Once Upon Books in Order

The Once Upon books, sometimes called the Faery series, take classic fairy tales and stretch them into full length fantasy romances. Instead of simply retelling a single story, Dennis L McKiernan links several together inside a larger plot, all set in the borderlands between the mortal world and the realm of Faery.

Each novel is tied to one of the great seasonal demesnes: Winterwood, Summerwood, Autumnwood, and Springwood. Mortals live along the edges of these enchanted forests, sometimes crossing the unseen line, sometimes hosting visitors from the other side. Time moves strangely in Faery, and the Fates themselves take a direct interest, speaking in riddles and prophecies that the characters must puzzle through.

Once Upon a Winter's Night opens the cycle with Camille, a poor farmer's daughter whose beautiful singing catches the ear of Prince Alain of Summerwood. Her marriage to the mysterious, masked prince leads her into a life of luxury and affection shadowed by a strict taboo: she must never see his unmasked face. When she breaks that rule in the hope of lifting his curse, everything she loves is swept away and she must travel through Faery to win it back.

In Once Upon a Summer Day, Alain's brother Prince Borel of the Winterwood begins to dream of a blindfolded maiden trapped in a chamber circled by floating daggers. Convinced she is real and running out of time, he ranges across Faery with a tiny field sprite at his side, facing witches, trolls, and stranger beings in a story that draws heavily on the Sleeping Beauty tradition.

Once Upon an Autumn Eve shifts the focus to Liaze, Princess of Autumnwood, who falls for a gravely wounded knight named Sieur Luc. He is brave and kind but unable to remember who he truly is, his past wrapped in enchantment and old feuds. When dark forces seize him, Liaze must rely on her own courage, a handful of clues, and the maddening hints of the Fates to bring him home.

In Once Upon a Spring Morn, gallant Roél rides into the Springwood and finds both love and trouble in the person of Princess Céleste. Their budding romance is quickly tested when Roél's sister is stolen away by a lord who trades in souls. Following a mysterious map and cryptic guidance from powers beyond them, the pair cross dangerous borders to reclaim what has been taken.

The cycle comes to a head in Once Upon a Dreadful Time, where the villainous witch Hradian tries to free her master, the wizard Orbane, from imprisonment in the Castle of Shadows. Her scheme threatens to spill horror from Faery into the mortal world, forcing the couples from the earlier books and their allies to stand together in a final, wide ranging battle.

Taken as a whole, the Once Upon series offers quest fantasy wrapped in the language and logic of old tales: talking animals, enchanted objects, bargains with witches, and love tested by hard choices. You can read the books individually, but they reward being read in order, as each story adds new threads to the tapestry of Winterwood, Summerwood, Autumnwood, and Springwood.