Green Fairy by Kyell Gold

Green Fairy Reviews

• 
  Tarl

  This is the second book by Kyell Gold that I have read. Where in the last one was a lot of older works, this is a relatively newer piece, and it shows.
  
  Reading 'Green Fairy' after reading a few other furry fiction books was a whole new experience. Where a lot of furry writers take a storyline and drape an furry cloth over it, Gold actually uses the fact that they are anthropormorphic animals in his story. Suddenly senses other than sight are important, such as the sense of smell to which Gold uses brilliantly with Sol and his family. Biting becomes a valid method of fighting when a brawl breaks out and otters live in houses containing multiple pools. No longer is the fact that the characters are furry just simply a window dressing, but rather, they are an important factor within the story, another tool for Gold to use in his writing.
  
  The characters shifts throughout this book took a bit to get used to at first. I actually didn't expect it, and when it first happened, much like Sol, I was a tad bit confused. But as the story continued onward, and as I got used to it, it added an interesting element to the storyline, and another dimension to the characters within. Suddenly, you're getting two different viewpoints of the same series of events, and a sort of mirror version in Sol's real life world. It all ends up blending in a sort of magical manner which I found both unique and wonderful.
  
  There were some elements that took me out of the story however. One of them is the use of animals such as mice and squirrels as rodent pests in a world of anthropormorphic characters. Gold has mentioned before that in his worlds, there are those species that have evolved, and those that have not. This allows for things like eating a steak, or in this case, mice being pests where rats have evolved into a type of people. Though I will admit that this method works, the mice/rat dynamic actually caught me off guard, with both species being so close together. If Gold had perhaps left out the reference to mice, I would not have stumbled over it in the story.
  
  Carcy was another stumbling block of the story for me. The foreshadowing of what would later happen was perhaps a bit too blatant. From the moment he starts texting Sol in the story, there is a sense of what will happen later. It is no surprise he is who he is when the confrontation finally occurs. (though this could just be my suspicious nature) I was also surprised that the wolves did not pick up his scent in their house, as it would be a very alien scent among many familiar ones. With all the concentration put towards the wolves and how their world relates to smells, you would think that they would notice it fairly quickly.
  
  One last thing that struck me is more a personal experience thing and not so much a critique. Now, let me begin by saying this. I am straight, and I am Canadian. Within this story, the amount of issues that face Sol in the twelfth grade strike me as being over the top and borderline horrific. The fact that a lot of the behavior that occurred happened at school, and was harsh and cruel, strikes me as unrealistic. That said, as mentioned above, I am Canadian, and straight. This means that I come from a country that is far more forward thinking when it comes to the subject matter of same-sex couples, and it also means that I have never experienced this kind of behavior because I myself am straight and thus wouldn't come up against it. That is not to say it doesn't happen, nor does it detract from the horror of what occurs. In fact, it makes what happens in the story in regards to Sol's sexuality that much more brutal/cruel/horrific. Hence, I am not pointing out this as a flaw, but rather, something I wasn't able to fully relate to, though I am more than sure others will. (which will obviously help in them relate to Sol, and build a good reader/character relationship)
  
  'Green Fairy' was an entertaining read, and one that I enjoyed from start to finish. Gold's writing has come a ways since his older works, and his skill with language has only improved. His description of the Moulin Rouge is easily my favorite part of the entire book. It really made me feel as if I was there, and made me long for Niki's sections rather than Sol's boring life at the beginning of the story. (which changed later on as Sol's personal life became more interesting) Gold did a great job bringing together the modern and the historic, and the story flows from one scene to the next with next to no issue. Overall I have to say I will most likely read it again later on.
  
  One last thing. The talented art of Rukis really helped to enhance this tale. All the pieces contained in 'Green Fairy' are wonderful and a pleasure to look upon. Choosing them to do the art was a wise choice.
  
  So if you are into anthropormorphic work, pick this story up. Even if you aren't, this story is really well done and I would easily recommend it to non-furry readers as well.
• 
  King Aníbal

  Green Fairy is about a black wolf named Sol in his last year of high-school. As with most gay youth in school, it ain't easy. But for Sol, its not only that: It is also hard. As he faces rivalries he never wanted to be part of in his baseball team, confronts his strict father every time something doesn't go as planned and hides his long-distance relationship with a man he has never seen in person, his only escape from the crude and cold reality is found, aside from daydreams, in a glass of an exotic green liquor and the vivid dreams it induces in his troubled mind.
  As his dreams begin to seep into reality, the wolf need to learn whats real and whats not, and finally understand a thing or two about life.
  
  Being the first book from the Dangerous Spirits series, I can see why the distinction had to be made with the Forester Universe series. While both take place in modern day, no sexual scenes take place here, unlike Forester, which may be a loss for some. Not for me; the quality in writing, in characters, in world building is immense, surpassing what I have read before until now.
  
  The book is grim and dark, showing not only the thorny mind of an angsty teen who doesn't understand life yet, but also how cruel high-school can be. It may be an exaggeration, but it doesn't make it less believable. Sol is the classic 'loser' kid, meaning he spends recess in solitude, gets picked on and has practically no one to turn into when he needs it, including his rigorous father. However, that wouldn't make him justice; for gay youth, Sol can be a true-to-life image of what it felt like to be different in a place where everyone is immature and at their worst. He's an engrossing character with evolving flaws and virtues, that keeps growing even as we read his thoughts and think we got him down.
  But most of all: he's realistic, and this level of realism might turn people off and away from the story. Sol struggles to make the right choices and often can't stand up for himself, which is faithful to many boys and girls alike, yet the lack of pro-activity will surely make some readers annoyed and lose patience with him. In doing such though, Sol is not simply a fictional wolf, but a person with striking authenticity to real life, not tainted by tropes that would make his life easier, but no longer convincing, nor satisfying once he can beat his own demons.
  
  Reading Sol's daily life and his struggles was a coaster of emotions, for sure. It's been a while since I read something that made me want to throw the book out the window, just so later tears began to well up in my eyes. Many times I wanted to reach out, to help the wolf and tell him everything is alright. To pull out one of his bullies and teach them a well earned lesson.
  I guess what I'm trying to say is: if you read this book, be prepared to show some emotion as you eat through the pages.
  
  I can't stress enough over how well written Sol is. I always need an interesting lead in order to get hooked with a book, more than anything else in fact, and here I think I found the best this author has written yet. I only wish this book was longer, I feel they still had a few more pages worth of story in them. I sincerely recommend this book to anyone on the fence about it.
• 
  Robin

  This is Kyell's best book by far.
  
  Do be forewarned that, while there is romantic content, there's no out-and-out sex in this book, so if that's why you're reading Kyell, go elsewhere.
  
  Green Fairy is the story of Sol, a disillusioned wolf who drinks absinthe and begins to realize that his drug-induced hallucinations parallel his life far more closely than he initially expected. The story is told from three perspectives: the wolf's, the very 1984-ish meta-book which the wolf is reading, and the main character of that meta-book. All three are written in different fonts, so Gold manages to avoid the typical pitfall of multiple-narrator stories: namely, it is always clear by looking at the page who is speaking.
  
  To say much more about the actual plot ventures into heavy spoilers, so here's what's up:
  
  The gothic stoner otter, Meg (a phrase I will likely never write again) is a solid female character in a genre nearly devoid of such. She's a dour, salty anarchist who manages to be the best character in the book.
  The prose is sharp. Each narrator comes with a unique style, and it's easily some of Gold's best writing.
  The story is kinda awesome. This is the first story that I've read by Gold which has some honestly grimdark moments, and it's better for it. The ending is a bit sappy, but the actual climax of the story...awesome.
• 
  Paul

  I have consistently enjoyed this Author's books, but was particularly impressed with this one. Gold's been knocking out remarkably solid anthropomorphic fiction for some time now, but he managed to step it up with Green Fairy. It's a departure from his usual pattern, less about romance and eroticism, and more about a story that happens to deal with gay characters, and troubles that can come along with that.
  
  The writing, as usual, is strong and fluid. It's not as elaborate as some, but there's certainly no complaints about the author's solid prose and engaging dialogue.
  
  Gold intertwines two plot lines rather well, making for a whole that comes together beautifully. A contemporary setting with modern troubles facing a gay teenager pulls at heartstrings, while a "historical" (given the setting... kind of an alternate history?) mirror to it rides alongside, sometimes taking similar, but much more intense turns. The tale is rather grim much of the time, but it all serves a purpose to the story being told.
  
  Overall, this is an exceptional example of anthropomorphic fiction, and certainly one of my favorites from any genre.
  
• 
  T.S. McNally

  First Kyell Gold book I read, can see why he has the reputation he does now.
  
  Does a sort of parallel story thing with two arcs, one arc is a story being read by the protagonist and there are parrellels between the events in the protagonist life that he draws upon.
  
  The book's biggest blunder, of which there were few was in chapter 16 when a rat character, from the year 1901, uses the adjective "Pavlovian" which was not coined as an adjective until the 1930s according to Etymology sources. Most people wouldn't notice this though, so sorry in advance that now you do. I guess we can excuse it that the protagonist was dreaming the interaction, but the premise of the dreams is that they are supposed to be visions of real events, so... well. Just say the rat was literally ahead of his time!
  
  I particularly like the touch at the end and how the story changes the character, not only emotionally but the physical change they go through as well.
  
  Overall you will not be disappointed in this story.
• 
  Zeta Syanthis

  This is probably one of the best books I have ever read, and I don't know if my words can do it half the justice it's worth. Still, I have to try... Kyell himself, normally a writer of gay erotic fiction, describes it as a 'non-erotic gay non-love story,' and although that's technically correct, it doesn't even begin to touch on the mastery in this book. Swapping back and forth from a confessional letter from the days of revolutionary France and a modern day coming of age story, this book manages to mix the two with the help of a little Absinthe and a whole lot of self-reflection. There are only two things I have ever described as a masterpiece up until this point. This is now the third.
• 
  J.F.R. Coates

  Utterly amazing.
  I was able to lose myself in this book that few other have done since J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy.
  The story of Sol and Niki was amazing and emotional pretty much right from the off, and you weren't given many opportunities to recover. Just like Sol gets absorbed into Niki's story, so was I into Sol's. This book even made me miss my stop on the bus!
  
  For me, this is easily Kyell Gold's best work.
• 
  Elisa Rolle

  2012 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
• 
  Alice

  Poor Sol! I felt for him even as, from my adult vantage point, I was screaming at him not to do such silly things. A story about friends, family, and how hopeless things can seem when you're a teenager waiting to be older and for things to be better. And then there's the supernatural element, with Sol's absinthe-induced visions showing him the seamy underside of the French (or rather this world's France equivalent) capital a hundred years previously. Genuine creepiness, genuine despair as the unstoppable tragedy from the past rolls on.
• 
  Dallas

  A hint of absynthe and a book from a time long ago cause a gay wolf to wonder if he couldn't belong in a better time and place. But when dreams of long ago fade into an increasingly uncomfortable reality, the wolf must distinguish between what is real and what is fantasy - what he desires and what he needs. Stunning descriptions, a startlingly realistic portrayal of hiding one's sexuality, and a dream-like sense of wonder and magic fill an excellent entry into the anthropomorphic metagenre.
• 
  Nerak Patterson

  I started this book well before the 5th lol. I forgot to log it. Despite this being a furry novel and even one based around a closeted gay wolf…bloody hell the story that was told was incredible. I will not spoil it but there are a lot of lessons in this story that we can apply to our own lives and learn from. This is for sure one of the absolute best stories ever. For anyone going through shit, give this book a read. Just focus on the story being told, it’s amazing.
• 
  Aeturnus

  For the most part, I didn't care too much for the main story, especially the first half. It felt too cliched. You have the loser, then you have the bullies who only purpose in the story is to make the loser's life a living Hell, and then you have the dad who expects his son to become something and his mom being the only to support him. It felt like I heard that story before. However, things do become a little more interesting the moment Sol beats the crap out of the bully.
  
  What I loved is the story Sol reads for a class assignment, the dreams he has when he drinks some green alcohol(I'm too lazy to look in the book to see what it's called) and how he reacts when certain things in the dream end up in the real world. For me, that is what made the story hard to put down. It was also nice to read a novel by Gold that didn't have a bunch of pointless sex scenes.
• 
  Benjamin

  I got the first signed copy of this book at Furry Weekend Atlanta. This is a heart rending story written with Mr Gold's usual flowing style and perspective changes. Despite the 5 star rating I do have one complaint. I probably won't be able to re-read this book for a long time. I saw the ending coming but it was still gut wrenching, so much so I felt like I had a bad taste in my mouth for some time thereafter. I hate to sound melodramatic but whatever remained of the story was shadowed and hard to enjoy due to the sadness.
  
  And yet, I can't fault the author. Isn't that why I read books? To feel? To get lost in a story? And did Kyell Gold not accomplish what few authors can? Making a character so poignant and relate-able that I actually lamented their loss? Truly an accomplishment and worth 5 stars.
• 
  Hrolleif Gunnolfson

  Gold does a fantastic job portraying very realistic characters throughout this book. Notably, very realistic furry characters. Mannerisms and ticks continued to hold steadfast to, "this is an anthropomorphic animal story" which I find surprisingly difficult to accomplish. His prose is set up well to meet this end while remaining easy to read.
  
  The being told from the perspective of a high-school senior student. This also means that it started out a bit dull. Common and familiar themes from High School head up the story, but grow and change in interesting ways. Character depth presented itself in satisfying ways throughout, and the characters drove the plot well.
  
  The book itself was not too long, and not too short. Overall, this was a great book that I would recommend anyone to read, just so long as they plan to really stick with it and allow the story to set itself up.
• 
  John Lewis

  Green Fairy, by Kyell Gold, is a close encounter into the mind of today's youth; however, it follows a magical, toxin induced plot, leading young Sol through his own personal growth. The relationships feel real, and the dialogue stands on its own as some of Gold's best. The emotion within is strong, and halfway through I found myself wiping my face free of tears.
  
  A fantastical view of society's youth, and a deep, emotional statement on personal acceptance, Green Fairy is one of Kyell Gold's best, if not one of the best within the anthropomorphic-animal fandom.
• 
  Kristopher

  This book boldly dives into new territory as we get to enjoy two stories unfold, and yet these stories are so intertwined.
  
  There is such passion behind the text, drama behind each scene, and it all just begs for us to go further and further. It sucks you in so masterfully and tears at your heart in every direction, making you anxious to find out what happens next.
  
  Again, non-PG, but a wonderful exploration into the line between reality and fantasy. What is real?
• 
  Nick Cottone

  kyell gold is awesome
  
  and this is his best. i feel like this combo of modern day slice of life and the historical romance is his forte. he is a excellent storyteller. i can't wait to read the other two books in the series
• 
  Paige

  My first "furry" fiction. I enjoyed it!
• 
  Daniel Juno

  Romantic briefly... An okay novel
• 
  Harlequin93

  My all time favorite book - so many feelings, so good