On the Edges of Elfland by David Russel Mosley

This book was written and published by my old friend David Mosley. In high school, we were in a band together called December In Rome. He used to wear plaid pants. Now he wears a bow tie. With a degree in theology and a focus on writing about things that are either Christian or magical, I think David has secured himself as a C.S. Lewis type. Which is a pretty cool novelty for me, if only I got to see David once in a while.

On the Edges of Elfland self-stylized as a fairy tale for grown-ups. Our protagonist is an adult, more specifically a young man who just recently finished college. Aside from the adulthood of our protagonist this book may be more of a bedtime story. Good and well told, I find the story lacking in allegory beside the suggestion that you should do things that are helpful instead of harmful because good is good and bad is bad. Adult readers know better than that, perhaps from the first time a yin yang made its way into their visage.

Mosley’s goblins are the antagonists because they are goblins and goblins are bad. They're not special, not like his gnomes. Mosley's gnomes are wonderful and fresh, and I always like gnomes in general. Kudos to the mention of brownies, conjuring folklore beyond standard high fantasy Tolkienisms.

There are a few things about On the Edges of Elfland which I could nit-pick about and attribute to why I think self-publishing is not always the way to go. However, I’m stoked about Mosley getting his feet wet and I can’t wait to read his next (fictional) thing.