I loved this book. It was beautiful and haunting and brutal. These are true faerie tales. I loved the mixing of one-off stories with over-arching tale. I also really like the illustrations throughout the book. I think this would be a fun to read in the autumn/around Halloween. It has a spooky whimsicalness that I really appreciated.

3.5 stars, rounded up.
This is a mixed collection of an overarching story interspersed with independent short stories. Everything is told in a detached style, which is not my favorite, but it works as it has the feel of a fairy tale. The long story tells of the Lacewing King, who is the King of a world of insects which lives in parallel to the human world.
My favorite parts were the short stories - they typically had an ironic ending and were clever.
Lovely illustrations are scattered throughout.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

This was not for me. The stories were dry and predictable. Definitely not a cosy comfortable read, more like a slog.

Thanks to Netgalley for an unexpected copy and such a wonderful way to pass the winter poring over it's pages and rereading passages. I can't wait to add a hardcopy to my shelves and see it in all its glory.

On a busy day with only moments to spare how lovely and satisfying to settle with tea and this collection of short intertwined tales quickly read and delightful art that could have easily ensnared me for the entire day in its labyrinth if allowed (and certainly did on many an occasion) yet still afforded me a brief glimpse of an ethereal cruel world that kept me coming back. Meant to be savored slowly like a heady forbidden wine; this will be read again.

Joanne Harris is a wonderful author, and her latest book does not disappoint. Honeycomb is magical, a grown-up tale of the Silken Folk and a multitude of Faeries. Harris is a master of spinning lyrical, romantic stories. In Honeycomb, Harris evokes the reader's childhood wonder through her beautiful faerie tales, and is still able to appeal to the adult's sense of humor. The tales of the Lacewing King, Honeycomb Queen and the rest contain irony, a healthy dose of romance, and all the magic needed to make this a modern classic

Honeycomb is a collection of dark, fable-like short stories, all set in the same world of myth and fairy tale, many of which centre around the same few characters while others take us on detours. I believe this is called a ‘mosaic’ collection, and can see why: lots of individual elements (stories) many of which form a larger picture once you’ve seen the whole.

The ‘big picture’ tale is one of the Silken Folk, and the selfish Lacewing King who rules over them. The Silken Folk aren’t exactly insects, not quite fairies, but there is a lot of bug-related goings on, and given the tone of the volume, it’s quite often the less than ‘pretty’ kind: spiders and cockroaches, alongside bees and butterflies. Oh, and ladybirds are not that nice, btw 😉 I did wonder if my bug-phobic self would cope, but it didn’t give me too much of the heeby-jeebies.

The character-developing odyssey of the Lacewing King is spread through the whole book, first as quite isolated vignettes – his battle of wills with the Spider Queen, for instance – then a more cohesive tale in the second half. At this point, clearly aiming for a proper story arc, the interspersed other stories often felt like padding, distraction, and sometimes – dare I suggest – just a bit annoying.

Some of these tales have their own mini-arcs, such as the Clockwork Princess, who appears a few times. It works really well when the stories start to overlap, cameos from one thread in the middle of another.

What worked less well were the more random stories. Some of these are ‘themed’ – several take place in a farmyard, for example – and most are rather heavy on the allegory. The woman who spends her life looking at the world through a small rectangle, eh? No idea what that means, nor the heavy-handed moral of it all 😉

Overall, I did enjoy reading this. It took me rather a long time – the stories feel like they’re more designed to be dipped in and out of, despite the overarching tale. The new, original fables for a more modern time were nicely done in the main, too. Did the two have to be in the same volume? Hmm. Perhaps if the latter half – when the Lacewing King’s tale is gaining speed – didn’t feel quite so padded out with these, then it would have worked a little better for me. As it was, it felt a little drawn out, and in hindsight, a little unsubstantial given the time it took to get there.

That said, I’m a big fan of dark fairy-tale like stories, and I’m impressed at the way the insect world was used, interwoven with reflections of myths and fables. Definitely intriguing, and the language is gorgeously crafted, even if in the end I could see a few flaws.

What a sumptuous delight of a novel that greatly satisfied both the craftsman and the girl-in-search-of-the-fantastic living inside me! Joanne M Harris has turned her considerable talents to a mosaic novel crafted as a compendium of fairy tales that are both wildly original yet hearken back to the tales we already know, usually giving the reader a deft twist if not outright sting in the tail. And that's to be expected from a book featuring bees, which can provide sweetness or pain, as the stories here do too.

It's kinda hard to explain what the book is about beyond format. The tales are generally centered on the Lacewing King, the aloof, stubborn and often cruel ruler of the Silken Folk, as the fairies of this universe are called. Book 1 sets out his birth and misadventures, including his battle with his great enemy Harlequin. Book 2 puts the Lacewing King on a collision course with the modern world, where he must be rescued by the Barefoot Princess who loves him and who will cheat Death himself in search of reunion. It's a remarkably clever construct, as if all the fairy tales in the world were really about one cast of characters whose paths intersect and diverge as decades pass and people both meet and move on. Ms Harris does a terrific job of building a golden scaffolding from which to hang her stories, like a honeycomb connecting worlds with worlds, as she herself says in the proceedings.

The only part of the stories that I didn't understand was who the Hallowe'en King was looking for when he originally went into the domain of Death. Allegedly, he was looking for his lost love, but afaik she was alive and hale the whole time? Someone please feel free to explain this part to me.

Charles Vess' wonderful line drawings bring the stories to lush, romantic life, as is his specialty. My favorite of the many gorgeous illustrations in this book is probably the one of the Moth Queen and the girl who loved to dance, tho the tale of the out-of-place mermaid comes in a very close second. Mr Vess truly is our modern-day Arthur Rackham, and a literary treasure.

But most of all, I loved how the stories here in Honeycomb managed to capture the whimsy and darkness both of traditional fairy tales while infusing a very modern sensibility to it all. Diverse representation is the norm, with the only misstep I felt -- and this is truly minor in the grander scheme of things -- being a dig at beautiful women who want to save wolves from extinction. Sure, no one likes being eaten by wolves, and it's silly to think that wolves are harmless, but there's definitely a case to be made for keeping ecosystems intact, and that includes not hunting apex predators to extinction. Otherwise, these fairy tales were deeply satisfying both to my intellect and to my psyche, feeling less created by Ms Harris than conveyed, in the manner of all true and epic tales.

Honeycomb by Joanne M. Harris & Charles Vess was published May 25 2021 by Gallery/Saga Press and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781534433052">Bookshop!</a>

Thank-you for the ARC.

I thought it was an interesting “novel”. It is full of short stories but they are interconnected. You can read each one as a standalone story but they are part of a larger story. I read an interview where the author says, “This book is a walk through a forest: there are many paths to explore and many places to linger." How lovely and accurate is that?!

Charles Vess’s black and white illustrations are throughout the book. His artwork is the perfect addition to this adult fairy tale book.

You don’t have read any of her other books to enjoy this one though it is set in the same multiverse as some of her other books.

I plan to buy a hardcopy because reading the ARC on my cellphone diminished some of my joy and I must have a copy on my nightstand with a proper bookmark so I can spend more time “exploring and lingering” in this book.

It took me a long while to digest this anthology. The writing and graphics were great but I found so many of the characters to be unlikable and annoying that carrying on was hard going. For example, there are many allegories but I'm not sure that they're being told in a novel way here, there seems to be a theme that queens are ok but a king is special, and the more I read the more I thought the silken folk were terrible beings with few redeeming qualities. Perhaps that's what the author was getting at, that there's a dark and ugly underbelly to the silken folks' beauty and magic...point well taken but I'm still left with a feeling of disappointment.
Many thanks for the free copy and the chance to review this book. I hope to like something else from this author better than I did Honeycomb.

Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for access to this arc.

These tales drew me into the dark and tangled world of the Silken People who live among the Sightless People.

The book is a collection of individual fairy tales that weave together to tell the story of the often cruel and thoughtless Lacewing King and his people. He lives a life of debauchery and excess, focused only on himself, which scatters pain and anger among those with whom he interacts. Some of the stories initially don’t appear to connect to this and it’s only later that they join into the main narrative. Other stories – mainly the barnyard ones – are more fables and parables that ought to teach lessons in behavior and being kind.

A lot of the characters besides the Lacewing King are not kind. The Spider Queen, the Harlequin, the Wasp Prince, and the Moth Queen, among others, allow anger, spite, and revenge to drive their actions. Yet there are also a few who display love and devotion and figure into the emotional character arc of the King. Some tales have lessons to be learned about acceptance, freedom, misogyny, and independence. Moving in and out of most of them are the bees who have many tales to tell and who are generally reckoned to tell the truth.

I found that once I started reading, I was lost in the intricacies of this lush place and thrilled with the inventive worldbuilding. Still, taking breaks after 60-90 pages allowed things to keep from becoming overwhelming as the collection is quite long. These are fairy tales as they were originally meant to be – warning yet simultaneously entertaining, vivid as well as mesmerizing. B+

This book is so beautifully written that I dreamed of and constantly found myself drifting off into daydreams inspired by the stories it contained.
It's a collection of fairy tales in the most classic sense of the word, complete with warnings, lessons, and inspiration in each. Harris starts with what seem to be totally unrelated little vignettes and ends up creating a big, beautifully interconnected world full of memorable characters and magical events. Everything told in such beautiful language that it's magical in itself. It pulls you in so that you get lost within the story and can't escape. I loved every word of it.

Extremely happy thanks to NetGalley and Gallery / Saga Press for the magical read!

Joanne Harris wrote a collection of original fairy tales in this collection, illustrated by the amazing Charles Vess.

We start from the beginning of creation, moving through her version of Faërie and different generations of royalty for the Silken Folk. Some early stories are reminiscent of European faerie folk tales, such as the midwife accidentally getting the faerie ointment into an eye, but these are separate from what we've seen before while evoking the same atmosphere of the color fairy tales compiled by Andrew Lang.

Honeycomb progresses forward in time, so that it's not an aimlessly meandering compilation, but a novel in the guise of a collection. The asides that initially seem completely separate circle back eventually, so that the archetypal characters have additional meaning and a role in the evolution of the Lacewing King. I was so engrossed in the story and where it was going that I stayed up far too late reading it. Absolutely worth it, though!

My only complaint is that there aren't more illustrations in the book, because I really enjoy Charles Vess's art style, and it would have been fun to see more of his interpretation of the characters.

If you’re a fan of fairy tales, fables, and myths, this is a must-read. Joanne Harris has a compelling style of storytelling, and I was completely enchanted with this collection of beautifully written, dark, mysterious, fairy tales. Characters are examined from multiple angles as the stories interweave and build upon one another. Some of the stories are sad and spooky and some even contain violence and gore, but I was still happy to have read them. These would be fun to share on a dark night around a campfire.

Although the book is a collection of fairy tales, taken together, it also reads somewhat like a novel about the Lacewing King. I enjoyed watching his story unfold.

The line drawings by Charles Vess were a lovely addition, and one more reason to treasure this unusual book.

I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys fairy tales, fables, myths, and folklore.

Thanks to Gallery Books and Saga Press for providing me with an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

HONEYCOMB
Joanne M. Harris; illustrated by Charles Vess
Gallery/Saga Press
ISBN-13: 978-1534433052
Hardcover
Dark Fantasy

About HONEYCOMB...I was initially drawn to this magnificent and wonderful book by the presence of the Charles Vess illustrations promised within. They were more than reason enough to make the journey. These stories by Joanne M. Harris, however, are what made me overstay my visit and take up permanent residence.

I was unfamiliar with Harris’s work before cracking the binding on HONEYCOMB. So it was that I dropped quickly and abruptly into the world of her imagination without a bit of warning and with neither hope nor desire of extricating myself. I have no idea whether her extensive backlist is as thoroughly mesmerizing as the interconnected dark fairy tales, fables, and cautionary stories which comprise HONEYCOMB. I suspect it is and plan to satisfy my curiosity on that account. That aside, HONEYCOMB is a collection of one hundred short tales, divided into two sections, being Book One and Book Two, of fifty stories each. There is a primary story arc ---I’ll discuss that in a moment --- that runs through most of the stories in HONEYCOMB with occasional story interludes wherein one or more of the characters from the main tale may tiptoe into or trespass. Harris occasionally uses an interlude to build suspense, though if a reader is already a bit adrenalized by the presence of wasp and spider royalty and their minions the suspense is already baked in, to be sure. The primary character in HONEYCOMB is the Lacewing King, the son of the Honeycomb Queen, who is the very first of the Silken Folk, who are also known as the Faerie or the Keepers of Stories. We --- you and I --- are in HONEYCOMB as well, as is all of Humankind, though we are known to the Silken Folk as the Sightless Folk, since we cannot see the true essence of the Faerie unless they should choose to so manifest themselves. The Lacewing King does this in his formative years but with a sinister twist. He is, to be sure, not a good guy in these stories, and as a result crosses swords with some of the other inhabitants of his kingdom, which include the Spider Queen and the Harlequin, among others. This is dark material, for sure, and if the thought of thousands of spiders weaving a large ship for transport to a faraway land is not your idea of cruise ship personnel you will want to read HONEYCOMB in the middle of the day and not pick it up for night reading, as I did. My notes on HONEYCOMB include the term “Faerie Noir.” I don’t know if that is a thing, but if it is, HONEYCOMB is its manifestation. These stories aren’t just twisted at times and grimly humorous in others, however. They are each and all beautifully and wonderfully told, as the Lacewing King seeks a queen to give him an heir and runs into a number of roadblocks along the way, eventually learning that someone is looking for him as well. As good as that primary story is, don’t skip over the occasional tale that is unrelated to the main narrative. I’m thinking particularly of “The Old Lady and the Rocking Horse” which concerns an unappreciated grandmother, and “The Gardener,” who people mistake for a civil servant, among many others.

The stories in HONEYCOMB fly by. Not many authors can do short, short fiction well --- Richard Christian Matheson is one --- but you can add Harris to that list if, like me, she was unknown to you before now. You will read HONEYCOMB again and again after the first time and will be tempted to give copies to your adult friends who will then do the same. I plan on obtaining it in all formats just to fully enjoy reading it and listening to it. Yes, it’s that good. I could go on another paragraph or two discussing Vess’s illustrations, which are simply complex and wonderful to behold, but I won’t. Please. Read the stories and linger over the art, or vice versa, but do not miss HONEYCOMB, even if you hate the fantasy genre. It will restore the magic of reading and storytelling for you. Very strongly recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2021, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

Different stories, a common thread. I liked this book but didn't love it as the tone of the stories varies and some were better.
I think it's one of those love/hate book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Honeycomb by Joanne M. Harris with beautiful illustrations by Charles Vess is a collection of dark but beautiful stories with a distinct fairy tale feeling. Many of the stories are interlinked through characters like the Lacewing King , ruler of the Silken Folk , the Spider Queen and the Clockwork Princess. I found that I enjoyed it best by dipping in and reading a story or two at a time, allowing time for the worldbuilding to develop without things becoming repetitive. The writing, as I have come to expect from Joanne M Harris, was beautiful , lush and lyrical. I felt the book got stronger in the second half , and found myself enjoying these later stories more than the earlier ones.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Rating: 3.5 stars

This is such an odd yet amazing collection of tales. I love how the stories are so interwoven and linked - even the ones you don't expect to be. (The world's a honeycomb my love, the world's a honeycomb.) In the beginning I didn't much care for the repeat appearances of the Lacewing King in the various stories, and when I got to a Lacewing King story I'd take a break from the book and go read something else for a while... But by the end he (and his stories) really grew on me.

The stories I really loved, though, are the ones that feel much like traditional fairy tales. The ones about the farmyard, especially, are sort of dark and twisted morality tales, and I'm still not sure if I liked them or not! If you don't normally settle down with a copy of The Brother's Grimm or Anderson's Fairy Tales and just read a bunch of short stories, you may not love this book. At the same time it's not JUST separate tales because there's the repeat appearance and over-arcing plot of the Lacewing King. This book tries to bridge the divide, and judging from other reviews not always successfully. I enjoy epic fantasy as well as fairy tale collections, so it worked for me personally. I also liked being able to read a few stories and put the book down and pursue other things, then pick it back up and dive right back in.

This is a gorgeous collection of seemingly unrelated original fairy tales that gradually twist around one another to eventually reveal that they are much more connected than they at first seem. They celebrate stories, who tells them and how they are told, reminding me in some ways a lot of the Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. If you liked that book, I suspect you will like this one.

The magic and writing are lush and mysterious, the concept of the Silken Folk (fae) and the insect world being the same thing was fascinating and strange, just as a fairy tale should be. I loved the journey, watching the Lacewing King and those around him learn and grow and change through the power of stories.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Press for providing an e-arc for review.

Once upon a time—or as the story begins here, Long ago and far away—there were the Silken Folk. Normal humans can’t see these fantastical, magical insects. The many (mostly linked) stories in Honeycomb, by Joanne M. Harris, tell the story of the Lacewing King, the High King of the Silken Folk, and his long path towards redemption for his early cruelty. More stories interrupt the main narrative to reinforce lessons about common sense, kindness, karma, and being able to see things as they really are. Harris doesn’t quite capture the sound of Grimm and Perrault’s tales, but she definitely nailed the essence of a good fairy tale.

Perhaps it’s their magic or their insectile natures, but the Silken Folk are often oblivious to the pain they cause others—especially to humans who come across their path. It’s little wonder, then, that Lacewing King is demanding, temperamental, and frankly cruel. He only cares about what might amuse him or taking things from others when they catch his eye. And then he flits off, never to be seen again for the most part. He makes enemies the way other people make their morning coffee. In fact, one of those enemies, the Spider Queen, plots against him for most of the book. In spite of his casual cruelty, however, the Lacewing King does manage to capture the love and loyalty of people and Silken folk who later bail him out from his biggest catastrophes.

The first half of Honeycomb is a long set-up. The linked stories and the side stories about politicking farm animals, clockwork creatures and inventors, lots of kings who will never be satisfied, slowly introduce characters and concepts in a universe that alludes to Shakespeare, Norse mythology, First Corinthians, and much more. It all slowly builds to a confrontation between the Lacewing King and three Queens that sees the King put on trial for one of his early crimes. At the risk of spoiling things, the aftermath of the trial sends the King and his adopted Barefoot Princess spinning through the Nine Worlds. The second—and much more melancholy—half is a long struggle for the King and the Princess to get back to their rightful places.

The more I read of Honeycomb, the more I enjoyed it. It took some time to adjust my reading to accommodate the linked stories and the interstitial stories. This book requires a lot of mental juggling to keep all the plots and the characters straight, as well as to read the interstitial stories in such a way that I would see their morals. Having said that, I worry that I’m making Honeycomb sound too challenging and that I’ll scare off readers. Don’t be afraid of this amazing book! Reading it left me reveling at Harris’s artistry and with a whole head full of rich stories to reflect on. This book is as close to genius as I’ve ever seen.

Honeycomb is a collection of dark fairy tales. There are two books within this novel and the collection of stories consists of independent tales as well as interrelated tales that tell the story of the Lacewing King. The novel has the feel of Aesops Fables combined with the tale of Ulysses in The Odyssey. It is a slow read.

Though some of the stories were entertaining, most of them for me were somewhat of a grind. As a whole, Honeycomb was a bit of a disappointment. Perhaps I expected more. I'm sure there are a number of readers that will certainly enjoy this book. Those that enjoyed Circe (I didn't) will certainly appreciate the author's writing style. An unfortunate two stars (it was okay) for me.

I received a digital ARC of this book from Gallery Books through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.