The town of Lud sits on the borders of Faerie at a place where two rivers join. Everyone in Lud prefers to pretend that Faerie just doesn’t exist, but when the children of some of Lud’s most prominent families start consuming highly addictive faerie fruit – and some even disappearing over the borders of Faerie – Lud’s Mayor Nathaniel Chanticleer (whose own child has also been at the fruit) decides something must be done.
Lud-in-the-Mist is a very charming book that, despite sometimes feeling a little old fashioned, doesn’t bore or drag. And to be fair, this was published nearly 100 years ago so feeling a little old-fashioned is only natural.
There’s a lovely dreamy quality to parts of the book which worked in its favour, but I did feel it suffered a little from the stakes not feeling particularly high even with the children traipsing off over the border. I’d have also liked to have seen a little more of Faerie than its fruit and a few small appearances from one of its smugglers, but then I think I’ve probably been spoiled when it comes to all things faerie thanks to the imaginative worlds being built by authors like Seanan McGuire these days.
Probably best read on the bank of a river on a summer’s afternoon, I’m glad I saw the recommendation from Neil Gaiman or I’d have probably continued never having heard of Lud-in-the-Mist and, despite my few minor quibbles, that would have been a shame.