwise doing my best to ignore the asshole.
September 17, 2025
This is a set of interconnected stories which highlight characters who are not the main characters in the rest of the Elfhome series. The three main characters around whom the stories revolve are all human women. Law and Jane were born in Pittsburgh and have grown up with it being part of Elfhome. Olivia is a sixteen-year-old runaway from Earth who is trying to get as far away from her abusive husband as possible.
Some of the main characters from the other books make brief appearances in this book but the main focus is on how "ordinary" humans are dealing with the war between the elves and the oni and dealing with the fact that Tinker has cut the gate back to Earth.
Law's part of the book talks about someone who is a forager with a strong hero complex who finds herself rescuing a young elf who has no clan ties to anyone in this part of Elfhome. She has been rejected by all the clans there.
Jane's part of the book was the funniest. She is the producer for Pittsburgh's version of a home gardening show. Only plants on Elfhome are much more dangerous than any Earth plants. Jane is in charge of keeping the accident-prone start of the show from doing anything too extreme. She is also put in charge of baby-sitting a new crew from Earth who wants to make a show about the dangerous animals living there. Of course, she is also looking for her young sister who disappeared when she was six.
Olivia has run to Elfhome to escape her abusive husband and the religious cult that she was living in. She's pregnant, there illegally, and searching for a way to make a place for herself. When she learns that there is an insane elf who needs a domi she decides that becoming his will make a place for herself in this new world.
I liked the way all the stories were woven together to make a cohesive whole. I also liked the author's notes at the end that told how she came to write each story. Fans of the Elfhome series won't want to miss this fascinating new glimpse into the world of Elfhome.
Some of the main characters from the other books make brief appearances in this book but the main focus is on how "ordinary" humans are dealing with the war between the elves and the oni and dealing with the fact that Tinker has cut the gate back to Earth.
Law's part of the book talks about someone who is a forager with a strong hero complex who finds herself rescuing a young elf who has no clan ties to anyone in this part of Elfhome. She has been rejected by all the clans there.
Jane's part of the book was the funniest. She is the producer for Pittsburgh's version of a home gardening show. Only plants on Elfhome are much more dangerous than any Earth plants. Jane is in charge of keeping the accident-prone start of the show from doing anything too extreme. She is also put in charge of baby-sitting a new crew from Earth who wants to make a show about the dangerous animals living there. Of course, she is also looking for her young sister who disappeared when she was six.
Olivia has run to Elfhome to escape her abusive husband and the religious cult that she was living in. She's pregnant, there illegally, and searching for a way to make a place for herself. When she learns that there is an insane elf who needs a domi she decides that becoming his will make a place for herself in this new world.
I liked the way all the stories were woven together to make a cohesive whole. I also liked the author's notes at the end that told how she came to write each story. Fans of the Elfhome series won't want to miss this fascinating new glimpse into the world of Elfhome.
August 3, 2020
Wen Spencer is From the Internet and this collection of short stories, novellas, and drabbles (yes, drabbles) proves it.
Highlights include Windwolf and Stormsong meeting Pony on the day of his birth (spoiler alert: Pony pees on Windwolf), Usagi's home for illegal immigrants and their half-elf babies, the first appearance of the Water Clan, and the absolutely hilarious Pittsburgh Backyard and Garden novella. I thought I was going to rupture something, I was laughing so hard.
For a series taking place in such a tight time frame, Spencer does an excellent job of keeping everything straight. My only quibble with Project Elfhome is how on earth everyone in the main story line missed six namazu rampaging through downtown Pittsburgh.
Highlights include Windwolf and Stormsong meeting Pony on the day of his birth (spoiler alert: Pony pees on Windwolf), Usagi's home for illegal immigrants and their half-elf babies, the first appearance of the Water Clan, and the absolutely hilarious Pittsburgh Backyard and Garden novella. I thought I was going to rupture something, I was laughing so hard.
For a series taking place in such a tight time frame, Spencer does an excellent job of keeping everything straight. My only quibble with Project Elfhome is how on earth everyone in the main story line missed six namazu rampaging through downtown Pittsburgh.
April 4, 2017
Because I love to complain - I will start off with I HATE THE COVER! This author's Elfhome books usually have these wonderful illustrations (not always true to the book but then again I'm a complainer so what did you expect). However this is like a frat party gone bad cover. The guy with his hands in the air looks especially stupid.
The description of this book kind of confused me because it said it was short stories but the author must have turned the short stories into a longer narrative while interspersing some short ideas she had for stories that I'm not sure she will ultimately use. It's a behind-the-scenes look at the Elfhome's main story, which was really interesting. Overall, the book was really good.
The description of this book kind of confused me because it said it was short stories but the author must have turned the short stories into a longer narrative while interspersing some short ideas she had for stories that I'm not sure she will ultimately use. It's a behind-the-scenes look at the Elfhome's main story, which was really interesting. Overall, the book was really good.
May 13, 2020
E-arc! Good read! I enjoyed the behind the scenes stories!
Reread! I enjoyed rereading Chased by Monsters and Harbinger! Good collection of stories!
2020 reread! I forgot some of PB&G! So good!
Reread! I enjoyed rereading Chased by Monsters and Harbinger! Good collection of stories!
2020 reread! I forgot some of PB&G! So good!
November 28, 2021
I've read the paperback edition a couple years ago, and of course, loved it.
Tanya Eby is the narrator of this audio edition, and she makes it even better. She does a great job separating the characters, and makes the absurd scenes feel truly hit home (in case you missed it during the paper version).
While I love this series, which has many memorable scenes and characters, I think the first thing to pop into my mind will usually be the intro to Pittsburg Backyard and Gardens. But don't let my glee and mad cackling (and the afterword tells us that Wen was cackling too as she was writing PB&G) convince you that this book doesn't have serious, important, and poignant stories too. We've got stories with blood families like Jane's, and chosen families like Law's, and people like Olivia trying to carve a place for themselves in the world.
So, if you haven't read the series yet, start with Tinker, but keep going. It is all worth it.
Tanya Eby is the narrator of this audio edition, and she makes it even better. She does a great job separating the characters, and makes the absurd scenes feel truly hit home (in case you missed it during the paper version).
While I love this series, which has many memorable scenes and characters, I think the first thing to pop into my mind will usually be the intro to Pittsburg Backyard and Gardens. But don't let my glee and mad cackling (and the afterword tells us that Wen was cackling too as she was writing PB&G) convince you that this book doesn't have serious, important, and poignant stories too. We've got stories with blood families like Jane's, and chosen families like Law's, and people like Olivia trying to carve a place for themselves in the world.
So, if you haven't read the series yet, start with Tinker, but keep going. It is all worth it.
February 12, 2017
This is a collection of stories set in the author's Elfhome universe which serve to tie together events (and possibly fix plotholes) in the preceding books. Most of them were reasonably good - quite a few featured new characters who seem to suit the series; none of the stories struck me as amazing.
I found two stories, "Peace Offering" and "Price of Peace," slightly curious. In the books, a character, Forest Moss, was introduced with a tragic backstory -- he was an elven mage who was one of the first to encounter the evil race of Oni while on a trading mission to Earth. His caravan was slaughtered and he was tortured before finally escaping. Having demonstrated his inability to protect his own (despite being a strong warrior), he's been driven insane by the repercussions of the torture and centuries of near excommunication by elven society. He was Chekhov's gun looming ominously over the mantel, as a likely driver for future novels.
In these two short stories, he may have been taken down from the fireplace.
I found two stories, "Peace Offering" and "Price of Peace," slightly curious. In the books, a character, Forest Moss, was introduced with a tragic backstory -- he was an elven mage who was one of the first to encounter the evil race of Oni while on a trading mission to Earth. His caravan was slaughtered and he was tortured before finally escaping. Having demonstrated his inability to protect his own (despite being a strong warrior), he's been driven insane by the repercussions of the torture and centuries of near excommunication by elven society. He was Chekhov's gun looming ominously over the mantel, as a likely driver for future novels.
In these two short stories, he may have been taken down from the fireplace.
September 12, 2022
This book is a collection of shorts that span the range of the series. Because some of them have characters and settings from book 4, it's numbered as book 4.5. However, you could read the shorts interspersed through the series, as I did this time. So, for those that want to know what sorts of stories are found here and where in the series they fit - I'll give you my rough estimates.
"Singing Storm of Fire" takes place in the space 120-70 years before first Start-up. It's Stormsong's POV and shows how she and wolf met and became friends. It also has both of them meeting Pony for the first time.
"Little Horse" takes place just before first Start-up. It tells how Pony decides to join Wind Wolf's household.
"All the King's Horses and All the King's Men" is Lain's story during first Start-up.
Then there's what the author calls a Drabble (flash fiction with no plot needed) about the ice cream manager, Wojo, form Book 2 during first Start-up.
"Wyvern" is a great action piece set in an unknown time before book 1, about a big game hunter helping the train.
A Drabble about Stormsong first noticing Tinker a month before book 1.
"Bare Snow Falling on Fairywood" tells about the unknown people who helped Wind Wolf when he was being attacked in the beginning of book 1. (No, Tinker wasn't the only one trying to save him.)
Then a Drabble about Stormsong on Earth, which is a scene in book 4.
"Pittsburg Backyard and Garden" and "Chased by Monsters" basically take place while Tinker is kidnapped in book 1. These have a fun cast!
Drabble that uses the characters from book 4
"Blue Sky" Happens between books 2 and 3, and introduces Blue Sky, the half elf that joins in the action in book 3.
Another Drabble about book 4 characters.
"Peace Offering" and "Price of Peace" happen after chapter 35 of book 3. Then tell about the human
woman Forrest Moss finds to help him regain a life for himself.
"Threads that Bind and Break" takes place roughly between chapters 39 and 42 of book 3. It tells the story of what happened at the train station, which is briefly referred to in book 3. It follows the characters from "Bare Snow Falling on Fairywood," and also "Pittsburg Backyard and Garden."
The authors afterward tells a bit about the origins of these stories. It also includes a rough timeline of how the end of book 4 fits with the end of book 3 and "Threads that Bind and Break."
"Singing Storm of Fire" takes place in the space 120-70 years before first Start-up. It's Stormsong's POV and shows how she and wolf met and became friends. It also has both of them meeting Pony for the first time.
"Little Horse" takes place just before first Start-up. It tells how Pony decides to join Wind Wolf's household.
"All the King's Horses and All the King's Men" is Lain's story during first Start-up.
Then there's what the author calls a Drabble (flash fiction with no plot needed) about the ice cream manager, Wojo, form Book 2 during first Start-up.
"Wyvern" is a great action piece set in an unknown time before book 1, about a big game hunter helping the train.
A Drabble about Stormsong first noticing Tinker a month before book 1.
"Bare Snow Falling on Fairywood" tells about the unknown people who helped Wind Wolf when he was being attacked in the beginning of book 1. (No, Tinker wasn't the only one trying to save him.)
Then a Drabble about Stormsong on Earth, which is a scene in book 4.
"Pittsburg Backyard and Garden" and "Chased by Monsters" basically take place while Tinker is kidnapped in book 1. These have a fun cast!
Drabble that uses the characters from book 4
"Blue Sky" Happens between books 2 and 3, and introduces Blue Sky, the half elf that joins in the action in book 3.
Another Drabble about book 4 characters.
"Peace Offering" and "Price of Peace" happen after chapter 35 of book 3. Then tell about the human
woman Forrest Moss finds to help him regain a life for himself.
"Threads that Bind and Break" takes place roughly between chapters 39 and 42 of book 3. It tells the story of what happened at the train station, which is briefly referred to in book 3. It follows the characters from "Bare Snow Falling on Fairywood," and also "Pittsburg Backyard and Garden."
The authors afterward tells a bit about the origins of these stories. It also includes a rough timeline of how the end of book 4 fits with the end of book 3 and "Threads that Bind and Break."
September 6, 2016
Project Elfhome is a series of short stories/novellas set in the world introduced with the novel Tinker. Some of Spencer's fans may have already read many of the stories included in this title, but the new material adds to some of the stories and develops the characters presented in the previous stories. I especially liked the fact that even though I had an idea where some of the stories would or could go, Spencer still surprised me, and always in a good way. My only complaint is a minor one, which is that the people in the cover art don't really match my vision of the characters, and so I have to decide if I want to stick with my mental images or try to picture the ones on the cover. I am sticking with my own image for Taggart . . . read the stories and you'll understand.
I encourage anyone who enjoys well-written and original fiction to read anything by Wen Spencer. She is one of the few authors from whom I will pre-order books. When I found out the eARC was available for Project Elfhome I immediately bought my copy, even though I had already read a lot of the included material. I can re-read her stories and always find something new or a new interesting aspect. Spencer can write a series and keep each title a separate and different story, and the writing and world building are so superb that I don't care about cliffhangers (except for the impatience waiting for the next book). I rarely want to see more stories from the same world with the same characters, but with Spencer I always want to read more of whatever she can manage to write and get published.
I encourage anyone who enjoys well-written and original fiction to read anything by Wen Spencer. She is one of the few authors from whom I will pre-order books. When I found out the eARC was available for Project Elfhome I immediately bought my copy, even though I had already read a lot of the included material. I can re-read her stories and always find something new or a new interesting aspect. Spencer can write a series and keep each title a separate and different story, and the writing and world building are so superb that I don't care about cliffhangers (except for the impatience waiting for the next book). I rarely want to see more stories from the same world with the same characters, but with Spencer I always want to read more of whatever she can manage to write and get published.
June 26, 2022
This is a collection of short stories, novellas and musings from the author all set in Pittsburgh/Elfhome. The first thing I ever read written by Wen Spencer is the novella "Pittsburgh Backyard and Garden" when it was posted on the Baen Books website back in 2014. I loved the story and decided that at some point I would read Tinker and the other books in the Elfhome series. This year I have finally kept that promise to myself and have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. The stories in Project Elfhome give us the backstory of some of the characters we know from other books and introduces us to some people we have never met before. I enjoyed reading it and will probably reread the entire series in the near future now that I know how everything comes together and I can slow down and enjoy them.
July 4, 2016
This a series that requires reading in order, particularly since the author takes pains in developing bits from previous books in later ones.
Thus, having this collection of previously published and new short stories and novellas gathered in one place and in chronological order is a delicious treat for fans of the Elfhome universe.
I very much enjoyed reading about secondary characters in this world and finding out how they played their part in the background of the original novels. There is very little retconning done by the author and the peeks she affords us into her creative process were a sweet treat for me. The book concludes with the first few pages of the next novel, which is either a boom or a torture, depending on your pov!
I would not recommend this one for anybody new to the series, but for those already addicted to this world, "Project Elfhome" is a must.
Thus, having this collection of previously published and new short stories and novellas gathered in one place and in chronological order is a delicious treat for fans of the Elfhome universe.
I very much enjoyed reading about secondary characters in this world and finding out how they played their part in the background of the original novels. There is very little retconning done by the author and the peeks she affords us into her creative process were a sweet treat for me. The book concludes with the first few pages of the next novel, which is either a boom or a torture, depending on your pov!
I would not recommend this one for anybody new to the series, but for those already addicted to this world, "Project Elfhome" is a must.
October 13, 2019
I'm not one who usually likes short stories but I love this series and I've read everything I could get my hands on from this series. I was pleasantly surprised. The book is vaguely set out in chronological order and all those short stories that finished too quickly have been extended and now fill in gaps between stories. If there was a unifying thread it could have easily been another book but because all the stories come from all over the time line it couldn't be another novel.
Also the author has more freedom to have some fun with some of her characters and to share insights and alternative story lines. It is well worth the read for anyone as addicted to this series as I am.
I can't wait for the next book.
Also the author has more freedom to have some fun with some of her characters and to share insights and alternative story lines. It is well worth the read for anyone as addicted to this series as I am.
I can't wait for the next book.
June 29, 2016
went mad and splurged on the arc version of this ... couldnt wait!!!
anyway loved loved loved it, many short stories and some I had already purchased and some I had read as freebies on Baen but still .... TOTALLY worth it. More of Olivia and Forestmoss and more of Nigel, Hal Jane and Taggart and the frist chapter/few pages of Harbringer that apparently have been floating around but I some how missed >.>
Loved the way that all the stories weave in and out of the main story all the oooh thats what was happening Like the Law and Bare Snow story with the train being where WindWolf and the wyverns were at the end of elfhome... inspired me to reread the other 4 books again :)
anyway loved loved loved it, many short stories and some I had already purchased and some I had read as freebies on Baen but still .... TOTALLY worth it. More of Olivia and Forestmoss and more of Nigel, Hal Jane and Taggart and the frist chapter/few pages of Harbringer that apparently have been floating around but I some how missed >.>
Loved the way that all the stories weave in and out of the main story all the oooh thats what was happening Like the Law and Bare Snow story with the train being where WindWolf and the wyverns were at the end of elfhome... inspired me to reread the other 4 books again :)
February 19, 2021
Not recommended as a start to the Elfhome series--it fills in gaps for previously published books, and would contain spoilers. The series has magic, elves, monsters, explosions, and some well-developed romances, and so do these stories. Because they fill in the gaps, they jump around a little in the time line, and focus mostly on secondary characters--Law, Jane, and Olivia--though the main characters like Windwolf and Stormsong are featured as well. Several of the stories are linked, different episodes of the same character's adventures, so they form a more complete story. A must read for fans who wondered about the small bits of story that end up cut for plot or space purposes.
October 18, 2019
Read Tinker first if you don't know this series. If you do know it I don't have to say anything more, grin.
I list this series among my all time favorite books. Right next to McCaffrey's Pern and Henderson's People. I cannot get enough. I opened the cover and disappeared from the travails of this world. I fell in and gobbled my way thru. Burp!!
Tasty, fun, intelligent, consuming. Everything that the best books should be. I want more, I want more yesterday.
Wen, ma'am, please write faster. I need my next hit now.
I list this series among my all time favorite books. Right next to McCaffrey's Pern and Henderson's People. I cannot get enough. I opened the cover and disappeared from the travails of this world. I fell in and gobbled my way thru. Burp!!
Tasty, fun, intelligent, consuming. Everything that the best books should be. I want more, I want more yesterday.
Wen, ma'am, please write faster. I need my next hit now.
July 1, 2016
This is a collection of short stories and novellas set in Wen Spencer's Elfhome universe, which consists of the books "Tinker", "Wolf Who Rules", "Elfhome", and "Wood Sprites". The short stories and novellas all tie together with each other and the previous books in the series quite well, telling about the same events from another perspective and deepening the world view. Some of the stories have been previously published. "Pittsburg Backyard & Garden" and its sequel "Chased by Monsters" were my favorite stories. Very funny! Well worth the price of the e-arc at Baen.
October 22, 2018
This is a must read for Elfhome fans. These short and not so short stories tie all the books together. Many new details are learned about old characters and many new oh so likeable new characters are introduced. You find out who else helped Wolf wind when he met Tinker, where Wind Wolf was when Tinker confronted her shadow, how Joey Shoji was freed from the Oni, where other of Esme and Tristan's siblings are and many more important details.
Three of the stories have romances one including Forest Moss. Yay!
Three of the stories have romances one including Forest Moss. Yay!
June 17, 2018
What a great addition to the Elfhome series! I had read a few of the short stories before, and I love the additional snippets and stories that have been added to this collection. They bring more depth to the world of Elfhome. Now I really can't wait for the next book in the series!
I received this book free through a Goodreads Giveaway.
I received this book free through a Goodreads Giveaway.
December 1, 2016
I'm not usually a fan of short stories but this was a good book. I loved reading about the characters I had grown to love in her other books. I went back and re-read the other stories because I enjoyed how they tied into one another. However you can read this as a stand alone short story book and not be disappointed.
January 2, 2017
This book contains short stories and even shorter items, scenes and "drabbles". Definitely should be read after books 1 - 4 in the series if you don't like spoilers. If you don't mind, go for it, you'll like it.
June 30, 2016
This is a collection of stories and novellas featuring various characters in the Tinker/Elfhome world. Some of these have been previously published in various places. Some of them are completely new. Each one is a gem, written with Spencer's usual mix of humor and tension.
September 13, 2016
Pittsburgh Elfhome stories are wonderful
No Spoilers. I'm so glad that there was another Law and Bare Snow story here. These are great stories fleshing out people who live around Tinker. If you love Elfhome you have to pick up this book.
No Spoilers. I'm so glad that there was another Law and Bare Snow story here. These are great stories fleshing out people who live around Tinker. If you love Elfhome you have to pick up this book.
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