The Queen's Rune and Other Tales of the Sidhe by Shannon Avery

Nearly eight years ago, I wrote of the forsaking ofconjures a musical spell that insinuates itself into our
humankind by our gods. Thanks to author andall-too-limited flesh.
researcher Shannon Avery, it seems we have oneTo assist Avery in weaving her web are illustrator
last chance at redemption.Danae Bentley and performer Lea Ann Douglas.
Redemption is a recurring theme in Avery's new bookBentley's illustrations run the gamut from colloquially
of poems and stories: The Queen's Rune and Othercharming to harshly disturbing to enticingly encrypted
Tales of the Sidhe. The "Dirty Little Secret" ofwith delicate high-order mathematics. Her literal, yet
Sidhedom is hinted at throughout the book and readershauntingly whimsical, depictions of some scenes in the
who take the time to explore Avery's masterfulKambuzi Massacre left this reader feeling oddly
rendering of Sidhe language and culture into a formdirty-like catching an accidental glance at a child while
relatable to humans may just decrypt the puzzle. Buthe changes clothes. And the imagery of that story-the
even for the Uninitiated, Avery performs a remarkableillustrations and text combined-evoke memories of
feat of linguistic and cultural detective work, not tohorrors from my younger days as a soldier and
mention a literary high-wire act, as she virtuallyscholar in war-torn Europe: "They are our enemy.
channels the Fair Folk, balancing razor-sharp analysisThey are not us. Their blood is not ours. Their blood is
with rich imagery.a river. This river will flow across Benue State and out
For those of you new to the Sidhe world, They areto sea. Benue will be clean."
humanoid creatures sharing our Universe and ourLea Ann Douglas is Avery's patroness and herself a
planet, removed from humanity only in our limited abilitydevotee of Sidhe culture. She combines Avery's
to perceive them. Their culture is several thousandresearch with her own performance and creative
millennia older than our own and Avery deftly handleswriting background to generate live performances
half-a-million years of history with an insight that couldabout and in the style of the Sidhe.
only have come from a deep devotion to honoring thePerhaps the only negative aspect of The Queen's
subject. Her translation of the Ann Amrahn Atraighn,Rune is that, in its emphasis on ancient Sidhe culture, it
for example, captures the cold, otherworldly arrogancefails to address the gathering storm of Sidhe-Human
of Our Friends, The El'Ohim, as They attempt torelations at this time. Avery's lyrics evoke the culture of
instruct their "most puerile kin" in the mysteries of thethe Sidhe-their complexity, their passion, their devotion,
Universe as well as the very human-like sense oftheir pain, their playfulness-but gloss over some of
betrayal and regret the teachers feel when theirmore disturbing aspects of Sidhedom. Most particularly,
experiment goes so violently awry. Avery's translationAvery leaves out the implications of the Kambuzi
feels like redemption itself after the travesty that wasMassacre. The book, for all of its success in creating a
Hammond Cole's version of 1649, not to mention thebridge of understanding between the two species, fails
abomination inflicted on the world by the Reubenites into warn humanity of just how dangerous our "closest
their heretical and error-laden Genesis chapter of thecousins" are and what is at stake should we fail to
Torah.heed their message yet again. Avery's Ann Amrahn
Redemption flows through the Sidhe "love" poems asAtraighn ends with the Loyalist Seth Levian heading
well; Avery's poetic language-delicate one instant;forth "to seek mankind's redemption" but neglects to
eviscerating the next-evokes for human readers themention that the sands of time have run quickly these
depth of Sidhe passion and the core conflicts in alllast 5769 years and that our hour is nearly up.
Sidhedom. Like Perceval in the Fisher King, Avery'sIn summary, this collection of Sidhe art, literature and
Sidhe lovers-Amfortas and Eriu; Rhiannon andlore is very highly recommended. The poetry and
Pwyll-kneel in the Temple of Sound and ask "Whomstories will entertain, engage and enchant and, for the
does the Grail serve?" In the Lay of Amfortas, the titlereader with Ears to Hear, dares us, in the words of
character sings: When my body and my harp areBrother W.B. Yeats, to "Come away, O human child!/
ashes/your conjured rage has laid us bare/and I regretTo the waters and the wild /With a faery, hand in hand
it not. True appreciation of the torment of AmfortasFor the world's more full of weeping than you can
and Eriu may still elude humans, but Avery's eloquenceunderstand.