The Fairy Godmother

Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 1

By: Mercedes Lackey

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the best-selling 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....

©2004 Mercedes Lackey (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

An excellent start to a new series

An excellent start to a new series and a captivating & emotionally gripping story by Mercedes Lackey.

The narrator does an commendable job, each character seems to come alive as a separate entity. I don't think the sample is as good a choice as it could have been to show off the narrator.

The 500 Kingdoms are inhabited by a manner of good and evil magical beings, beasts and humans, from the Fae, Brownies and Unicorns to Giants, Dragons, and Evil Witches, Mages and Sorceresses and their minions

The 500 Kingdoms are imbued with magic and the powerful force of tradition which tries to bend its peoples Magical or otherwise to its will for good or bad.

Tradition intended Elena to be a Cinderella, except that her would be prince was only eleven when she turned twenty-one, so her evil stepmother abandons her and decides to try her fortune hunting in other lands.

Elena, penniless and alone decides to become a paid servant, but her Fairy Godmother decides to take her on as an apprentice.

The magical potential that has built up in her through the unfulfilled tradition gives her huge magical powers. Thus Elena's tale and trials begin, but at least now she has a home and people that care for her and last but not least a purpose . . .

Warning whilst most of this book is G rated in small sections mainly near the end of the book it ups the eroticism for a bit but its not over done in my opinion but it may upset some readers.

There is a nice tone of humor throughout and It has great multilayered characters that grow as the story progresses.

This is an Fantasy adventure story with a side of romance and Elena is a remarkably strong female lead that has a vulnerable human side.

Enjoy

a hoot

Would you consider the audio edition of The Fairy Godmother to be better than the print version?

yes, kept me from skimming, really enjoyed the narration very skillfully done. A delightful story with great characters. left me wanting more.

What did you like best about this story?

had humor, nice twist on the fairy tale

Have you listened to any of Gabra Zackman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

very good performance

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

lots of giggles

For fairytale lovers who want something "new!"

What made the experience of listening to The Fairy Godmother the most enjoyable?

Being able to listen to a new fairytale, not the classics we normally are used to. It's refreshing to read a fairytale book that gave deeper meaning to it's explanations, and to have a tale with a heavy story structure to support it. The "tradition" is definitely an entity that many other tales can be built upon.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Elena of course! She was the main character, but her experience was so unique that it made the journey of the story even more enjoyable.

Have you listened to any of Gabra Zackman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I believe Gabra narrated Memoirs of a Geisha. If so, she did an excellent job on that book and she does on this one as well.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I'm a hopeless romantic and found myself swooning at the moment when the lovers finally reveal their feeling for eachother. It was so passionate and also didn't involve a highly detailed and vulgar sexual description. :)

not the fairy tale

If you could sum up The Fairy Godmother in three words, what would they be?

strong women...

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Fairy Godmother?

When the main character turned to the prince and said.."act like an ass and a ass you will be!

What does Gabra Zackman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her reading engaged my imagnation.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When choices had to be made.

Any additional comments?

A fine, surprisingly imaginative tale.

Another Good One

This was great to listen to and I enjoyed Debra Zackman’s audio of this story. I’ve read it before, but it’s fabulous to hear it while I’m doing my artwork. Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite authors, I enjoy both these fairytale retellings and the Valdemar series.

A new take on a fairy tale story!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The godmother was a warrior woman, very unlike godmothers that I have read about in the past. If you're looking for a fun book, this is a good one!
Gabra Zachman did a great job narrating The Fairy Godmother. She did a great male and female voice. I have listened to other books that she has narrated, and she always does a great job!
Happy listening!

Fairy Godmother

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to become a fairy Godmother? This tale takes us through process along with a young woman who is discovering what it means to be not only a Godmother, but a woman. Truly a fun read.

A Fun New Trip Down Old Paths

As you know, there have been dozens and dozens of twists and turns applied to the old fairy tales we grew up with as children. They range from the ridiculous to the sublime and have been done by good authors, bad authors and great authors. Mercedes Lackey has been a staple in the fantasy world for quite some time and, though I had never read her novels until now, I knew of her and know many who love her. When I was presented with this series I was skeptical of yet another take on the old fairy tales but I wanted something fun and I was assured that this was what I was looking for. Guess what...? They were right. I fell in love with these novels and have devoured them all in a matter of months.

The overall score I provide here has to do with the reader, rather than the story. As you can see, the story received a 5 star vote from me. Gabra Zakman is a fun and enthusiastic reader; however, I felt there was something to be desired in her reading of certain characters, mostly the males. She did grow on me though and her rendition was not such that it kept me returning again and again to the Five Hundred Kingdoms. I am now on my second go through and am loving these stories just as much the second time.

If you love Mercedes Lackey or if you just want something light and fun, please give these novels a whirl. I hope you love them as much as I do.

This is Mercedes Lackey?

First I have to say that I am stunned by the abundance of positive reviews of this book. Perhaps this is aimed at children and I purchased it in error, but if so then the rather graphic scenes and overall writing style seem somewhat out of place.

In short, this book lacks respectable editing and any semblance of conflict.

This may sound pedantic, and perhaps if it only occurred once this criticism would be, but the number of times that statements like, "He briefly gave her a long look," appear throughout the book has me grinding my teeth.

There is no real conflict in this book. At no point was I inspired with any actual concern for the fate of a single character. The outcome of every exchange is a given: fairy godmother wins.

Perhaps this was written in response to the mediocre-at-best TV show Once Upon a Time's popularity...? At any rate, it does no flattery to Mercedes' reputation as an author. Trite, uninspiring writing comprising a flat tale of borderline-dull characters.

Wonderful

The 500 Kingdoms. The Tradition. This is a great start to different fairy tales and how they are played out.

A good twist on an old favourite

Where does The Fairy Godmother rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It’s one of my favourite stories to listen to, I can’t say that I have rankings as there are too many I enjoy

What did you like best about this story?

This is a new twist on an old tale, we are so used to fairy tales that’s it’s refreshing to see a new spin on them. The idea that someone can break their “destiny” is a fun one and also one we can empathize with.

Any additional comments?

Any of Mercedes Lackeys books are worth reading, she has a way with words that makes characters real. They are not fairy tale characters with a happy ending, they usually have to fight to get it. Fantasy with a dose of reality hidden behind the story.

An entertaining read

This audiobook was very well written and and kept me entertained and engaged. Lackey has produced a story that takes a very wry and alternative look at a well known fairy tale (Cinderella) and has produced a version of the story that veers away from the traditional pathway and into another, more interesting path.
In this book the central female character, who is normally portrayed traditionally as the 'helpless girl in need of a rescuer' (invariably male in the traditional tales) is the architect of her own rescue and indeed the shaper of her own destiny. In this tale the characters (including the fairy godmother) are constantly waging a war against 'The Tradition', which is constantly trying to move the characters and situations into the well-worn grooves of the traditional tales (champions must always slay dragons, stepmothers are always evil, witches always wear black…). There is humour aplenty amid the reworking of this tale and was enjoyable all the way through.
The narrator is excellent, with a beautiful voice, well suited to the story.

Turn all we know of Cinderella on its head

I love Mercedes Lackey's book and I had read all the four other Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms. I enjoyed listening to the start of the series as it explained some of the references made in later books. The heroine Elena Klovis is easy to feel for, you want her to overcome her dreary existence of serving her step mother and sisters and boy does she by becoming a fairy Godmother. She gets to use the force that pushed her to be Cinderella to help and save others like her while taking proud princes down a peg or seven.
The narrator gives a wonderful performance and is easy to listen to.

Unusual, different and wonderful!

This is my first book by Mercedes Lackey and it's not what I expected. I don't know what I did expect but this is definitely not it.

This story is about a girl who should have become the princess, should have had her prince charming arrive, should have had her happily ever after but didn't, not quite anyway.

She got too old, she missed the boat, she turned onto a different path. She became the Fairy Godmother she should have had.

This is her story, how she learnt her role, how she helped others and how she finally got her own happily ever after.