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The Fairy Godmother: A Tale of the Five Hundred (Five Hundred Kingdoms) [Mass Market Paperback]

Mercedes Lackey (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
RRP: £4.59
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Book Description

Publication Date: 1 Nov 2004 | Series: Five Hundred Kingdoms
From the bestselling author of the Heralds of Valdemar series comes an enchanting new novel.

In the land of Five Hundred Kingdoms, if you can't carry out your legendary role, life is no fairy tale . . .

Elena Klovis was supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella -- until an accident of fate left her with a completely inappropriate prince! Determined not to remain with her stepfamily, Elena set out to get a new job -- and ended up becoming the Fairy Godmother for the land.

But "Breaking with Tradition" was no easy matter. True, she didn't have to sleep in the chimney, but she had to deal with arrogant, stuffed-shirt princes who kept trying to rise above their place in the tale. In fact, one of them was so ornery that Elena could do nothing but change him into a donkey.

Still, her practical nature couldn't let him roam the country, so she brought the donkey -- er, the prince! -- home to her cottage to teach him some lessons. All the while keeping in mind that breaking with tradition can land everyone into a kettle of fish -- sometimes literally!

And so begins a whole new tale . . .

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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The Fairy Godmother: A Tale of the Five Hundred (Five Hundred Kingdoms) + Fortune's Fool (Five Hundred Kingdoms)
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  • Fortune's Fool (Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey Mass Market Paperback £4.54

Product details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
  • Publisher: Luna Books; paperback / softback edition (1 Nov 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0373802455
  • ISBN-13: 978-0373802456
  • Product Dimensions: 16.9 x 10.7 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 365,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Mercedes Lackey Page
Mercedes Lackey
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Product Description

About the Author

Mercedes Lackey is the acclaimed author of over fifty novels and many works of short fiction. In her "spare" time she is also a professional lyricist and a licensed wild bird rehabilitator. Mercedes lives in Oklahoma with her husband and frequent collaborator, artist Larry Dixon, and their flock of parrots.

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Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
13 reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I disagree! 8 Aug 2004
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I thought this was a well thought out,very well written book. If you are a fan of the fantasy genre, if you likw Robin McKinley's books - Spindle's End and Beauty, for example, you will love this book. if you loved fairy tales as a child, again, you will love this book. Although it is based loosely on the tale of Cinderella, it is certainly not a childrens book.
It starts with a Cindreella type, doing all the housework for her step mother and step sisters, treated worse than a slave, until she is discovered by a fairy godmother - who, instead of finding her a handsome prince to "take her away from all this" makes her her apprentice...
It has an unusual take on fairytales, not entirely dis-similar to Pratchett's "Witches Abroad"
A really good read - dont wait for the paperback edition - buy it now!
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A story based on fairytales, not just Cinderella 8 Nov 2004
By yvie
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I have always enjoyed Mecedes Lackey's retelling of the fairy tales. This one is I think one of her best. The idea of The Tradition is original and I really like it. It brings together different fairy tales and the virtual reality of 'it can happen to anyone' alive in the book. Elena was a resourceful young lady, efficient and firm, and I admire this character for these traits. A young lady who knows how to save, now that is wonderful. The characters in the novel are bright and alive, very vivid. Randolf was exceptional, the Brownies were down-to-earth and sensible, Elena was not flawless and this made her all the more likeable. Alexander was funny, as an ass and as a man. Julian was rather funny as well, being a bit 'daft' and a bit 'sentimental', the rewriting the letter to his father, tearing it up and weeping over it part tickled me to death! All in all, it was a wonderfully original book with a complete background to the story and a whole new world for fantasy and fairy tale fans to explore and lose oneself in:)
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A different take 14 Sep 2006
By S. Whittaker
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This book has a very different take on an old fairy tale, which is where do all these fairy godmothers come from.!!! It starts with the traditional cinderalla story but changes as the character develops into a fairy godmother, with a very good ending and leaving you wanting to know more about what happens in the future of the five hundred kingdoms. If you want to read children's books but feel embarressed to buy them in the shops, this is one of the best adult versions. So do not be embarressed any more.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Another Mercedes Lackey Series - What can I say - they're great 6 Mar 2013
By Susan Hey
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Like the new view point on traditional Fairy Tales given in this the first of a new series, the complications of the plot are pure Lackey and keep you guessing.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Great fun, love this setting 9 May 2012
By NYChic
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Who doesn't love a fairy tale? And this one is just so great. I received this book by chance, having not read a lot of Lackey before, but I love the Five Hundred Kingdoms setting and I'm definitely going to have to look for more books in the universe.

This is a great, fluffy little story, very fun as it crosses lots of fairy tales and magic, and is all about a fairytale character who doesn't often get a lot of "screen" time - the fairy god mother! It's not deep reading by any means but it just can't be beat for good fun. I devoured it in a couple of days.

I was disappointed, but not surprised, that it turned into a romance. (Being a fairy tale and all.) The Fairy Godmother had the potential to be the one archetypical character in this setting who is a woman who DOESN'T need the Charming Prince to be happy, and I would have liked to see the story be just about her rather than anyone else. But, it didn't take much away from the story.
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4.0 out of 5 stars "Five Hundred Kingdoms" series book 1 19 Jun 2011
By Book Addict TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Elena Klovis is about to set Tradition on its head! In the 500 Kingdoms, magic is always at work to ensure a poor peasant girl marries a prince, or a princess is held captive until her handsome saviour rescues her. Abused by her step-mother and step-sisters, the magic of Tradition wants to mould Elena into a "Ella Cinders", yet her kingdom has no suitable prince for her to marry. Instead Elena chooses a different role when she is given the opportunity to train as a mortal (not fairy) Godmother.

There are some great parts to this book, and whilst it is steeped in traditional fairy stories and folklore, it never becomes too cutesy. Like the Grimm Brothers, this author also reveals that fairy stories can be equally nasty; consider the fate of the Fair Rosalind who is magically destined to be seduced by a king then murdered by his wife.

From her initial introduction into the power of Tradition, throughout her training, and finally as she assumes her role as a Godmother, Elena remains a likeable character who works hard for her rewards. Yet Elena is destined for a lonely life as a Godmother, until she takes it upon herself to teach Prince "on a quest to save a damsel in distress" Alexander better manners. Tradition can make no sense of a possible union between Godmother and Prince, but if Elena has her way, a whole host of new Traditions are about to become the norm whilst the nastier ones will literally be nipped in the bud throughout the 500 kingdoms.

Written in ML's usual easy style, expect plenty of humour, action, magic and romance. "The Fairy Godmother" is a great start to a fantasy series and I very much look forward to delving into the further 5 books available.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars "Five Hundred Kingdoms" series book 1
Elena Klovis is about to set Tradition on its head! In the 500 Kingdoms, magic is always at work to ensure a poor peasant girl marries a prince, or a princess is held captive... Read more
Published on 19 Jun 2011 by Book Addict
5.0 out of 5 stars fantasy with a vein of humour
this is the first in mercedes lackey's 500 kingdoms series.
I am always on the lookout for books in similar vein and this one is a treat;so much so i bought the rest of the... Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2011 by walrus
5.0 out of 5 stars The Fairy Godmother
Childhood fairy story for grownups. This speaks to the child in one. Very readable - more than once - ideal for winding down after stressful day. Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2010 by M. Dawson
4.0 out of 5 stars Cinderella to Fairy Godmother
I bought this book because the idea sounded new and interesting - a Cinderella type character who doesn't end up finding her Prince Charming but ends up following a completely... Read more
Published on 6 July 2007 by Ms. J. G. Redford
4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely story
I bought this book on the offchance that it sounded like something I may enjoy. It was recomended to me by Amazon, and it goes to show that they do now what they are talking about... Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2005 by H. Marchant
5.0 out of 5 stars Oooh...that's magic!
This is my first Mercedes Lackey book and I'm very pleased to say it certainly won't be my last. I originally chose the title purely because the idea of leaning on the fairytale... Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2005 by Nina the chocolate rice crispy slave
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
The story is based on Cinderella but is not nearly as interesting. None of the people came up off the pages and made you care what happened to them. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2004 by Linda Tonra
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