Getting it up

Miles and the Magic Flute by Heidi Cullinan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I've had this book in my "to-read" pile for months and I must say I was rather frustrated with my schedule for not allowing me the opportunity to just dive in and escape into this story. I decided that I would make this book my "reward" for getting my work done and I'm so very glad that I did!

Summary: When the forest behind a Minnesota pawn shop turns out to be the doorway into a faerie paradise, Miles Larson doesn't see any reason to complain. He's bankrupt, single, and living in a trailer in his backwoods hometown after being laid off from his big city job: yes, he could use a little downtime in a homoerotic dreamland.

But Miles soon learns that in the faerie world nothing is quite as simple as it seems. The beautiful faerie man who has captured Miles's heart might also be after Miles's soul. The frightening beast-man who chases him through the forest is actually a noble-hearted human under a terrible curse. And at the center of it all is the deathly beautiful Lord of Dreams, a faerie so powerful that if Miles so much as looks at his face, he will be lost in dreamland forever.

The only hope for Miles's escape lies in a magic silver flute, an enchanted instrument that holds the answer to the faerie lord's defeat. But even if Miles is smart and strong enough to wield it, will he dare? All dreams must stay in dreamland, and when the cold light of truth dawns, if there is no reality beneath the love he's found in the faerie realm, Miles will have to return to his own world—alone.

What I liked about this book: Can I say "everything" and leave it at that? No? Oh, all right! One of the things I love about Heidi Cullinan's works is the "message in the song". Her stories are never without purpose and the tales always speak to your heart and leave you feeling like you've learned something about yourself and the world we live in. She does it with such grace and fluidity that you don't even realize it until you're sitting in front of a computer monitor about to write a review.

This is the story Narnia couldn't tell. It's the fairy tale we all wish would come true with its nightmarish moments woven into a mythical world the purest of hearts believe in. I wasn't just reading Miles' story, I was living it and experiencing it, and like Miles, being transformed by it. This tale is not for the faint of heart. It has its dark and sinister moments filled with gore and every creepy thing you've ever thought could exist in the dark but the beauty of the world Heidi Cullinan creates and the emotions she pulls from you as you read it, stick with you far longer than the scary elements will.

There's a reason this book won an award for Best Fantasy in Elisa's Rainbow Awards. It's just that damn good!



View all my reviews