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The Boy Who Was Mistaken for a Fairy King
On the day Carl was born, the crocuses heralded the arrival of a special child. Or did they?
Carl King is an average boy, a gentle, kind, sweet teen who attracts an odd assortment of friends. He sometimes confers with trees... and just so happens to have antlers growing atop his head.
Evangeline Chase is an average girl from a close-knit family. She likes to run and enjoys a long walk in the woods... with her bow and arrow.
It's a match made in deep, dark magic. A boy with antlers. A girl enthralled with the chase. A forest keeping grim secrets.
Everything seems fine until someone calls a Hunt....
Carl King is an average boy, a gentle, kind, sweet teen who attracts an odd assortment of friends. He sometimes confers with trees... and just so happens to have antlers growing atop his head.
Evangeline Chase is an average girl from a close-knit family. She likes to run and enjoys a long walk in the woods... with her bow and arrow.
It's a match made in deep, dark magic. A boy with antlers. A girl enthralled with the chase. A forest keeping grim secrets.
Everything seems fine until someone calls a Hunt....
122 pages, Paperback
Published November 13, 2019
3 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 28, 2020
In your journeys through the internet, maybe you’ve come across the description of a rottweiler that’s simultaneously so glowing and so slightly off center that it prompted the response “Did … did a rottweiler write this?” That was my feeling reading The Boy Who Was Mistaken for a Fairy King--only with fairies, not rottweilers. Some fairy scribe has recorded this tale of a human boy whose antlered head causes confusion among the fairy folk. That authorship would explain the dancing way it’s told, the light and leisurely way it travels down its path, the things that catch its fancy and the things it slides over with scant attention.
Carl King is a gentlehearted soul, kind to trees and trolls, and despite his antlers, he’s accepted by the people in his Catskill Mountain town and cherished by his girlfriend, Evangelina Chase. Our fairy narrator hints at dangers, which eventually materialize, but the pleasure of the story comes less from plot developments and more from being with Carl as he grows into himself:
“When you’re little, you know that one day you’ll be big. You keep growing till you reach how tall you’re meant to be and then that’s how tall you are … I’m still growing. I’m still meant to be,” Carl tells Evangelina.
This is as true at the end of the story as when he says it, and if more tales of Carl and Evangelina find their way into our human world, I’m eager to read them.
Carl King is a gentlehearted soul, kind to trees and trolls, and despite his antlers, he’s accepted by the people in his Catskill Mountain town and cherished by his girlfriend, Evangelina Chase. Our fairy narrator hints at dangers, which eventually materialize, but the pleasure of the story comes less from plot developments and more from being with Carl as he grows into himself:
“When you’re little, you know that one day you’ll be big. You keep growing till you reach how tall you’re meant to be and then that’s how tall you are … I’m still growing. I’m still meant to be,” Carl tells Evangelina.
This is as true at the end of the story as when he says it, and if more tales of Carl and Evangelina find their way into our human world, I’m eager to read them.
March 8, 2020
Fransesca Forrest's review enticed me to read this novella (novelette?) and I'm very glad I did. The charming narrative voice about Carl, a boy with antlers, interlaced with a strong sense of menace personified in the (supposedly real) Erlking - a disturbing but evocative combination. The contrast between Carl's gentleness and graciousness and the Erlking's malevolence - together with the resourceful and interesting Evangeline - were a large part of the novella's charm for me.
June 23, 2020
A lovely little novelette about a boy called Carl who, due to weird genetics, is born with horn nubs, a fact that'll eventually get him mistaken for and land him in hot water with the Erlking. Funny and creative, and a quick read.
April 9, 2022
This was such a fun read! I really liked Evie, and the whole dark atmosphere. Carl was an interesting main character, but I would have loved if this was a whole book! I have so many questions unanswered! And the end felt really hurried, but aside from that, it was amazing!!!
July 17, 2019
An intriguing story, not quite like anything else I have read. YA at times , fairy tale at others, sometime hilarious and sometimes downright scary.
Highly recommend!
I received an early copy from the publisher
Highly recommend!
I received an early copy from the publisher
April 9, 2020
Si ce n'était pas d'une fin qui n'en est pas une, la faute au format je suppose, j'aurais assurément donné cinq étoiles à cette petite merveille.
Non seulement la plume de l'auteur est magnifique, mais le rythme est encore plus magique. On trouve ici un savant mélange de conte, de poésie et de modernité. En suivant l'histoire d'un adolescent doté de bois sur la tête et donc, que les créatures fabuleuses des bois croient être leur roi, on passe du rire à la curiosité. Les scènes d'action sont délicieuses, les rapports entre Carl et la forêt, tout simplement fascinante et Evangeline est un personnage fort. Attachant.
Franchement, j'ose espèrer un jour lire la suite et avoir droit à une véritable fin!
Non seulement la plume de l'auteur est magnifique, mais le rythme est encore plus magique. On trouve ici un savant mélange de conte, de poésie et de modernité. En suivant l'histoire d'un adolescent doté de bois sur la tête et donc, que les créatures fabuleuses des bois croient être leur roi, on passe du rire à la curiosité. Les scènes d'action sont délicieuses, les rapports entre Carl et la forêt, tout simplement fascinante et Evangeline est un personnage fort. Attachant.
Franchement, j'ose espèrer un jour lire la suite et avoir droit à une véritable fin!
June 12, 2020
This is a weird one.
I was intrigued by the premise and it seemed like a cute, easy story - I’m all here for that.
The beginning was a bit underwhelming. The writing was too truncated and sparse, each scene coming and going without much holding them down. Too much flowery prose, not many grounding elements. (I like all the snippets about flowers and meanings, but they took too much time that could have been given to the actual plot).
It got better once I got really into it and I enjoyed Mrs King part if the story though it feels a bit underdeveloped. The ending is rushed but I already expected that and it does feel like a lot was left unwritten and unresolved.
Everything in it does feel a bit raw and uncooked. One could argue its the nature of a novella this short - but it really isn’t. A novella, or any form of short fiction, can be short and satisfying with an open ended resolution. One does not exclude the other.
All that said - I still enjoyed it and was invested enough to finish Carl King’s story. I loved how the characters reacted to Carl’s differences and the fantastical creatures and encounters were charming.
To round up, the story, characters and themes were good but had a lot of unexplored potential. The writing and execution could have benefitted from a few extra hundred pages to develop those good elements.
I was intrigued by the premise and it seemed like a cute, easy story - I’m all here for that.
The beginning was a bit underwhelming. The writing was too truncated and sparse, each scene coming and going without much holding them down. Too much flowery prose, not many grounding elements. (I like all the snippets about flowers and meanings, but they took too much time that could have been given to the actual plot).
It got better once I got really into it and I enjoyed Mrs King part if the story though it feels a bit underdeveloped. The ending is rushed but I already expected that and it does feel like a lot was left unwritten and unresolved.
Everything in it does feel a bit raw and uncooked. One could argue its the nature of a novella this short - but it really isn’t. A novella, or any form of short fiction, can be short and satisfying with an open ended resolution. One does not exclude the other.
All that said - I still enjoyed it and was invested enough to finish Carl King’s story. I loved how the characters reacted to Carl’s differences and the fantastical creatures and encounters were charming.
To round up, the story, characters and themes were good but had a lot of unexplored potential. The writing and execution could have benefitted from a few extra hundred pages to develop those good elements.
January 11, 2022
1,5 ⭐️
Prima di leggerla mi sembrava così interessante, eppure è stata una grande delusione. La storia non ha molto senso e molte parti di essa non sono sbiluppate, lasciando un senso di sospeso un po’ ovunque. Lo stile è particolare e personalmente non mi è piaciuto, arzigogolato ma al contempo colloquiale. Magari è uno stile che può piacere, ma personalmente non l’ho apprezzato per niente.
I personaggi sono piuttosto piatti, essendo la narrazione parecchio distaccata da loro, complice il fatto che le scene sono distaccate da loro e narrate da un punto di vista molto ampio.
Forse questa è la valutazione meno oggettiva che abbia mai dato, ma non posso farci nulla. Non mi è piaciuto. Menomale che era breve.
Prima di leggerla mi sembrava così interessante, eppure è stata una grande delusione. La storia non ha molto senso e molte parti di essa non sono sbiluppate, lasciando un senso di sospeso un po’ ovunque. Lo stile è particolare e personalmente non mi è piaciuto, arzigogolato ma al contempo colloquiale. Magari è uno stile che può piacere, ma personalmente non l’ho apprezzato per niente.
I personaggi sono piuttosto piatti, essendo la narrazione parecchio distaccata da loro, complice il fatto che le scene sono distaccate da loro e narrate da un punto di vista molto ampio.
Forse questa è la valutazione meno oggettiva che abbia mai dato, ma non posso farci nulla. Non mi è piaciuto. Menomale che era breve.
April 26, 2020
"Erlkönig" is one of my favourite poems, so it was pretty interesting to read a modern fairy tale take on it. Fullerton has a lovely style that keeps the appropriate ethereal atmosphere while also introducing many modern elements. I loved the basic premise, and the build-up of the story.
My only complaint has to be that it ended quite abruptly and not everything was resolved (which can be a problem with novellas.)
My only complaint has to be that it ended quite abruptly and not everything was resolved (which can be a problem with novellas.)
September 12, 2024
This book is so original, a twisted sort of fun♡
I just wish I could've been with these characters longerrr...do novellas get sequels? I would love a sequel that would answer the questions that weren't☆
I just wish I could've been with these characters longerrr...do novellas get sequels? I would love a sequel that would answer the questions that weren't☆
dnf
April 13, 2021DNF at 60%
Gorgeous cover but the writing is messy and the plot doesn't have an objective.
DNF al 60%
Hermosa portada pero la escritura es muy desordenada y la trama no tiene un objetivo.
November 14, 2019
Such an intriguing story. I almost want to read it again to see all the foreshadowing and symbolism that is hiding in the book. It's broken into short sections that often jump in time and topic. For example, it starts with Carl's birth, but quickly jumps to his childhood, and then the main action occurs in high school. His story is then interspersed with sections discussing the symbolism of the natural world, often ending with a bit of a nursery rhyme. Those nursery rhyme fragments felt ominous and portentous ("shall we not speak of fairy winds and the terrible things they carry?..."). I could tell something was coming, but it took a while for the "something" to take shape as the offended erlking.
I also loved Evangeline. She was described as "overly competent" and felt like she could handle anything. She saw the threat the erlking posed before Carl did. That didn't stop the erlking from using his magic to separate them and call the Hunt. She wasn't about to let it end there. She was a Chase, after all, and names mattered in this book. Promises were also important. Carl promised the gremlins they could hunt if he called a Hunt. Of course, if the gremlins are Hunting, they're no longer guarding their prison, and what could the gremlins be guarding? Maybe Fullerton will write another novella and tell us.
I loved how Fullerton was able to weave reality and fantasy together in this book. For example, Carl talked to the trees, but the deciduous trees would go to sleep in the winter. Or the practical nature of Evangeline's family, who prepared her to defend herself from whatever threat. Too bad she's mortal and can't hurt the erlking. Luckily she had that one Uncle that knows a bit more then he's telling (let me talk to you about gremlins). Fullerton sprinkled in young love, teenage rebellion, magic, humor and peril into a short package that's totally worth reading.
I also loved Evangeline. She was described as "overly competent" and felt like she could handle anything. She saw the threat the erlking posed before Carl did. That didn't stop the erlking from using his magic to separate them and call the Hunt. She wasn't about to let it end there. She was a Chase, after all, and names mattered in this book. Promises were also important. Carl promised the gremlins they could hunt if he called a Hunt. Of course, if the gremlins are Hunting, they're no longer guarding their prison, and what could the gremlins be guarding? Maybe Fullerton will write another novella and tell us.
I loved how Fullerton was able to weave reality and fantasy together in this book. For example, Carl talked to the trees, but the deciduous trees would go to sleep in the winter. Or the practical nature of Evangeline's family, who prepared her to defend herself from whatever threat. Too bad she's mortal and can't hurt the erlking. Luckily she had that one Uncle that knows a bit more then he's telling (let me talk to you about gremlins). Fullerton sprinkled in young love, teenage rebellion, magic, humor and peril into a short package that's totally worth reading.
January 3, 2020
I really enjoyed the basic premise and the characters, even most of the plot, but the stylistics got so pleased with itself and eager to show off that the book was a bit difficult to read at times. The odd breaks and sped-up narration in some places didn't quite fit, for instance the ending turned out a little anti-climactic. Overall a nice read for a lazy day in, but I was a little disappointed.
May 3, 2020
this is one of those trippy reads that make you wonder what is real and what is not, and the kind of novella you wish were a full novel instead because the ending opens up so many possibilities and you just want MORE.
November 13, 2019
A charming, playful and utterly unique novella about a boy who just happens to grow antlers, and what happens when he (and his girlfriend) become entangled in the world of gremlins, fairies, and the Erlking. There's such a delightful sense of everyday magic in this story, as Fullerton creates a place where the plain and ordinary of the world we know, exists right next to (and sometimes intersects) with a world of magic that can be both hilarious and dangerous. Gremlins who mess up your car and then tell you they'll fix it, a high-school dance turned into perilous Hunt, a troll where you might not expect it... this story has all that and more. A wonderful read from start to finish.
December 23, 2019
lovely little novella. wonderful story, great characters. Carl was such a well written lad. very enjoyable.
February 6, 2025
Wow, what a nice read, but, it just ends, like, no epilogue or anything, weird, I want more of this story, I really do... the paperback has more page count, I wonder if... I like to have this book physical anyway...
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews