When someone says the word “Fairy or “Fae”, what comes to mind? Depending on who you ask, you’ll get vastly different interpretations. However the most common description is of magical, sometimes small, people with wings who protect the forest they inhabit and help humans in need. But in Peadar O Guilin’s book, The Call, the Fae are much more akin to Demons. O Guilin draws a lot of inspiration from traditional Irish folklore to make these terrifying versions of Fairies in his book.
The story of The Call follows Nessa, a disabled girl in Ireland attending a special college that trains the students to survive. The reason for this is because the students are part of a ritualistic arrangement with the Fae, also called the Sidhe, and the country of Ireland to have them taken to the land and home of the Sidhe to be hunted for a short period of time. And if the teens end up getting caught by the Sidhe during their trial, they get killed in brutal and grotesque ways that make medieval punishments look boring.
Starting off with the horror aspects of this book. In short, it’s terrifyingly wonderful. When the characters are teleported to the land of the Fae, they are greeted to a cold, eerie landscape with many noxious elements that gives a sense of unease. On top of that, the wilderness of the Fairyland has many horrible plants, such as Slicegrass, that literally tear at the skin of anyone who walks on it…yeah if you think that’s bad just wait, that’s not even the worst of it.
The Fairies themselves have nightmarish appearances. They are described as having horrific physical qualities such as razor sharp teeth, horns, or limbs that bend in unnatural ways. But they are also depicted as beautiful and handsome, adorned with gold and leather clothing.
The characters in this book are very interesting. They all have complex thoughts and feelings of the events and day to day affairs in their life. My personal favorite was Nessa’s best friend, Megan. She’s tough, quick witted, and just an overall fun person to be around. Her relationship with Nessa is a big highlight of her character as well. When the story is cold and anxiety-indussing, scenes with Nessa and Megan always seem to remind the reader that there is light in such a frightening world. Nessa as the main character is very gripping. Throughout the book, she has a very hardened look on the situation she’s in, and aside from Megan, she acts very coldly towards most people she interacts with. But this is all because of her determination to survive, which frankly, isn’t even the worst effect the call has on the main cast. Other characters like Connor, one of the human antagonists, take it as a fun challenge to prove themselves. In Connor’s case, it makes him a complete psycho at the end of the book.
The overall story is extremely compelling. It has a very hunger games vibe that is made even better with the monstrous antagonists. The college that the kids are sent to set up some great world building and explains a lot of the history between the Fae and Ireland. Speaking of which, the reason that the Fae do what they do is very interesting. They don’t just call these children for simple fun, they’re angry for being trapped in the Fairyland where they were banished. There’s so much build up throughout the first and second act that comes to an intense climactic battle at the third.
All and all, this book is a fun read. With the interesting world, compelling characters, and fantastic horror makes this story very enjoyable.
