In Western fairy tales, we've got the werewolf, the man who changes into a wolf. But in the East, it's the fox who does the changing, into a man--or, more often, a sensuous, seductive woman. In her skillful debut, Kij Johnson takes this classic Japanese myth (based in large part on a Royall Tyler translation of a particular story) and spins it into a luminous, lyrical tale, a tender and whisper-quiet study of love, desire, joy, and the nature of the soul.

The Fox Woman follows two families, one of foxes and another of humans. The restless Kaya no Yoshifuji fails to receive an appointment in the Emperor's court and, distracted and seemingly unfazed, decides to relocate to a rural estate to pass a pensive winter, accompanied by his wife Shikujo and son Tadamaro. But a young fox named Kitsune and her brother, mother, and grandfather have set up their den in the run-down estate, and soon the fate of both families becomes intertwined; Yoshifuji becomes bewitched by the foxes, and Kitsune in turn falls in love with him, much to the distress of all others involved, especially Shikujo.

Johnson tells her tale in measured, intimate passages, through Kitsune's diary, Yoshifuji's notebook, and Shikujo's pillow book. The rich, truthful depiction of the Heian-era setting, punctuated by exchanges of poetry and steeped in emotive descriptions of both the fox and human worlds, establishes a still, meditative, and rewarding pace. With her thoughtful ear, Johnson offers a mature and knowing first effort. --Paul Hughes


From Publishers Weekly
HAn expansion of Johnson's acclaimed story "Fox Magic," this moving novel is based on a ninth-century Japanese fairy tale. Depressed by his failures in the emperor's court, Kaya no Yoshifuji brings his wife, Shikujo, and his eight-year-old son back to his remote country estate. There Kitsune, a young fox-woman, sees him and falls in love with him. Through the diaries of the three main characters, we see that as Yoshifuji's sadness drives him away from his wife, he finds himself strangely obsessed with the family of foxes in his garden. This obsession terrifies Shikujo, who has disturbing memories of a fox-man who once appeared in her dreams. Later, when Shikujo returns to the capital to try to salvage her son's career in the imperial court, Kitsune and her family use fox-magic to create an idyllic imitation of the human world, into which they lure Yoshifuji. He believes the illusion and marries Kitsune. But in this fairy tale, marriage does not end happily ever after. Kitsune fears that Yoshifuji will someday see that his beautiful human wife is in fact a fox, their house a hole in the ground and their dainty food mice and insects. It is clear that the precarious illusion will soon unravel. A meditation on poetry, ritual and humanity, Johnson's fairy tale is a literate, magical and occasionally grotesque love story. Yoshifuji and Shikujo often communicate with each other through poetry; beautiful haikus and wakas provide intense glimpses into their characters. Steeped in historical detail, Johnson's prose is uncommonly musical; it captures the atmosphere of Japan's old courts while avoiding ostentation. This is only Johnson's first novel, but it establishes her as one of SF's most remarkable stylists. (Jan.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
A young fox falls in love with a human man and summons the magic of the foxes to assume the form of a woman in order to win her lover's heart. Expanding on her award-winning short story, "Fox Magic," Johnson sets this version of a Japanese folk tale in medieval Japan. The author imbues her story with the delicate details of another time and place, creating an atmosphere of understated passion and controlled intensity. A good choice for most fantasy collections. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Based on a traditional Japanese fairy story and steeped in medieval Japanese culture, this literary tale has a mannered pace well suited to its theme and subject. Alternating narrative point-of-view between Kitsune, a young female fox who falls in love with Japanese nobleman Kaya no Yoshifuji; the nobleman himself; and his long-suffering wife, Shikujo, Johnson poignantly explores the tangled web in which the lives of the three characters are bound. When Kaya fails to get a spring court appointment, he and his family retire to their country estate, where he suffers from severe depression and the sense that he is trapped in a drab existence. Enter Kitsune, who, with her grandfather's help, works the magic that makes her a human woman and lures Kaya into a completely illusionary life. All three protagonists are forced to face reality and truth and to make their own worlds out of the best of all he or she has experienced. The haunting novel may appeal more to mainstream fiction readers than typical fantasy fans. Sally Estes


From Kirkus Reviews
Reworking of a Japanese fable, told through entries in a gentleman's notebook, a fox's diary, and a wife's pillow book. In medieval Japan, nobleman Kaya no Yoshifuji, unable to obtain a position at court, retires to his country estate with his wife Shikujo and their young son Tadamaro. The estate's been badly neglected, with a fox family living under the floor of Yoshifuji's wing: young Kitsune, her Brother, Grandfather, and dim-witted Mother. Kitsune and Yoshifuji fascinate one another, but Shikujo, convinced foxes are evil creatures, urges her husband to have them killed. Refusing, he observes Kitsune, and writes poems about her. Disgusted, Shikujo takes her son back to the capital. Grandfather, it emerges, knows how Kitsune might take human formonce he did so himselfusing fox magic and a human skull. This powerful magic provides the foxes with human bodies, clothes, human dwellings, and even shadow servants. Finally, Kitsune and the fox magic beguile Yoshifuji, and he goes to live with Kitsune and her family. Kitsune bears a son; Yoshifuji and Brother enjoy hunting together. Then, while Shikujo attends the princess at the palace, a message arrives: Her husband is missing; she must return to search for him. Slowly, Kitsune's dream unravels. Mother dies in a hunting accident. Shikujo arrives and, presented with Yoshifuji's bloodied, ripped clothing, assumes him dead and summons a priest. The priest dispels the fox magic, kills Grandfather, drags Yoshifuji away, and drives Kitsune off. Finally, Kitsune realizes that Grandfather was Shikujo's lover. An exquisitely fashioned but hopelessly overextended debut. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"The Fox Woman is a wonderfully evocative and gripping novel, a book that will stay with you and resonate in your heart long after the final page is turned." --Charles de Lint

"The Fox Woman is a magnificent book, powerfully and profoundly moving, in its moods and atmosphere, utterly magical, a genuine and unique work of high art. And all of this expressed through language that is elegant, economical, graceful. The Fox Woman immediately sets the author in the front rank of today's novelists." --Lloyd Alexander

"If you want lush prose, romantic settings, and a poetry-of-the-soul book, run--do not walk--to get this. God, I wish I had written it!" --Jane Yolen

"Kij Johnson reminds us that the magic (and strength) of Fantasy is seeing ourselves in the mirror of the Other. Never has that mirror shimmered more seductively. Look." --Terry Bisson

"Lush, vivid, and charming, The Fox Woman is a beautifully written and poignant fable unlike any other fantasy I have ever read." --Kevin J. Anderson

"I enjoyed presenting to Kij Johnson the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for her short story 'The Fox Woman,' but I enjoyed even more reading the novel she has created around the Japanese myth of the fox who falls in love with a nobleman and becomes a woman. It is wise, witty, and wonderful." --James Gunn



Review
"The Fox Woman is a wonderfully evocative and gripping novel, a book that will stay with you and resonate in your heart long after the final page is turned." --Charles de Lint

"The Fox Woman is a magnificent book, powerfully and profoundly moving, in its moods and atmosphere, utterly magical, a genuine and unique work of high art. And all of this expressed through language that is elegant, economical, graceful. The Fox Woman immediately sets the author in the front rank of today's novelists." --Lloyd Alexander

"If you want lush prose, romantic settings, and a poetry-of-the-soul book, run--do not walk--to get this. God, I wish I had written it!" --Jane Yolen

"Kij Johnson reminds us that the magic (and strength) of Fantasy is seeing ourselves in the mirror of the Other. Never has that mirror shimmered more seductively. Look." --Terry Bisson

"Lush, vivid, and charming, The Fox Woman is a beautifully written and poignant fable unlike any other fantasy I have ever read." --Kevin J. Anderson

"I enjoyed presenting to Kij Johnson the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for her short story 'The Fox Woman,' but I enjoyed even more reading the novel she has created around the Japanese myth of the fox who falls in love with a nobleman and becomes a woman. It is wise, witty, and wonderful." --James Gunn



Review
"The Fox Woman is a wonderfully evocative and gripping novel, a book that will stay with you and resonate in your heart long after the final page is turned." --Charles de Lint

"The Fox Woman is a magnificent book, powerfully and profoundly moving, in its moods and atmosphere, utterly magical, a genuine and unique work of high art. And all of this expressed through language that is elegant, economical, graceful. The Fox Woman immediately sets the author in the front rank of today's novelists." --Lloyd Alexander

"If you want lush prose, romantic settings, and a poetry-of-the-soul book, run--do not walk--to get this. God, I wish I had written it!" --Jane Yolen

"Kij Johnson reminds us that the magic (and strength) of Fantasy is seeing ourselves in the mirror of the Other. Never has that mirror shimmered more seductively. Look." --Terry Bisson

"Lush, vivid, and charming, The Fox Woman is a beautifully written and poignant fable unlike any other fantasy I have ever read." --Kevin J. Anderson

"I enjoyed presenting to Kij Johnson the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for her short story 'The Fox Woman,' but I enjoyed even more reading the novel she has created around the Japanese myth of the fox who falls in love with a nobleman and becomes a woman. It is wise, witty, and wonderful." --James Gunn



Book Description
Kij Johnson has created an achingly beautiful love story, a fable wrapped in smoke and magic set against the fabric of ancient Japan. Johnson brings the setting lovingly to life, describing a world of formalities and customs, where the exchange of poetry is a form of conversation and everything has meaning, from the color of the silks on wears to how one may address others.

Yoshifuji is a man fascinated by foxes, a man discontented and troubled by the meaning of life. A misstep at court forces him to retire to his long-deserted country estate, to rethink his plans and contemplate the next move that might return him to favor and guarantee his family's prosperity.

Kitsune is a young fox who is fascinated by the large creatures that have suddenly invaded her world. She is drawn to them and to Yoshifuji. She comes to love him and will do anything to become a human woman to be with him.

Shikujo is Yoshifuji's wife, ashamed of her husband, yet in love with him and uncertain of her role in his world. She is confused by his fascination with the creatures of the wood, and especially the foxes that she knows in her heart are harbingers of danger. She sees him slipping away and is determined to win him back from the wild...for all that she has her own fox-related secret.

Magic binds them all. And in the making (and breaking) of oaths and honors, the patterns of their lives will be changed forever.

The Fox Woman is a powerful first novel, singing with lyrical prose and touching the deepest emotions. A historically accurate fantasy, it gives us a glimpse into, and an understanding of, the history that shaped the people of one of our world's greatest nations. But it is also a story about people trying to understand each other and the times they live in, people trying to see through illusions to confront the truth of who they are.



About the Author
Kij Johnson is the author of several novels, including The Fox Woman and Fudoki. Her short fiction has sold to Amazing Stories, Analog, Asimov's, Duelist Magazine, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Realms of Fantasy. She won the Theodore A. Sturgeon award for the best short story of 1994 for her novelette in Asimov's, "Fox Magic." In 2001, she won the International Association for the Fantastic in the Art's Crawford Award for best new fantasy novelist of the year.

She taught writing and science-fiction writing at Louisiana State University and at the University of Kansas, and has lectured on creativity and writing at bookstores and businesses across the country. Since 1994, she has assisted at the Writer's Workshop for Science Fiction, hosted by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas. Since 1999, she has taught a series of writing seminars at the GenCon Game Fair.

In the past ten years, she has worked as managing editor at Tor Books; collections and special editions editor for Dark Horse Comics; editor, continuity manager and creative director for Wizards of the Coast; and as a program manager on the Microsoft Reader. She has also run chain and independent bookstores, worked as a radio announcer and engineer, edited cryptic crosswords, and waitressed in a strip bar.

She lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with her husband, writer Chris McKitterick, a dog and two cats.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Yoshifuji is a man fascinated by foxes, a man discontented and troubled by the meaning of life. A misstep at court forces him to retire to his long-deserted country estate, to rethink his plans and contemplate the next move that might return him to favor and guarantee his family's prosperity." "Kitsune is a young fox who is fascinated by the large creatures that have suddenly invaded her world. She is drawn to them and to Yoshifuji. She comes to love him and will do anything to become a human woman to be with him." "Shikujo is Yoshifuji's wife, ashamed of her husband, yet in love with him and uncertain of her role in his world. She is confused by his fascination with the creatures of the wood, and especially the foxes that she knows in her heart are harbingers of danger. She sees him slipping away and is determined to win him back from the wild ... for all that she has her own fox-related secret." "Magic binds them all. And in the making (and breaking) of oaths and honors, the patterns of their lives will be changed forever.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

HAn expansion of Johnson's acclaimed story "Fox Magic," this moving novel is based on a ninth-century Japanese fairy tale. Depressed by his failures in the emperor's court, Kaya no Yoshifuji brings his wife, Shikujo, and his eight-year-old son back to his remote country estate. There Kitsune, a young fox-woman, sees him and falls in love with him. Through the diaries of the three main characters, we see that as Yoshifuji's sadness drives him away from his wife, he finds himself strangely obsessed with the family of foxes in his garden. This obsession terrifies Shikujo, who has disturbing memories of a fox-man who once appeared in her dreams. Later, when Shikujo returns to the capital to try to salvage her son's career in the imperial court, Kitsune and her family use fox-magic to create an idyllic imitation of the human world, into which they lure Yoshifuji. He believes the illusion and marries Kitsune. But in this fairy tale, marriage does not end happily ever after. Kitsune fears that Yoshifuji will someday see that his beautiful human wife is in fact a fox, their house a hole in the ground and their dainty food mice and insects. It is clear that the precarious illusion will soon unravel. A meditation on poetry, ritual and humanity, Johnson's fairy tale is a literate, magical and occasionally grotesque love story. Yoshifuji and Shikujo often communicate with each other through poetry; beautiful haikus and wakas provide intense glimpses into their characters. Steeped in historical detail, Johnson's prose is uncommonly musical; it captures the atmosphere of Japan's old courts while avoiding ostentation. This is only Johnson's first novel, but it establishes her as one of SF's most remarkable stylists. (Jan.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

KLIATT

Kitsuni is a young female fox living under an abandoned house with her family. Their sanctuary is disturbed when the owner of the property returns from the Emperor's Court intending to live in the house. Yoshifuji is a troubled man, passed over for a Court appointment. His wife, Shikujo, and their young son accompany him. Yoshifuji is fascinated by the foxes and Kitsuni falls in love with him. Through magic Kitsuni assumes human form. Their liaison leads to tragedy for Kitsuni. The story is told in excerpts from Kitsuni's diary, Shikujo's pillow book and Yoshifuji's diary. It is a reworking of Japanese fable and keeps that tone throughout. Close attention is paid to setting and atmosphere, and the pace is leisurely. KLIATT Codes: A—Recommended for advanced students, and adults. 2000, Tor, 382p, 21cm, 99-053591, $14.95. Ages 17 to adult. Reviewer: Susan E. Chmurynsky; Media Spec., E. Kentwood Freshman Campus, Kentwood, MI, May 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 3)

Library Journal

A young fox falls in love with a human man and summons the magic of the foxes to assume the form of a woman in order to win her lover's heart. Expanding on her award-winning short story, "Fox Magic," Johnson sets this version of a Japanese folk tale in medieval Japan. The author imbues her story with the delicate details of another time and place, creating an atmosphere of understated passion and controlled intensity. A good choice for most fantasy collections. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Faren Miller - Locus

The Fox Woman develops into what is essentially a love triangle between three characters constrained by their own self-pity, social norms, perfectionism, and illusions. It takes each of them well over half the length of the book to gain enough understanding to break out of all this and find the living soul within, and that long delay seems like a problem of pacing. Enough elegance and misery already!...It proves to be worth the wait, for The Fox Woman develops into a moving examination of passion and the gaining of hard-won knowledge such as Shikujo's realization that life can be like raku pottery, with its own rough beauty where "Perhaps honesty could be stronger, more beautiful than elegance and correctness." It's here, and in Kitsune and Yoshifuji's similar awakenings, that this tale entirely escapes the constraints of standard fairy tales (whether happy or tragic) to stand entirely on its own as a celebration of that far from mundane thing we call life.

Science Fiction Chronicle