The Fairies of Sadieville

The Fairies of Sadieville, an urban fantasy novel by American author Alex Bledsoe, was released in the U.S. in April 2018 through Tor Books. It concludes a six-book series centered on the Tufa, a group descended from Irish fairies who arrived in a secluded Appalachian valley in East Tennessee in the 19th century. Critics generally gave the book positive reviews.

The title comes from "Sadieville," a song by South Carolina singer-songwriter Jennifer Goree, which appeared on her 1998 album *Don't Be a Stranger* with Appalachian Soul. Bledsoe has stated this is the final Tufa book, explaining that while he has more ideas, they don't lead anywhere new. He feared continuing might result in repetition, desperation, or a descent into soap opera, and chose to end the series with a story that answers lingering questions and resolves ongoing subplots.

The plot follows graduate students Justin and Veronica, who discover a century-old silent film showing a girl transforming into a fairy. The footage was shot in Sadieville, a Tennessee mining town. Investigating in Needsville, Cloud County, they learn Sadieville vanished in 1915 when a cavern beneath it collapsed. This leads them to a forgotten cave containing a portal to Tír na nÓg. The Tufa, exiled from their homeland thousands of years ago, now face a difficult choice: return or stay in their Appalachian home.

Canadian fantasy writer Charles de Lint praised the novel as a fitting end to an "absolutely enchanting series," calling it a "true North American fantasy" rooted in Appalachian people and folklore. He noted that Bledsoe uniquely merges myth, rural life, and the modern world, setting a new standard for North American fantasy. LaShawn M. Wanak, in *Lightspeed* magazine, appreciated the sensitive handling of relationships and the introduction of a mixed-race couple, Justin and Veronica. She found Justin’s experience as a black man among white Southerners compelling, along with Bledsoe’s acknowledgment of African-American roots in bluegrass. However, she felt the book dwelled too much on each Tufa’s reaction to the portal. *Publishers Weekly* noted the rich sense of location and history, and called the racial discussions "thought-provoking," though the ending felt "a little unfinished." Liz Bourke, reviewing for Tor.com, described Bledsoe’s prose as "carefully precise" and "a delight to read"