‘Man Donaghy crept silently around the back of the farmhouse and over the field to the faerie thorn. The thorn was shimmering as he knelt before it. Whispering directly to the roots of the tree, Man Donaghy said, ‘I want you to take Wife Donaghy.’
Jane Talbot’s seven bewitching tales will draw you into a world of fairytales and magick, a world of devilish debts, trysts and trades, of broken bargains and unjust trials, of quick-wittedness, of hoodwinking, of revenge.
A dark, tender, dazzling collection that will make you remember why you love stories.
Published by Blackstaff Press
ISBN 978-0-85640-955-4
Note For Readers
The stories in this collection follow many conventions associated with traditional oral storytelling. For this reason, as well as enjoying the stories in the privacy of your own head, you might also find that they’re even better when read aloud and shared with others.
Stage Production Of The Faerie Thorn & Other Stories
The Faerie Thorn has been adapted for the stage by Big Telly Theatre Company. The production is a piece of vibrant, contemporary, physical theatre, incorporating masks, movement and illusion. The production is touring the UK and Ireland April-June 2017 and will finish its tour in Dresden on 12 June. Read the press release about this exciting project, and keep up-to-date with production news , here. Find tour dates and booking links here. Find theatre reviews, audience feedback and a selection of images from performances here.
Prizes and Awards
Longlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize 2016.
Longlisted in the Saboteur Awards 2016.
Praise For The Faerie Thorn & Other Stories
‘A collection that delights with its sparkling style and rich imagination.’ Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, author of many novels, collections of short stories and plays, and teaching fellow on the MA in Creative Writing at University College Dublin.
‘There are tales here of gentleness and brutality, of trapped souls and willing, captive hearts; stories so grisly and “feary-grim” they’ll cold-curdle your blood; stories so full of unbridled beneficence they will “warm-hold” and gentle your heart. Highly recommended.’ Bernie McGill , author of The Butterfly Cabinet.
‘A delight to read … brimming with a feral, elemental magick.’ Mia Gallagher, author of HellFire.
‘This is fiction that leads you on an adventure, is told in a unique voice fitting to the genre it represents, and which always manages to surprise.’ Claire Savage , The Incubator Journal
‘With a quick wit and inventive language that recalls the kennings of ancient tales, Jane Talbot creates a world where all is not as it seems. The story of The Merrow of Murlough Bay broke my heart but leaves me with a determination to visit the real Murlough Bay. A tour de force.’ Janet Dowling , storyteller and author of Surrey Folk Tales.
‘A bewitching set of faerie tales for adults. Intriguing, intelligent and highly readable.’ Sue Leonard, Irish Examiner
‘Not a children’s book of fairy stories but for adults and in the true tradition there’s love and hate, gentleness and brutality and a language to gladden your soul. It’s a cracker.’ Anne Hailes, The Irish News