The Woodcutter

This book is unlike most others out there. I love retellings of fairytales and myths, but this one truly kept me on my toes. Despite a slow pace, the unique voice of the narrator kept the book engaging. As you are drawn into the world of the wood and the characters fleeing in and out, Danley never lets you have too much information. Even after finishing the book you are left wanting more of the world as with every character you get a brief glimpse of their life and magic. The world feels rich and dark, and you can't help but wonder what is beyond the characters you meet, what other stories lurk in the woods.If you are at all inclined to read fairytales, you should give this book a try. It reimagines so many of your favorite well known and more obscure fairytales and legends at a honeyed paced.

This book is a mashup of and a tribute to fairy tales and myths, similar to Sondheim's "Into the Woods," but with an actual plot. It was engaging, interesting and moving, and much like Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," follows the story of a secondary character to examine his role in the narrative.I liked it and was moved, but I didn't like his female characters much. His wife is central to his story but rarely talks, and the other female protagonists are either subordinate to someone or evil. Otherwise, a great story for lovers of fairy tales

I am a fan of reworked classic tales, and I loved this book. I felt as if "Into The Woods", "Once Upon A Time", "Grimm", and Norse Tales all met up and comingled their best parts with a clever twist here and there.One of the best things about this book is its suitability for young adult readers. I would recommend it to any parent of an avid reader who reads at 5th grade level or above. The author accomplishes this beautifully, with out dumbing down the story at an adult level.I am disappointed that I can't lend the book! I have some younger relatives who would really enjoy it.

This book is about The Woodcutter, a being whose job is to watch over the woods and keep the peace between fae and mortals. The book borrowed a lot of material from various fairy tales (Snow White, Red Riding Hood, etc.). The Woodcutter himself was a very noble character and I enjoyed reading his story. However, often times I wasn't sure exactly what was going on. The "rules" of magic in this world were never really explained but just appeared randomly throughout the story. I also had a hard time keeping track of the various characters, who just appeared randomly with no back story. The villains in the story were meant to be mysterious but really were just flat. Overall, I would say it is an average story that could have been helped with some world building and more work into the characters.

The author brought out almost every one of our fairy tale characters and put them in a political context. Did you think Snow White's prince (& later King) ruled an entire continent? Cinderella and prince had a slice of land as well. With 12 kingdoms ringing the Fae Forest, few are left out in this thoughtful story. I'd recommend this book to every parent or teacher having to retell these tales continuously for small ears, if for nothing else, be able to smile when reading them or put them in a plausible world together or make the princesses a little less needy. Also, anyone who might like a new set of ideas that we based our outlook on--such as women are weak and need someone to save them. The princes all need "true love's first kiss" as badly as the female heroines.

I'm not sure how to review this book.For the first 90%, it's a dizzying and sometimes stretched tour of pretty much every western fairy tale you can think of. Baba Yaga and her house. Odin at the head of the Wild Hunt. 12 Dancing Princesses in a house that wanders. All that times a dozen.The central character, the Woodcutter, is charged with maintaining order and balance in the 12 Kingdoms, and he is stalwart and tough about it, and I really enjoyed watching him problem-solve his way around fairytale troubles. He is deeply in love with his wife, and they are very happy together, except when he has to go out and keep the peace.The chapters are tiny, but once I got used to that, I kind of enjoyed it. Like each one was a story-morsel. And I enjoyed the fantastic breadth of the fairy tales that got included.And then it all kind of fell apart at some really clumsy Christian symbolism. I am not against Christian allegory in fantasy, but it has to be more subtle than this was, or better integrated. Or something. I think it's possible that someone less steeped in Christianity would not be troubled by two women preparing a body and the spirit waiting three days and the other tics, but I was.Read if: You want to see a virtuosic review of western fairy tales. You love cop stories in all their varieties.Skip if: You hate a clumsy ending.Also read:  A Sorcerer's Treason: A Novel of Isavalta, Book One (Prologue Fantasy)  by Sarah Zettel. This is a trilogy that moves through several zones of fairy tales deftly and engagingly.(Kindle book is currently cheap. You'll thank me!)

This was an amazing read. I loved that it was a cross between fantasy (fae and faeries) and fairy tales (red riding hood and Jack and the beanstalk etc). I was invested from the first chapter. The author wrote the story with so much mystery that I was intrigued. I loved the characters and the plot kept moving. The author did a good job wrapping up all the storylines.

After the first few pages I began to agree with an earlier reviewer who complained that the characters were all cardboard cutouts: But then I realised that there is little or no character development in (so-called) "fairy stories" - one or more stock characters do something daft, get into trouble, and either come to a bad end as a warning (The Brother Grimm and their ilk) or are miraculously rescued as a bedtime story (Hans Christian Andersen et al.).The nearest description I can manage is that it is similar to a text-based computer game of the Sword and Sorcery group (You are standing in front of a cave labelled 'dragon's den' - there is a sword on the floor <pick up sword>).I'm no expert on "Fairy Stories" but I don't think there is anything original in this book. The style is aimed at children but it is commendably free of patronising or "twee": it could possibly be read aloud as an extended bedtime story or given to young children as an alternative to Harry Potter (with only very minor editing - I'm not sure how seven or eight year old children react to prostitution but the reference is vague).In sum: I found it a bit heavy going and could wish more thought had been given to the publisher's blurb (with especial reference to the target age group): but it cost very little and was probably worth the price.

I enjoyed this story: I can only summarise it best as "pleasant". It's not a fast paced, fantastical magic adventure, but it doesn't drag along the plot at a snails pace either, even with the introduction of a large number of characters - all of whom are recogniseable - but it works because the plot is a simple one, so it doesn't get oversaturated and bogged down with subplots and side quests; everyone and everything work towards the same goal and against the same antagonists.It reads like a milder version of "The Book of Lost Things", with a multitude of fairy tale elements and characters all inhabiting the same world, but without the horror that is seen in The Book of Lost Things. Overall, a good read. I liked it. Four stars because while the simplicity of the plot worked to its advantage with so many characters around the protagonist, I do like a bit more "meat" on the bones of a story.

This does feel like the book equivalent of indie music – indeed, The Woodcutter started life as a self-published novel which took off and eventually landed Danley a publishing deal. I don’t remember being asked to review it but it seems slightly unlikely that I would have found it by myself. Well – however it came to land up on my Kindle, I’m glad that it did. It was a beautiful tale for a cold winter’s night, a complex and carefully woven story for fans of folklore and fairy tales. Like Into The Woods but without the songs. Or much in the way of humour. And a good bit scarier. So … maybe not so much like Into The Woods.The Woodcutter hates to leave his beloved wife to venture into the forest, he knows the danger that lies within. But he has been charged with a sacred duty and he must obey the call. He is the one who keeps the peace between the Twelve Kingdoms of Men and the Realm of the Faerie and something wicked this way comes. A maiden lies dead in a forest glade, only her glass slippers hinting as to who she might have been. Having won three magical axes from the River God, the Woodcutter does his best to set the kingdom to rights, but there are dark figures who have agendas of their own. There are small golden-headed children traipsing off into the woods who the Woodcutter is not always able to save, a deadly drug trade in pixie dust and there are those who are ready to break all the rules to get what they want.I read criticisms of this book that stated that it was predictable and its subject matter repetitive but I felt that those people had missed the point somewhat. The beauty of The Woodcutter came from the way it used the familiar tales and fitted them together to make a wider whole. At each fresh stage of the drama, it was a delight to recognise another old story shuffling onto centre stage. The twelve dancing princesses were used to great effect by the wicked lady, there was much to-ing and fro-ing up and down the Beanstalk and the Woodcutter uncovered all kinds of magical mayhem as he went. It was Danley’s prose though that really elevated this novel above the ordinary; her sentences had such a graceful feel that The Woodcutter felt like a steady-paced dance with not one step out of place. So many re-workings of fairy stories focus on jazzing up the action and adding extra sex and violence and it was strangely refreshing to read a story with the courage to retain the patterns and poetry of the mythology without worrying about boring the audience. So true love’s kiss really can save the young couple from the woods, the naming of a thing has incredible power and the sound of a pixie touching the ground can make the whole world stop.Reading The Woodcutter reminded me of an intricate woodcut (appropriately enough), it was stark and solemn and beautiful. Even though we were in a fairy tale, the Happy Ever After ending at times seemed far off and unlikely. The Woodcutter does not skip and sing through the woods, he is a being with worries and disappointments of his own but still, there is a safety in the sense of him as the guardian of the woods, the keeper of the trees. We may take comfort in him being there in the shadows but just the same, I wish him an easy return to his wife.

This is like… ‘How many fairy tales and folkloric things can you fit into 346 pages and still manage to create a well structured story?’From ‘Odin’ to ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ to ‘Baba Yaga’, and everyone in between, this is none stop from the first page to the last. And somehow Kate has managed to make it all work in this wonderful story about a Woodcutter — who doesn’t actually cut wood.If you like fairy tales, folklore, or are maybe looking for something different in a fantasy story, then i don’t think you’ll be disappointed with ‘The Woodcutter’.My first Kate Danley book, it won’t be my last.

I bought this on kindle quite a while ago but have only just read it. For the life of me I don't know what made me download it as I wouldn't willingly have bought a book to read that was aimed at 10 year old girls. I thought it may have developed into something as charming as "The Snow Child" when I started it. However, no such luck; just a weaving in of as many fairy tales as possible, including some I had never heard of (was there a story about 12 dancing ladies?).On the plus side, despite the irritating American spelling (especially "ax", ugh!), the grammar was reasonable, even though it hurts the eyes to read "look out the window" instead of "look out of the window"...

The Woodcutter lives in the Wood connecting the Twelve Kingdoms, keeping the peace between humans and the fae. One night he comes across the body of a princess with glass slippers, and shortly after those of a little girl in a red cape and her grandmother; all of them didn't have a mark on them but had been mortally afraid. Knowing that something terrible stalks the Wood, he sets off to defeat it, and uncovers a terrible conspiracy.This short novel reads very much like an old-fashioned fairy tale, with Kate Danley's economic yet poetic prose taking you back in time to your childhood when the stories of princes and princesses and true love's first kiss, enchanted woods, witches and evil queens were as familiar to you as the back of your hand, giving you a first taste of good and bad, right and wrong, love and death. She takes all those stories and mixes them together into something new, and half the fun to me was recognising old friends. Her characters have true emotional depth, in particular the titular figure of the Woodcutter himself, and I warmed to him immediately. Even though it's impossible not to read the final few chapters without thinking of religious symbolism, by the end I was in tears, and if the story doesn't move you, then you truly have a heart of stone and deserve no better. I believe this is one of those books that gets better at each re-reading as you discover references and nuances you missed before.

and based around Grimms Fairy tales.The Woodcutter is guardian of the 12 realms of Faerie, he is neither Faerie nor human but part of the trees and the Earth.When he finds out that the Fairy Tales are not having their usual endings, he realises that something is amiss and leaves his Forest to investigate. He has a meeting with the River God who gives him three axes.He comes across the 'moving mansion' where he encounters the Queen and The Gentleman. They have been capturing Pixies for their magic dust which the Court use like Cocaine. Each time a Pixie falls to the ground it dies.It is up to the Woodcutter to find out what is going on and how to stop it.Ths was an incredibly good read with all the horror of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales.

To me, one of the things which marks out good fantasy writing is that it stays true to itself. I don't mind how strange the created world is, I can accept it as long as it maintains its internal consistency. But the more complicated the imagined world is, the more difficult that gets. Kate Danley's achievement is to build a world in which she can link together a whole range of different fairy stories and characters. Of course, many of them had some things in common, but it's worth remembering that they were all originally stand-alone stories. The way in which so many are woven together into one consistent novel is impressive. And it's a good story in itself, Nicely paced, the sense of wonder is effectively generated throughout - it has the feel of a fairy tale. Plus mystery, magic, and - of course - True Love. A very good read.

When I saw how short the first few chapters were, I really thought that I was going to hate this book. But I was more than pleasantly surprised.The characters and the setting, although vaguely familiar from childhood books, made me see fairy tales in a whole new light. Especially when the Woodcutter's actions in one area led directly to changes in each character's story. The writing was easy to follow without being simplistic too and I found myself being swept along with the Woodcutter during his journey.And it was 'different' in a good way too. So many other writers have used or reworked fairy tales and haven't done it well whereas this definitely worked with the various characters never really crossing paths but influencing events around the different kingdoms.There was definitely something a little magic about this book.

I am really not sure what to make of this book, I neither disliked nor truly loved it. The first half I found highly boring as the character of the Woodcutter, who seemed completely 2D for the majority of the novel, seemed to skip from one fairy story to another, without much detail going into his encounters. However, as it moved into the second half I found ideas that I found very interesting and refreshing, such as when the men that had to be awoken with true loves first kiss, instead of the princesses. I think that if the story had been changed slightly for a younger audience it would have made a lovely children's or young teenager's story, but I just think that the writing and plot was a bit simple for someone of my age.

At the start I though I was going to love this book, with it's interesting mystery involving characters I knew from childhood. Unfortunately I was left disappointed.I found the writing to be very inconsistent, along with the plot. It was all over the place and didn't really make much sense. The amount of fairytale characters didn't really help either, they just made all the more confusing.I feel this was very rushed and with more time and effort could have been shaped into a much better novel. The characters could have actually helped, and deepened the plot without being confused and frustrated.I did like the idea of the fairytale aspect, but in this case there was too much and it didn't sit right with me. Unfortunately I can only give this two stars because there was a-lot of room for improvement.

Well first off what the hell was this doing in the graphic novel section? Graphic novels do need t have pictures right?!So the story itself. It was a pretty good premise. A blending of different fairytales gone wrong with the woodcutter (you know, the one who saved Red Riding Hood, because Princes aren't always all that) having the job of fixing everything.I'm not sure I can really say that the premise met up to its promises however. The beginning was rather good and got me interested but the further I read through the story the more it seemed like Danley was trying too hard to fit in as many fairytale characters and creatures as she could and sometimes it didn't really benefit the plot.I did like the woodcutter however, and especially the idea that he was more than he seemed, rather a guardian of the worlds which intersected in his wood than actually a simple woodcutter.It was an easy read, and fairly entertaining, but I didn't really think it was anything special.

THE WOODCUTTER by Kate Danley reads as though she has decided to throw nearly every fairy tale character she can think of into a story. In this instance, it doesn't work. Although initially I found that the short chapters meant I started charging through the book quite quickly, after a while I found it irritating. The Woodcutter is an interesting character but, because the chapters are so short and the plot goes from focusing on one extra character to another so quickly, he remains under developed. And whilst there are elements to the story which are good, overall the writing style lets it down.This was such a disappointment. If you are looking for an intelligent book which has fairies and goblins to name just a few, I would personally recommend DREAMS AND SHADOWS instead.

It took a bit of getting used to, due to the short chapters and a different style to what I'm used to, but the story kept my interest long enough to get used to the style. It wasn't long before I just wanted to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. Which fairy tale was going to be included next, and how it would be altered to include the Woodcutter! This is definitely worth the read!

I thought I was going to love this book, and the beginning captured my imagination with an interesting mystery involving the characters I already knew from my childhood and the short chapters meant I whizzed through it quite quickly, but it left me feeling quite disappointed.The plot (which started out with such promise) didn't really come to much and I felt the writing was inconsistent - some chapters were brilliantly written and very evocative but others felt like a rushed first draft. It's a shame because if it were a first draft, I'm pretty sure it could be shaped into a great novel.